Borderlands 2

Builds on the foundations of the first game to produce an experience that is both hugely enjoyable and technically impressive. [Nov 2012, p.59]

The world's bigger and badder, the visuals are more impressive, the best characters return alongside plenty of great new ones, and the endless search for new loot proves to be even more addictive than before. Borderlands 2 on PC is just plain awesome and will definitely be one of my candidates for Game of the Year.

Borderlands 2 is an hybrid video game that successfully combines the dynamics of first-person shooters with the depth of role-playing game. With an Unreal Engine 3 in better shape than ever, the new game from Gearbox Software is visually astonishing.

Funnier and brilliant, Borderlands 2 is twice as good as the first episode was, something which isn't always the case for sequels. But Gearbox Software manages to improve their IP in many ways, offering one of these titles you could not possibly forget to buy in 2012, and proposing new features that will allow players to blow off some steam for hours.

Borderlands 2 is a complete, exceptional game. A perfect example for other developers on how to make sequels. Not only does it have a well made, very long campaign that can be completed solo or in co-op mode, but there are lots of smaller and bigger changes and tweaks that make the gameplay so much more enjoyable. All the things that were imperfect before are better now. I have a feeling that there won't be a better game this fall.

The moment at which my endearingly annoying robot companion Claptrap fashioned himself a Mohawk out of some animal fur I collected he earned a spot on my all-time favorite robot list.

There's really only one conclusion to be made with Borderlands 2. Despite its flaws it really is some of the best co-op gaming you're likely to see in recent years.

If you like piles of guns, lots to do and shoot, and a robust leveling system with a natural coop multi-player aspect and aren't put off by the cel shading, it's a no-brainer.

It’s addicting, full of creative gags and amazing battles (especially in co-op mode) and it keeps dangling that loot-carrot in front of your face. Add that crazy humor on top and you have a synonymous for the world ‘entertainment’. [November 2012]

Overall, Borderlands 2 takes what wasn't broken and builds on it, but it does so in a way that feels very much like the original game. At the same time, the gameplay is different enough to not feel like a retread, as practically every area of the gameplay has been tweaked to some extent.

If you're looking for something with a ponderous story full of morality and contemplation – one best savored alone – then you'll need to look elsewhere. Borderlands 2 delivers tons of lighthearted, occasionally juvenile fun with immense replayability, and is best approached with a few buddies in tow. It doesn't revolutionize the concept pioneered by its forebear, but it refines it to a razor-sharp edge and offers some of the most fun you can have in a cooperative action RPG this side of Diablo II. And if nothing else, it's got lots of Claptrap.

Maybe there are some objective in-game mistakes but everything is forgiven after you find the very first piece of equipment and upgrade first ability – you don't want to stop (and you don't need to) to get from one to the other. [Oct 2012]

Borderlands 2 successfully maintains every aspect that made the first game such a surprise hit and improves upon them in all the ways that matter.

Borderlands 2 is full of hilarious writing, is a blast to play with friends, and promises hundreds of hours of content. But a lack of gameplay innovation will disappoint fans looking for more than just "more Borderlands".

Gearbox has consistently built on the strengths of the first game and managed to capture the sort of gravitational pull that always sucks you in for another go. Sometimes it pays to not change a winning formula all too much.

Crazy and funny and in many ways a better game than the original. Borderlands 2 hasn't changed its gaming formula, it has just improved the original mechanics and added some new ones to our absolute satisfaction. At first you won't probably tell a difference, but at the end of the day your experience will be much better.

Borderlands 2 surpasses its predecessor in almost every aspect. This is a brilliantly written, over the top, amazingly fun game, that everyone should play and love. It's not perfect, but no firework is, and this one is definitely nuclear.

Everything we hoped for and expected from Gearbox's anticipated sequel. Takes just about every aspect of the first game and polishes them to a shine, making it hard to ever look back. One of the games that has made us laugh the most in recent times.

