More Borderlands? Yes please!

2K just announced Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, a new entry in the awesome/ridiculous/ridiculously-awesome FPS series from Gearbox. It takes place between Borderlands 1 and 2, and explores the rise of the latter’s charmingly sadistic villain: Handsome Jack. Oh, and it’s on the moon.

Offensive opportunities will be plentiful, with new laser-based and “Cryo” weapons joining the already gargantuan armory present on Pandora, and you can play as one of four new characters — including Claptrap.

Read on for full details about Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, straight from 2K.

Handsome Jack is back with a whole new cast of playable characters and he’s taking you to the moon of Pandora in the next standalone AAA game in 2K’s best-selling franchise – Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. 2K announced today that the game is being co-developed by Gearbox Software and 2K Australia, and will be available later this fall for the PlayStation 3. See, aren’t you glad you kept your PS3!?

Narratively, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel takes place between the original Borderlands game and Borderlands 2. For the very first time, you’ll play on the other side as four new playable characters fighting alongside Handsome Jack, and you’ll witness Jack’s transformation into the megalomaniacal tyrant that you loved to hate in Borderlands 2. Fans of the franchise will no doubt remember some of these characters from past games. There’s Athena – The Gladiator, Wilhelm – The Enforcer, Nisha – The Lawbringer, and Claptrap – The Fragtrap. That’s right, you can play as THE Claptrap! Oh, and did we mention that you’re fighting on the moon!?

Pandora’s moon is called Elpis, and it’s inhabited by a whole bunch of new baddies – Scavengers, Lunatics, giant bandits in 70s-era NASA spacesuits – you know, the type you’d enjoy blasting off the surface of the moon. And that’s just it, because you’re off of Pandora, gravity is different and so is the atmosphere. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel has an all-new oxygen system that not only allows you to breathe in the moon’s zero-atmosphere environments, it gives you an oxygen-powered jetpack that enables you to perform insanely long moon jumps, or even double jumps. Combining your double jump with the crouch button performs a ground-pounding slam that deals area of effect damage, and can also deal crazy elemental damage. Oxygen is a lootable resource just like ammo, which has been plentiful in past Borderlands games, so you don’t have to fear that you’ll run out.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Borderlands game without gazillions of new guns, but not just guns, all-new weapon and elemental damage types. In Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, you’ll shoot ‘n’ loot with laser guns – the type that ‘pew pew’ like in Star Wars, and the type that shoot continuous beams like in Ghostbusters. You’ll also freeze bandits in their place and shatter them into hundreds of bloody pieces using an array of Cryo weapons. Cryo is an all-new elemental damage type, and the combination of fire from laser and ice from Cryo has us itching to jump back into Borderlands.

What do you think? Are you excited to jump around Pandora’s moon, blasting bandits in the face with laser guns? Let us know in the comments below. Also, if you’re headed to PAX East this weekend, you have a chance to get a first look at Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel in action at 2K’s booth #962.