Gameplay - 10/10
Storyline - 10/10
Graphics - 9/10
Game Score : 29/30
Your friendly neighborhood gamer here; bringing you another weekly video game review. This week we are praising the awesomeness that is Borderlands 2. If you aren't already playing this you really should be; this game is just too good to pass up. If you can't play it due to hardware or cash flow limitations feel free to check out our play-through on our YouTube channel. We play through about the first 2 hours of the game so you can get a first-hand look at the game and some of what it has to offer. There is also going to be a bit of co-op game-play footage added later on to showcase that as well. Without further ado let's jump into Borderlands 2...
Borderlands 2 is a space western first-person shooter/action role-playing open world video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games. It is the sequel to 2009's Borderlands and was released for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms. Borderlands 2 builds upon the gameplay elements introduced in its predecessor; thankfully though you can play this iteration just fine without prior knowledge from the first game.
It is a first-person shooter that includes character-building elements found in role-playing games, leading Gearbox to call the game a "role-playing shooter." At the start of the game, players select one of four new characters, each with a unique special skill and with proficiencies with certain weapons. From then on, players take on quests assigned through non-player characters or from bounty boards, each typically rewarding the player with experience points, money, and sometimes a reward item. Players earn experience by killing foes and completing in-game challenges (such as getting a certain number of kills using a specific type of weapon). As they gain levels from experience growth, players can then allocate skill points into a skill tree that features three distinct specializations of the base character.
1. Salvador the Gunzerker, can dual-wield any combination of guns.
2. Maya the Siren, has an ability called Phaselock which suspends enemies in midair.
3. Axton the Commando, is a commando character who relies on turrets to decimate his enemies.
4. Zer0 the Assassin, is an assassin capable of creating a decoy of himself and becoming invisible for a short time. At the end of this process, he is then able to unleash a critical hit on an enemy with his sword or gun.
5. Unreleased as yet there is also Gaige the Mechromancer. The character, available October 16, is the fifth playable class in the game and was available with pre-order for free. Without the pre-order she'll cost $10.
Returning gameplay features from the first game will include the 3-branch skill trees, class-mods, and four-player online cooperative modes. New features include a more expansive and customizable weapons system, reworked four-seat drift-able vehicles and vehicle physics elements, and dynamic mission systems. All in all the game stays true to most the aspects of its predeccessor, obviously Gearbox Software is a firm believer in the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mentality. My only faults were slight annoyances more than anything else, but
if I had to nit-pick. I would have wanted a guiding arrow for quests that points you in the right direction, as well as better driving controls as the cars feel very unresponsive causing me to crash; a lot... That aside the game is superb; the dialog is engaging, and it has immense replay value with all the classes and skills and customization options any gamer could want. Add to that the insane number of gun combinations and quests you have in this game. It is clear to me that this game is easily a candidate for "Game of the Year" status. So what are you waiting for? Come join the fun...
