After playing some (OK, a lot) more of this game I'm really coming around on it. I think that's because I've spent more time with the PVP, as the story stuff really makes a rather middling impression. The PVP however I'm finding to be a lot of fun, especially as Benedict and Ambra. Ambra I'd probably go as far as to say is a little overpowered even.

That her beam heals her while also dealing a steadily consistent stream of damage that you barely even have to aim makes her really survivable in the heat of things. She gains a quick shield boost when approaching death, her fire shield ability thing can be levelled up to do a significant amount of damage when in close, all the while with healing orbs she can summon potentially within the vicinity as that!

Though for as much as I also like Benedict he's such an annoying character. I'm almost certain he's voiced by Mikey Neumann, which explains a lot.

@yummylee: Yeah, I'd like to play a bit more of this as well. Feel free to join the Battleborn community I setup, and / or send me a friend request over PSN. Speaking of which, let me quote that for the new page:

NEW GIANT BOMB COMMUNITY

For anyone who would care to try playing this game the way it's meant to be played, in a team who is properly using communication and working together, I have setup a community.

Search for the community "Giant Bomb Battleborn Beta" if you'd like to join.

@yummylee: Same here, unlike some players i have found the hero that i'm comfortable with from the beginning which is Orendi. However my problem was with understanding how this game is meant to be played. Playing this game with the mindset of other competitive fps games will make this game feel a bit chaotic and slightly boring but once i understood how to use the MOBA elements in this game and how to play as a hero i found myself starting to get more invested in it.

I've been playing some and having a pretty great time actually, I'll definitely check out the giantbomb group for matches. But yeah, don't confuse this right away with TF2/Overwatch/any other class based shooter because that really isn't the focus and it's got different things going on.

Was there a minimum quip requirement for every character in this game?

@kommandercevin: @giant_gamer: @yummylee:

If anyone cares to use the PSN community and the new event scheduling feature to setup a game for either Friday or Saturday evening [US time], there's a good chance I'll be able to make it. That is, if you all would be interested in playing the game as a team.

There's actually a "chatter" toggle in the options menu. If you don't like the random silly dialog, you can simply turn it off.

Dammit why did the PC beta have to happen right as DS3 launched ><

Played a bit more with some friends. Played through Episode 1 and 2 and then a few online matches. Bit more going on than I thought, but the imminent release of Overwatch basically means I won't be buying this for a while, if ever.
A lot of the writing falls flatish, but there are a few moments here and there. My 'main', Oscar Mike, is pretty great with most of his lines, even though 90% of their effectiveness comes from their delivery.
Maybe it's because I have not played that much, but a lot of the game seems to be pure chaos, and makes a good argument as to why a MOBA-lite game with lots of AoEs should not be an FPS.
I appreciate its very stream-lined approach to leveling though.

Overall, came in with low expectations, my time with the game raised them slightly, and I just feel sorry for the game with regards to its timing. Not only is Overwatch having a big beta stress test this same weekend, but it's having its true open beta during the time Battleborn gets a full release. It's unfortunate too, if only because the two games are fundamentally incredibly different, but the superficial similarities are enough for most people to think that they're trying to do the same thing.

Had fun playing as Montana, 90% sure that he's voiced by Patrick Warburton though IMDB says Ian Sinclair is the VA.

Tried the beta yesterday. Didn't really grab me. Its not as good as a real moba and not as good as a real shooter. If feels like its stuck in this weird middle ground that doesn't really work for me. It was kinda hard to aim AOE attacks in first person unless you're on high ground. Its also hard to really tell whats going on with so much happening on screen.

Very unimpressed with the game from the couple of modes I played. I thought the shooting and abilities felt good, I thought the characters felt different from one another, and actually liked the various levels of terrain on maps. However the entire time I was playing it I wish I was just playing Borderlands which I subsequently did.

The matches and missions were too long for the things I have going on in my life. I have a hard time devoting more than an hour of time to something I can't pause or put down. That's a personal issue I know but one I have to consider when purchasing games.

While I haven't played Overwatch yet I think the pacing and game times seem more up my alley. I'll see when they do the beta.

Not only that, but with the release of Dark Souls 3 this week, I feel like the Battleborn beta is getting damn near completely eclipsed. I know the two games could not be any more different from one another, but given how many people keep up with games purely through Twitch/Youtube, I'd be surprised how many people even knew there was a beta going on considering all their favorite streamers and content creators are probably playing Dark Souls and will continue to do so for at least the next week or two.

I think this game is great so I would love it to blow up and be a huge success, but it is almost comical how fucked their release window is. It's gotten sandwiched right in between two of the biggest releases of the year.

Ha, wow, I'm glad to see I wasn't alone in thinking Ambra was crazy OP. She's just recently undergone a noticeable nerf, alongside Galilea also who definitely needed it.

So did El Dragon, which I'm mourning because other than the cheap clap, he was pretty much balanced but now he's a bit too squishy for a character that big.

Yeah looking at the top twitch games and its barely in the top 30, not a good sign for a game in open beta and coming out in a few weeks.

Though what's funny is even after the nerf Ambra is still a fucking monster. She's of course as survivable as ever, but what's surprising is her damage output is also still pretty damn high, too... My most recent match against a team with an Ambra player ended with her getting 21 kills to 1 death, while everyone else (the opposing team included) had roughly around 5-8 kills.

On the flip side characters like Whiskey Foxtrot are dreadfully underpowered. His semi-auto rifle just doesn't have the damage to contend against other characters and he doesn't seem to really serve a purpose that many other characters could do better. I also really have a problem with the collision and how rush attacks in particular are broken for how they get easily cancelled out by accidentally hitting a friendly. Especially when said friendlies are huge, screen hogging thrall mercenaries.

I somehow ended up enjoying the competitive modes more so than the coop modes which is very rare for me. Like most here I found the coop story mode boring.