Tales From The Borderlands: Episode One - Zer0 Sum Reviews

Tales From The Borderlands: Episode One - Zer0 Sum is ranked in the 93rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
96 / 100
Nov 23, 2014

Tales from the Borderlands' first episode is a fantastic introduction to what is sure to be an amazing franchise.

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9 / 10
Nov 23, 2014

Tales from the Borderlands is a beautiful new twist on the Borderlands experience with lovable leads and breathless action sequences.

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8.5 / 10.0
Nov 24, 2014

Zer0 Sum is a great start to the series. It brings Borderlands to life in promising new ways, it's genuinely funny, and it has a terrific cast. The choices one makes are naturally not as gut-wrenching as those found in Telltale's darker games, but that doesn't really matter.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 24, 2014

Aside from the disappointing lack of puzzles and limit on exploration, Tales from the Borderlands: Zer0 Sum is excellent. Where the first episodes of other Telltale series can start off slowly, Tales maintains high energy throughout. Its consistently funny writing and duo of unreliable narrator protagonists set the stage for a great overarching story, and it feels very much like it belongs in the Borderlands franchise. If the rest of the season maintains this level of quality, Tales from the Borderlands will be up there in history with the other great recent Telltale adventures.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 24, 2014

An exciting opening to a series that could end up being Telltale's best yet. There's something here for everyone.

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Unscored
Nov 24, 2014

Tales From the Borderlands might not pack the emotional punch of The Walking Dead at its best, or the style of Wolfamongous in full swagger, but it's bloody good fun.

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IGN
Top Critic
8.7 / 10.0
Nov 24, 2014

Tales from the Borderlands Episode 1 is a hilarious, fantastic start to Telltale's trip to Pandora

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Polygon
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Nov 24, 2014

Everything I'd expected from Telltale's take on this franchise, executed with such skill that it's hard to find anything to complain about...It's an enjoyable, violent and well-crafted introduction to the series. Episode Two can't come soon enough.

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4.5 / 5.0
Nov 24, 2014

I will say that Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 1 - Zero Sum didn't immediately grab me as a must see piece of game art like The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us did. However, it did grab me as a well written piece of game comedy, and those might be even rarer than the dramas, horrors, and mysteries we have seen throughout gaming's history. Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 1 - Zero Sum is undeniably fun, and I can't wait to see what further episodes bring. Until them, I AM THE CAPTAIN OF THIS POOP TRAIN! I'M GOING TO FILL YOU UP WITH BEES AND PLAY YOU LIKE A HARMONICA!

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9 / 10.0
Nov 24, 2014

There's no telling just how many twists and turns will occur, but even casual Borderlands fans will find plenty to like here. This is one of the best first episodes we've seen from Telltale, and quite possibly one of the best episodes of all Telltale's work.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 24, 2014

Previous Borderlands titles have taken us from Pandora, to the moon, and back, but the first episode of Tales from the Borderlands has already shown that there are plenty of other places in the Borderlands universe that we have yet to explore.

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Unscored
Nov 25, 2014
► WTF Is... -  Tales from the Borderlands (Episode 1) ? video thumbnail
Attack of the Fanboy
AOTF Staff
Top Critic
Nov 25, 2014

Tales from the Borderlands: Episode One is just one (relatively) big nudge in the ribs to all Borderlands fans as if to say "did you get that reference? Did'ya?" Luckily, in true Telltale style, there's something good for the rest of us as well. It's a solid first episode that brings in anticipation for episodes to come.

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6.5 / 10.0
Nov 25, 2014

Telltale avoids a complete flop with a more engaging second half and a well-done finale

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Unscored
Nov 25, 2014

Telltale's trip back to its comedy roots is a triumph. Rhys and Fiona are a duo I want to spend more time with. Baker and Bailey do a phenomenal job of bringing them to life, with spot-on comic timing and just enough humanity so they don't simply feel like vehicles for jokes. Pandora is a world I'm enamoured with once more, and being able to explore it without grinding or shooting a thousand addle-brained enemies over and over again is a very welcome change.

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8 / 10
Nov 25, 2014

A very promising start to what is mechanically just another Telltale adventure, but where the comedy and characterisation feels very different to their more recent games.

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9.5 / 10.0
Nov 25, 2014

Tales from the Borderlands Episode 1: Zer0 Sum sets the stage for another amazing adventure experience from Telltale Games. The title perfectly complements the shooters made by Gearbox while taking things further thanks to the special characters and the crazy adventures they go through. There are a lot of hilarious moments but also some really dramatic ones that are punctuated by the choices made by players.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 26, 2014

Gearbox's first-person shooter RPGs translate surprisingly well to a dialogue-driven adventure game – at least when the focus is on the dialogue

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7 / 10.0
Nov 26, 2014

The first episode of Tales from the Borderlands is a lukewarm start to the new Telltale franchise, but that's par for the course in an episodic installment. Telltale hasn't disappointed yet, which is why I'm excited for what awaits us deep in the trenches of Pandora. If anything we'll get to see bandits performing insane acts of stupidity; that's always fun.

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91%
Nov 27, 2014

Not to be taken seriously, Telltale demonstrate the ability to shift between serious and comedic titles.

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