My Thoughts on Borderlands 2. So far.

The first game was such an amazing experience and honestly speaking, if I knew that Borderlands was such a great video game, I would've purchased and played it the day it first came out. A second installment was announced, and among the many fans of the franchise, I was also excited and anxiously waited for every details that came out prior to its release. And as soon as they finally announced a release date, I found myself at the usual EB Games store I usually go to to pre-order my very own Borderlands 2: Deluxe Vault Hunter's Edition for PS3, paid in full.

And then the game came out. My vacation already set during the week of its release, I was happy to wake up that morning, knowing that I will finally get to play Borderlands 2. And even better, one of my brothers from SoW texted me that same morning telling me that he'll also be getting the game. He woke me up earlier than my intended awakening, but I wasn't upset at all and was actually glad he did. I got ready, I took off to pick up my copy, and I got back home after some issues and finally started the game with Aimbot.

(Axton, Maya, Zer0 and Salvador: Borderlands 2)

In the first game, I played as Mordecai - the hunter. Enjoyed every single second of it and the choice made sense for me. I wasn't into the whole sniping class, but I suppose his character and appearance appealed to me more than the other characters did. Some people might argue that it would be preferable to play as a class this time around, that's not too close or similar to the one I played before. But seeing as my online persona revolves around the Shinobi, Zer0 was the choice that made a lot of sense for me. And at the same time, I can't really see myself playing the other characters for some reason. Well, of course I could. But if I really have to choose only one, then Zer0 is that choice. His character design and purpose as a class made more of a connection to me than the others did and I followed that instinct. No regrets. Playing as the Assassin of Borderlands 2 has been quite a blast. I can engage targets down range from a distance and still be efficient in CQB when I have to. I kinda wished he had more moves and skills that involved the sword, but it wasn't the case. Though he does have a few skills and moves using the Bloodshed tree, it wasn't as varied as I wished for it to be. Still, one-shotting enemies using your dashing strikes and cloaking from one enemy to another is a pretty neat and overpowering experience and I am more than satisfied with that.

Zer0 also talks in a sort of poetic way. And I really like that. There are certain times when he'd even talk in Haiku form. It's quite fascinating at times and it's one of those things you just gotta admire from a character that's cliché but still possess something out of the ordinary.

(Handsome Jack: Villain of Borderlands 2)

The role of a villain is as important as that of the protagonists of this game. Not exactly sure how likable Handsome Jack is as the main villain of the story. But I know enough to say that I didn't like him at all, in a sense that I couldn't wait to get to him and finally put an end to his life. In a way, I suppose he did a great job as being the story's main antagonist. After all, he did make me feel like I wanted to just slash off his head from his body. He does have his hilarious and cold-blooded moments, Borderlands style. And if there's one thing this game has a lot of, is the significant humor content. Of course, not everyone would appreciate such content. But the references and comedic content of the original game would have to be one of the many reasons why I even decided to play the second one. And perhaps, even the main reason why I appreciated Borderlands to begin with. Handsome Jack is cold, deceitful, relentless and funny. Among many things. Still undecided whether or not he's a fitting villain to the second Borderlands game, but I sure know he did a good job playing the role of the antagonist.

(You will also encounter the Borderlands' main characters!)

Some might have been disappointed that they were no longer able to play as their favorite characters from the first game. But in my opinion, it wasn't really bad at all since they were replaced with similar characters anyway. I think the only obvious difference is that of Brick being somewhat replaced by Salvador, the Gunzerker. The other three characters: Roland, Lilith and Mordecai, were replaced by characters that sort of had similar functions and aspects as far as skill sets and classes go. Instead of being able to play as one of the characters from the first game, we were introduced to them this time around as NPCs. The story itself will allow you to view the characters from a different perspective and it provides for a very good experience. Not only do we get to see them talk more and show their personalities, we are also presented with their relationships with one another. For example, Mordecai's companionship with his BFF, Bloodwing. Roland and Lilith's conversations also reveal some connection between the two. Mordecai also has some funny conversations with Brick as he explained how instead of using his fists, he preferred to pick off enemies with carefully placed shots from afar. To which Brick would always reply that Mordecai lost him at "instead of using my fists". All in all, I wasn't one of those people that felt terrible about not being able to play as the older characters. But then again, maybe I was just satisfied with being able to play as Zer0. Though, as someone who played as the Hunter in the first game, I still feel this sort of comradeship connection with Mordecai in this game.

