Borderlands 2 is an action role-playing first-person shooter video game that was developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games. It is the sequel to 2009's Borderlands and was released for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms. As with the first game,Borderlands 2 players complete a campaign consisting of central quests and optional side-missions as one of four vault hunters on the planet Pandora. Key gameplay features from the original game, such as online collaborative campaign gameplay; randomly generated loot, such as weapons and shields; and character-building elements commonly found in role-playing video games are found in Borderlands 2.
The game was released to critical acclaim on September 18, 2012. Downloadable content for the game has also been released subsequently.
| Borderlands 2 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Gearbox Software |
| Publisher(s) | 2K Games |
| Director(s) | Paul Hellquist |
| Producer(s) | Randy Pitchford |
| Writer(s) | Anthony Burch |
| Composer(s) | Cris Velasco Sascha Dikiciyan Jesper Kyd Raison Varner |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3 (Heavily-Modified) |
| Version | 1.3.0 1.2.2 OS X |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 OS X |
| Release date(s) | NA September 18, 2012[1] AU September 20, 2012 EU September 21, 2012[1] JP October 25, 2012 OS X November 20, 2012 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter,action role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Media/distribution | Optical disc, download |
Gameplay
Borderlands 2 builds upon the gameplay elements introduced in its predecessor, Borderlands. It is a first-person shooter that includes elements found in role-playing games, leading Gearbox to call the game a "role-playing shooter." At the start of the game, players select one of four new characters, each with a unique special skill and proficiencies with certain weapons.[2] After this, players take on quests assigned through non-player characters or bounty boards, each typically rewarding the player with experience points, money, and sometimes a reward item. Players earn experience by eliminating foes and completing in-game challenges (such as getting a certain number of kills using a specific type of weapon). As they gain levels from experience growth, players can then put skill points into a skill tree that features three distinct specializations of the base character.[3] As with the first game, Borderlands 2 features a procedural-generated loot system, whereby weapons and other equipment dropped by foes, found in chests, or offered as quest items have numerous statistics that are generated randomly, affecting factors such as weapon damage, accuracy, magazine size, and added effects like elemental damage. Randy Pitchford, noting that the procedural system in the first game generated 17.75 million possible guns, claimed that the variation in Borderlands 2 is much larger.[4]
Returning gameplay features from the first game will include the 3-branch skill tree, class-mods, and four-player online cooperative modes. New features include a more expansive and customizable weapons system, reworked four-seat drift-able vehicles and vehicle physics elements, and dynamic mission systems. For example, taking too much time to save a friend in a mission may result in their death and the failure of the mission, which will affect the story as the player progresses. Technically, the game world will be all connected, rather than loadable levels for each region, allowing accurate viewing of the entire world from a given point rather than the first game's premade "Skybox."[2][3]
In addition, the artificial intelligence (AI) system has been reworked for the game. Non-enemies will populate the game world more often and will travel around different locations depending on the time. According to Gearbox VP Steve Gibson, enemy AI will encourage teamwork, such as flanking, as well as taking cover when wounded, though lower level enemies like Psychos will still embrace the mentality of, "Wow that's a gun! I want my face in front of it!".[3] Shooting enemies will stun or cripple them depending on where they are shot, such as shooting a Hyperion robot's arms will cause the arms to fall off, impairing its damage-dealing capabilities. For a change, enemies will be intelligent enough to climb and traverse difficult terrain to pursue the player. Enemies will also be able to interact with each other. For example, certain enemies can heal their teammates, boost their shields for defense, or use them as shields to protect themselves.[2][3]
[edit]Synopsis
[edit]Setting
Five years have passed since the events of Borderlands, when four Vault Hunters, Roland, Lilith, Mordecai, and Brick were guided by a mysterious entity known as "The Guardian Angel" to the Vault and confronted an alien abomination known as "The Destroyer". After defeating The Destroyer, a valuable mineral called "Eridium" started flourishing through Pandora's crust. Handsome Jack, a member of the Hyperion Corporation, secures this new resource and makes use of it to take over the corporation. Now, Handsome Jack rules over the inhabitants of Pandora with an iron fist from his massive satellite built in the shape of an "H", always visible in the sky in front of Pandora's moon. Meanwhile, rumors of an even larger Vault hidden on Pandora spread across the universe, drawing a new group of Vault Hunters to the planet in search for it.
