While both games make their debut on the newer consoles with no changes or additions (beyond the included DLC), the step up in processing horsepower allows for the addition of split-screen co-op for up to four players. That’s a first for the series, which had previously limited local play to two players.
The Handsome Collection also allows players to carry their saves over from PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, provided the upgrade is in the same console family.
Related: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel review
In addition to the $60 standard package, 2K Games is also offering an extremely limited Claptrap-in-a-Box Edition of The Handsome Collection. This set retails for $400 and includes a remote-controlled (via smartphone app) Claptrap that can speak when prompted and stream a live video feed through the camera in its eye. Claptrap-in-a-Box is limited to a run of only 5,000, though, so this might be one to pre-order if you really want it.
Gearbox Software’s Borderlands 2 first released in 2012 for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360, mixing the speed and action of a first-person shooter with the ever-dangling hooks of a loot-focused role-playing game like Diablo.
The Pre-Sequel arrived in late 2014, developed by 2K Australia. While it embraced many of the same concepts as its predecessor, and went the additional step of depositing players into the airless, low-gravity environment of a moon, we felt in our review that it represented a step back for the series. Though perhaps it’ll cement itself with the Borderlands-loving audience now that it’s coming to the newest and shiniest machines around.
