Borderlands 2 review

Version tested: PC

Borderlands 2, Gearbox’s sequel to the colourful and loud Borderlands will satisfy fans of various genres be it shooters or RPGs, there is something here for you.

It starts off a little slow, while the game looks gorgeous and it begins with a cinematic bang and a witty claptrap guiding you; the initial quests were stale. This will drag on for the first few hours but give it a while and you will see that this game is worthy of your time. If this is your first Borderlands then it will probably different for you, the visuals alone will put into you a sense of awe. This game is beautiful, without a doubt but if you’re a veteran of the first then be patient and give it a little while to start off.

Nothing stood out for me in the first few hours of the game. A couple of factors can affect your gameplay experience, one which you can control and the other you can’t. The one that you can control is the character you choose, I started off with Zero, just because I thought he was cool. He wears a mask, has a sword and can go invisible. If that’s not cool then I don’t know what is. But I didn’t really like his play style, while his turning-invisible-throwing-a-decoy skill saved my butt many times, I just felt I struggled using him and there was a lot of hitting-and-running that I had to do with him. But you might not feel the same and you could actually enjoy using him.

For my co-op playthrough, I decided to use the Gunzerker and what a great decision that was. His skill allows you to dual-wield any two guns plus getting additional buffs. He best represents what Borderlands 2 is all about and that is going guns blazing.

The factor which you can’t control is of course the guns. This game is all about the guns and if you don’t get lucky enough to see a powerful one dropping in front of you then your experience will be lacking. While the loot dropped is random, the game will definitely give you a rare and powerful gun, the question is not if but when you get it. Once you start getting elemental-based weapons, you will feel like the world is ok again; for a while that is until the game decides to throw all sorts of baddies at you. (the suicidal one was particularly annoying)

Another thing I liked about the game was the achievement rewards. Getting in-game achievements will net you buffs such as increased gun damage or health. A very interesting system that makes getting achievements related to the actual gameplay.

The menu system is probably one my least favourite things about this game. Using a mouse to navigate the menu felt a little annoying and it will need a little time to adjust to, or maybe it’s just me.

So is Borderlands 2 worth the asking price? Definitely. Just remember to give it some time for it to hook you. It’s a huge game with beautiful visuals and make sure to play it with people. The main experience lies in the co-op play.