[edit]Plot
The introduction sequence introduces the four new Vault Hunters, lured on a train by Handsome Jack, as they are ambushed by Hyperion robots and the train is destroyed, leaving them for dead in the frozen wasteland. After waking, the surviving Vault Hunter is rescued by the last Claptrap unit and is taken to his home. The Guardian Angel contacts the new hunter and explains they are there to help and to keep the Claptrap unit safe and to head to Sanctuary, the capital of the resistance movement, the Crimson Raiders. After acquiring a weapon the Vault Hunter is lead to Liar's Berg and meets with Sir Hammerlock. After helping Hammerlock, the Vault Hunter assists Claptrap in retrieving his ship from Captain Flynt, the local bandit leader. The Vault Hunter successfully defeats Flynt and with Claptrap in tow, heads for Sanctuary. After arriving, the Vault Hunter is tasked with proving his worth and successfully is inducted into the ranks of the Crimson Raiders. Entering Sanctuary, the Vault Hunter is then tasked with rescuing Roland, the leader of the Raiders. An Echo-communicator from the bounty hunter called the "Firehawk" demands the Vault Hunter to meet with him to acquire Roland. After fighting through many bandits, the Vault Hunter meets with Firehawk who is revealed to be Lilith, a previous Vault Hunter. Due to the introduction of large quantities of a substance known as Eridium, Lilith is now vastly more powerful as a siren and was tasked with keeping the bandit clans in check with Roland concentrated on the resistance. Lilith tells the Vault Hunter that the local bandits have kidnapped Roland and plan to sell him to Hyperion.
Assaulting the bandit stronghold, the Vault Hunter meets Roland in his cell, but Hyperion's loaders attack the facility and retreat to extract Roland. Following the loaders, the Vault Hunter successfully rescues Roland. Accompanied by Lilith, the group heads back to Sanctuary to reassess the situation. Getting information that the Vault Key will be transported by a local train, the group head to assault the train. Meeting up with former hunter Mordecai and psychotic orphaned 13-year-old Tiny Tina, the Vault Hunter successfully derails the train. Upon attacking, the Vault Hunter encounters Wilhelm, a Hyperion cyborg. After defeating him, the Vault Hunter learns that the key was never on the train, but take Wilhelm's energy source as it could be useful. Roland tells the Vault Hunter to plug the energy source into Sanctuary's shield generator. However, upon plugging it in, Angel speaks with the player and apologizes before deactivating the shields. Handsome Jack tells the player he has been controlling Angel all along, even manipulating the events of the first game, to acquire the Vault Key. Upon rerouting power, Lilith uses her siren powers to activate the spaceship underneath Sanctuary, which prompts whole city floats to the sky. Lilith then teleports the city out of Handsome Jack's attack range. Upon reactivation of the Sanctuary's fast travel station, the player meets back with Roland.
Meeting with Roland, Handsome Jack's plan is revealed. He wishes to open a second Vault, this one containing a powerful warrior who is controlled by whomever opened the vault. Angel interrupts, and tells the group she can help, and tells them she has the Vault Key. The key can only be used again after a 200-year-long recharge, but Jack has been using Angel and the Eridium to speed-up the process. Angel tells them where the key is, but Hyperion has placed near-impenetrable defenses; an electrical wall scanner that can only be passed by a Hyperion robot, a massive bunker with enough ordnance to level a planet, and a voice-activated lock that would only open to Jack's voice. Roland figures that Claptrap can get past the scanner, and has the Vault Hunter meet up with Mordecai to get a software upgrade for him. Jack had kidnapped Bloodwing, Mordecai's pet and companion, and "slagged" her with a new element made from Eridum that Jack has been experimenting with. Jack kills Bloodwing, Mordecai vows revenge, and the Claptrap upgrade is retrieved. To destroy the bunker Roland tells the Vault Hunter he needs the help of the Slab King, who was part of the Raiders, but was kicked out because he was too extreme. However, he owes Roland a favor, and after being initiated into the Slabs, the Vault Hunter meets with the King, who is revealed to be previous hunter Brick. The final task takes the Vault Hunter to the Hyperion owned city Opportunity, where he needs to steal Jacks DNA signature from one of Jacks body-doubles. After all is in place, the Raiders assault the Angel Core mountain, with Roland climbing the rear side of the mountain, and the Vault Hunter attacks the main base. Bypassing the "Death Wall," the Vault Hunter reaches the bunker, which is revealed to be a massive defense robot "BNK-3R". Destroying it, the Vault Hunter bypasses the final system and enters the Angel Core.