(Humor is probably the main reason why I fell in love with the franchise.)

The first game introduced to me something new. Given the RPG elements it offered paired with the FPS style of game play, it also offered something else. The humor in Borderlands 2 significantly made a connection with me. Maybe I'm just an easy guy to entertain. Maybe I'm easily amused by any type of humor. Maybe I'm just immature like that. But one thing is certain, the Borderlands series have got to be that single game in modern day gaming industry that I play not for its graphics. It had good story and story that was serious but had a funny journey leading up to its finale. Of course, we were all disappointed with how the first one ended. And this they even referenced in various moments of Borderlands 2. They can afford and don't mind poking fun at their shortcomings as a developer and I admire that. During the last few battles of this game, they almost trick you into believing that the drops are once again messed up. But then they twist the outcome and finally give you better loot. That's one of the little things I found amusing in the end of the game. And yes, the ending is much better this time around. And it leads me to believe that a sequel is to be expected. Am I tired of Vault hunting? No. Am I disappointed at the ending? Not at all. Am I looking forward to the next Borderlands installment and wish he could pre-order the game now? Fuck, yeah.

(An example of a sniper weapon system in Borderlands 2.)

Borderlands 2 introduces way more weapons and variations. And supposedly, you will now be able to easily identify and relate to the weapon manufacturers this time around. And they were right. The first thing that you'd notice once you start accumulating various weapons in the game, is that they did indeed add much more designs and variations. And on top of that, there are also new aspects, attachments and behaviour that weapons possess you don't really see in the first game. I've had a sniper rifle by Hyperion that had an AI who talked whenever you got a critical hit, reloaded and/or switched weapons. And even a shotgun that talked whenever you ADS. At first, it was quite fascinating. But after a while, you'd wish for an ON/OFF switch to the talkative AI. Various attachments that you never see in the first game were nice too. New scopes, new reload animations and overall designs were easy to appreciate. However, I kinda wished some og my favorite scopes and designs from Borderlands were kept. But still, I'm happy with my Maliwan and Hyperion weapon systems. It does seem like I have developed a fascination and preference to those two weapon manufacturers. Maliwan is the choice for elemental arms while Hyperion is the manufacturer that appealed to me so much in terms of their weapon designs. Aesthetically, Hyperion is my favorite.

(Borderlands 2 fixed a lot of issues and doubled up on the good stuff.)

A lot of the aspects that made Borderlands such an amazing game was either doubled or even made better than ever. Examples would be the tons of additional weapons, a way better menu and HUD interface paired with an also better than the first game quest tracking. Another addition would be the Challenges you can complete and Badass Tokens you can spend on character upgrades for that account. Voice chat is clearer and is evidently better than how it was in the first game. There were times a friend from oCt would say something and I would only hear a word or two. It made playing the first game a less of an enjoyable experience. But this time around, I wouldn't hear anymore sounds that my friend didn't really make. And that's a huge plus already if you play multiplayer all the time. The menu interface, like I said, was made better. Borderlands 2 allows you to finally better organize your items as well. This lessens the risk of selling valuable items you'd want to keep by accident. I still feel like how they executed the SDUs was not to my liking though. But it's nothing too game breaking for me.

The game itself seemed a bit more difficult this time around. Or maybe it's not. I just don't remember dying in a way that it was almost instantaneous. In Borderlands 2, you'd encounter enemies that kill you in an instant. And it's not something that I encountered in the first game. Or at least not something I remember. Maybe they did increase the difficulty, or maybe it's just me not being as careful as I should probably be.

I finished the game and I'm planning to continue playing through the True Vault Hunter mode. But I'm not so much in a rush anymore since my only concern was to finish it and take my time with the trophies after that. My friends are still yet to clear the story for the first time. And I intend to help them out whenever I can, without ruining things for them. Though, I am not rewarded much in terms of EXP and item rewards, I still find enjoyment in playing with them and gaining a few dollars from it. And there are challenges I can complete by just playing, so it's not so bad. This game might not be the best game ever made. But it's one of those games you won't hesitate to recommend to any gamer you know. In a sense, it's a must play for all type of gamer out there. But if you're not so much into FPS games, then you might not appreciate it as much. Though its content in other factors will surely get you playing until the end.