First Look: Borderlands 2

While it wont be released until September 18th, 2012 let us take a first look at Borderlands 2. If you played the first Borderlands you are probably awaiting the release of Borderlands 2. If you didn't play the first one, then you should. Borderlands is a FPS that includes a few RPG elements. It takes place in the fictional planet of Pandora where a group of people are trying to find and alien vault that may or may not be filled with advanced alien weapons and technology which would make them rich. The second game in the series build upon the elements of the first one. Borderlands 2 takes place 5 years after the first game, it features four new playable characters and shares the some of the same elements of the first Borderlands, such as, leveling up your character via skill points, unlocking perks through the experience points, the cartoony cel-shading graphics of the first game, class modifications for each characters, vehicles and of course a many and I do emphasize on the MANY, different weapons to choose from. For those unfamiliar with the game, the first Borderlands had a vast array of different weapons that came in different classes, amongst them where SMG's, Sniper Rifles, Pistols, Rocket Launchers, Shotguns, Combat Rifles and the very rare Eridian guns. These weapons could be found or bought at store within the game with money earned from missions and looting. The guns had rarity color ranges as well, with white being common then followed by green, blue, purple, yellow, orange, dark orange and pearlescent for the rarest weapons. Some even offered elemental damage which was divided into four categories, incendiary, shock, explosive and corrosive. These elements have apparently been kept for Borderlands 2. As mentioned before there are four new playable character with share some elements with the ones for the first game but also have some differences. First we have Maya who is a Siren like Lilith a character from the first game, but she has a different main ability. Next we have Axton a character who uses auto-turrets like the soldier in the first game. We also have a character by the name of Salvador who is a mountain of muscle like Brick, the Berserker from the first game, except Salvador is called a Gunzerker and instead of beating his opponents to death, Salvador's special ability allows him to dual wield guns with incredible precision. Lastly we have Zer0 who is an assassin and specializes in stealth, similar to Mordecai the sniper from the first game. Zer0 however can turn invisible, create decoys of himself and can unleash devastating critical hits with his sword. The plot of Borderlands 2 does differ greatly from that of it's predecessor. In this game you start in a tournament where you are fighting to the death to entertain the main antagonist of the game, a man who is in control of Pandora and goes by the name of Handsome Jack. He promised a great reward to the winner of the tournament, and after your character wins it he gains a lot of notoriety with the people of Pandora. Handsome Jack seeing this as a threat to his control of Pandora denies the player character of the reward and has the player abandoned in the tundra of Pandora, leaving him or her to die. From here the Guardian Angel from the first game contacts the player character and instructs them to rescue the original four characters from Borderlands and to kill Handsome Jack. The trailer only shows a minimal part of what Borderlands 2 will be like, but if its anything like the first one, you guys are in for a treat. This has been a first look into Borderlands 2.

Drake's Reviews Score (Pre-Release) 10 out of 10