Borderlands is so satisfying. Gearbox clearly didn't get sidetracked by the narrative, or atmosphere, or even sound design; they spent their time on creating a well balanced loot driven FPS/light RPG, and in this way they did a near perfect job.
You may want to play this on your own for a while, but take note: Borderlands was built with co-op in mind, and is always better with 1-3 other players. Loot is better (which you will care about), enemies tougher, and there's a sense of teamwork which is unique in the online gaming spectrum.
The art design works well, but isn't really stunning. Nor is there any really memorable characters. Focusing on these things would be futile, because the game is focused elsewhere. The interface and game mechanics are king here, and they are pitch perfect.
I highly recommend Borderlands. The game is now like 20 bucks, which would be money well spent. Get a friend involved and play on steam (in game chat sucks), you will not regret it.
