Borderlands 3
Gearbox Software’s animators have done a sterling job portraying playful physicality in Borderlands 3’s reload animations. There’s a palpable sense of power felt when wielding any of the game’s bazillion firearms, but their short, snappy reload animations with little to no anticipation or post-reload momentum bely the otherwise weighty, meaty weaponry. You’d expect a gun’s barrel to momentarily flounder as the gunslinger counteracts the upwards momentum of a rapid reload, but none exists in Borderlands 3. As soon as the ammo is stuffed in there the gun is instantaneously ready to go. The effect could’ve been jarring, but Gearbox pull it off. Not only do the guns feel great to fire, but their reloads are slick; they’re perhaps the least intrusive of any reloads on this rundown, meaning players can get on with the shooting action.
