If fans of Gearbox’s shoot & loot FPS want more Borderlands, well, they’re getting exactly that and a little more spice in Borderlands 2. My hands-on time with the game didn’t necessarily blow me away, but than again, I wasn’t a huge fan of the first game. That doesn’t mean I’m going to shit on these impressions, Gearbox undeniably knows how to make shooting a hell of a lot of guns… I mean fun!
It looks and feels like Borderlands. New character classes will keep the fans happy, and are interesting in design and spec. The iconic art direction is as beautiful as ever. Most importantly, the controls and action there-of are smooth and responsive. Oh…yea, and there’s loads of guns to fire.
The demo – which was played on a 360 – started in a cave colored by dark purples and bright neon greens, every pixel pleasing to the eye. I played the Siren, who now uses a skill called “Phasewalking”, which lifts enemies into the air in a defenseless state. Enemies were a plenty, and noticeably larger than your regular Borderlands foe, bleeding digits and dropping everything you could dream of. I proceeded to shoot enemies through a system of caves until I had enough.
With a plot that revolves around a villain called Handsome Jack, hopefully Borderlands 2 can give those who wished the first had more lore a hook. It’s no surprise to me this sequel is promising to be a solid game, Gearbox has proven to be a competent developer. I’m just not a big fan of how this series progresses the player through the game so MMO-like, that’s just me though. Otherwise, if you liked Borderlands and want more of that craziness, it’s shaping up to be everything the fans want.
Scheduled release date: Sept. 18, 2012
Platforms: PC, PS3, 360
[Feel free to comment on the post with questions on my hands-on time]
