I absolutely loved this game. It took everything that worked from the first game and improved upon it. Great visuals, fun & interesting characters and a great story. But the real star here is Handsome Jack: Best video game villain , EVER! If I had one bad thing to say about the game, it would be that it was a bit weak that they didn't try to be a bit more original with the four starting characters. They're basically next gen variations of the four main characters from borderlands 1. But the Mechromancer did change that a bit. Overall won of my favorite games of all time and a must buy for anyone with a passion for gaming.… Expand

On the surface not much seems to have changed since the original Borderlands. Play this sequel for any length of time however and it soon proves itself to be a superior game. Both the story and script are just that bit sharper and often genuinely funny, the skill system has been expanded (Including a new 'badass rank' which rewards the player with boosts to their stats for completing certain challenges) and there are fewer missions that are nothing but glorified fetch quests.

All this and a host of other minor tweaks meant that, while I bored of the first title before seeing it to the end, there was never any danger of me stopping before I saw Borderlands 2 through to its finale. This is co-op gaming at its very best.… Expand

Borderlands 2 was a amazing game witch is better than Borderlands 1 (BL1 was a great game). The characters are soo funny and by far Claptrap is the most epic out of all of them. Borderlands 2 has a story to it(BL 1 did not) and in Borderlands 2 the areas are different almost every time with look(another thing BL1 did not have). Playing Solo is great but this game was series is soo popular with the CO-OP experience, its better than ever! Handsome Jack the villian has to be the best vilian in a game by far, I mean I hate him, love him, think hes' halerouand so on. The only con to Borderlands 2 is how it kept freezing a lot and glitchs I had with it, but you guys might not be having the trouble. Borderlands is an a game you should buy nw as so as you read this review. Borderlands 2 9.2/10… Expand

Borderlands 2 brings you back to Pandora for another wild goose chase with some brand new vault hunters. However this time the focus is on something much more important than the vault. After Roland, Lillith, Mordecai and Brick awakened the destroyer eridium has been spewing out of the ground faster then grass, it has also shown the whereabouts of another vault. After Hyperion had a close eye on the operations going down with Atlas, the Crimson Lance and the original Vault hunters they decide to move in and go on the hunt for the vault lead by the tyrannous Handsome Jack. Invited by Jack the new vault hunters (Axton, Maya, Salvador and Zero) you soon realise you are being led into a trap and escape into the plains of Pandora on a epic 50+ hour adventure to stop Jack opening the vault and allow Pandora to be at peace for longer than five minutes.
Lots of old characters return as well as many new faces, a loot chest full of side quests and an epic storyline full of unexpected twists, turns and heart wrenching moments.
Borderlands 2 is a must buy for fans of the series and as good a place as any to pick up the game and start if you haven't played the first. A real GOTY contender… Expand

I didn't play the first one but that's okay because this game rules. That's a well spent 65 bucks right here. Fun, funny, enjoyable, thrilling and awe-inspiring. Yeah, man

Borderlands 2 improves on everything from the first one and by everything, I really mean everything! Graphics are one of the best, new guns are awesome and Claptrap is funnier than ever before! CO-OP now has a "quick match" option which will find a game most suitable to your present playthrough so you can play almost exactly the stuff you last ended at. Of course you will sometimes do stuff twice, but if you complete a quest in coop and then encounter the same quest in singleplayer, you will be given the option to skip it, which is really helpful. Badass rank is awesome, although it could be a bit more polished. Almost all characters from the first one return, and each one contributes to the story in some way. Quests themselves are a lot of improvement, totally not repetitive! TOTALLY! So, where are the cons? Well, there are some glitches, the 4 new characters are more of a revamped characters from the first one (me wants Mechromancer!) and it isnt really so much fun while playing singleplayer or with unknown guys. I suggest finding someone to play with quickly. Well.... so far my favorite game of the year and I dont think that it will change. Definitely a GOTY contender.… Expand

Brilliant!Far superior in every way than its predecessor,though vehicles remain under utilised.The narrative is so much better this time around that I rarely felt lonesome during solo play.The writing is superb and consistently laugh out loud funny and even occasionally surprisingly touching.Whilst the games major claim to fame is the millions(sorry,Bazillions) of guns,once again 99% are useless,which is unfortunately expected and necessary in this type of looter,so I can't complain there.It also makes that one great weapon find so so excellent...The four(soon to be five) classes with their various skins and Abilities are great,though ZerO and Axton are much better for solo play,but that could well be because of my particular playstyle.Nevertheless,especially since its it been a quiet year for decent games,this is a must have title.… Expand

B2 feels more like a B1 expansion pack with re-skins, a few tweaks and some really annoying gameplay bugs. Games too long for a just a rental, and just not worth the full price.

Excellent game. Once again, we get the silly humor and funny characters that we all enjoy. The weapons are given extra types of stats to help build up the variety. The graphics and animations were given some nice improvements. The multiplayer is fun as hell. However, there are still some negatives. The performance was pretty bad for me, and I have a very high-end PC, but I was able to fix this by making a quick config file edit. There's also a lot of parts in the game where enemies are painfully spammed and you end up just mindlessly tossing grenades and spraying bullets until you have a chance of survival. Sometimes the enemy spawns get so repetitive that you might just dash back and forth to objectives without fighting because of the boredom of trying to kill every enemy around you. Otherwise, the game is something worthy enough where almost all types of gamers should play it without delay.… Expand

MUCH better than Borderlands 1 (which is a great game)... I've only played for about 3 1/2 hours but I can tell you the game runs smooth with great graphics, great gameplay, and really good voice acting.

Not many games learn from their mistakes, this one does, and does an excellent job at it, an improvement in almost every way, definitely worth getting if you didn't like the first one, and an even better choice if you liked the first one!

I liked the first game, liked the art design, the humor and gun playing. this game improved from the first one, especially the story-line, which was a joke in the first game. it is also much fun to play co-op with a friend online. however, i just cannot put as much time as i did in the first game, too repetitive overall.

Borderlands 2 is everything a great sequel should be; it takes the best aspects of the original and expands upon them, improves any weak points of the original and, makes sure that it does not feel like a repackaged version of the original. 2K Games and Gearbox have created a fantastic, unique and engaging FPS, with Handsome Jack being one of the best video game villains of the last few years. Do not presume this is just Borderlands 1.5, this is a great new visit to Pandora.… Expand

Borderlands 2 is one of the best sequels in gaming. Everything is sped up and streamlined and faster. The dialogue is wittier and more abundant. The story is the best improvement. It gives you the narrative that original failed to give. Each of the original Vault Hunters makes an appearance in a fantastic fashion. I've only done on play through with the Gunzerker so I can't speak for the other three character classes but I can say my experience with the combat was still awesome and fast paced. It's easy to get lost in the shoot and loot as well as the numerous skills options to customize you character. Overall Borderlands 2 is a highly addicting game and I highly recommend it!… Expand

borderlands 2 is great.the gameplay is great theres a lot of missions and side quest.very funny i suprised for good becuase i dont like that kind of games i will give it 9/10

Incredible game. Everything is upgraded and smoother. My only nitpick so far is ladders, frustrating. Kudos to all involved for a great game. Keep iot up.

Only one of the masterpieces of this console generation! While other game developers fall all over themselves trying to ape Call of Duty, Gearbox has perfected the cooperative experience and makes teaming up with your friends to fight the machine an addictive and endlessly gratifying experience.

