Borderlands 2 is an airtight experience that is best experienced with another person, and for the most part serves as a fun-as-fuck co-op game. While most looter shooters fail for being ridiculously repetitive, BL2 doesn’t fall under the same level of scrutiny because there is enough quest variety to keep it mostly refreshing. In fact, I’d say the side quests are some of the best I’ve seen in a title like this; on pure variety alone, I’d say bare minimum the objectives are refreshing even if you end up just killing people on the way there. Some of the quests have some interesting story & character implications and help flesh out the world just a bit.
On the topic of story, it’s…. ehhhhh. Handsome Jack was hyped up to be this amazing villain but at best he was incredibly charismatic and entertaining, beyond that he isn’t anything too special. The plot is serviceable and the stakes are hardly felt, there’s as much to get out of Borderlands 2 as there is a Resident Evil game… so like, nothing. The humour is absolutely early 2010s but I found it oddly charming even though it was cringeworthy at some points too. I didn’t hate the humour and I get it’s part of BL2’s quirks but it just led to a lotta eyeroll moments. Though, it does fit how I feel about the game holistically. The game is meant for shutting your brain off and shooting shit and in that regard it’s a solid game.
However, some gameplay quirks were a lil annoying. Endgame enemy damage scaling got ridiculous at points even when you’re at their respective level and honestly if you don’t get golden keys to get the special weapons in the cases, then you’re stuck with some really shitty and boring weapons.
It’s fun, but I don’t know how much I’d like it had I played it solo, and especially if I didn’t find out about the special crate weapons. But from what I’ve experienced, I liked it!
On the topic of story, it’s…. ehhhhh. Handsome Jack was hyped up to be this amazing villain but at best he was incredibly charismatic and entertaining, beyond that he isn’t anything too special. The plot is serviceable and the stakes are hardly felt, there’s as much to get out of Borderlands 2 as there is a Resident Evil game… so like, nothing. The humour is absolutely early 2010s but I found it oddly charming even though it was cringeworthy at some points too. I didn’t hate the humour and I get it’s part of BL2’s quirks but it just led to a lotta eyeroll moments. Though, it does fit how I feel about the game holistically. The game is meant for shutting your brain off and shooting shit and in that regard it’s a solid game.
However, some gameplay quirks were a lil annoying. Endgame enemy damage scaling got ridiculous at points even when you’re at their respective level and honestly if you don’t get golden keys to get the special weapons in the cases, then you’re stuck with some really shitty and boring weapons.
It’s fun, but I don’t know how much I’d like it had I played it solo, and especially if I didn’t find out about the special crate weapons. But from what I’ve experienced, I liked it!
I'm not a huge fan of FPS but due to a friend getting me hooked and loving the ability to have special siren powers so I could just lock someone from a distance and snipe their ass. It tries a bit hard to be quippy which can get cringe sometimes but also can do some meaningful moments like how a little girl works through the trauma of a lost friend through a D&D knockoff
Borderlands 2 is like a loot-splosion fueled by hilarious writing and frantic action. You blast your way through colorful alien landscapes, collecting a ridiculous amount of guns and gadgets, all while cracking up at the insane dialogue from the characters (especially Claptrap!). The story's decent, but honestly, it's all about the mayhem and the neverending quest for the next awesome weapon. If you love shooter games with a heavy dose of humor and a sprinkle of RPG elements, Borderlands 2 is a total blast.
As an act of rebellion to avoid playing another game, i decided to spent 3 full days getting all the achievements in BL2 for the first time, as redemption to my younger self who put almost every game aside to play nothing but multiplayer shooters for 4-5 years. I do remember this one being the most fun to play, aside from BL1 which is my fav all around being introduced to it in 2011. Gunplay and build crafting is simple and enjoyable i played Axton for the first time so i went with a turret/kill skill build that made my normal playthrough trivial. Now, not having played this game in quite a few years i had forgotten the majority of the dialogue or jokes written and it has to be just the over-saturation of the style of writing, but after the halfway point and for all the DLCs i was tuning that out. I dont know if BL2 is seen as the perfect middle ground of snappy and good writing compared to the other ones (especially BL3) but i was generally bored when it came to having to pay attention to the story, and almost any wit gave me an excuse to eye roll especially with the dated humour, but those got a pity laugh for them even adding it in the first place (they had a Do it for the Vine Badass Challenge name and its there forever). And of course the massive positive i can give the game is the grind it gives you for gear, i didn't do too much of that during my playthrough but if i get bored and return i know for sure i can go hours killing the same boss for a specific thing. All in all BL2 still holds up as an amazing looter shooter with those fundamentals honed in, while i feel like i moved away from its style of writing, i know some people that will quote this and other BL games for hours and die laughing in the process.
It's true, the writing is really unfunny in that special 360-era way. The gunplay isn't particularly satisfying either, and they all feel too similar to each other. It and its predecessor popularized one of the most lifeless AAA genres, though at least this one has the novelty of actually showering you with a bazillion guns instead of just like, a reasonable amount.
But with the right friend(s) and some pizza... it's a good time. Also Gaige is cute, at least in Japanese fanart.
But with the right friend(s) and some pizza... it's a good time. Also Gaige is cute, at least in Japanese fanart.
Contrary to popular opinion, I like the first Borderlands game better, although I can see why most consider this one to be the best in the series. Much more interesting story (and, obviously, villain), a lot more creative and colorful environments, tighter gameplay, lots of improvements over the first game. For me, personally, I just like the aesthetic and vibe of Borderlands 1 better, and think that the main 4 playable characters are better, too (evidenced by the fact that the original 4 are the only ones that really stick around, minus Roland). I'm not gonna be a revisionist and say this game was never funny, but the specific brand of Borderlands comedy does feel a bit forced at times in this game, too. But, a lot of these points I have are just personal preference. The game is great, and it only goes downhill from here for Borderlands.
This is the looter-shooter all other looter-shooters want to be. The combinations of all its factors form to make a gameplay loop that really never makes me feel like I need to "grind" to acquire better loot before I progress in quests. Highly-stylized cel-shading gives everything a distinct look and interesting characters help enlighten the experience. Very-much recommended for any shooter fan to play through atleast once.