Inside the core, Angel is revealed not only to be real, but also a siren and Handsome Jack's daughter. After destroying the Eridium pumps inside with the help of Roland and Lilith, Angel is allowed to die. However, an enraged Handsome Jack teleports in, killing Roland and slipping a control collar onto Lilith. Resisting control, Lilith teleports the Vault Hunter back to Sanctuary and the Raiders regroup. The Raiders plan to discover the location of the Vault of the Warrior and stop Jack from awakening it. Heading to the Hyperion Information Annex, which was constructed on the ruins of Fyrestone, the Vault Hunter ascertains the location of the Vault. Brick steals a massive warship and the Raiders assault Hero's Pass, the location of the Vault. Brick and Mordecai are shot down flying the warship and the Vault Hunter enters the vault alone to assault Jack. After a brief fight with Jack, Jack activates the key and summons The Warrior, a massive rock-lava dragon, instructing it to kill the Vault Hunter. After the Vault Hunter defeats the Warrior, Jack is ultimately killed. Brick and Mordecai arrive just as Lilith attempts to destroy the Vault Key, however she accidentally activates a secret information bank containing a huge map of the universe with several hundred Vaults marked on it. Lilith remarks that there is "No rest for the wicked" before the screen fades to black.
[edit]Characters
There are five playable characters in the game.
Salvador is a "gunzerker", who resembles Brick from the first game in abilities, but instead of using massive melee power to decimate enemies, Salvador can dual-wield any combination of guns.[3] His skills can be upgraded so that he can throw multiple grenades at once, regenerate massive amounts of health and ammunition, or attract the attention of enemies with a double middle finger taunt.
The second character, a siren named Maya, has an ability called Phaselock which suspends and immobilizes enemies in midair and resembles Lilith from the first game in abilities. Her abilities revolve around the game's elements (fire, electricity, corrosion, explosions, and slag.) Her Phaselock can be upgraded to explode upon expiration or even convert enemies into temporary allies.
The third character, Axton, is a commando character who relies on turrets to decimate his enemies and resembles Roland in abilities. While most of his abilities are geared towards upgrading his turret, they are quite potent. Axton's turret can be armed with additional gun barrels, can detonate upon deployment, or stick to walls and ceilings. One particular skill tree allows two of the turrets to be deployed at once.
The final character, Zer0, is an assassin capable of creating a decoy of himself and becoming invisible for a short time. At the end of this process, he is then able to unleash a critical hit on an enemy with his sword or gun. He is skilled with sniper rifles and pistols, and is similar to Mordecai, one of the playable characters from the original Borderlands. His skills can be upgraded with emphasis on sniping or using his Deception ability as a primary method of damage-dealing.
The four player characters from the first game, Roland, Lilith, Brick, and Mordecai, all return in the form of NPCs that the new characters will encounter on Pandora, or in various missions.[2] Non-playable characters like the Guardian Angel and Claptrap return to aid the player during quests. Characters from the first game such as Scooter the mechanic, Dr. Zed, and the insane archaeologist Patricia Tannis join new faces such as the cyborg Sir Hammerlock and Scooter's sister Ellie as quest giving characters.