Improves on the first game in almost every way imaginable. Borderlands 2 is winner and starts off the fall season of triple A titles. Unless you're going through a very excessive playthrough it's near impossible to run out of things to do. Side missions continually pop up and are always a joy to run through, earning you more guns, supplies, and various loot. The games all about the loot, no two items are ever the same thanks to a new randomly generating loot and gun system, and the variety in weapons is at the top of the mountain; no other game comes near it. It's graphically appealing and prettier this time around. Environments are much more luscious and varied than it's predecessor. My only complaints are that the story is often predictable yet very enjoyable, and some missions get tedious as there's much backtracking to be done. Overall though Borderlands 2 is a must own for any gamer, it has the best of everything, great RPG elements, it's a solid FPS, and the game is hysterical.… Expand

I became somewhat board of it, I attempted to play Borderlands 1 but never got into it, my cousin dragged me into playing BL2 and I got to say playing that game was more like a chore for me as I did not want to offend my cousin as he really wanted me to enjoy the game. The game makes my head hurt, people will say that your just not smart enough to understand and appreciate the dynamics and complexity of the game. But in all honesty its too much for me, the plot doesn't captivate me and it doesn't drive me to through. If the graphics weren't enough the whole concept doesn't grasp me and its to much work to actually enjoy the game.… Expand

I have been playing this game at least three or four times a week since its release date and it has not yet failed to keep me entertained. The looting aspects and the high-octane gun fights keep me coming back for more. I rarely play without at least one more in my party and when you have a full four together it can be quite intense and satisfying. There are flaws (being able to have a four player brawl in Sanctuary would be amazing) but not enough so that it would keep me from playing. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys FPS and loot-based RPGs.… Expand

This game is waaaay better then the first borderlands, its funner, smother and looks **** awesome this is easily one of my newest Favorite games of all time, defiantly worth buying

Played the first Borderlands and found it somewhat enjoyable. Playing BL2 was more of a grind towards the end. The level tree was somewhat tedious, the weapons never really kept up with the levels that you made, and the skill points were pretty much useless. Just a drone of a game, no replay value whatsoever.

I loved the first Borderlands, I picked it up thinking it was going to be a deep and rewarding RPG but when i put it in it was more like the smooth first person shooting of Call of duty, mixed with Rpg elements and the enemies are weird. Now ive scooped together sixty dollars and figured i would try this one out. The moment i was let loose to shoot stuff and loot, i was having an immense amount of fun. You;ll notice that the gunplay is a lot more satifying then the last game, and a lot smoother. The game says that there are even more guns in this game. Well from what ive noticed there is a lot more guns. But the system is basically the same, because youll notice that ninety percent of the guns you pick up are complete sh*t but they have tweaked the grenades and the shields as well so that each one is different no matter what. Ive found grenade mods that when i threw it four flamethrowers come out and deal massive fire damage. Cool. The character classes are the same but there abilities are different. The commando still throws out a turret but it can do alot more things thanks to the skill tree for you character. This game is very good and if your still wondering whether or not to pick it up stop thinking about it, and buy it. Even if you havent played the first game you will enjoy the hell out of this game its really fun, and an immense time sink.… Expand

Just a few words, great enjoyment, gearbox really did do a good job on game play, but the story is sh*t. It has cool bosses, but they aren't exciting and the game is just not a big challenge, you just respawn where you die

Borderlands 2 Is totally a game of the year contender.This game has so many improvemennts over the first Bordlands,with it's Awesome graphics,story and lets not forget the Funny adult Humor that the series is known for.also the amount of weapons in Borderlands 2 is mind blowing.Borderlands 2 is awesome just like the first Borderlands was as well.A must buy.this Game get's a perfect 10 from me.

With all the improvements of the game that solved all of the issues I had with Borderlands 1, and considering that this game is not certaintly a recycled copy of the previous title unlike most other titles (*cough* MW3 *cough*), so I was initially pleased that this game was a more give than take kind of game, and It truly is: More skills are more unique to each class (and more beneficial), the badass rank pertains to EACH USER, and not each player, which is worthwhile for any class you make, as well as the challenges you get. The minimap is a lot more helpful in locating your waypoint, enemies and shops, and more rpg elements have been added to the limited RPG element of this RPS game from the previous title. This is one of the few Sequels that actually pertains to making it worthwhile in almost every aspect, almost, that is. There are some issues I have with this game, pertaining to the new graphics engine introduced in the game. While they have solved the issue with the pickup of items crowding the space on your field of view, the whole graphics engine feels quite too clumped with even more enemies, effects and objects. Although, this is a good and bad thing, and can be resolved if your eyesight can manage the over-the-top violence. But, the new menu system is an improvement from borderlands 1 especially with the split-screen play, but the gun stats will constantly get in the way of how much ammo you have, so you have to constantly screen your eyesight quickly enough to get a gist of the ammo you have. And, the ammo. Not to say this a problem, it is an improvement over how much you can get and how much is available, but I still have a problem with identfiying what ammo pack resolves to which. the ammunition in Borderlands 1 was much easier to identify, but nonetheless it isn't much of a big issue. The big new addition to borderlands is the favorites/trash option, which allows you to easily identify which guns you can use, and which guns you don't want. also, you can sell all items that you've identified as trash, which is really innovative considering the time it would take to sell each item individually. Eridium is a cool innovation, and has improved how easy it would take for you to allocate all the Ammo SDU's/Backpack SDU's, and is also important for the storyline. Borderlands 2 also takes some cues from their previous expansion packs, which also brakes away from the tedium that is Borderlands 1. Also, waypoints to locations you need to go will also show on the fast travel network, which is also a plus. Skill COMS will show additions to skills you need, rather than having to remember from scrolling between inventory and skill set in Borderlands 1. Money has been toned down to become more necessary and not as infinite as in Borderlands 1, and you pick up money and ammo automatically when dropped from creeps. You can find personal customization items for your character and your vehicles, as well as plenty of them being available at the start of the game (also, you can get a custom item from having played borderlands 1!). Most importantly, the open-world has been more opened from borderlands 1, with more vibrant, unique and dynamic landscapes with some more worthwhile bossfights and storylines, not to mention the easter eggs. This really helps, considering the side missions in borderlands 1 were like the generic cliche MMORPG-esque missions and the world was more like a snake trail with huge bulges in between. Overall, Borderlands 2 has some few issues that can be easily ignored by all the improvements and the greatly overall better effort produced by Gearbox, and I'm proud to say that this game was worth the money I got, considering I got a lot of bonus coupons off on it!… Expand

Love this game in all aspects. Great Story,Sound, Graphics and Game-play. Must own for any Borderlands, BioSchock or end of the world fans. Looking forward to all additional DLC. 10/10

I bought into the hype and purchased this on day one. I played it in co-op but this game was a big let down. It's more of the same, which your opinion will differ on that depending on how much you liked the first game. I did play and beat the first one so I knew what to expect. If you loved Borderlands you more than likely bought and finished it already. But if you're on the fence I'd say buy it only if you'll play with two or three friends. If you can, wait a year until the edition with all the DLC comes out so you don't waste money. Don't get it if you're going to play alone.… Expand

This isn't the perfect game by any stretch of the imagination, but it does have enough charm and versatility to justify the label of a "good game". However, the worrying trend of blockbuster releases receiving perfect 10/10 scores from major critics rears it's ugly head again - making it difficult to take certain review sites seriously.

