“Borderlands 2” is now available for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Over the years, games have failed to rehash old formulas with new elements, but the rekindled partnership between 2K Sports and Gearbox Studios brings forth a fantastic sequel to a beloved space western-themed adventure.
Borderlands 2 is a freshly innovative role-playing first-person shooter that takes all of its specialties and enhances on what made the first game an immediate success among hardcore gamers.
Many players will be familiar with the attributes that made the first Borderlands a deep and addictive gaming experience. However, new gamers will be happy to find themselves right at home as they play as one of the four Vault Hunters.
Not much is new with the story, players still take on the role of a treasure hunter on the lawless planet of Pandora, but there’s more emphasis on stopping the villain than finding the treasure this time around.
In addition to the refined leveling system, maxing out three expansive skill trees filled with perks that enhance the Vault Hunters in combat adds an intriguing value to the gameplay.
Players will also constantly improve by exchanging coins for additional permanent character bonuses.
The real star here, as with the previous game, is the random-loot generation. Especially when dealing with weapons, the seemingly endless combination of visual elements and gun stats will keep gamers addicted to that Christmas morning-esque feeling when looting the chests scattered around Pandora.
The planet feels a lot livelier this time around with new and old characters that players will meet throughout the main quest.
The character dialogue, which features a crude sense of humor and superb voice acting, makes for some stand-out material in the landscape of the gaming industry.
The “drop in, drop out” co-op gives players a boost in challenge depending on the number of roaming Vault Hunters. Feral creatures and human psychopaths will be much harder for you to take down, but the weapons and shields dropped from enemies will increase in quality and rarity.
The game is a great way for players to spend hours of their free time and the replay value in the “New Game Plus” mode will allow players to experience it with other Vault Hunters.
Aside from the occasional graphical glitch and the sometimes-difficult vehicle controls, this sandbox game offers so much content that it allows for its highs to overshadow the lows.
Overall, Borderlands 2 has successfully kept its form and made the franchise better than before.
