As a huge fan to the original game in the series, this sequel was quite a pleasant surprise. The game's art style has always been a highlight for the series and it certainly did not let me down in this iteration. Exploring the comic book art style of this game in first person provided an interesting experience that no other game in this genre has been able to provide. The variety of environments in this game across its open world are fascinating which gives the player a great sense of adventure and allows the player to immerse themselves in the game. I cannot express how often I found myself exploring its uniquely designed world instead of following my current objective. The character designs are tasteful and unique as well and go hand in hand with the overall aesthetic.
The gameplay mechanics are another highlight in this game. The standard first person shooter formula combined with elements from various RPGs have proven to separate itself from a seemingly niche genre and stand out. This game has more loot and weapons that provide a gameplay experience with endless possibilities. No one will seemingly have the same loadout as you due to the millions of weapons and loot. This allows the player a huge level of freedom because this gives the player the liberty to use any type of weapon that they feel works best for the situation they are in. Like with any good sequel, this game did a great job on keeping what works well for the game and improving on its weak points.
In my opinion, the original game’s weakest point was its plot. This game did a great job on providing a unique experience and interesting story that brought in the player wanting more. The game takes place shortly after the first game but has the player going after a new antagonist, Handsome Jack. He is, in my opinion, a very interesting character and the journey that the player takes in efforts to stop him are quite interesting. The ending did not disappoint and leaves the player excited for Borderlands 3 which should be coming out shortly and is highly anticipated. The game itself took me around 50 hours to complete. This is quite a lengthy game. Granted, I explored the world and took my time. However, not at one point was I bored. With the several DLC expansion packs that are offered, the gameplay value is endless. Hundreds and hundreds of hours can easily be logged and the player will still be able to find things to complete for themselves. Adding multiplayer on to this, the possibilities are truly endless. Making a game with such replay value is a difficult thing to do but was accomplished in this case.
I played the game on PC. This allowed for the introduction of mods into the game. The modding community for any game does an outstanding job of providing even more content back into the community. I was able to download new textures and even quests that brought a unique experience to the game. Modding is easily one of my favorite things to do and a thriving community is what I look for in many games. While it may not be as big as other games, I found myself able to find anything I wanted and more.
Overall, I give this game a 9 out of 10. I thoroughly enjoyed this game and it provided me with hours and hours of game play. It was a huge improvement to the original game but is still not perfect. I believe the difficulty to the game should be raised and some other refinements that will most likely be found in the next installment. However, the game has solid mechanics and a good aesthetic which makes for a great game and a successful franchise.