Gameplay
Well, I don't really know where to begin. The gun-play is just fantastic, when they say there are 'gajillions' of weapons to choose from, they're not exaggerating (well, maybe just a little bit). There is an amazing variety to suit anyone. Want to snipe from a distance and corrode your enemies with acid? Sure! How about if you want to get in-your-face with a shotgun and watch them explode in a bloody mess? They've got you covered. There is something to suit everyone's style of play, and the vast amount of guns encourages you to mix up the way you destroy that bandit's hopes and dreams of disembowelling you without forcing you. There are 4 characters to choose from. Maya the Siren, a person with the ability to control elements and can 'Phaselock' enemies into a ball of fire, lightning and corrosion all at once, Salvador the Gunzerker, a short, yet massively built person who can wield 2 guns at once, doubling the speed at which any who oppose him will meet their maker, Axton, the commando who can deploy a turret to help decimate hordes of enemies, and Zer0, a mysterious assassin with the ability to go invisible for a brief period of time and eviscerate his foes with his sword. Each of the characters have their own abilities which helps seperate them, but apart from that, they all felt the same to me. For example, choosing the Gunzerker doesn't make your efficiency with weapons any better than if you had chosen the Siren. Each character has their own skill tree which enhances their special abilities and gives them new ones, such as quicker reload speeds for Salvador, or staying invisible longer for Zer0, but it's nothing that changes your style up too much. The side quests are all unique and while they mainly boil down to 'Go to this location and kill this guy', they never actually feel the same and they actually make you feel accomplished each time you finish one. The control has been tweaked to be just right for any player regardless of skill to be able to jump in and start dropping your enemies quickly. You are given a massive open world to explore with a wide variety of landscapes, but I will go into more detail about that later. Gearbox did an excellent job with this one, especially when they needed to one-up the first game, but they definitely did not take any risks in regards to making Borderlands 2 feel like its own game.
Story
The story takes place 5 years after the events of Borderlands. The 4 characters are on a train together where they believe the ruthless dictator 'Handsome Jack' is on board and plan to kill him. However, it is a trap, and the train explodes, leaving the characters for dead in a frozen wasteland. You are saved by a robot known as Claptrap, a character who also served as the players guide in the first Borderlands, and a mysterious entity known as 'Angel'. The main goal of the game is to kill Handsome Jack before he reaches 'The Vault' and resurrects an ancient alien being known as 'The Warrior' to serve as his minion and cementing his place as ruler of this alien planet known as Pandora. The story is good, and will definitely keep you playing, but it mainly just serves as a framework for all the other quests in the game and to give your character an excuse to go crazy on every bandit camp you see. I don't want to go into too much detail as I don't want to spoil the game for anyone, but the story is definitely very solid and doesn't feel like it's been plucked out of nowhere by Gearbox just so they could make a sequel.
Visual and Sound
The visuals are just outstanding. From the design of every gun right up to the vast and unique landscapes offered, Borderlands 2 promises to immerse you in the environment of Pandora. You will be battling enemies from the frozen tundra all the way to dying deserts and even huge cities as you struggle to return peace to this cruel and unforgiving world. The art style used in this game has allowed Gearbox to just go crazy on their design and that's exactly what they have done. And it is perfect. The sound in the game is just as well done as the visuals, with each set of guns having awesome sound design. The music in the game is equally fantastic, and while you may not here it much over the screams of enemies promising to wear your head as a hat, each piece has been crafted well for the environment it represents.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer segment of Borderlands 2 is a drop in and out co-op style. You can team up with friends to complete quests, or use the matchmaking feature and drop in with some complete strangers for bandit-blasting fun. The multiplayer has been designed as core feature of the game, and this is something I was not too keen on, as I felt like I was being forced to play with other people at times. I would get constantly swamped with seemingly non stop waves of enemies and it made me feel like teaming up with others was my best option of getting through unless I liked dying a lot. However, if you can get 2 or 3 friends together, you are guaranteed to have an amazing time.
The verdict: While it takes no risks, it capitalises on the success of the first one and gives Borderlands fans the experience they've been hoping for. It is deserving of all its success and praise, and while there are some cons, they're not major ones and should not impact on whether or not you should purchase this game.
9.5/10
Thanks for reading my review, and remember, I am still new at this, so criticism is welcome and noted.
Take care!
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