As an avid but late-arriving fan of the original, I’ve been anticipating “Borderlands 2” quite a bit, and now that I’ve put in a solid week with the title I can safely say it’s an honorable continuation of what made the first great. It’s a pretty safe sequel all told, never straying far from the original, but brand new classes, enemies, weapons, and worlds to explore keep the ennui at bay. Gearbox really had their cake and ate it too with this one: it’s the game you already love, but it’s also a reasonably fresh experience.
Of course, it also comes prepackaged with the original’s little faults: texture pop-in is still a huge problem, driving is still a little unsatisfying and underutilized, and the looting still feels a tad cumbersome at times. Each weapon is evaluated on five or six separate variables, and while Gearbox helpfully drops some arrows in, it still takes too long to figure out if something is even remotely appealing. And it’s a little obnoxious that the comparison arrows don’t automatically link to a gun of comparable class. Adding to that, Gearbox has elected not to let the driver of a vehicle open their map, even if they’re playing solo, a decision I find borderline incomprehensible. Whatever teamwork this is supposed to inspire backfires into overwhelming annoyance.
Also, and this is more a preference thing than a flaw outright, I don’t think I should remain incapacitated if I’ve killed all the enemies in a given room. You wouldn’t think it happens often, but for some reason I’m constantly on one knee slowly bleeding out after everyone I could have killed to revive myself is dead. Come on, Gearbox; if I’ve won the fight, just let me get back up, a la “Gears of War.” It’s just natural.
Okay but nitpicking aside, you’ve got a great experience here. The gunplay is smoother and better than ever, the four classes feel truly balanced (a serious feat), and the game’s wicked sense of humor never fails to please. If you loved the original, you can’t possibly miss “Borderlands 2.” If you never played it, it might be time to find out what all the fuss is about.
_AA
it’s much easier said than it’s done
