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Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2 takes
every aspect of the first game and blows it up. Everything here is
bigger and much of it is better. Many of the minor quibbles people had
with the first game have been addressed. In fact, the only thing
Borderlands 2 doesn’t have on its predecessor is the surprise impact of
the first game. That shouldn’t matter though, as there is a lot to see
and do on the world of Pandora.
The story takes place five years after the original
game, and the playable characters are all new additions. The
protagonists of Borderlands make a return, and although they are not
playable, their roles are greatly expanded in the sequel, and they serve
a greater narrative purpose here than they did in the first game. The
story was something that some took issue with in the first game, and
Gearbox has injected the sequel with a beefed up narrative, including an
antagonist in Handsome Jack, that is equal parts smarmy and ruthless.
Borderlands 2 carries on the tradition of the first games incredibly
silly humor. The characters dialogue sparkles, and the voice acting is
strong across the board. Conversations are lively and the snippets of
dialogue from enemies as you gun them down are at times, hilarious. Its
sense of humor may not be for everyone, but it goes a long way towards
creating a dynamic, lively game world.
Gameplay wise, the loot focused shoot-em-up style of
the first game is largely similar, just greatly increased and improved.
The lack of variety in the desert wasteland is immediately addressed, as
the player starts out in a snow covered landscape left to fend for
themselves, before discovering a vast array of locales as the game
progresses. The art style is, at times, spectacular and the increased
variety on offer gives the game a chance to show what its engine is made
of. The game world is vast, and there are many places off the beaten
path of the main story to explore, and players who do explore the world
of Pandora will be rewarded with a whole mess of loot, and a wide range
of character upgrades and bonuses, thanks to the ‘Bad Ass’ system and
the branching skill trees that belong to each class of character.
Loot was the main ingredient that made Borderlands so
compelling, and Borderlands 2 ups the ante significantly, with vast
riches to be discovered all over the game in the form of shields and
weapons. Managing an inventory has never been as fun as it is in
Borderlands 2, as players will constantly come across new ways to
inflict pain on the wide variety of bad guys that inhabits Pandora. The
sheer scope of weapons on offer is rather incredible, and the fact that
they all have their different feels, uses and entertainment value is
very refreshing. Once said guns are obtained, the opportunities to use
them come thick and fast. The enemy AI, while having received a tune up
from the first game, is still fairly standard stuff, but the amount of
enemies that come at you is impressive, as the game rarely experiences
slow down in even the most intense of battle sequences.
Of course, one of the main draw points of the
Borderlands franchise is playing with a friend, and Borderlands 2
ensures a quick, painless experience to share the joy of shooting the
inhabitants of Pandora in the face. At any time the game can be paused
and the network settings can be changed. Friends can be invited in or
the session can be made available to the public. The trade system for
loot that has been implemented works well, so players can give each
other items without running the risk of losing them to sneaky online
companions.
There is a lot to do in Borderlands 2, and even
finishing the main story opens up additional quests, and the possibility
to go back and pursue any side-quests that may have been missed the
first time around. If there is one thing the game delivers in spades
apart from its quantity, it’s fun. Compared to the grimy, gritty realism
of most shooters these days, Borderlands 2 plays refreshingly against
these types while still delivering a rewarding gameplay experience. Once
you enter Pandora, you might find that you don’t want to leave, and that
is by no means a bad thing |
