Borderlands 2 Review

The Cats out of the Bag and the Color is out of this World!

Time to find out whether or not Gearbox studios latest entry in the Borderlands series is a yea or nay.

The rich bounty of colors and assignments

The original Borderlands was quite the co-operative first-person shooter. Though I will say that the color palette was most unappealing. The dull browns of varying shades, ran rampant and unselfconsciously about the wastes of the games setting Pandora. Even before there was any widespread retrospective analysis, one could not argue that Borderlands was the most ambitiously colorful game out there. But, with a couple of years and some fan/critic feedback Gearbox has delivered a visual feast, in Borderlands 2. The graphics--on the PS3--may not be the most technically impressive, but they make up for this with a much wider use of warm and cool colors, creating a fun, refreshing, atmospheric hue that renounces the--not totally unwanted--trend of grit and realism. There is, to go hand in hand with a larger swath of color, a larger selection of environments for players to loot and pillage in. There is a wildlife reserve, comprised of rolling green plains and pasture; there is now frozen tundra, comprising of, well, frozen soil and in some sections alpine areas, or in others frozen plains covered in snow and tree-less, ice capped hills;  then there are the caustic caverns, secret industrial sewer hideouts/fortresses, among other places. All-in-all, I would say that the variety of places the player will get to experience is a marked improvement over the games predecessor.   

 *Yes, there are still desert dunes and dusty plains as well*

Mission structure within Borderlands 2 is present, I guess. The management of the many, many, many missions of which one will acquire over the course of the game is much better than in the first game. The mission management menu can get very cluttered, but it still offers the options to tailor your focus to the task at hand. Though I would say that Gearbox should streamline the mission selection/menus more efficiently in the future. There are a lot of missions; from pizza delivery, to assassination, to mail delivery, to the re- naming of informal creatures. There is a lot to do in the game. The missions are divided between side-missions and main quests. Side missions are completely optional, though if you do intend to play solo then they are mostly recommended, as the game can get challenging without active leveling. The multilayer experience is, in my opinion, one of the very essential pillars of the borderlands experience.  Meaning that the amount of co-op play that you will take-part in, will determine the level of enjoyment you will experience. I love single-player experiences--Skyrim, anyone?--; the problem is that the level of interaction within the open stages of Borderlands 2 is wholesomely lacking and basic. This is not to say that one does not enjoy frolicking through the many wastes of the game, and shooting the commendable number of creature species and re-skinned bandits in the face, but it can get very repetitive, and it happens a lot quicker than in a game designed to be a second world, of sorts, to explore.
This is also, more so than any minimal increase in difficulty, why I can say co-op will increase enjoyment, because the game can feel shallow at times without a buddy or two at your side. There just isn't much else to do in the games environments other than shoot and level up. And, while there is a variety of missions, the way that you interact with the characters involved--though a step-up from the first game--is a menu-fest of minimal engagement. This is why I had little attachment to the many menu conversations and joke filled text accepts/ turn-ins that I experienced throughout the game. The game is, however, funny at times, though at others it may feel forced.        

Guns, guns and more guns, a loot driven--semi stats filled experience

This is what the game was built for--the second pillar of the experience. The loot and customization of Borderlands 2 is spectacular. The more people playing, the better the loot dropped by the denizens of Pandora. You may start with a deep orange, pearl blue, sharp angled, abstract-art-like sniper rifle, but quickly turn that over two or three times by your next level-up. The turn-over of loot is faster, as not all weapons are created equal, and with some hidden elements to their effects, you will find some weapons may outperform their basic stats. Weapons rain from the sky, but at higher levels you'll find yourself chucking out more loot, for cash, than you will keep; this never stops the press for loot and the need to scavenge the battlefield after a tough boss-fight or enemy encounter. The loot you acquire will range from colorful and well designed guns (rifles, pistols, rocket launchers, shotguns and SMG's) to new grenade mods; then there are class modes that alter the skills and abilities of the Siren, Gunzerker, Assassin, and Commando classes; there are also relics that are a new feature that add additional boosts to the player(shield recovery, recoil reduction, health regeneration, etc.) regardless of class. This brings me to the class customization. Classes are, as mentioned, divided into four groups, each corresponding to a separate character. The Siren :Maya, has the ability to suspend enemies in a stasis bubble, with her action skill phasselock. The Gunzerker: Salvador, has the action skill "gunzerking", which allows him to dual wield weapons. The Assassin: Zero, has the action skill "deception", which allows him to move around the field of battle undetected while a holographic decoy of himself absorbs most enemy aggression. Finally--at least in the base game--, the Commando: Axton has the action skill the sabre turret, which allows him to deploy an automated turret(it can even be deployed on the ceiling) that can serve as an extra set of firepower to turn the tide of battle. These action skills along with the three separate skill trees over which they reside, and are influenced by, for each character/class, is what adds the majority of spice and flavor to the stew of gameplay styles you are afforded in the game. For example, as Zero you could choose to focus the majority of your skill points--earned each level after the action skill is initially unlocked at level 5-- on being a proficient sniper or being a melee malevolence. Or you can, as Maya, focus on healing your teammates with your phasselock ability or doing bonus elemental damage, or both. The player can also swap the head designs for the character classes and change the color/design of their outfits, by acquiring loot-dropped or mission rewarded head and skin modifications, specific to the character class. 

Overall: 

Overall Borderlands 2 gets a good deal of things right. The shooting mechanics are solid(the elemental damage of weapons and abilities, adds a small layer of strategy), not necessarily innovative. The drop-in, drop-out co-op experience is a blast, especially with teammates who you may be acquainted with. The piles of loot you acquire will glisten with both spurious weapons of power, that underachieve and hidden-gems that may, at first, appear underwhelming, but can shock( literally) and amaze those willing to experiment. Not all loot is created equal, though. While there is a lot of loot and at first it may seem overwhelming, later on you will, by the compulsion to improve, be sifting through countless piles of garbage, just to happen upon that one true prize. The mission structure and its delivery are much improved from the last entry in the series, but I can't help but thing it needs to be streamlined and coordinated a bit more. Also, the variety of missions are a nice touch, but the level of involvement and interaction with their included characters and environments could use a booster shot.  The loot is also great, but be warned playing with strangers can result in you focusing more on the where and when of the next loot drop or discovered cache of treasure, than on the battle at hand. 




Thus, while repetitive and shallow at times, Borderlands 2 can be a dreadfully absorbing loot fest filled romp through the wastes of Pandora. I give Borderlands 2 : 

 8.6/10 

 

*Note: this review does not include the Borderlands 2 DLC in its final score, as this is a review of Borderlands 2 in and of itself.

*Thanks for reading. I hope you got something from it. Any suggestions or comments let me know. More reviews to come, so stay tuned.