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Saying Borderlands is my favorite combination of first person shooter and role-playing game is like saying Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are my favorite mass market peanut butter and chocolate candy – sure there's not a lot of competition, but damn they're both really good.

Set on the a sci-fi western/post apocalyptic planet called Pandora, Borderlands puts you behind the gun sights of one of four different mercenaries trying to find an ancient alien Vault and the presumed techno-treasures sealed therein. Each character has a different specialty: Roland the soldier, Lilith the elementalist siren, Mordecai the hunter, and Brick the berserker. Each has unique skill trees giving them special powers that define a large part of how they play. For example, the siren can turn invisible for short periods of time, the hunter has a helpful and deadly hawk companion, the soldier can deploy auto-turrets, and the berserker can pound people to a pulp with his bare hands. All the characters and the world they inhabit are rendered in a striking, almost painterly style that gives Borderlands a look that helps it stand out among virtual worlds.

One thing all these characters have in common, the unifying force that ties all of Borderlands together into a giant, violent, explosive ball of fun is the panoply of guns. There are pistols, revolvers, SMGs, assault rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers, sniper rifles, grenades, and even alien weaponry. Within each category weapons vary by damage, elemental effects, clip size, rate of fire, accuracy, and other special features. Although the some characters specialize in some weapons, all of them are useful and most characters routinely run around with at least one or two of each type. Enemies and monsters drop guns when you kill them, boxes scattered around the landscape hold guns, vending machines sell guns, piles of trash have guns in them. The game advertises "Bazillions of Guns!" and they ain't lying. The constant quest for new weapons, something just a little better or a lot different or both drives you to keep playing, to keep shooting, to keep exploring It's every bit as addictive as it's meant to be.

Of course all the guns in the world wouldn't make an bad game fun, but the core shooting play in Borderlands is a lot of fun. It's pretty standard FPS fare, but it has the neat addition of damage numbers spilling off your enemies as you shoot them. This gives you immediate feedback as to whether or not you're using the right gun for the job and the red-letter word “Critical” pops up when you hit something vital. There's nothing more gratifying than hitting with a few acid-based Caustic rounds and watching the green damage numbers pour off the enemy until he melts away, screaming in agony and bright a bright white “1000 XP” pops out, indicating his demise and your progression.

Combat can be slow and strategic if you engage from afar or wild and chaotic if you mix up in melee or close in shotgunning. The fights are challenging but seldom daunting, and offer enough variety that I never grew bored right up through the climactic final fight. I like the way Borderlands handles boss fights too – they're just big tough people or monsters you have to fight the same way you fight everything else. No pattern recognition or quick time events, but definitely a need for strategy and even some resource management. The game also offers some limited but decent vehicle combat and the ability to duel with other players in online co-op.

Oh yeah, up to four player online co-op! I played through the game mostly solo, and had well over fifteen hours of fun with it. But I also played about six hours of co-op, where you can join other players' games, help them on their many quests, and do some real damage. More players equals more and tougher monsters along with more and better loot, all of which means more fun. It's easy and works well, even if there's a level disparity between the different characters (which there was every time I played co-op). And once you've beaten the game you can always play through again, with everything harder. With its unique style and plentiful game play, Borderlands is great fun and a great value. It's available right now on Playstation 3, X-Box 360, and PC.