Borderlands: The Handsome Collection's 4-player split-screen is ace

I powdered my cockatiel for the (4P) ribcage slaughter

It may not be how most people played Borderlands 2, but I spent 99% of my time it in split-screen on last-gen. I played through the entire game twice (and some of the DLC) in two-player co-op, and had a fantastic time. So being introduced to the PS4 version of Borderlands: The Handsome Collection with a two-hour session of split-screen, four-player madness felt like coming home.

Technically, it's very strong. The target frame-rate appears to be 60fps. Yes, with four windows. I'd say each of the four windows looks superior to the last-gen version of Borderlands 2 in its own right, with some of that gloopy liquid physics stuff evident that the last-gen machines simply couldn't do. In busy scenes (and some scenes are absolutely crazy), some frames are lost and it runs at what looks like about 30fps. But it never turns into a flicker-book. It's high-quality stuff and I could easily play the whole game like this.

The section I played was from the Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep DLC, which is included on the disc, as is all the Borderlands 2 DLC, and the entirety of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and its currently-released additional content. Further bolt-ons for that will be free for those who buy this game, too, so this really is the full experience for both games. Pleasingly, you can transfer last-gen save files to new-gen, but only within the same console family.

It's looking great, it's playing as well as ever and there's nothing quite like a room full of people getting scared when a loot crate turns out to be a monster. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is released on Xbox One and PS4 on March 27.

Click on through for more details and four-player screenshots taken from the pre-release version I played.

You can tinker with Badass tokens, skill points and equipment on the fly

Grabbing loot before your colleagues get it feels amazing

If nobody revives you, you can now glare at their actual face.

Even the rifle screens work. Could have 8 3D windows on the go!

There is SO MUCH LOOT in that Tiny Tina expansion. Woot.