Borderlands 2 Review
Game Emblems
The Good
Borderlands 2 is a much-needed oasis in the desert of good co-op games, but it's not without its flaws.
I played Borderlands and was impressed by the game. Borderlands 2 is an attempt to continue that but it fails in many wa
Stellar writing and a host of small improvements help Borderlands 2 stand tall on the shoulders of its predecessor.
Finding new and intriguing guns is fun, but using them on the legions of hostiles is even more fun. Whether human, animal, or somewhere in between, your foes put up a good fight, and different species are more than happy to fight each other, given the chance. There are some interesting new enemy types, including the goliath bandit who freaks out when you shoot off his helmet and starts killing anything nearby. Having him squash his allies is amusing and useful, but he grows more powerful with each kill, so you'd better be ready for the rampaging consequences. New creatures pose new challenges as well, like the skittering stalkers who can turn invisible briefly, and the hulking crystalisks whose crystalline shins are oh-so-punchable.
Despite your fresh foes, the core combat remains very much the same. Scoring critical hits and dealing the right kind of elemental damage can accelerate the demise of your enemies, and the fight-for-your-life moment can save you from your own imminent death if you manage to get a kill as you bleed out. The shooting mechanics are solid and satisfying, but action is largely unchanged from the first game, with the exception of slag. Slag is an element that weakens enemy defenses and amplifies damage from the other elements, making it a powerful tactical asset in many situations.
The four new characters also require new tactics to better leverage their new combat abilities, some of which are more exciting than others. Locking a foe up in a magical floating prison as a siren is more glamorous than simply whipping out another gun as a gunzerker. Though the latter has undeniable combat benefits, gunzerking is the only ability that doesn't offer something different from the core gunplay, merely an amplified version of it. The commando's turret adds a deployable asset to your arsenal that draws enemy attention, while the assassin's deception skill sets a decoy and lets you maneuver invisibly to set up for a damaging shot or melee strike.
Each of these base abilities can be customized in substantially different ways through the three different skill trees, enhancing replay potential even if you want to play as the same character. Though some skills favor certain weapon types, weapon proficiencies do not return in Borderlands 2, removing the incentive to stick with one or two weapon types throughout the whole game. You also have more freedom to tweak your character's appearance, as clothing colors and new heads are now loot items you can collect, and the menu gives you the welcome chance to actually see the results. There are lots of choices to make en route to the level cap of 50, but if you hope to max out, you have to start from the beginning in True Vault Hunter mode, a deadlier playthrough that scales to your level and stocks the fields and caves of Pandora with some gnarly new enemy variations.
Borderlands 2 provides a lengthy adventure, and one that gets better when you play it with friends. As before, online games can accommodate up to four players of any character class. A small icon denotes how well you are matched with potential players, and though the difficulty attempts to scale appropriately, it's best to play with someone close to you in level. If you accomplish later missions while someone else is hosting the game, you'll be given the option to skip those missions when you reach them on your own, which helps minimize the redundant play that was often the result of joining online games in Borderlands. A new item trading mechanic, tougher enemies, better rewards, and the excitement of battlefield camaraderie make cooperative play the absolute best way to experience the game.
Now if all this sounds familiar, well, you must have played Borderlands before. Borderlands 2 doesn't reach far beyond its predecessor's scope, but it does do almost everything better. Additions, refinements, and fixes all combine to create an appreciably improved experience, one that fully delivers on the promise of the first game. While Borderlands felt empty at times, this sequel is bursting with content and brimming with life, making it an absolutely delightful way to spend hours and hours and hours of your free time.
By
Chris Watters, Editor
With his Apple IIGS as the spark and his neighbor's NES the fuel, Chris Watters' passion for gaming caught fire early. Years later, you can find him aiming down virtual sights, traipsing through fantastical lands, and striving to be grossly incandescent while desperately avoiding sunburns.
39 comments
Decided this game over BO3, Halo 4, Far Cry 3. What the hell was I thinking. Well what I was thinking was this game had an arcade type feel to it and fun gameplay. Is decently fun but game has horrible graphics. Only thing really good about this game is the GUNS. That's all it has. But problem is you can only have 12 guns in your backpack. Spend alot of time going through them. Levels are crappy. Basically it's a kids game.
@Phlanxion Horrible graphics? Why? Because it has an ART STYLE? Because its been art-directed to fit that style/theme?
Levels are crappy? Why? Because you say so?
You have no idea what you're talking about, kid....
1 Like @Phlanxion How the hell can this possibly be a kids game? they dont fix the rating at 18 like its a joke u know...
1 Like The game isn't that good. It pretends to be open world, but really every level is just a field with a few smaller fields attached to it. There is no easy way to fast travel, some side missions require you to go back to specific places you already cleared with the same spawned enemies. It is a real drag. The visuals are ok, but gimmicky and the level design is basically fields of flat textures with some objects scattered around. In other words: MEH. Go replay Skyrim again for a true open world rpg experience or Far Cry 3 for a superior open world shooter experience..
