Borderlands 2 Reviews

Category: News Archive

Hits: 2536

Written by WorstUsernameEver on September 20th, 2012

Tweet

Borderlands 2 is about 30 hours long (40+ if you want to complete all the side missions), and the above issues hardly detracted from my time with the game. I love doing tricky Crackdown-like jumps to acquire hidden chests, miraculously killing a boss while I'm downed on the ground, and opening a toilet to discover my new favorite rifle.

If you are up for a good laugh while shooting things in the face, Borderlands 2 is a worthy game to add to your collection. Soon enough, you'll see numbers popping above people's heads in real life and will feel compelled to search every Porta Potty on the street for cash.

There are a few minor issues with glitches, and the game doesn't really do anything completely revolutionary, but what it does it does nearly perfectly. It is a complete package, and it integrates everything smoothly. Fans of the original will find the changes all for the better, while those new to the series can jump in without missing a beat. There have been some criticisms about the heavy emphasis on DLC for this game, and maybe that is a fair point, but this is already one of the most content-rich games around and well worth the price tag as is. Although the fifth character class would have been nice, you don't have to worry about them holding anything back to force you purchase more. Buy the DLC or don't, but the game as is doesn't suffer from its absence.

From the crisp and witty writing to the wide variety of mission objectives, from the smooth gameplay to the packed rewards side of things, Borderlands 2 is simply one of the best games of the year.

Borderlands 2 shares a lot in common with its predecessor. It's a jack of all trades, but that also makes it a master of none. The shooting mechanics, enemy AI, loot differentiation, and story beats are all notably refined from the first game, but none of them to the point that they could individually go toe-to-toe with the best of their respective genres. What makes the series special is how those elements coalesce to form a game that's more than the sum of its parts. It's not quite like anything else on the market, giving a unique way to scratch the loot-lust and shooter itch at once.

I've been playing Borderlands 2 all day, every day, for five days and I'm probably going to play it again when I finish this. It's not the most consistently brilliant game, but I can't think of another singleplayer shooter that's given me more hours of fun. My Assassin's second playthrough is as interesting as starting fresh with a new class, and I plan to do both.

It seems crass to judge a game by quantity, but this is quantity of quality. So if the amount of money you spend on games is a practical concern, it's worth saying that this one is freakishly good value. Even if it's not a concern, it's worth saying that this one is freakishly good.

I could ramble forever about this game and how great it is but you know what? I really need to get back into Pandora and kicks some midgets ass. You just need to go out and buy it and experience this piece of gold for yourself, or with me!

I couldn't find a fault with Borderlands 2. It's expertly paced, cleverly written, gorgeously refined and beautifully executed. What surprised me the most is the sheer level of detail involved. Personalised character elements, the duel for loot system and the depth of your skill tree customisation makes playing for yourself more satisfying than ever. Symbiotic AI and meta-challenge systems give you more reason to fight on. And a combination of loot-chasing and story make Borderlands 2 a must own.

This review started by saying that Borderlands 2 is the game of the year so far. It's going to end the same way. Perhaps its biggest accomplishment is that, by blending genres together, it makes RPGs accessible to shooter fans and shooters accessible to RPG fans. Many games claim to have conquered the crossover territory, few succeed.

Borderlands 2 succeeds with all guns blazing. Every bazillion of them. Game of year so far.

Erm. the bad? Well. the vehicles could still do with a bit of work, I guess.

Obviously the biggest draw for Borderlands 2 is in its co-op though, and as I've already mentioned, you honestly won't be disappointed. It's the additions then, of enhanced customisations, greater player-rewards, more loot, more enemies and enemy-types, animated zones and NPCs, a much more vibrant visual delivery (it's a stunning game, really), a more tangible (and dislikeable bad-guy), a greater story and more challenge, overall, that makes this not just one of the year's best releases, but a benchmark for the action-RPG world.

Borderlands 2 is a FPS/RPG fusion the rest of the videogame development world should stand up and pay attention to, because Gearbox has backed a real winner in this IP. A must-buy.

People who enjoyed Borderlands and are willing to forgive this sequel its flubs will find not just a new game in Borderlands 2, but something that's going to steal away time reserved for eating, say, or sleep. Conversely, those less sensitive to the addictive properties of random reward and incremental upgrade are going to find themselves more sensitive to Borderlands 2's problems.

I have to applaud Gearbox for making the best Borderlands game they could possibly make, but we do live in a world where most of the ideas seen in the sequel came into being three years ago. As someone who finished the first game and didn't feel motivated enough to try any of the expansions, Borderlands 2 can't help but feel like another case of unwanted -- though disproportionately huge -- DLC. Sure, the changes here are enough to merit a "2," but I don't see the basic experience being elevated in any way outside of some minor improvements. For you, that might be enough. But I skipped out on the two Assassin's Creed 2 additions because of the content of the first game left me sated. I wouldn't say the exact same thing of the first Borderlands, but it at least left me full. And if you still have room for more, here's a sequel.

• Prev
• Next