Borderlands 2 is one of those special games that only comes around every once in awhile. It’s a blood and guts shooter with some humor (and a bit of satire as well). It also is one of the best online co-op games to this day.
Although the game has aged a bit, it still holds up very well. Borderlands 2 is considered an action RPG first person shooter. It was developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K in 2012 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC/Mac (the game also had a late PlayStation Vita and Linux port). It is also the sequel to the original Borderlands that came out in 2009. The game was re-released in 2015 in the Handsome Collection for this current generation of consoles, but for the purposes of this review, I am referring to my play-through on PlayStation 3.
Just like the original game, Borderlands 2 follows different Vault Hunters on the planet of Pandora. Another large corporation has taken control of the planet, spear-headed by the charismatic Handsome Jack. The Vault Hunters have come to seek an even larger Vault on the planet but also end up getting caught up in a lot of issues on Pandora, including tons of side-quests. Although the plot itself is kind of bland, the dialogue, humor, and splash of satire keep the game interesting. Overall, the feel and ton of the game is a kind of dark comedy/space western. It’s an odd combination, but it somehow works.
Borderlands 2 is a game that CAN’T take itself too seriously because the game itself is absurd. It’s filled with ridiculous characters in a ridiculous places doing ridiculous things. When playing the game, you will laugh, and you will probably laugh a lot. It’s just enjoyable wandering around the world of Pandora and meeting the crazy people who live there. Whether it’s meeting the British-imperialist wannabe, Sir Hammerlock…Or the very much redneck, Scooter….Or Ellie, the very big, but very funny mechanic….Or Tiny Tina, the world’s deadliest 13-year-old (by the way, search for “Tiny Tina” on YouTube and see why she’s a freaking hilarious)….Or my favorite, Butt Stallion, the diamond pony.
One great thing about Borderlands 2 game play, is that the game allows you to play as much as you want offline and immediately join up online and not lose your place in the game, as long as you are hosting. So I could play for a couple hours by myself, see my friends online, invite them into my game, and continue my adventure with my friends without missing a beat. Another thing that I love is that you can have your game open and allow online people to pop in and out at their leisure to help you. Or, you can jump into someone else’s game that is way ahead of yours and help you level-up. Or, you can have someone help you get through a particularly tough time. It’s an extremely social game.
Online holds up to four people of whichever class you prefer. The classes consist of: Commando, Siren, Gunserker, Assassin, Mechromancer (DLC), and Psycho (DLC). Let me quickly go through each:
Commando: Turrets!
Siren: Phase-lock/Team Nurse!
Gunserker: Double-trouble guns!
Assassin: Stealth/Snipe!
Mechromancer: SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND! (You get a mech that helps you, and it’s awesome.)
Psycho: High risk, high reward play-style!
Each character is a blast to play. And you will end up playing through the game, which is pretty long to begin with several times with each class.
Another big thing about Borderlands in general is the fact that there are more weapons possibilities than a player knows what to do with. I’ve heard at least 17.75 million combinations because weapons randomly generate based on: your level, how many people in your group, where you found it, what baddie you got it from, what rarity level it is, and so on. This means that even if you have beaten Borderlands 2 several times on all of the difficulties with ever character, you are ALWAYS looking for the next best weapon.
Though the original Borderlands game was interesting, and I have played a good deal out of it. But I really didn’t like it, mostly for the fact that the graphics were awful and the online play was hard to connect to. Now for the graphics, please understand that Borderlands uses cell shading, which gives off a cartoony-look. In the original game, I had a hard time even playing it because it gave me a headache (I call this Final Fantasy VII syndrome–where the graphics are so weird that it hurts you eyeballs/head.).
In Borderlands 2, you still have cell-shading, but IT IS SO MUCH BETTER. The lines are crisper. The graphics are much improved, and I can play this game for hours without issue. Plus, now cell-shading makes sense to me. This game isn’t about the latest, greatest graphics, but about the humor, satire, and fun of it. The graphics actually look pretty good, but I have come to understand why the developers choose to use this method. Also, with the online play, it is pretty easy to connect with your friends or random people. The original Borderlands was kind of a pain in the you-know-what, but now you can jump from game to game without issue.
So, as you can see, Borderlands 2 is nothing but fun. I am currently patiently waiting on news for a 3rd. But in the mean time, happy vault hunting for those who still play!