Borderlands 2

 8.5/10

Borderlands 2

Borderlands 2 takes place on Pandora which is inhabited by psychos and crazy monsters that just want to kill you constantly. Pandora is being policed by Hyperion, who wishes to mine the planet of the rare mineral Eridium, the resource that powers many of the game’s upgrades. Borderlands 2 allows the player greater customization, meaning you can change you suit and face depending on what character you are there are different customizations. You are able to find items that change your character’s appearance. Some items give you certain colours so that you can change your suit to look different, and the others give you certain logos that you can display on your character. The logo is in a certain spot depending on the camo you are using.

The gameplay is extremely similar to its predecessor whereas you can see your gun so it is easier to aim at enemies. You also have grenades that can be modified when you use a grenade modifier. you can switch weapons with the press of a button, you are allowed to equip four weapons at a time. There is also a character modifier which allows you to give your character a boost in their certain ability, shields are also back so that if you get into trouble but you're able to take cover your shields will automatically recharge. After you kill a monster or a bad guy, they drop loot that you can pick up. The loot varies from shields to money, guns, shields, health, ammo, or modifiers.

You are given a mini map that shows you where to go. When looking at a item on the ground it shows the player what that stats for that specific item are and what level you need to be to use it. Slot machines were introduced into the game so that you can spend your hard earned money in the hopes of finding a great weapon only to be disappointed and then continue to spend money. You are told when you can use your skill in the bottom right corner under that is your remaining ammo and grenade count. Which is very standard for a first person shooter.

The game feels more lively than the first with many different levels and designs which range from ice mountains to deserts and nice large green hills. You can continue to play and find new areas that you have not yet explored. The writing in the game is very humourous, and it is brought to life by the strong voice acting. Handsome Jack, the game’s villain, is constantly mocking you while on your quests which at times really gets on your nerves but in a good way making you want to kill him even more. There is also a great quantity of voice acting, which mostly eliminates repetition. There are so many different guns in the game that it’s almost impossible to find two that are exactly alike. This is great because then you can feel unique having a gun with special powers and attributes. There are 6 gun varieties that you can use in the game: submachine guns, pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, rocket launchers, and sniper rifles. There are eight companies in the game that manufacture the guns, each bringing their own special characteristics to their weapons. A certain company creates only elemental guns, another makes every bullet explode, or you can find a gun that you can throw like a grenade to reload it.

Borderlands 2 offers a split-screen mode which, unfortunately, is very hard to play because the vertical screen-split obscures the edges of your view. This causes the player to constantly have to scroll down when looking at their inventory. The online co-op is enjoyable and easy to use, so if you're stuck on a part in the game, you can get up to three buddies to come help you out. You can still trade equipment with other players that enter your game to see what they have found. The game also brings back the duel feature so you can battle your friends to see who reigns supreme. Combat is great, as the variety of different weapons allows many different strategies. These range from charging headlong into the battle with a shotgun, to hanging back and picking off your enemies with a sniper rifle.  

Though there is a new set of playable characters, the four main characters from the first game are back and they appear at different stages in the campaign. They become leaders of the rebels and try to help you through the game. It is often mentioned how the original characters were tricked during the first game which is interesting to learn if you were not satisfied with the ending in the first game. In this game you can choose one character from four and each one has a special power that only they can use. There is Zero, the assassin who can turn invisible and get behind your enemies for a devastating melee attack , Salvador, the gunzerker who can use two guns at the same time for a certain length of time, Maya, the siren who uses her special power that only sirens have to elevate enemies, rendering them useless, or Axton, the commando that can throw a turret into the middle of the battlefield to distract your enemies and give your team time to recover.

Borderlands 2 is a great shooter if you are playing with friends online or just by yourself. It is a huge game with tons of different guns and a huge variety of voice acting, which creates a sense of immersion into the game because the player isn’t hearing and seeing the same thing over and over again. You can play this game for hours on end and always find new quests and things to kill.