That said, the game improves on it's predecessor in the key area of gameplay, even if it isn't as immersive as the original is in terms of character and quirkiness. The RPG elements are "OK" - it struggles to remain coherent as it deals with an absurd storyline (but then, the original wasn't exactly Dickensian in narrative either!) - but if you strip away the glitz and graphical glamour of this title, you're left with a by the books shooter at the end of the day. ITo be blunt, if you're buying this hoping to have an RPG experience, you'll end up losing interest in the lacklustre story and you'll be simply shooting whatever moves before long.

The reason this game is worth a purchase, even when taking on board the crowded market it exists in, is because the multiplayer is very good, and the humour is pretty unique in this genre - something missing since the demise of Duke Nukem as a credible franchise.… Expand

Easily a 10/10, but with no real feel to travel fast kinda gets lame. Takes along time to level up after like level 3, best villain along with far cry 3, Vas. Love the look, great humor loads of guns, loads of explosives, and a good amount of environments. With a good co-op portion to the game making it harder to play and win. Not a variety of characters to play, or change of your own style. Game-play is a straight 10, fun same thing, maps lovely 10, story uneven 8 to 9. Guns he-he-he you know the drill. One thing the your not as bad-ass like in the first game overall. After a lot of playing though you'll get your self back to bad-ass.… Expand

Borderlands 2 is an awesome game. I didn't play the first game and still understood the whole story of this game. I completed the main story quest by myself and it was good but i can't help thinking it would be better playing through it co-op, so i would recommend playing through with friends. Overall this game is excellent.

I'm a big fan of Borderlands 1, Borderlands 2 is much of the same with a minor exception. i felt the main story was a bit lacking. But this game is still amazing and recommended to all.

TL;DR The better sequel to Borderlands 1, which still doesn't say much.

To start, just know that there is nothing subtle about this game. The dialogue, "humor", anything, everything is basically in your face, for the good and bad. I'll explain that here...

To start, the art, guns, gameplay, and characters (personality wise, at least) have definitely been improved over the first. However, the game is still a better version of 1 that didn't improve on much of the problems, rather, they've been seemingly masked.

Firstly, there are not a bazillion more guns, there are simply more combos of pre-made guns (modding and making your own is still very fun and an option luckily). You WILL see the same guns more than twice. Second, the feel of the guns is definitely better, but combat is still the same old "going in guns blazing with endless second winds" or "hide and pick them off one by one". The action skills have been vastly improved at least, and are all useful. Third, I might start ranting here, but the story and the dialogue tied to it are...not so good, to say the least. If you like toilet humor and jokes that are forced upon you, then maybe you'll enjoy it, however, don't expect any well thought out humor here. Granted, there are moments anyone can still laugh at, but the humor is still bottom of the barrel and mostly appeals to the demographic of 13 year old boys. The story is also very mediocre and riddled with (bullet) holes. Besides it being a complete reboot of the first (find the vault, oh no bad guys!) , it now has a primary antagonist that belittles and taunts you throughout the WHOLE game. Handsome Jack is simply another mediocre villain, unfortunately, and any potential he had was wasted on his loud-mouthed, arrogant character who taunts the hero nonstop, while never confronting them, quickly becoming a big joke.

The characters also seem really odd. I don't know if you can relate to any of them at all. Like the humor and many, many pop culture references, they suffer from a bad case of "OMG so random and funny!". If I had to pick the biggest offender, it'd be Tiny Tina. Regardless, they all have the combined emotions of a sack of potatoes, and none of them really come off as memorable.

Overall, BL2 is indeed the better successor to the first, but even then, the game is anything but a masterpiece.… Expand

I've been really astounded by how much the devs of this title have been able to blend shooter elements and RPG elements, overall making it an RPG. The idea is stunning and the game turns out to be stunning as well.

I've been playing this game for about 15 hours or so now and I'm loving every new area, enemy and gun as much as the first. Simply put, if you like FPS games you have to get this. The single players is excellent and the co-op is the best I've played since GRAW & Rainbow six Vegas. Normally I can't be bothered to collect everything but I find myself searching every nook to get ammo, money, eridium and guns. The guns all have a different feel and their own uses which means your selection is very important in battles. There is enough customization to keep you happy and the characters you meet have a personality of their own and sometimes a nice gun for you. Humour? it's got a lot and as for fun, there is nothing better than letting a midget run at you with your sniper sights trained on his head, then at the last minute....BOOM!
I was looking forward to BLOPS 2 and Halo 4 but they will need to be something special to beat this game. I also normally trade games in as soon as I've finished the single player and played a couple of months of multiplayer but I will be keeping this game to play the DLC missions and characters. Awesome game and massive fun.… Expand

Hooked me in a way the first game never did, this game is fantastic by yourself and even more fun with friends. Plus it has the huge choice of weapons that all fans of the series are looking for. Here's to hoping that the rest of the series is more similar to this game than to the first.

Very great game. They really seemed to fix a lot of the nonsense from Borderlands 1. You NEED to play this with friends to really enjoy it to the full extent, but a damn good game nonetheless.

Although the game is better than the first one. I really couldn't get absorbed into the game-world enough to fully enjoy what it had to offer. This is why I will give the game a 7/10

A good sequel to the first Borderlands but i feel this game is Overrated to an extent. The new scenery was a nice change from Borderlands 1 and the game having a storyline was a definite plus. However the game got a bit repetitive too quickly, the skill-trees weren't up to much and for a game that prides itself on having a huge amount of guns i ended up with similar ones at most points of the game. Overall it was an enjoyable experience but one that good have been improved… Expand

The first question people will likely ask is, "Does this game live up to BL1 and DLC?" and that answer is a resounding "Yes!" The second question, "Is it better than BL1?" and the answer is "Yes...for the most part." So what's improved? Better gun mechanics (sound and feel), more humor, more frequent boss and sub-boss battles, easier to get a co-op game going and see who's online playing, character skill trees are improved, friends can select quests in co-op games rather than having to tell the "party leader" to do it, the new enemies are well designed, you can now dismember baddies, you can now tag items in your inventory as "trash" or "favorite" so you remember what to sell next time at the vending machine, you can now directly trade with people, you automatically pick up money and ammo (but thankfully not loot) and combat is more organic (enemies take cover, flank you, dodge attacks).

