Borderlands 2 managed to improve on the original in every way ... but how better is it?
In 2009, Gearbox Software took a risk and introduced Borderlands. In an industry saturated with first person shooters, Borderlands stood out and gained popularity due to its unique look and role-playing elements. The loot driven gun-toting gameplay attracted tons of fans, and because of its success, Gearbox now presents ... Borderlands 2. With a promise to be bigger, better, and more badass, Borderlands 2 went beyond by enhancing every aspect of the original ... from its story to its interface.
Story
The original Borderlands did not deliver a thrilling story, instead, it lead us on wild treasure hunt with the most memorable parts being disappointing. Even though fans will buy the game for everything besides its story, Borderlands 2's narrative is much more engaging, better developed, and its obvious that Gearbox invested more time establishing a clear villain and telling a compelling tale.
Handsome Jack of the Hyperion Corporation is that villain. Besides being ruggedly handsome, he's an annoying douche. Taking credit for opening the vault and tapping the planet's valuables, Handsome Jack rose to power with plans of exploiting Pandora as its supreme dictator. Joining forces with the old team, four new vault hunters are given the rare opportunity to kick his face in. After a tough journey, you'll be much more satisfied with its conclusion than that of the original.
Gameplay
In this new quest, you play as one of four new characters ... Salvador the Gunzerker, Axon the Commando, Maya the Siren, and Zero the Assassin. Each character is unique just as those were in the first game. The Gunzerker can dual wield any two guns in the game, the Commando has a more advanced deployable turret, the Siren can Phase-Lock enemies, and the Assassin can deploy a decoy and go invisible. Base on how you customize their skill tree, each character can perform even more varied skills and abilities, making each deadlier in their own way. A limited character customization is available ... choosing different color gears and unlock-able heads helps you stand out, especially during online co-op where several players may be using the same class.
The original vault hunters and other notables make their return, not as playable characters, but as quest givers. Yes Clap-Trap too, but no dub-step this time. The originals engage in more dialogue than they ever did in the entire first game, and the new additions are cheerful and enthusiastic. The core gameplay remains the same ... having you go on quests, kill enemies, gain experience points, and level up. The guns are more varied, and so are your foes. Enemies react intelligently and will try even harder to kill you while protecting themselves. The loot system remains a main focus in the game, and its just as fun as before, with collecting money as easy as walking over them.
A notable new feature in Borderlands 2 is the Badass Rank. After completing challenges, you earn tokens, which you spend on bonus stats such as increases in fire rate, accuracy, reload speed, critical hit damage and much more ... which can then be used with other playable characters.
Another welcome feature is drop-in drop-out co-op. This makes it much easier to manage friends and random online players. People can join and leave your game without you having to quit or stop playing. Matchmaking on a whole is handled better, with the game helping you get the best match-up before joining a session. For the best experience with co-op campaigns, its still best to play with others within a few levels.
Vehicles make their return and are more numerous and varied. Disappointedly, they are still awkward to control and are widely underused. Good for transportation, but are utilized very little in combat.
Graphics / Presentation
One of the most noticeable changes in Borderlands 2 is its diverse and colorful environment. Much of the first game was dust filled barren lands, but in Borderlands 2, you will experience deserted areas, snowy landscapes, urban cities, caves, and exciting places the first game failed to introduce.
The graphics hold up very well, especially on the PC where it looks outstanding. The console versions may experience minor visual hiccups, such as texture fading and some frame rate issues during intense battles on the Xbox 360. As with any big open world game, you may encounter minor bugs ... nothing severe enough though to ruin your experience.
The interface is more user friendly and it makes it easier to manage your inventory. Buying, selling, and now trading valuables makes things smoother. You can even mark items as favorites or junks to keep things organized.
Sound
Besides the shooting and looting, Borderlands 2 is fun because it doesn't take itself too seriously. It presents you with quirky sometimes over the top humor that makes it more enjoyable. Borderlands 2 deliver a much livelier environment. NPC's, playable characters, and enemies all engage in more dialogue than before. Most characters have outstanding personalities ... Tiny Tina, Sir. Hammerlock, etc., with their voice acting being spot on. There are however moments where the dialogue can get annoying due to overlapping and cutting off of important mission objectives. And since there's no way to rewind a message, it can be frustrating when you miss the details. Guns in their bizarre factor sounds as they should, and the soundtrack suits the mood of the game at appropriate times.
Replay Value / Lasting Appeal
It will take you thirty plus hours to complete the game, after which you unlock True Vault Hunters Mode. This mode allows you to replay the game with all your current stats, but with a more aggressive environment. Choosing from four different characters is a plus ... playing as another is exciting due to their different skills and abilities available to explore.
Gearbox promised at least four DLC campaign expansions and new playable characters coming within the first year. If these expansions are anything like those from the first game, expect to sink even more hours into Borderlands 2.
Final Thoughts
The thing that makes a sequel great is when it improves on all aspects of the original. Borderlands 2 did just that. If you played the first game and then picked up Borderlands 2, you will see right from the start that Gearbox sought to top their success. Borderlands 2 opened up parts of Pandora that we did not know existed, and gave us even more guns to play with. This follow-up is more fun, more engaging, more badass, and with improvements on all throughout, Borderlands 2 is one of the best games of the year.
