Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel vs Starbound
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is supposed to be the Borderlands game that occurs in between Borderlands 1 and 2 as it details Handsome Jack's rise to power and wealth. The game features a pretty similar frantic gameplay to Borderlands 2 with a few major changes - Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is set in space and on a planet with low gravity and limited oxygen supply. These factors do bump up the difficult of the game by a notch and it is incredibly fun to enjoy the virtually-designed low gravity effect in first person.Like Borderlands 2, this game brings along with it a brand new cast of anti-heroes, each with their own set of special abilities. Interestingly, you get to play the annoyingly amusing (or is it "amusingly annoying"?) little robot - Claptrap - in this pre-sequel too! Of course, being space, you'll get a new line of vehicles to wreak havoc in.
If you're here for the story, then you'll won't find Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel disappointing, but when it comes to its gameplay, it does feel a bit lackluster at times. All in all though, the game bridges the story perfectly and is pretty much a must-buy for fans of the series, but if you're new to the series, it might be best to start with either Borderlands 1 or 2.
Starbound
Starbound is amazingly fun 2D sandbox/exploration game that will put you in the shoes of a spacefarer and a captain of your very own spacecraft. As you travel through space, you will need to stop by planets to collect resources and perhaps even colonize them so you can also gather up a crew to man your ship. There are up to 7 races to play as, a story campaign where you are tasked to save the universe, and 3 different game modes ranging from Casual to Hardcore to either provide you with a fun relaxing experience or to put your survival skills to the test. You can even play the game cooperatively when you want. For modders, you can add in new races, biomes, dungeons, quests and anything else you'd like as well.Starbound can be turned into a pretty much an endless game due to its procedurally generated universe, where you can simply fly around in your spaceship looking for your next big adventure. Thus, you can definitely expect hours of gameplay at the very least for your first playthrough, making this game very well worth its price.