I'd say not really. The game is essentially just combat scenarios over and over, but Bungie is really good at making those feel dynamic and fresh. You also gain new abilities as you level up, which is exciting. Story is super thin, but I'm not sure why people expected such a grand story. Even though it is not an MMO, it is certainly structured like one. Has any MMO been praised for its story? I'm having my fun with it, mostly because the console market has been so devoid of good scifi shooters lately. Still, it's by no means groundbreaking or trying anything terribly new. Borderlands definitely laid down the blueprint for Bungie, I'd say the biggest difference from the two is combat and shared world aspect. The combat is leagues better than Borderlands, but the shared world aspect is completely lost on a game with so little social features. Literally all you can do in game with one another is dance. I've seen some people express that other players might as well be NPCs, which is valid IMO.