+ Very well developed and engaging story
+ Varied and interesting enemies, environments, guns, PC's and NPC's
+ More interesting missions and side quests
+ Core gameplay factor remains fun SCORE: 9.5 out of 10
- Underused vehicles with awkward controls
- Minor frame-rate, texture fading, and technical bugs
- Numerous chatter causes dialogue issues
Story
The original Borderlands did not deliver a thrilling story, instead, it lead us on wild treasure hunt with the most memorable parts being disappointing. Even though fans will buy the game for everything besides its story, Borderlands 2's narrative is much more engaging, better developed, and its obvious that Gearbox invested more time establishing a clear villain and telling a compelling tale.Handsome Jack of the Hyperion Corporation is that villain. Besides being ruggedly handsome, he's an annoying douche. Taking credit for opening the vault and tapping the planet's valuables, Handsome Jack rose to power with plans of exploiting Pandora as its supreme dictator. Joining forces with the old team, four new vault hunters are given the rare opportunity to kick his face in. After a tough journey, you'll be much more satisfied with its conclusion than that of the original.
Gameplay
In this new quest, you play as one of four new characters ... Salvador the Gunzerker, Axon the Commando, Maya the Siren, and Zero the Assassin. Each character is unique just as those were in the first game. The Gunzerker can dual wield any two guns in the game, the Commando has a more advanced deployable turret, the Siren can Phase-Lock enemies, and the Assassin can deploy a decoy and go invisible. Base on how you customize their skill tree, each character can perform even more varied skills and abilities, making each deadlier in their own way. A limited character customization is available ... choosing different color gears and unlock-able heads helps you stand out, especially during online co-op where several players may be using the same class.
The original vault hunters and other notables make their return, not as playable characters, but as quest givers. Yes Clap-Trap too, but no dub-step this time. The originals engage in more dialogue than they ever did in the entire first game, and the new additions are cheerful and enthusiastic. The core gameplay remains the same ... having you go on quests, kill enemies, gain experience points, and level up. The guns are more varied, and so are your foes. Enemies react intelligently and will try even harder to kill you while protecting themselves. The loot system remains a main focus in the game, and its just as fun as before, with collecting money as easy as walking over them.Overall the gameplay is more engaging and worthwhile. Less mindless quests, more detailed side missions that advances the story and provide significant XP.
A notable new feature in Borderlands 2 is the Badass Rank. After completing challenges, you earn tokens, which you spend on bonus stats such as increases in fire rate, accuracy, reload speed, critical hit damage and much more ... which can then be used with other playable characters.Another welcome feature is drop-in drop-out co-op. This makes it much easier to manage friends and random online players. People can join and leave your game without you having to quit or stop playing. Matchmaking on a whole is handled better, with the game helping you get the best match-up before joining a session. For the best experience with co-op campaigns, its still best to play with others within a few levels.
Vehicles make their return and are more numerous and varied. Disappointedly, they are still awkward to control and are widely underused. Good for transportation, but are utilized very little in combat.
Graphics / Presentation
One of the most noticeable changes in Borderlands 2 is its diverse and colorful environment. Much of the first game was dust filled barren lands, but in Borderlands 2, you will experience deserted areas, snowy landscapes, urban cities, caves, and exciting places the first game failed to introduce.
The graphics hold up very well, especially on the PC where it looks outstanding. The console versions may experience minor visual hiccups, such as texture fading and some frame rate issues during intense battles on the Xbox 360. As with any big open world game, you may encounter minor bugs ... nothing severe enough though to ruin your experience.The interface is more user friendly and it makes it easier to manage your inventory. Buying, selling, and now trading valuables makes things smoother. You can even mark items as favorites or junks to keep things organized.
Sound
Besides the shooting and looting, Borderlands 2 is fun because it doesn't take itself too seriously. It presents you with quirky sometimes over the top humor that makes it more enjoyable. Borderlands 2 deliver a much livelier environment. NPC's, playable characters, and enemies all engage in more dialogue than before. Most characters have outstanding personalities ... Tiny Tina, Sir. Hammerlock, etc., with their voice acting being spot on. There are however moments where the dialogue can get annoying due to overlapping and cutting off of important mission objectives. And since there's no way to rewind a message, it can be frustrating when you miss the details. Guns in their bizarre factor sounds as they should, and the soundtrack suits the mood of the game at appropriate times.
Replay Value / Lasting Appeal
It will take you thirty plus hours to complete the game, after which you unlock True Vault Hunters Mode. This mode allows you to replay the game with all your current stats, but with a more aggressive environment. Choosing from four different characters is a plus ... playing as another is exciting due to their different skills and abilities available to explore.
Gearbox promised at least four DLC campaign expansions and new playable characters coming within the first year. If these expansions are anything like those from the first game, expect to sink even more hours into Borderlands 2.
Final Thoughts
The thing that makes a sequel great is when it improves on all aspects of the original. Borderlands 2 did just that. If you played the first game and then picked up Borderlands 2, you will see right from the start that Gearbox sought to top their success. Borderlands 2 opened up parts of Pandora that we did not know existed, and gave us even more guns to play with. This follow-up is more fun, more engaging, more badass, and with improvements on all throughout, Borderlands 2 is one of the best games of the year.
+ Very well developed and engaging story
+ Varied and interesting enemies, environments, guns, PC's and NPC's
+ More interesting missions and side quests
+ Core gameplay factor remains fun SCORE: 9.5 out of 10
- Underused vehicles with awkward controls
- Minor frame-rate, texture fading, and technical bugs
- Numerous chatter causes dialogue issues
By Chez Garcia:
Founder and Editor-in-cheif of BGN. Keeping up with the latest gaming content is what he does ... in his free time, when not playing soccer (the real football).
Borderlands 2 raises the 'loot and shoot' action of the original with an even larger and more detailed world to explore. An updated gun system, a new cast of characters, and an improved storyline boosts its unique gameplay.
Release Date(s): September 18, 2012
Platform(s): Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Publisher(s): 2K Games
Developer(s): Gearbox Software