Borderlands 2 - 19.3/20
With the high expectations that Gearbox's 'Dungeon Shooter' Borderlands provided, does the second coming of Claptrap save or ruin Pandora?
Story and Setting - 9.8/10
Reflecting back on the original 'loot fest' that was Borderlands, one of its weak points was most definitely its story. Ironically, Pandora's sequel has surfaced the story's originality and created an engaging tale.
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| In B2, Lilith and Roland are 'together', A.K.A Rolith/Liland |
Essentially, the game takes place seamlessly after its predecessor. Set in the vast world of Pandora, the original 'Vault Hunters' (People who seek rare caves filled with treasure known as vaults) have fled from their fearsome finale (Spoiler Alert!) i.e. being tricked by Angel and escaping from the vault monsters grasp! Each hero has moved on from their adventure and is now defending Pandora's citizens from the game's nemesis, 'Handsome Jack'. Dictator of Pandora and Ruler of Hyperion, Jack desires the rare mineral Eridium for his malicious plot to rid the world of Sanctuary (The Game's main town) 'threat'. This, is where the new vault hunters (Maya, Axton, Zero and Salvador) come in. Upon boarding a train, the heroes are attacked by Handsome Jack's forces and relentlessly defeating gangs and vicious factions to restore Pandora with some help of course!
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| Sir Hammerlock reporting for duty! |
Incidentally, there are a variety of characters that the Vault Hunters encounter. Some of whom include: the iconic dancing robot, Claptrap; the sadistic and psychotic, Doctor Zed; the sexual stripping persona of Moxxi; and the educated 'O'l English clichéd' cyborg, Sir Hammerlock. All of the characters in Pandora, have their own story and personality that is completely different to the next. For instance, the 'Black Market' owner Crazy Earl resembles a schizophrenic person where as the gun shop owner Marcus embodies a 'Wog' theme provided with his design and dialogue.
Speaking of the casts' quotes, the speech of Borderlands 2 is incredibly humorous. Irony, sexual tension and sarcasm are heavily used to provide the 'Tongue in Cheek' aspect. For instance, there is a quest (Given by Marcus) which involves the player endeavouring into a corrosive cavern to retrieve pornographic pictures of Moxxi giving the player the choice of returning it to Moxxi or to Marcus for questionable means. It's quests and side stories similar to this perverted problem that symbolise Borderlands 2's story and environment.
Consecutively, Borderlands 2's environment is vastly unique when compared to it's predecessor. For instance, within a few hours of playing, I had explored a snowy landscape, a notorious gang's stronghold and a desert themed environment appropriately named, 'The Dust'. Exploring different areas is such an enjoyable ease as there are arrays upon arrays of various locations to investigate.
Although it seems that there are no issues with Borderlands 2's cast and creativity, the soundtrack of Borderlands is below my expectations. It's not to say that the tracks are dull or disinteresting, but there wasn't any iconic songs that I can audibly captivate.
Graphics and Gameplay - 9.5/10
With my biased endorsement that the story and setting of Pandora was positive, are the graphics and gameplay on par?
Borderlands 2's texture and graphical identity has most definitely surpassed its predecessor. The original Borderlands was bland and brown where as Pandora's sequel is populated with all shades of rainbows.
Although, Gearbox still haven't fixed their 'Texture Popping' issue. Whenever the player enters a new area, the graphics look incredibly ancient before swiftly reverting to it's original state. Hopefully, this is fixed with an update as they continue to update the character customization.
Speaking of crafting your character, Borderlands 2 provides a 'Character Customization' option that blends a vast amount of skins and head sets acquired throughout the game to shape your character's identity. This crafts a unique quality to your individual character. For instance, I transformed my 'Siren' Maya into a Goth with a communist symbol near her breast where as a friend of mine made his 'Gunserker' Salvador into a 'Mexican cliché'.
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| Whose your favourite? |
Incidentally, there are four classes to play as. They include: the gravity controlling 'Siren' , Maya; the dual wielding 'Gunzerker' , Salvador; the stealthy futuristic 'Assassin', Zero; and the Turret obsessed 'Commando', Axton. Each character provides a different experience to gameplay and when combined to together in Co-Op, they make a mighty team.
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| ~Guns Glorious Guns~ |
Speaking of teamwork, the multiplayer mechanics of Gearbox's game are essential to the experience. The 'jump in/ jump out' style of gameplay allows players of different levels to team up. Furthermore, Gearbox have added a boosting system where if you join a higher levelled friend's game, you'll level up far more faster than usual in order to catch up to your team mate.
Shooting wise, the specifications of each of the 'BAZILLION' guns in the game are varied. Some demolish enemies with explosive damage, some utilise one of the four elements (Burn, Corrosive, Shock and the element damage enhancing Slag) while others simply 'spray and pray'. There are shields, relics, grenade and class mods as well but they are essentially there to enhance your character and play style with as much variety as the guns.
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| I specialised in supporting my team by instantly reviving them and dealing significant elemental damage! |
Though all of these damage and statistic enhancers are strengthened by the Skill Trees and 'Badass Rank' mechanics. The skill trees are simple, one tree is support, another damage dealing and another for solo play. The Baddas Rank however, is a new addition to the Pandora franchise. Essentially, the player completes challenges and then rewards themselves with health, damage and shield oriented permanent buffs for all characters.
Conclusion - 19.3/20
Summarising this high achieving experience, Borderlands 2 exceeds in its gameplay, environment and multiplayer functionality. Its surprising story is engaging and Pandora's citizen are vastly different and hilarious none-the-less. The onslaught of hilarity never ruins the serious tone that the game creates. Gearbox have successfully created a deep connection between the player and Pandora. Unfortunately, the game's graphical issues substitute it from perfection. Though, this title should not be missed or replaced with anything else.
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| Welcome Back to Pandora... |