So what's the negatives? The new menus are clunky and difficult to parse, missions still consist of mostly "shoot that" or "find this," driving mechanics are about the same (though thankfully you don't take damage from hitting enemies as much), level design can be really confusing at times even with the new HUD mini map and sometimes there's simply too much dialogue happening simultaneously. For example if you're playing co-op the first big town you get to is a total cluster as multiple characters are introducing themselves cutting off the others dialogue. I find myself saying, "what is going on?" much more regularly during this game than BL1. That said, these are only minor complaints and the additions far outweigh the handful of small issues. In short, if you loved the first BL stop reading this review and go pick up the sequel!.… Expand

Overall, this game is a reboot of Borderlands 1 with some gameplay tweaks to make the game harder and the Vault Hunters more vulnerable. With its focus on being a "badass," Borderlands 2 lost the charm that the original Borderlands had. Perhaps this is the way of catering to the next generation. The addition of Crawmerax-style bosses after the fight was nice. But the inclusion of hundreds of other vaults kind of sucked the wind out of the game, and the DLCs so far haven't helped any.… Expand

I loved Borderlands 1 and spent at least 150 hours playing it, mainly single player and some recently with friends. So this review is through those eyes. This game is everything Borderlands was plus more. The world is detailed and the NPC interaction and movement is way better really giving life to the world and story. I have seen a lot more creative quests than in the first one and each gun manufacturer and type feel a lot different.. The writing is funny and even the enemy movement is funny and awesome. I cannot help but smile while I am playing it because it is so much fun, I cannot wait to dump 200+ hours in this game in single player and with friends. If you want to knitpick about graphic popins and crap you can probably find things but this is a world to be explored, loot to be tried and sold and hilarity around every corner, There is no perfect game but this one is well worth the $60 over and over and easily my most favorite game ever. so screw you it is a 10!… Expand

One word review: BOREDLANDS...
Oh my god, it IS boring...

An awful sad, boring to the teeth game. Even worst than the ridiculous first installment, this train wreck of a game is dull, predictable and generic to the extreme. Same old same old mediocre FPS game disguised as a very bad written RPG. Avoid at all costs.

I can't stop playing this game. It is so much fun. I enjoyed Borderlands 1, but I got bored of it fairly quick. This is not the case with 2. Over 60 hours and I am still loving it. It follows the same formula as Borderlands 1 but it improves on pretty much everything. It might not be the perfect game, but I am giving it a perfect 10, as I have enjoyed evey minute.

If this game is a crowd pleaser then I suggest that the crowd has confused fun for addictiveness. The game is loaded with Skinner box techniques designed to keep you playing, but the gameplay itself is weak and poorly designed. The humor is mediocre and the plot is atrocious. This game is much cheaper now, so think about picking it up for 30 bucks, as I did. That price is much more in line with its actual quality.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was a late arrival to the original Borderlands, so my wait for the sequel wasn't quite as long as others, but I must say that I truly enjoyed this game. The comic book/graphic novel style has been completely ramped up in the sequel, and not to a point where it's distracting. A huge world with great variation of each. The addition of new characters, as well as a look at how their time on Pandora has affected the others, were both handled with great care. The controls were quite a bit smoother than the previous iteration, leading to much more fluid gameplay. The humour of BL2 eclipses that of the original, with points where I actually laughed out loud. Having cleared the game, and now replaying through with my brother, I am anticipating the jokes and the entire story again. A much more extensive story, where you don't feel a huge build-up to very little climax (which I found with BL1). There were multiple times where I was thinking I was done, only to see a new chapter opening. Having played with three characters now (Zer0, Axton, & Gaige), there is a noticeable difference between character ability (eg; Mechromancer's sniper skill pales in comparison to that of Zer0) My only complaints about the game would come by way of the little things. There were many parts of the worlds where it looked like you could get behind something, jump up a rock, etc, and there was the invisible wall that stopped you. Only really annoying when trying to achieve challenges, looking for vault symbols, etc. Also, another annoyance, carried over from the original, was the items that disappeared into the ground, where you had to be at the exactly perfect angle in order to pick it up. Although the pickups were generally easier, that polish was the only thing that kept me from giving this game a 10!

Happy hunting!… Expand

Finally a game this year actually worth spending the time to play. This year has been struggling so far. If you remotely liked the first BL, you will LOVE this one. SO FUNNY and addicting.... even my wife is laughing because of the dialogue and she hates watching me play.

Fun game and a massive improvement to the original but some how it just got boring. I don't care about loot so much and grinding to get it is just ridiculous so I cheated tested out all the best and meh is all I can say. If you take the loot out this game suddenly becomes quite dull which is sad because loot shouldn't make a game special.

On top of that they put out two DLC which each has the exact same running joke about the guy betraying you. I don't know the joke got old and although the game made me laugh I wouldn't have minded a few serious moments or truly epic moments at least to allow me to enjoy the comical moments more. A game that is a constant joke just isn't funny or fun in the end.… Expand

As a fan of the original Borderlands, this was the game I was looking forward to ever since it was announced, I had high expectations, but at the same time knew certain key features would remain the same, because why fix what is broken?

After finishing the game twice 100+ hours played, I can honestly say, the thing that people need to understand is that they did NOT improve on everything from the original. In some cases they straight up downgraded the game. I mean sure, in the aspects you expect it to, they improved the game slightly, multiplayer is better intigrated, graphics are slightly (very slightly) improved, menus, etc. But not the stuff that was truly important. Let me ask you this: When you say Borderlands, what are the 3 things that come to mind? Graphics, Popculture refrences and Story? No? Right the correct answer is Co-Op, Guns, Fun, and they failed all 3 of those aspects of the game. Lets start with with what I think is the most important thing about Borderlands is finding new and exciting new guns that are better then the one you were using previously, same as games like Diablo, but they failed big time in that aspect, where in the original Borderlands Loot chests were common, and finding epic and legendary weapons were relatively common, they are definitely not this time around, Weapon chests are usually filled with junk this time around, and I can honestly say I found maybe 10 epic/orange guns in total, totally lacking, but that isnt even the worst part of it, the weapons themselfs never quite feel right, they always have a negative feel to it, either the recoil is too high, small clip, consumes too many bullets at once, no scope, etc. You will never, EVER find that perfect gun in this game (again unlike Borderlands 1, where that was easily possible), there are severe limitations to weapons now. The weapon manufactures always dictate the weapon stats and thereby the 87 billion gun argument is gone down the drain.

The second argument is co-op, it doesnt work well this time around because again the most important thing is gone. In the first Borderlands the character talent trees were made specifically for certain weapon types, modecai was a sniper/handgun guy, roland was assault rifles/shotguns, lilith was SMGs, etc, It was further encouraged in the first game to stick to certain weapon types by giving experience to weapon types. When you leveled up, say, assault rifles, you'd get more weapon damage, faster reload speed and less recoil. they threw that all out of the window so that everyone can be good at each weapon type, which is good in theory but it means sharing is impossible, who wants that sniper rifle? Everyone. Who wants that shotgun? Everyone, who wants that SMG? Everyone. Not a good design decision.

The last thing I found severely lacking was the writing, especially the main story missions. The humor just wasnt there for me. Poorly done internet memes and pop culture refrences constantly. Every once in a while you get a good laugh in a side quest, perhaps, but the jokes, generally arent as fun this time around.

I feel they focuses too much on aspects of the game that didnt make the original great, and limited the ones that did matter. 6/10, not a trainwreck, but not exciting either. Definitely not GOTY material.… Expand

I can't say enough good stuff about this game, but here are a few of the standout items. It's fun to play! The controls are tight, and it's easy to aim/shoot. If you like exploring every twist and turn of an area, looking for hidden goodies or collectibles, you will enjoy this! The colors are vibrant and the graphics are crisp. The missions are engaging and never seem like busy-work. There are a few fetch quests, etc. but they are rare and optional. You can skip side-quests if you want, and just concentrate on the story. Need to level up or at an area that's too tough for you? Jump in a public game, and play a bit with or go do a few side-missions to gain some XP and better guns. The character classes are varied so you should try them all to see which is your favorite. The skill trees make a big difference as well. Once I had enough skill points to fill our a whole tree, it made the character feel completely new! A neat feature is if you beat a "boss" you can revisit the area later, and the boss respawns, rewarding you with big time loot and XP every time you beat him. Not finding rare guns enough? Follow Gearbox on twitter or Facebook as they are giving out "golden keys" which you can use any time to get a level-appropriate rare weapon, shield, etc. Great game, fun to play!… Expand

Take the original Borderlands, add direction and storyline. This is epic entertainment! Smart, funny and addictive. Tiny Tina alone makes it worth the fee! Take'em, Take'em, Take'em!