1 Like This game won me over after I was calmly shooting a guy and suddenly, he shouts "I AM THE ONE WHO KNOCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!". Breaking Bad reference is instant win.
2 Like Love this game.I had a lot of fun playing it.First,the graphics are beautiful and make's the game more attractive.Second,the story it isn't the classic one as all the other FPS and last it's an open world game! :D
2 Like I was very sceptical about this game but it BLEW MY MIND! 10/10 for fantastic dialogues, brilliant voice activing and original characters. And bazzilion guns obviously.
Well i've got nothing against this review except it doesn't go into PC-specific features, Watters should've commented on the highly customizable interface, the usage of PhysX and the higher framerate and resolution the PC version has to offer.
i would like to point out that some turd early on in the comments was going on and on about RE6, and how great it was, so great in fact that i swear he wanted to hump the box. i would like to see the look on that turds face as he now plays RE6.
go borderlands go!
Borderlands...feels like I'm going to lose my mind.... LOL!
I liked the first game but I did experience some "motion sickness" while playing it.
4 Like This is an excellent game and excelles in almost every way!! Excellent Story,Graphics,Gameplay etc!!! Nice work Gearbox and 2K
borderlands 1 was very light in story, and the few important points are explained at the beginning, the first game also had repetitive sidequest that you were a lot of times forced to do because the main mission would not unlock until you finished a few of them , however you can get the game of the year edition for the first game for a good price,wich includes all the DLC, (but be warned, you get codes for the DLC, they are not on the disc) , so you have more game at a lower price
@IamNick2k11 It would be a good idea to do so. It helps you get used to the game and you will notice a lot of changes. Give it a shot.
3 Like @IamNick2k11 No, it is not paramount, but it will help you appreciate the improvements much more, and there are a few returning characters. The story stands on it's own though.
Hey, never played the first one =) Is this open world, can you interact with npc's etc basically is it like Fallout3/Vegas - Skyrim =) But co-op ???
the language in this review is...overly flamboyant. gaudy. journalistic. much of it seems more like summary, or even an advertisement of what the game holds--only a few lines are actually critical of the game. and i always liked how the video review was short and demonstrative, while the written one went into more depth, explaining things that are hard or too long to show in video--but i was quite disappointed when I saw the same words from the video here.
anyways, i'm glad i got a look at this game. it looks great. i just wish i had the time!
1 Like @kakashi552 Ironically, your review of this review holds true to many of the same elements you used to describe it.
2 Like Seriously people who cares about the score? If you enjoy the game just play it and ignore the scores/review and what others are telling you. I like it personally and think deserves little more then the score given, especially that atrocious port or should i say biggest insult that PC gamers ever got was Dark Souls which got like 9.5 if i am not mistaken, which is kinda sad.
5 Like I don't know why so many people take the review scores so personally. It is only intended to give an opinion, and is not the end all be all indication of a game's worthiness of a playthrough/purchase. Bottom line is, the game is "Great (8.5)" which means you should play it. If you really want to nitpick at 1/2 a point or so, write your own review instead of bashing on "this game got this that and the other" regarding GS reviews. Use reviews as a basic guideline to steer you toward or away from a purchase, not as a platform for nerd rage.
2 Like GS gives Great Review articles and videos, and i also really like the Good and Bad point they give, as for the Scores.....i pretend they dont exist :D
8 Like Soooo.. Is this game worse than that Dark Souls port? I don't get your scoring system really..But I agree with this score.. It is great, but pretty iterative with regards to the first game.. I just can;t fathom it being scored worse than a crappy port that came out in the same month.. Maybe you guys are just trolling us, eh?
@markosasav And Little Big Planet got a higher score than Jet Set Radio.
HOW DARE THEY DO SUCH A THING?!?!
3 Like @markosasav i lost faith in gamespot waaaaaaaaaaaay back, kevin shitord and company seems to not even play the games they "review" just some fancy worlds, an injoke of the game, screenshots and BAM! fresh-review!
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@bakagami @AzathothMetal listen he is not pissed at your opinion on the website just about the fanboy presumption which you seem to be treating as if it was not rash and hurtful
@AzathothMetal Exactly, I use this site mainly to find out what is coming release dates and such these days, the reviews are too biased to be of any real use. Just because we have resigned to that fact doesn't mean we have to silently accept it
1 Like @Gelugon_baat well little turd, gamespot has shit reviewers, but it still has awesome covergae of VG news and stuff, so yeah ill be sticking around even if i dont like some of the reviews, and lookiing down your catfight with the other user ill just say: have a nice day idiot, im not responding you again :)
1 Like @Gelugon_baat ROFL, you really love getting the last word in, don't you? I'll let you have it after this one...or if I manage to shame you into shutting the **** up, that'll work too :D
1 Like @Gelugon_baat I'm not going to get into another pissing match with you, you enjoy it too much
2 Like @Gelugon_baat @AzathothMetal yeah, well some of us were here long before you fanboys took over
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Borderlands 2
Not Following
- Publisher(s): 2K Games
- Developer(s): Gearbox Software
- Genre: Action
- Release:
- PEGI: 18+
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