Loot. That one factor is going to be your driving factor as you explore the world of Pandora, the wonderful setting that Borderlands 2 takes place in. Sure, your going to be shooting up all sorts of creatures and deranged humans, and wander through many beautiful settings, but its the loot that’s going to be pulling you along, because as satisfying as it is to gun down a shotgun wielding midget, the shower of cash and items that follows is just that much more rewarding.
For those unfamiliar with Borderlands 2, and to be honest with the level of hype surrounding its launch its hard to imagine that many of you are, imagine Diablo 2′s loot obsession and character building systems, mashed together with a beautiful cell shaded FPS. Its a system that worked well for the original Borderlands, and Gearbox has seen fit to not tinker with it much. The controls are a bit more refined, the skills a bit more varied, and the settings more breathtaking, but overall your getting more of the same, and really, this is in no way a bad thing! The opening sequence sets the games sense of humor and tone wonderfully, and had me hooked. Once that’s over you’ll quickly run into Claptrap, the defacto mascot from the first game, and as funny as you once found him, hes twofold as amusing this time round. I have to say that the dialogue in this game is some of the most sharply written, hilarious things i have heard in a while, TV and movies included. Within the first 15 minutes of the game you will hear the term “Wall Sphincter” used among other such wonderful phrases, all masterly delivered by an outstanding voice cast.
Check out the intro to the game below to get a taste of the awesomeness that awaits you in Pandora!
Not much has changed visually from the first game, it’s still cell shaded, and truth be told the game is much better off for this, it helps set it apart and fits with the slightly goofy tone that the game is going for. Every new setting that you hit is equally as beautiful, with wonderful weather effects, and everything animates smoothly, with no frame rate drops to be see.
You are given the choice of four different classes to play, each with three different talent trees making each class feel unique to each persons play-style. Want to go and just shoot everything in sight? Then the Gunzerker is right for you, but with that choice you get even more options, for instance do you want to focus on survivability and the ability to beat the daylights out of you enemies, or do you want to be able to fire more bullets more often, maybe at the expense of the health upgrades? or pick a different class together like the commando who sets up a turret to keep enemies suppressed while he takes them out one by one, or go the stealth route with Number Zero? the choices of how you want to play are endless, and with Gearbox already announcing a new class via DLC in November, the options will be even more expansive!
Borderlands 2 is a treat to play, whether your in it for the loot, the constant humor, or the tight easy to pick up, hard to master game play i have no reservations about recommending this game to anyone, it’s a fairly unique experience in our military dominated shooter landscape, and more that worth it check it out!
9.5/10
~ The Ox
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