Have you played the first Borderlands? Did you enjoy it? If you did play it and enjoy it, chances are that you'll enjoy this too. If you played the first one and didn't enjoy it, then stay far away from this game. Now lets get to a review for people that are new to the series. Borderlands 2 looks good. There's plenty of character customization. It controls well, although shooting with any sort of accuracy is impossible until you level up a few times. The first couple of hours will feel like you have a vibrator attached to all your guns. And the guns. There's so many of them. Too many to tell you the truth. And that's one of the main problems. A shooter should be about shooting, not inventory management and comparing statistics. I miss the days when there were no more than 10 guns in a game. Looking for a good story? Look elsewhere. Like the first Borderlands, you'll find yourself doing non-stop fetch quests. I assume they have something to do with the story, but I couldn't be bothered to care. Something about vaults and vault-hunters. Some guy named Handsome Jack that wants to hog all the glory and riches for himself and sets out to stop you. Not sure where you and your party came from, but who cares. There's loot to be found. In summary, if you enjoyed the first Borderlands then you'll like this one as much, maybe a little bit more. If you didn't like the first one, stay away. This is pretty much more of the same. If you're new to the series, I'd suggest renting first.… Expand

Borderlands 2 does a great job of building off of the success of the first game in nearly every way. In terms of graphics, you're not getting anything too new here, however the fine details and new customization skins really add flair, allowing users to personalize their adventure even more. The greatest thing about this series, is there is ALWAYS something to do - even if by chance you complete all of the side quests, there's plenty of fun to be had in roaming Pandora and exploring new things.… Expand

While not as good as the original Borderlands, this is still a pretty good game that only suffers by the consistent dumbing-down of the RPG elements and other details to (supposedly) attract a wider audience. In a game supposedly about loot, there is actually less of it and fewer different types in the sequel, than in Borderlands. Strange but true and this data is backed up on the Gearbox forums. No more weapon profieicneis, no more gun stats like zooom, recoil or sway, etc. Not all is bad news, and along with the streamlining negatives, the missions are a bit better and the locales more varied, but it can still get boring and Borderlands 2 doesn't manage to hit the same mood or environment level that the original did. Sometimes playing Borderlands, the mood and ambiance was so heavy you almost felt like you were out in a desolate wasteland, but you'll never forget you're playing a videogame with the sequel. There is an old saying that "the Devil's in the details" and by removing so many of the important "details" from the hit original, Gearbox seems to forgotten that.… Expand

Let me start by saying I LOVED #1. I'm trying to love #2 but i can't. It's so repetitive and same thing over and over.

I didn't finish it and not sure i will -Game was fun but got boring quickly.
This review was for single player only, as i never go on-line.

Great game. Took everything that was strong in the first game and refined areas that needed improvement. It's a beautiful game too. The graphics are beautiful. I don't know what this type of animation is but it looks good. Great color. The sound design is great. Story. Weapons. Levelling up. I think you have to understand that its not a super linear, you have to go this way now, now you have to go that way, you cant go back there because you've already been there type game. It's open world demands some exploration. You're always looking for cash and "loot" (ammo, grenades, more weapons, shields, etc). That can feel slow, kind of like RPG's can be sometimes. It's a solid, polished, massive game. Too many positive things to list. Out of a hundred games there are usually only a few that are the "stand outs" this is one of them. I've read some critiques that suggest it's too much like the last game. I guess they should have skipped this one and waited for the "next" Call of Duty, because those are always different from its predecessor right? I'm enjoying the game, I think you will to.… Expand

This would have been my favorite game ever. Shortly after release the game started freezing on me and thousands of other players as you can see in the gearbox forums essentially locking us completely out of the game. With no apology or patch, this is unnaceptable. I paid 60$ for a game I can't play. That's why it gets a zero instead of a 10. I'll never buy another gearbox game due to their lack of fixes and pure greed. Randy Pitchford deletes tweets when they talk about the freeze and ignores the issue. It doesn't matter how good the game is if you can't play it. Shameful.… Expand

Pretty much the same as the previous Borderlands, with almost nothing new. I just found it interesting when people like squeals to be the same while they expect something different and they'll say "this is not the same game!" or "why it's the same s*** again!" (commonly heard in COD reviews)

Co-op experiences do not get any better than this folks, Borderlands 2 is a fun and cool game, it's as simple as that, it doesn't have a deep story or deep characters but it sets out to make you laugh and enjoy yourself and it accomplishes just that, hats off to Gearbox.

This game is definitely better than the original Borderlands in terms of interface and how it looks and how it works. And I definitely like the new characters, but I think I'll be missing Mordecai as a playable character. There are more guns, better graphics, addicting gameplay and fantastic voice acting. It is definitely funnier than the original, thanks mostly to Handsome Jack and Claptrap, but in general, it has improved by far from the original.… Expand

• Borderlands 2 is a game where you run around an open environment while shooting all manner of crazy creature, robot and bandit in the face and collecting the various items that pop out of them so that you can then take on larger more powerful creatures for even better loot.
• Frequently well executed humor but relies heavily on geek culture references and juvenile jokes that struggle to be heard over gunfire and other NPC conversations.
• A horrible "walk here, now here, now kill this then walk over there" quest system made worse by a poor map and tracking system.
• A heavy co-op focus that includes such enemies as the guy with the shield that needs to be flanked.
• While still arguably the best RPG loot grab / first person hybrid game, there is a clear sense of trying to do more than the first and failing to execute on some otherwise great ideas but it is still a great time to be had by a group of friends.… Expand

Never played BL1 but I love the rpg fps loot whoring mess of a funny chaotic world that is BL2. I always need to get my fix in daily but do get tired of playing after an hour or two and because of that lack of full bore addiction I gave it a 9

Borderlands 2 has a lot of great qualities that make it a great game. It's just disappointing that the small things end up hurting it. The main story takes 15 to 20 hours to beat and you MAY want to replay it. The use of the word may is highlighted, because I didn't feel propelled to take another run through the game. The True Vault Hunter mode basically bumps up the difficulty and left a lot to be desired to the point that I just got bored and quit. The randomly generated weapons are seriously cool, but tend to lack character and personality, making a lot of the firearms you'll utilize forgettable. The multiple playthroughs don't feel satisfying and only provides a slightly harder challenge. In the technical department, the game suffers from seriously ugly texture pop-up, probably at the fault of the Unreal Engine. The sound isn't very much to marvel at and the voice acting is pretty inconsistent. The script is pretty well done and I laughed a ton at the ironic humor that they throw in there. The memes and pop culture references are pretty unnecessary though and will probably make the game feel less timeless in the future. The reason I am giving this game a 7 is because of the randomly generated weapons and the humor. It's not to mention that the game is just a joy to play through a couple times, if you feel obligated to.… Expand

