A worthy sequel to B1
Borderlands if a known quantity and if you are reading this review you likely have played or are familiar with Borderlands 1.
So the question is, whether it is a worthy sequel.
The answer is "yes".
Does B2 have flaws? Sure it does..
- The ammo machine still needs a "buy all" button so I don't have to click 42 times to buy ammo in every category....
- It absolutely does get frustrating to have to go back to replay an area where you get 1xp per kill (i.e. how strong your opponent is, changes the xp value received for killing them) and you're just trying to get from point A to point B and it is literally less annoying to simply run through your enemies than waste time killing them for no experience....
- Generic is always best for any messages heard over and over. Why the ammo machine says "You're my millionth customer, don't let it go to your head" a billion times is beyond me. It's cute the first time and annoying every time after that. Literally a silent machine would be better.
- The launch DLC is largely pointless. The "Slaughter Dome" (or whatever) is the same five waves slog of Moxxi's Dome in B1...there are lots of ways to make gladiatorial combat fun...this isn't it.
- The gun pricing is not reliable. I swear I used a $290 shield from levels 10-20 as it was the best one. Rarity (but not value) seems to have a disproportionate impact on pricing.
Having said that:
It's Borderlands. i.e. It has a solid story, good voice acting, runs smoothly, is a loot oriented light RPG / mainly FPS that features diverse missions, a trophy system with actual benefits (i.e. killing 250 of X, for me, is pointless...killing 250 of X so I can get 5 modifications to my stats has a point), etc...etc...
I am not sure where I am in the story but I am 25 hours in...I assume (as I do all the side missions I can find) that I m 5-10 hours from completion. 35 hours for $60 is a bargain in my book and I look forward to hopefully some Knoxx or Zombie B1 level DLC in the future. Plus trying to get my friends to buy it so we can play co-op.