Updated Oct 19th! See updates below.

Despite all the great games coming out, Borderlands has become my No.1 must buy game for the holiday season. I would even go as far as saying that all games from now on need to consider what about Borderlands seems to have resonated with so many gamers. That’s a bold statement when you realize that I haven’t even played the game yet.

So what about Borderlands is making me rave like a converted cultist, potentially riling up legions of fanboys for Mondern Warfare 2, Halo: ODST, or Left 4 Dead 2? Quite simply: From the get go, Borderlands has been touting key features which I believe all game developers need to evaluate as part of their game design.

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So while I reserve judgement whether the game will live up to expectations, there's