I just finished my second play through of Borderlands 2 and thought i should give my opinion.
This game is really really fun, if your playing alone or with friends the tight shooter gameplay and the loot driven system really makes you want to come back and play more, although this game does have some issues most of them have to do with the bosses, almost every boss is this game felt a little bit to easy during my solo play through (i was the commando) mostly i would throw my turret down and shoot for 10 seconds and win. but then I started playing with friends which increased the difficulty and made it much more fun, basically this game is a 9/10 when solo and 10/10 with 3-4 people.… Expand

The game is solid and is a much improved version of Borderlands 1. That being said this formula gets tired (at least for me) over time so I finished it with two different characters (Zero and Axton) then stopped and have no intention of bothering with the add-ons. To me it seems everyone races to level 50 then struggles to find Bee shields with slightly better stats than their other one and the fun of finding unique weapons eventually dies out a bit as well as finding all the collectables in the game. Absolutely worth a play and a great game but can't give it higher than an 8.… Expand

This game is so good awesome gameplay the co-op is so much fun and there is so much content me and my friend are trying to do everything we have like 75 hours and we still have like 70 missions left even the villain is good but the story is just ok but you dont play it for story but anyways get this game

Not perfect, but better than the first Borderlands (DLC notwithstanding) Full Review Here http://alloyseven.com/articles/game/item/65-borderlands2review

Borderlands 2 is a long tedious game, with cheap deaths, and gameplay that gets stale after the first twenty hours, and bad driving physics. The game is long, and tedious because leveling up takes forever. You have to get tons of experience to level up, and to add insult to injury you can't even buy skill points until you are level 10. Finding your way around the maps takes forever thanks to bad level design; you'll spend a lot of time wandering around aimlessly like a rate in a maze. Another thing which makes the game so long and boring is that the fast travel system is badly designed. There aren't enough teleport stations to help you get around quickly enough. I found myself on loooong trecks to teleport stations way too often. Once you level up to a certian point old lower level enemies reward you almost no exp, but they can still kill you quite easily. The result is trekking through annoying enemies in order to get to where you are going. The deaths in this game are very cheap, due to boss enemies being able to instakill you at times. You can die for trivial reasons such as accidentally wandering into a zone that the gamedesigners didn't want you to go. On the other hand you take no falling damage, and you can apparently walk on water. Dying doesn't have too many consequences other than respawning, being taunted by the game, and being forced to walk a long distance to restart the mission you were on. Dying to a boss that can instakill you with one or two mortar shots, and running back to fight that boss, over and over agian is boring as hell. The driving physics are just bad in this game. Expect to get caught on a rock or two, or just ram into a small tree and be forced to right yourself. The game has good points such as humor, and decent gunplay, but overall this is an annoying grindfest, full of dying over and over.… Expand

Amazing game, I enjoyed Borderlands 1 but number 2 is a giant leap ahead. Great story and awesome game play. I don't understand the negative comments. Nothing wrong with this game!

I have played many hours of this game and can honestly say it is fantastic!!! After all this time since playing Borderlands I forgot just how awesome it was until I played this fantastic upgrade from the original. This game is hilarious and the game play is still fantastic. If this game didn't seem like a complete copy of the original I'd give it a perfect 10.

Bad.Ass.

There isn't much more to be said here. This was my first borderlands game. This game had me hooked from start to end, and then sunk me back in the new game + mode. Utterly brilliant design, simplistic yet with deep RPG mechanics blended in a FPS environment and an amazing artistic style, and let's not forget the best part .. the humor !!! So so funny, every character has so much personality. Can't wait for the DLC and any future games.… Expand

Borderlands 2's tagline should read "For the community, by the community". I say this because literally every single aspect that i did not not like from the original Borderlands has been removed or amped up to be an enjoyable aspect of the game. The narrative is superb both funny and at times gut wrenching at others. Playing through once isnt enough as beating the game the first time unlocks True Vault Hunter Mode which raises the difficulty, changes enemy names and looks and includes more powerful loot and a chance at hitting the level cap. The NRA should endorse this wonderful game… Expand

If you had any reservations that this sequel would not live up to the predecessor than don't worry ... this game is improved in both game-play/weapons/abilities and also story. Having loved my previous trip to Pandora I was excited to return and this game improves upon what they built last time, one of the best Co-Op games of all time. To play this game by yourself is fun but it also takes away from the heart and soul of this game which is running around with your friends and looting, exploring and raiding the lands of Pandora. Truly a great game by Gearbox and a AAA franchise up there with the other elite titles out there today.… Expand

The Best advice I can give you people interested in the game is buy it NOW! Why should you buy it now? well the critics love it that should be a good enough indicator.

Spectacular game. Do as many of the side missions as possible. They are hilarious and sometimes both challenging and hilarious. It's spectacular. Everything from Borderlands 1 that made it amazing are here and improved 10 fold. I've never had so much fun finding new guns in a video game ever. It's like finding new blades in any given RPG, only these go boom.

When playing a game that plays like DLC, you might as well just wait for all the DLC in one complete package. When you expect little, you get games like this. I loved the first one, bought the GOTY about a year and a half ago, and this sequel actually seems to fall a bit short of the first. Absolutely terrible and cringe-worthy humor from (pick your least favorite sitcom and insert here). The story seems to get in the way of the gameplay, and makes less and less sense as the game wears on. Wear on it will, as the last ten hours of the game are basically fetch missions that have you scratching your head each time and wondering why the game didn't have an endpoint earlier. Play in coop, as then you won't have to listen to any dialogue in the game at all. About as good as Gearbox's last game, Duke Nukem Forever, yet less funny and less classy.

There is sure to be the complete DLC collection to this DLC collection in about a year, priced at about forty bucks compared to the $100, or close to it, you are going to pay in installments. Forget layaway, just wait.

Not sure how long this review will stay up, as Gearbox is teaming up with Metacritic to let you know that you must like the game.… Expand

The game itself is so overrated, gameplay is repetitive, the feel of it is a huge letdown.

... Meh. Don't get it, it gets boring after an hour of playing. You really don't want to play it more than an hour or so.

A unique take on the FPS, it greatly improves upon it's predecessor with tons of gut/ns, glory, and EXPLOSIONS!

Tons of low-brow humor and fun to be had here.

This game is truly an upgrade from the first, which was still by far a a gem. Its fluid game play, "Biziliandy guns," and an incredibly memorable cast of characters and humor leaves just about nothing left to be desired. The DLC is also just as profound though quite shorter. If you love the loot mechanics and its FPS style and humor, don miss this game.