A fifth playable character (available as a downloadable content), Gaige, is a red-haired half-cyborg girl and a "Mechromancer" that can summon a D374-TP "Deathtrap" – a hulking, floating machine made of scrap parts, originally designed to be a "bully deterrent".[5] Her skills upgrades can be used for wide array of attacks for her Deathtrap (having a mounted laser or performing an Explosive Clap for close-ranged enemies); or having her shots bounce any surface and hit their target or increase in damage after consecutive hits at the cost of accuracy.[6]
[edit]Development
Following the unexpected[7] success of the first Borderlands, which sold between three[8] to four-and-a-half million copies since release,[9] creative director Mike Neumann stated that there was a chance of a Borderlands 2 being created, adding that the decision "seems like a no-brainer."[10] On August 2, 2011, the game was officially confirmed and titled as Borderlands 2, with Anthony Burch announced as the writer the next day. The first look at the game was shown at Gamescom 2011, and an extensive preview was included in the September edition of Game Informermagazine, with Borderlands 2 being the cover story.[11] Like the first game, Borderlands 2 was developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games, running on a heavily modified version of Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3. The game was released on September 18, 2012 in North America and on September 21, 2012 internationally.[1][12]
Gearbox revealed that they would be honoring a late fan of the game, cancer victim Michael John Mamaril, with the addition of an NPC named after Michael in the sequel. Additionally, Gearbox posted a eulogy to Mamaril in the voice of the game character, Claptrap.[13]
Controversy regarding sexism hit a month before the game's scheduled release after Gearbox designer John Hemingway told Eurogamer: “The design team was looking at the concept art and thought, you know what, this is actually the cutest character we’ve ever had. I want to make, for the lack of a better term, the girlfriend skill tree. This is, I love ‘Borderlands’ and I want to share it with someone, but they suck at first-person shooters. Can we make a skill tree that actually allows them to understand the game and to play the game? That’s what our attempt with the Best Friends Forever skill tree is.”[14] Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford responded to the controversy on Twitter, saying "There is no universe where Hemmingway is a sexist - all the women at Gearbox would beat his and anyone else's ass."[15] Randy Pitchford also tweeted: “I'm sure Hemmingway is getting noogied now, but not his fault. A personal anecdote has been twisted and dogpiled on by sensationalists."[16]
[edit]Release
A 4.6 GB portion of Borderlands 2 became available for pre-load through Steam on September 14, 2012,[17] allowing customers to download encrypted game files to their computer before the game was released. When the game was released, customers were able to unlock the files on their hard drives and play the game immediately, without having to wait for the whole game to download. Borderlands 2 will also be available for download on the PlayStation Network on its release date for retail price.[18]
On August 20, 2012, it was announced that a four issue Borderlands comic would be released in November 2012 to tie in with Borderlands 2. The miniseries is to be written by Mikey Neumann and published by IDW. It tells the story of how the original four Vault Hunters came to be together at the beginning of Borderlands, filling in their backstory and setting up the events of both games.[19].
[edit]Patches
Since its release, several PC patches have been published to address technical issues and improve overall gameplay. On November 13, 2012, patch 1.2.0 [20] was released to fix several game issues. The most significant of these is the overpowered "The Bee" shield which was given reduced capabilities and effectiveness.[21]
Aspyr handles porting Borderlands 2 patches for the Mac and has stated there will be a delay on synchronizing new patches from Gearbox Software.[22] When the versions are out of sync, Mac users will be unable to join or host games with PC players until both games are on the same version.
[edit]Downloadable content
There will be at least four packs (not including Mechromancer and Premiere Club) of downloadable content (DLC) made available for Borderlands 2 over the coming months, all packs should be available before June 2013. The Borderlands 2 Season Pass allows users who purchase it to access the four DLC packs for Borderlands 2 at a reduced cost compared to purchasing them separately as soon as they become available. The Mechromancer character class is not included. A complete version is expected to hit the stores after the four DLCs are released.
[edit]Mechromancer Pack (Premiere Club)
The Premiere Club was a pre-order bonus that comes with golden guns, a relic, a golden key and early access to a fifth playable class, the Mechromancer. The golden key can be redeemed in game to open a special, golden case that includes rare guns, armor or mods. On October 9, 2012, it became publicly available as a downloadable content pack. As of October 17, it was renamed as the Mechromancer Pack.