It seems crass to judge a game by quantity, but this is quantity of quality. So if the amount of money you spend on games is a practical concern, it's worth saying that this one is freakishly good value. Even if it's not a concern, it's worth saying that this one is freakishly good.

Playing Borderlands 2 is like throwing a cherry bomb in a can of paint. In a good way!

It feels funny to say this about a 13-year-old developer with a portfolio of work that includes Half-Life and Counter-Strike expansions, stellar squad-based WWII shooter franchise Brothers in Arms, and the original Borderlands, but with Borderlands 2, Gearbox has arrived as a real blockbuster studio. Right from the toe-tapping "Short Change Hero" opening cinematic, Borderlands 2 stands out as Gearbox's magnum opus, and one of the most memorable and fun gaming rides I've ever been on.

Borderlands 2 is still a hillbilly moonshiner sort of game, then, but it's the hillbilly at his canny, tinkering, big-dreaming best. It's the hillbilly at the peak of his powers. It's the hillbilly made majestic.

The one thing worth pointing out between the various platforms is how cool Borderlands 2 can look if you have an awesome PC. The PC version allows plenty of tweaks to draw distance, frame rate and more.

Bordelands 2 is one of the best cooperative game on the market, but played in single-player is a little boring. If you have some friends to share the fun, buy it immediately.

There may be some pointless loot drops more times than not, there may be some difficulty issues with single player story missions, and there may be some graphical glitches and texture pop-ins, but none of that takes away from the fact that Borderlands 2 is a solid first-person shooter and a great RPG.

If you love to laugh and shoot at the same time, Borderlands 2 is for you. The remarkable humor oozes through the whole 40 hour long game and is the glue that keeps the otherwise not-so innovative game together. Gearbox managed a pimped version of the original game but dared not to try something new.

Quotation forthcoming.

Distinctive humour, fantastic graphics, tons of weapons and an unconventional world – there's simply no other game like Borderlands 2. What ails me is that a lot of minor flaws could have been fixed with a small amount of work. [12/2012, p.56]

Borderlands 2 doesn't reach far beyond its predecessor's scope, but it does do almost everything better. Additions, refinements, and fixes all combine to create an appreciably improved experience, one that fully delivers on the promise of the first game.

PC players will be happy to know that the game comes with some great customization options and looks stunning with settings maxed out. I was able to run the game at a very smooth framerate, despite having everything turned up high. The UI and controls are much kinder to keyboard/mouse players than thy were the first time around.

Pandora is more colorful and more vivid than ever before. The enemies act smarter and they attack in mixed groups so the team of up to four heroes has to work together - elemental damage and positioning are keys to survival. Unfortunately the storytelling takes a while before it gets interesting (although the humour is top-notch) and sometimes you get stuck in a mission treadmill.

More comprehensive, more varied, better polished, Borderlands 2 still boasts the same strengths than three years ago, only enhanced. It's still a rather brutal FPS mixed with loot-whoring RPG, with a unique design and a super-violent, super-crazy world.

Borderlands 2 is a very safe and familiar sequel, which of course is both a good and a bad thing. The shooting and looting is still fantastic but the frequent load times and poor story also remains as obvious low points. The result is a really good, but not great, second game in the series.

Despite being an all-around improvement over the original Borderlands, Borderlands 2's biggest flaw is that it plays it safe.

The problem with Borderlands 2 is that it's just more Borderlands. Normally I don't criticize something because it didn't go out of its safe zone, but having played close to 100 hours of the first game and with very few changes outside some AI behaviours and environments, it makes the sequel feel less special than it should be.

In general, playing with other people is pretty much painless, even on PC, which now uses Steamworks across the board instead of that GameSpy nonsense. The PC version of the game is much friendlier overall, and the in-game menus for inventory are easily manipulated with a mouse. Playing the game with a mouse and keyboard feels just fine, but you can still play the PC version with a controller just as easily.