I played the first Borderlands which i really enjoyed. Borderlands 2 is a must have game in any gamers library. The group missions are awesome, challenging, and require team effort to complete. I have no complaints other than the matchmaking system can be improved, its a little difficult to navigate. For their first time implementing online multiplayer they sure did a great job. Like i said, no real complaints here for this must have game and a huge improvement over the first.… Expand

I liked this game, but not as much as the first even though this is vastly superior. The story and set up is intriguing right from the get go but as soon as you start you realize that its far far more linear. Its really just go do this, bring me that or kill me this many creatures for the first few hours. This isn't always a bad thing because you get a feel a for the game, the controls, the combat disciplines. The problems start with the difference with side quests and main quests. If you do all the quests you become way too powerful but if you only do main then be prepared to grind bullymongs for a while. Then more problems come with the scaling enemies, oh you like that beautiful piece of kit you just found? Well don't get too attached to it because its gonna be replaced by something twice as better to help you deal with the equal enemies. I know that you level up and gain access to more skills and perks but it really doesn't feel like its getting easier. Boss battles are another gripe, normally grinding beforehand lets you just smack them or hiding and exploiting cover allows you to just ping them down if you're lazy. Everything else is a plus though: the feel and aesthetics of the guns, the difference in companies, the locations, the stories of the characters and the graphics. Unfortunately this doesn't save this game for me from the infuriating mechanics of not feeling like your progressing in terms of strength, the constant replacing and cold detachment to your equipment and weapons and the easy for boss battles. Its good and its a lot of fun to play with friends online or splitscreen but all in all I'd rather play something where feel I feel a bit more connected with the games lore and universe .… Expand

Everythig about this game says streamlined,professional,ingenious,witty, comical, hilarious, and of course, VIOLENT! I was skeptical starting this game, but now, i can't stop! it's rich storyline, nonsensical characters, intricate gameplay, and of course the millions of weapons available make this a gem to keep you enraptured for a long time.

Definitely the best gaming experience to come out so far in 2012. Many improvements over the previous game, and runs beautifully. I highly recommend this game.

This game is overrated. The art design, gameplay (with friends), unique weapons and voice actors are good, I can't deny that. But however, the story became predictable and following the storyline became difficult. This is a game were some minor cutscenes are required to develop the characters and tell the story. Also, the map or 'areas' are extremely bland. A large wasteland of ice or sand. Move through until you find a camp were enemies will spawn. Repeat. Also when you are playing with your friends, one person cannot play without the others at any time unless they create a different character. If you level higher than your friends and play the game with them, they will be up against enemies that are much harder then their usual enemies leaving the 1 higher level person to do all the fighting while gaining almost no XP or good loot for themself. It sounds OK in theory but in-game it does not work. Looting is fun but I found I never seemed to wield an adequate weapon for the level I had attained even after finding large chests during high level quests. The skill tree is also incredibly tedious to go through. Gaining 1 skill point per level and needing approx 5 points in a skill to unlock further down the tree takes a long time while only gaining small bonus's. The enemies are quite well designed but they become repetitive when you are reaching the end of the game (+ side quests). There will be the basic bandits + the "badass ones" and the same goes for most of the monsters / enemies. Although the Hyperion bots did have a lot of diversity in weaponry they were NOT unique most of the time. This game was fun for the first half but by the end I just wanted to finish the game and get it over with. You feel no need to want to play this game again after finishing it so I don't believe it's worth the $70 price stamp here in Australia. I won't be buying the DLC. If you like co-op games like Left 4 Dead were you run around shooting the crap out of things with your mates and progressing through the bland story (not saying that's a bad thing) then pick this game up. if you prefer more developed characters and story line with interesting and unique levels then I would think twice and investigate further before buying this game. -emplex… Expand

A gaming masterpiece. It's everything you could want in a video game, without spreading itself too thin. While it isn't absolutely perfect, Borderlands 2 exceeds any standard that could be set for a video game. It has a good story with highly memorable characters, including one that so few games get right: a believable antagonist. Great graphical style and visual effects (especially on the PC), insanely entertaining, maximum replayability, and absolutely hilarious. Let's list all the pros and cons. ** Pros **
++ Good story
++ Motivated protagonists and antagonist
++ Never have an identical experience
++ Awesome graphics
++ Liquid-smooth gameplay
++ 25-plus hours of play for the first playthrough (and there is a second one that takes longer)
++ Varied missions
++ Most hilarious video game of this console generation
++ Over twenty million guns - well over, I believe
++ One of the best co-op games ever made
++ Highly moddable for those familiar with .ini files (PC only) ** Cons **
-- Under-utilized vehicle system
-- Odd inventory interface (PC only)
-- The difficulty of missions is not indicated clearly (some are unreasonably difficult even when the quest tracker says "difficulty: normal")… Expand

Borderlands 2 is an amazing game. The writing is so much better than the first one. The only down side I can see of this game is you need to play with your friends, because if you don't the game becomes a, 'go here kill this guy, collect these things bring them back, here is a gun that's not as good as the one that just dropped from that guy, repeat', with your friends Borderlands 2 explodes into craziness. With more people playing the enemies become harder and more abundant and with more enemies that are difficult comes better loot drops. Plus there is nothing like trying to shoot a marauder that is hiding behind a barricade and your buddy the siren uses phaselocks him out of cover for you so you can get that critical head-shot. Also Tiny Tina is an awesome character go find her and do all of her quests.… Expand

More of the same but still a great game. The hilarious characters with excellent writing and flawless voice acting brings the world of Pandora to life and exploring the new locations is a good time. The gameplay remains the same as it's predecessor, gunplay is satisfying and trying out new guns is always a joy. It's in the overall structure of the missions I think the game falters a bit, like the original, it's just tedious back and forth doing boring tasks and to many side quests feels like chores. And the boss fights are annoying and badly designed.

Better then the original? Yes in every way, but it still remains very similar to it. So if you didn't like the first game, you'll probably wont like Borderlands 2. But if you did, you'll have a great time, and make sure you bring some friends!… Expand

Borderlands 2 was an interesting and fun experience. I played the first and just knew I had to have the next. I was not dissapointed. But my eyes were also opened to some errors. The story itself was actually pretty interesting this time around and the end of the game is worth the experience. (you also get more than some dollars from tannis as in the first game). All of the side quests are interesting and rewarding. New enemy types help get the game away from the very few types in the first. Sure youll still find yourself with our psycho friends a lot of the time, but even they have some new friends. Badass enemies feel more frequent, talent trees are perfectly laid out, and the co op is fun, but sometimes not rewarding. Playing with anybody that isnt your friend is impossible, but with a friend it can still be an amazing co op experience. The only problem with co op is there isnt any strategy. That shouldnt be what people come to Borderlands 2 for but the co op acclaim can be misleading to few. What im saying is the co op can be a blast with friends, but the fights wont be too challenging. Borderlands 2 is a shoot and loot not an in depth challenging tactical rpg.… Expand

Once in awhile you pick a game up off the shelf and get it home and actually can't stop playing the damn thing :).

It makes us all feel good that we have spent our money on a product worth having as well as a company worth supporting. Every other company needs to stop and take a look at how these guys are doing it and reevaluate their development.

Love it!

They took the original borderlands game and improved everything about it. There are a lot of options for character customization and lots of options on the different skill trees to change the way your character plays. The action is intense and the looting is addictive. If you don't have it yet you should pick it up, you won't regret it.

Borderlands 2 is the ultimate four-player Role-Playing Shooter loot fest. Combining invention and evolution, Borderlands 2 features characters, skills, environments, enemies, weapons and equipment, which come together to create the most entertaining experience that I have ever played.

Borderlands 2 tries to appeal to fans of first-person shooters, lootfests, and RPGs alike. The original focused more on shooting and looting, then anything else. Its story was clearly an afterthought, and the RPG element was unimpressive. Borderlands 2 thrives where the original failed.

