Borderland's 4's solution to the handsome jack problem makes me shake in my boots

There has been plenty of positive buzzing around Borderlands 4 In recent weeks, and for good reasons. Borderlands 4Previews were quite glowing, Vex Siren's teaser had a perfect tone that felt like just the right type of humor, and the range of arch hunters for the game sounds pretty multiple. But while I'm finally aboard the hype train for the last Borderland Games, there is a gut feeling that I have that its villain just won't hit the mark.

Much has been said about Borderland“Handsome jack problems, because he can mainly be seen as a villain so good that he almost tracked a franchise. Calypso -Tvölings too snoring personalities saw them win fans, with both players and critics who regarded them as a bad attempt to create another humorous villain as Jack. sure that is the right solution to the problem either.

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Borderland 4 has finally convinced me that it will be good thanks to only a couple of lines with dialogue

Although I have been nervous about Borderland's 4 because of its major changes, the gearbox confidence has me ready to jump aboard the hype train.

Handsome Jack is my favorite video game villain ever, so it's impossible for me not to compare any newcomers with the former CEO of Hyperion. With each look I became more attached to Jack. Yes, Before the sequence Had their problems, but I loved to see how Jack was betrayed, because it made his descent to the villain much more understandable. And I will never forget his interactions with Rhys, especially the one at the end of the end of Stories from the boundariesBecause that game managed to humanize him and make him more disgusting at the same time. With several titles to shine in, it is difficult to imagine that someone is coming close to Jack's greatness in my eyes. But I still think that the pattern for another good villain can be found by studying jack and doing something similar, not moving in the opposite direction and focusing entirely on making the antagonist threatening. As such, I'm not worried about the timekeeper killing my favorites, but I'm worried that he feels in his place and removing some of Borderland'Identity.

Borderland's 4's timer doesn't really sound like a Borderland character

Borderlands 4The villain has been described as a formidable tyrant and a cruel dictator. He forces his subjects to wear a unit called a bolt so he can see their every move and keep them in line all the time. He is described as “well maintained” and “calm”, and he has a royal look to match his estimated behavior. He is supposed to deliver a sense of “fear” because he can “reach out and control” people at a distance, which means he could knock out of the blue and kill big characters completely surprisingly. All of these properties sound good on paper, but they also do for a rogue fans see in a more serious sci-fi project. Sure, Borderlands 4 Avoids toilet humor at all costs, but it will still have comedy, which is shown by Vex's Short and Claptraps dialog.

If Borderlands 4Timekeeper is just a comic foil that moves away all other jokesters surrounding him, he can be boring and one-note more often than he scares. After all Borderland“Worst characters are Commandant Steele, a siren who never shows her powers or comes out as some kind of threat. She could certain Borderland Will be too close to replicating the series' worst antagonist by trying to solve their handsome jack problem. Sure, he can inspire feelings of fear and hatred when he suddenly strikes to hurt a fan favorite, but all moments between these intense scenes mean just as much.

Handsome jack worked in Borderlands 2 Because fans got to see his complexity on full screen. The handsome jack before the arch hunters find Angel is a completely different man than the one who comes after. He goes from a jokester who dishes out insults without a stop to a power -breeding monster that feels like a real threat, essentially two kinds of antagonists in one. People got a reason to love him because of his really funny dialogue, then a reason to hate him because of how he hurt other characters they like, with a little tragic backstory litter at the top to make him feel more human. If the timeholder is played completely straight, and players do not see the correct character development or a change in his personality, he could feel like a little more than a caricatur. Yes he gets less annoying than BorderlandNew villains and will surely draw less criticism as a result, but I appreciated Borderlands 3 Trying to take a big swing on a jack afterwards since he was the perfect antagonist for the franchise.

The handsome Jack actor Dameon Clarke also deserves lots of credit for bringing the character to life, with his performance as so memorable that all who take the role of the role of Borderland The villain will always have a high bar to climb over.

Borderlands 4 Timekeeper Handsome Jack Calypso Twins

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Borderland's 4 Dev calls that make the timekeeper different from handsome Jack, Calypso -Tvildarna

Game Rant talks to a Borderland 4 developer about how the timekeeper turns the script on what fans expect from a Borderland villain.

Borderland 4's secondary villain can make a one -dimensional timing work

Of course, we have seen very little of the timekeeper, so there is still a chance gearbox has some surprises in the sleeve. One thing that the developer has confirmed is that there will be a secondary villain called Ripper Queen, and her design is really eye -catching. A direct victim of Timekeeper's cruel acts, she could give a great insight into his rule before Vault Hunter's Adventures at Kairos. Her personality also seems to be the opposite of his, being a wild madman while he is an almost gentlemanly figure. When it is considered two halves of a whole, Borderlands 4 'S Villain Combo can get the job done, although both characters must be well -written and deep in their own right.

In the end, I have to wait and see how the timeholder turns out, but Borderlands 4Early descriptions of the character do not have me full of trust. Doing something “different” than what came before is all good and good, but when what came before is one of gaming biggest characters, is to lose too far from that road a bit of a red flag. Yes, the Calypso turns were a miss for me just as they were for so many others, because Troy never got their moment and none of the siblings rejected the volume when they needed. Still, the idea of a humorous yet powerful villain feels just right for the series, while a calm, calculating mastermind sounds a little out-of-place on paper.

I would definitely be happy to have proven wrong, and there is really a chance that I will be, as there may be more depth for the timekeeper than meets the eye. Right now, but I imagine him as a mask that carries dictator who will not be able to make fun of his opponents or have memorable outbursts when his plans are prevented – alias, handsome Jack but with the best aspects of his personality nowhere to find.