Nukezilla Review: Borderlands 2 (Xbox 360)

Vault hunters return to Pandora for another chance of riches and fame in Borderlands 2. Does Borderlands 2 have enough variety and character to warrant another trip to this freaky wasteland?

Borderlands 2 does the same thing the breakout 2009 hit did by bringing the first person shooter and role playing genres together like peanut butter and chocolate. New character classes include a dual wielding Gunzerker, a phaselock enemy-controlling siren, the turret deploying commando and the stealth killer assassin.

All of the classes have multiple skill trees which can really vary up strategy from running in guns blazing or picking people off at long range with a sniper rifle.

Just like the original, Borderlands 2‘s soul comes from it’s 4-player drop-in and drop-out multiplayer co-op. The game can be played solo, but the world feels hollow and lonely. Since loot drops get better with each person in the game, it’s advisable to bring your friends along for the hunt.

The world of Pandora is a strange place indeed. Right from the start players are introduced to the off the wall characters and writing that will have you laughing at the incredibly situations and pop culture references. Luckily, more of Pandora is opened up to the player so it’s not all arid deserts and caves.

Some problems do hold this game back however. Textures will pop in after loading into a new area no matter how fast your PC is, or even if you install the game on the consoles. The fast travel system isn’t nearly robust enough, making you back-track way too often after finishing a quest. After games likes like Guild Wars 2 not requiring quest turn-ins, this old MMO staple feels incredibly dated.

The trip back to Pandora isn’t without some bumps along the way, but the incredibly bizarre world that Gearbox studio has created is something fans of the original will certainly enjoy along with the newcomers. Just make sure you have some buddies to take with you.