The story, this time around is very entertaining. I find myself plotting the different ways I will kill Handsome Jack, the games antagonist. For reasons spoiler related, I will stop talking about the story. Side-quests are as strange as in the original. The missions are far more diverse, for example in one mission I… Expand

This is everything that an action game should be. The story is much improved from the last edition, the characters are all great and feel unique, NPC's are cleverly written and help keep the story moving along while the missions are varied enough that you don't feel like you are constantly going to fetch materials or kill a random character. And as much fun as single player is the co-op is where this game truly shines. I haven't had this much fun blasting through bad guys with my brother and a couple of friends in a long time, if ever. With the amount of customization in the characters you really feel like you are working together as a team with your weaknesses being covered by your teammate's strengths. If you are a fan of action games you definitely need to check this one out, it's a blast!… Expand

Let me preface by saying I have played both BL1 and BL2 extensively and played through all available DLC as well. My review will consist of 10 positives and 10 negatives aspects of the game to establish what works and what doesn't. PROS: 1) Graphics are much improved over BL1. Also very little texture popping or rendering issues. 2) Environments are more varied and colorful. 3) Good plot with storytelling elements that really add to the game.
4) UI is much improved and easier to manage inventory and compare items on the fly.
5) Creative enemies and bosses with back-stories.
6) Good variety of characters to choose from, each with very different playstyles.
7) DLC thus far has been fairly solid.
8) Plenty of side-missions, easter eggs, collectibles, etc to keep players busy.
9) Addition of bank and secret stash system is very useful.
10) Generally more refined gameplay experience.

CONS:
1) No health packs - really punishes players who play aggressively.
2) Gun upgrade system replacde by bad-ass tokens which are inferior.
3) Loot drops are EXTREMELY low for rare items.
4) Solo players are punished for playing solo. 5) New Second Wind system is not fun and repeated Second Winds mean almost instant death.
6) Gun and other loot feel lackluster.
7) Level scaling doesn't always make sense. Enemies 5 levels lower can sometimes wreck you.
8) "Invincible" bosses are frustrating and drop bad loot.
9) Game is too gun-centric. You will have a very hard time in the upper levels without the rarest guns.
10) Gearbox is patching things that made the game fun, and not fixing major problems like lost characters saves and lost bad-ass ranks.

So all in all, as an avid player of both games, I would argue that well the game is pretty and the story good, they removed quite a few of the elements from BL1 that made the experience so enjoyable in the first place. I am not saying make the game easier, but the removal of the gun skills from BL1 was a big disappointment to me. I want my character to be a bad-ass that can be stealthy or destroy hordes of enemies. I don't want to be hiding and trying not to die every time I encounter a group of enemies. If I want the game to be hard, let me decide that. I hope maybe some of these things would be taken into consideration for future DLC or the inevitable BL3!… Expand

I bought this game uncertain if I would enjoy it, but I took the chance and it was one of the best decisions I ever made as a religious gamer. Borderlands 2 is a genre like no other, being an RPG/FPS and feels like so many different great games all wrapped into one. I have played it non-stop (breaks for work and food of course) since the purchase and won't stop until I beat it completely. The guns are amazing, the story is great, and the characters are funny and original. I've heard the co-op is tons of fun but I have been playing solo and having a blast.… Expand

As someone who put countless days into the original, nobody was more excited for this game than I. Borderlands 2, is without a shadow of doubt, a Masterpiece! The nonsensical story of the first game, has been twisted, molded, morphed, and in some areas beaten to work with the new one. Explaining every action taken in the original. The new characters added are unique in their abilities, and personalities. Speaking of characters many from the original return, and have only gotten better with age. New NPCs added fit right in with the desperate wasteland. The majority of the game is spent fighting the Hyperion Corporation from the first game, under their new CEO: Handsome Jack. Amazing writing, and acting make this villain one the best to ever touch a game. The loot system is back, and more varied then before. With each manufacturer having a unique perk to their weapons. The driving has been greatly improved, (Thank God) they even have a few driving missions. The humor in this game is top-notch, even dark humor after dramatic events (Though terrible) still gets a chuckle. Borderlands 2 is a game you can play for months, and not lose interest. Playing with friends in co-op only increase the experience, as enemies become tougher, and more varied with elemental attacks. If you're a fan of the original, buy this game. If you're a fan of shooters, buy this game. If you're a fan of loot, buy this game. If you're a fan of feeling like a badass, buy this game.… Expand

I loved the first borderlands and now I love the second one. I love collecting loot, especially gun loot that are randomly generated every time. I usually ignore the harder difficulties that some bosses posses and kill them so quick just to find the next awesome loot the perfectly suits my playing style. Yet, when playing in the awesome 4 player co-op, its not so awesome when loot inst shared between everyone! Lets just say, when a gun drops, the whole group will run to that gun and rapidly press X to get the gun first and this is extremely frustrating! Sort this out Gearbox! But, moving away from loot, the storyline is epic. Its hilarious, crazy and just overall amazing. Some lines that characters come out with too are incredible, especially Handsome Jack who persistently taunts you with funny one liners. Bosses and mini-bosses are great, they are all varied with wild names, like Flesh-stick. Some characters are dull, but those dull characters are removed from your skull because of the brilliantly designed characters found in the game, like CL4P-TR4P and Handsome Jack. The characters from the original borderlands also make a return which help you complete your quest to ultimate destiny! Overall, this game is amazing and is probably the best game of 2012, aside from Far Cry 3 of course!

Melson97… Expand

Quite possibly one of the funnest games of the years.

There's a lot from borderlands that has been mostly unaltered in the sequel. Thankfully though, they've improved on enough, and added just enough to make this a worthy purchase.

The gameplay itself is mostly unchanged, save for a few additions. The shooting is frantic and fast passed alone, but throw 3 other players into the fold, and enjoy as pure chaos ensues. The 4, soon to be 5, different character classes all play well with each other strengths, and the skill trees have been reworked to give much greater customization. Borderland's 'Bazillion' of guns are even 'Bazillionder', as the box says, with the inclusion of a new element 'slag'. The variety of grenades, shields, class mods, ect. have all been greatly improved on as well.

The story in the first Borderlands was almost completely forgettable, but it has received a lot more work this time around. Well written and humorous, the cast of bizarre characters and settings offers a quirky, interesting story throughout. The side quests may get dry from time to time, but the excellent voice work and unique characters will keep you listening to every line of dialog regardless.

In terms of pure quality, the graphics are fairly lacking. However, the insane, cell shaded style keep it a pleasure to look at, and the chaos during battles offer plenty of eye candy. Get enough chaos going at one time however, and there will be some drop in the frame rate. This doesn't happen too often though, and isn't always too consequential.

Borderlands 2 is definitely an worthy purchase, and with at least 4 more dlc packs on the way, I look forward to playing this game for a good long while. If you haven't yet gotten your hands on this game yet, I would strongly recommend it.… Expand

An incredibly juvenile adventure which gets old real fast. By gritting my teeth I made it to level 15, but by then I was too bored of the variable difficulty curve, running out of ammo despite being conservative with it, the terribly poor vehicles (halo warthog's were better), the uninspiring environments, the jaggies and graphic design and..OMG.. the head bashing weapon randomiser comparision engine. It beggars belief that others actually finished this lame turkey and would actually pony up for the DLC. If the game was composed of the first 20 minutes being repeated for 20 hours, I don't think anyone would notice.… Expand