Borderlands 2: Sarcasm and Psychos

By Matthew Fong

 

Borderlands 2. A step up from Borderlands. The game, continuing from Borderlands, is filled

 

with the goodness that the first Borderlands had. Well, as little goodness as it had.

 

The game focuses on the eccentric villain “Handsome” Jack, the lead antagonist with a snarky

 

opinions on life and insane hatred for Vault Hunters, whom the players choose to play at the

 

beginning of the game and traverse afar the planet Pandora.

 

The gameplay can at times be very frustrating as the player can die many times before finally

 

passing a single area. However, the challenge to beat the game makes the game that much more

 

exciting. Though in the world of downright lack of seriousness and Road Warrior-esk art style

 

mixed with the feel of science fiction, it introduces the premise of the game very well. The

 

gameplay also reflects that of a Skyrim, but better directed, as players cannot damage teammates

 

nor other players. (Unless they challenge him/her to a duel) While the player is primarily fighting

 

 

A.I., the game makes up for it with the sheer number and firepower, making the game pretty

 

difficult. The difficulty of the game continues to increase then the game comes to a twist, the

 

player can beat the game again, but put under a higher difficulty threshold. So... that being said,

 

beating the game takes a long time, but rewarding when you do.

 

Throughout various points of the game, players are bound to die. Upon death, the health of all

 

enemies in the area is reset, but only when all players die at once in co-op. The death machine

 

will take 7% of your current money, and send you on your way with a sarcastic comment. Soon

 

enough, money isn’t too much of a setback, because with time, the player becomes accustomed

 

to the game and starts dying less. Players can also avoid dying by going through the “Fight For

 

Your Life” stage, where you can kill a single enemy in order to get your life back with a portion

 

of your health.

 

Also, the minor enemies in the game have their own commentary on their lives, by saying that

 

they hated their ally after you kill them, or rant about their regrets in life, like not being able to

 

collect comic books or knit baskets out of your head. Even standard gameplay from the game can

 

be filled with silliness. Happy hunting Vault Hunters!

 

Characters:

 

Despite of some characters proving to be better with certain weapons, using other weapons

 

doesn’t make them less powerful than another. Aside, the only thing that really helps,

 

“A Commando, courageous and driven.”

 

If you’re starting out this game, this character is the easiest to play and one not to pay for. The

 

Commando places out a turret, upon levelling up can upgrade the turret upon gaining levels.

 

Higher levels grant the turret a shield or multiple turrets, in which upon placing the turrets, the

 

player is basically guaranteed to destroy anything coming close. That said, if you want to get the

 

feel of the game, this guy’s a good place to start, but because his turret is so powerful, it can get

 

boring after a while.

 

“A Siren, whose wisdom is matched only by her beauty.”

 

The one thing that makes the Siren good is the compatibility that she has with her teammates.

 

The primary ability that she wields is Phaselock which immobilizes a target enemy. Upon

 

upgraded, it can eventually immobilize crowds of enemies or heal teammates. That being said,

 

the primary purpose of the Siren is to assist, not so much to kill (Not to say that she can’t.) so

 

she’s best when playing with friends. Solo, the Siren is not as useful, and mainly plays like a

 

character lacking an effective ability. If you want a challenge, you can take up playing her.

 

“The Gunzerker, who makes in brute force for what he lacks in subtlety.”

 

If one gun wasn’t enough, the Gunzerker can solve this problem. The ability that makes the

 

Gunzerker is being able to Gunzerk weapons, meaning, the Gunzerker can wield two weapons

 

at once by sacrificing his ability to scope. The more damage dealt, the more potent his health is.

 

The Gunzerker can be very durable and solid character to play, provided the player is up for the

 

challenge.

 

“The epitome of precision, the Assassin.”

 

The Assassin is actually a mix of two weapon sets that standard players normally merge

 

together: melee and sniper. The Assassin’s primary ability, Decepti0n, which drops a

 

holographic decoy of himself to distract the enemies and draw fire, the Assassin can sneak away

 

or turn on his enemies as he next attack is empowered upon emerging from his cloak. As well as

 

having excellent melee abilities,

 

If like this game so much, you can buy these extra characters to play through the game.

 

If you played Commando, and felt it wasn’t easy enough, then buy this character. Gaige has a

 

special Mech that she can summon and will run about rampaging enemies and granting money

 

and resources back to Gaige. If you really, really, don’t want to play the game, then sit back and

 

let the Mech do the work.

 

Death is normally something that people are afraid of in Borderlands. However, death is

 

everything that Krieg needs in order to be successful. His ability allows him to throw axes and

 

generally reign in chaotic situations. Upon downing, he can gain a fistful of dynamite that he can

 

throw at other people.

 

0/10 ~IGN “No 360 potential.”