Playing Borderlands 2 is pretty much more of the same, but that's not a bad thing at all. The gameplay is pretty much the same, just with a slightly different control layout, a slightly different HUD, different character selection with different skills, and more of everything else. There are a number of small, but helpful changes, such as being able to pick up loot by simply walking over it. Completing challenges gets you reward tokens instead of experience; these tokens give you small stat boost in numerous areas, and can build up over time. Equipping relics is more intuitive. You get shields that have special bonuses that help a lot. Weapon manufacturers have more interesting quirks (including one brand in which the weapon explodes as a grenade every time you reload it). In the end, it all adds up to a more nuanced gaming experience.
And it is appreciated, because the combat tends to be more extreme than in the first game. You can't go far without monsters flying into your face, or bandits crawling out of the woodwork. Among the plethora of new bad guys, goliaths are thrown in, which can level up and become insanely powerful if their helmets are blown off. Some bandits fly around in hovering vehicles now. There are stalkers, threshers, bugs, crystal monsters of some kind, loaders, and so many more things to kill, and they all offer their own challenges. Even though the combat can be intense, the game is still a blast, as it evenly balances out the fighting with exploration. And as before, the game's overall tone is light and silly, in contrast to its ridiculously brutal and pulpy settings. It's still a blast to play, even when you're constantly getting shot or mauled or melted or falling off a cliff...
What's really refreshing is that there's an actual story involved this time, with actual characters! Building on the events of the first game, the old character appear as NPCs who guide you on your quest to stop the Hyperion Corporation from unearthing the Vault and summoning an alien warrior beast thing. While the first game never really had an antagonist, this one gives us a great villain we love to hate: Handsome Jack, who's actually pretty ugly, especially in his narcissism and the way he always mocks you. On top of that, the game dishes out a plethora of side characters, some familiar (such as Dr. Zed, Scooter, and Marcus) and some refreshingly new (including the rather well-endowed bartender Moxxie, Scooter's sister Ellie, and Tiny Tina, who's easily one of the most hilarious characters of the lot, and a new favorite of mine). As for your characters, you get a choice between a siren with cool powers, a dude who can hack and slash things like a ninja, the gunzerker who can dual-wield guns, and the commando. The game draws some pretty strong connections between most of the characters, laying out a drama that is actually compelling and gives the whole game some emotional heft.
As before, the gameplay is smooth and breezy. The controls are great. The game runs smoothly with good-looking renderings and framerates. It actually renders a grade better than the first game, which had a tendency to draw the environments a bit slowly. This game still uses the cell-animated look, which is neat, but still has enough texture and detail to make everything look great. The world is designed really well, and includes a lot of great new locations. The only issue I have is that getting around seems harder, since some areas don't have vehicle points, forcing you to run everywhere. Voices and sounds are great. Music is good too.
Borderlands 2 is what you get when you take a good game and make it better. Highly recommended!
4.5/5 (Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Game: Very Good)
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