9 Video Games Saved By RIDICULOUSLY Last-Minute Changes

7. Overhauling The Art Style - Borderlands

When you think of Borderlands, there are a few things that come to mind. Guns, psychos and the ever-lovable Claptrap are probably your go-tos, but they're all defined by one commonality: the cel-shaded art style.

It's difficult to understate just how much of a breath of fresh air Borderlands' visuals were back in 2009. By then, the entire industry had shifted to focus primarily on brown-and-grey shooters, inspired primarily by the success of Gears of War and Call of Duty. While that fit those two games, it made every other title following in its footsteps look uninspired, resulting in pretty much all of them fading into the crowd.

Consequently, when Borderlands was announced in 2008, again with the same bland aesthetic, everyone just kind of forgot about it. It wasn't until early 2009, four years into the title's development and months before it was set to release, that Gearbox made a Hail Mary play and completely ripped out the visuals they'd created in favour of a new cel-shaded look.

It was a risk, especially considering marketing was already out there, but it awarded Borderlands a distinct identity that's set it apart from the competition even 10 years later.