The defining Borderlands 2 image.

Have you ever played a game that was the same as the last with some minor tweaks? Sometimes this can be a good thing, other times it can be awful. In the case of Borderlands, it works well.

If you played the first you know the general idea of the game, where much like Fallout you level up your character, appoint skill points and apply various mods to make him/her better. The major point of the game was the massive choice of weapons, an infinite amount of different types of guns.

Zero from Borderlands 2

Borderlands 2 builds upon that again, giving you a massive choice of guns and shields at your disposal. As you loot and plunder the wastelands you must decide which weapons to keep and which to sell or throw away. It’s not just about the bullet damage it can do, but also the elemental damage. Much like Pokémon, use the wrong type and your bullets don’t count for jack, but the right type can cause massive damage and leave Pikachu drowning in a puddle.

I’ll be honest I’ve never liked Fallout, so the first time I played Borderlands, I carried the same bias over, but the game has me easily hooked. The comedy factor is just awesome, whether it be the one liners of characters you interact with, or the weird boss battles. The best part so far has to be Claptrap, the mini robot who gives you an introduction, busting out his dance moves and singing the new dubstep track he just made, especially when it drops!

The graphics add to the comedic style of the game.

Visually the game is stunning, from the vast open fields of the wastelands, to the bustling city of Sanctuary. If you’ve never seen a cel-shaded game before, definitely make Borderlands the first, it looks so much different to the likes of Skyrim or Call of Duty. It shows that games don’t have to look as real as possible to look awesome, sometimes the fake can also work very well.

Overall, Borderlands is a fun mix-up of first person shooter and RPG. You’ll have hours of fun whether alone or online. After completing it you’ll want to go back and play as all the other character variants, and everything will be different from the guns you find, to the skill points you choose. Have fun, and listen out for the dubstep!

The skill points you can dish out to beef up your character.