The Mechromancer, later revealed to be named Gaige, was first revealed at PAX East 2012[23] and planned as post-release downloadable content for October 16, 2012, but was released on all platforms a week earlier.[24]
[edit]Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty
Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty is the first post-release downloadable content pack and includes new campaign content. The content was released on October 16, 2012.[25] The storyline takes place in a vast desert that used to be an ocean. Captain Scarlett, a Sand Pirate captain, works with the player to search for Captain Blade's Lost Treasure of the Sands, whilst repeatedly saying that she will eventually betray them. It also introduces new superbosses like "Hyperius the Invincible" and a new hovering vehicle, the Sandskiff, which can only be driven in the DLC areas.
[edit]Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage
Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage is the second downloadable campaign[26] and was released on November 20, 2012. The campaign's plot is centered around a new Vault discovered in Pandora buried in the center of the "Badass Crater of Badassitude"[27] that will only open "once the champion of Pandora feeds it the blood of the ultimate coward". To find this "champion", Mr. Torgue, CEO of the Torgue weapons manufacturer, sets up a tournament in which the player character can compete. It features appearances by Tiny Tina and Mad Moxxi. The new areas also feature a new weapons vending machine, which sells high-end Torgue weapons exclusively and use a new currency called Torgue Tokens.[27] The characters and storyline of Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage bear a strong resemblance to those found in World Championship Wrestling, and Mr. Torgue in particular has been interpreted as a homage to wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage.[28][29]
[edit]Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt
Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt is the third downloadable campaign add on. The title, screenshots, and details leaked on December 14.[30] It is scheduled to be released January 15.[31]
[edit]Reception
| [hide] Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | (PS3) 90.50%[32] (PC) 90.10%[33] (X360) 89.26%[34] |
| Metacritic | (PS3) 91/100[35] (PC) 89/100[36] (X360) 89/100[37] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| Computer and Video Games | 8/10[38] |
| G4 | 5/5[39] |
| Game Informer | 9.75/10[40] |
| GameSpot | 8.5/10[41] |
| GameSpy |   [42] |
| IGN | 9/10 (PS3)[43] |
| Giant Bomb |  [44] |
Borderlands 2 received critical acclaim. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 3 version 90.50% and 91/100,[32][35] the PC version 90.10% and 89/100[33][36] and the Xbox 360 version 89.26% and 89/100.[34][37] IGN awarded the game a 9.0 out of 10, praising the game's sense of humor, world structure, and RPG systems, while feeling disappointed by the game's lack of meaningful visual customization and the sharing of loot during co-op play. They stated that the game had roughly 30 hours of gameplay, and was worth playing multiple times.[43] IGN also nominated the game as one of its ten finalists for Game of the Year 2012.[45] Game Informer gave the game a score of 9.75 out of 10, claiming that the game is one of "the most rewarding gaming experiences" of the current console generation.[40] Borderlands 2 would go on to win X-Play's game of the year.
Borderlands 2 is one of the best selling games of 2012 with a total shipment of over 5 million copies since the game was released in September 2012.[46]
Borderlands 2 has been nominated for five awards at the 2012 Spike TV Video Game Awards: "Best Xbox 360 Game", "Best PS3 Game", "Best Shooter", "Best Multiplayer Game", and "Best DLC" (Mechromancer Pack). Actor Dameon Clarke was also nominated in the "Best Performance By a Human Male" category for his role as Handsome Jack. Finally, Clap Trap was included in the viewer's choice "Character of the Year" category.[47]
Borderlands 2 would go on to win "Best Shooter",[48] "Best Multi-Player Game",[49] "Best Performance By a Human Male",[50] and "Character Of The Year".[51]
[edit]Comic
Four issues of a comics miniseries, Borderlands: Origins, were published in print and digitally in November 2012. The series was written by Mikey Neumann and published by IDW. It tells the story of how the original four Vault Hunters came to be together at the beginning of Borderlands, filling in their backstory and setting up the events of both games.
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