Borderlands 2 (8.9/10)

To read the official, full length review follow the link here: Borderlands 2. 

Borderlands was a funny sort of game... for a great many it was a loot-fest shooter like nothing they had ever seen before. But for an admittedly unfortunate few, the game turned out to be frustrating, repetitive, and at worst, bland. After playing the first incarnation multiple times, both online and off, I found myself in the middle. In the end, I concluded that as good as Borderlands was, it could have been better with a few minor tweaks to the original idea. So you will understand how excited I was when the sequel was announced! Here was a chance for Gearbox to take what worked in the first game and expand upon it in the sequel while forgoing what held the prototype back. And let me tell you, for the most part, they nailed it! Borderlands 2 is fantastic because Gearbox listened to their fans and made some smart changes to an already successful formula.

Despite the added variety virtually across the board, I still found Borderlands 2 repetitive, and dare I say, boring, in some parts. Doing side missions through previous areas against weak enemies simply feels like a slog in some instances. Or maybe it's just the fact that there is so much to do! Even with vastly improved variety in side missions styles (something else that was a common complaint about the original), Borderlands 2 is a surprisingly long game. However, the overall experience is exponentially more involved because of how things flow. In fact, pacing was probably the biggest crutch that held the first Borderlands back for me. Because the sequel has it a more focused narrative, I always felt like I was moving forward.

In the end, I have to say that Borderlands 2 serves as a wonderful example of how to make a sequel work. It took the good from the first game then streamlined the menus, added variety to enemies, mission types, and weapons, and a more cohesive and flowing narrative that was actually interesting. But most importantly, Borderlands 2 is more fun than the original, as good as it was. Running and gunning through Pandora is a blast yet again, and as before, it's more fun with friends at your side. I can't wait to see what they trot out for Borderlands 3!

If you want to read more of my specific thoughts about the game, follow the link to read the full length review at Game Over Online.

Cheers,
Si

Score = 8.9 / 10