One of the most anticipated fall releases of 2012, upcoming RPG Shooter “Borderlands 2″ brings a new set of characters, reconfigures character classes and a bazillion different weapons. The Guinness Book of World Records had given Borderlands one the title of “Most guns in a game.” While the actual count of weapons in the game may be up for debate in Borderlands 2, the hype surrounding the game is the real deal. This sequel appears, by all means and in all ways, to be a very successful successor to the first game.

Gamers from the first “Borderlands” will graphically recognize “Borderlands 2″ as a much improved game. Video footage in the last year alone has revealed a ton of new data for gamers to dissect and compress into their minds. The game so far looks to be bigger. Bigger maps and level designs allow for greater freedom of movement.

Movement is one of the key focuses in “Borderlands 2,” since the enemies and their AI appear to have been beefed up significantly. Bigger, badder and with a worse temperament than before, new comers and returning fans should have no trouble engaging the enemy at any distance.  More space means better strategies, and gamers wonder if there are new and exciting ways to finish off an enemy.

More movement though, does also require better communication between players and their various action skills. Known for their co-op playing style, the team at Gearbox and 2K Games have reworked the character classes just a little bit. The Hunter, Berserker and Soldier class have all been renamed with only the Siren remaining a familiar sight. The new classes are respectively called Assassin, Gunzerker and Commando, and they appear to be fine spiritual successors to the original classes. Still, just because the Siren remains does not mean she’s without upgrades as well.

The new Mechromancer class seems to be a hybrid class that carries over the Hunter’s skill to summon an attack dog type unit similar to the Bloodwing from “Borderlands.” The skill tree design has been updated for all five confirmed character classes and thus far it seems to be working out for the better. There is less clutter, everything seems more manageable and the corresponding weapons are easier to access in comparison to the “Borderlands One.”

The enemies appear more wicked than ever before, with inspiration drawn from all walks of life. Demo video has revealed loaders that explode and loaders that chop gamers up. Some have jet packs and some are turrets, and those are just the Loader robots. There are other enemies that can be converted to play for the gamer’s side and still others that are irredeemable pains in the neck to kill since they transform. Some enemies will have tentacles called Threshers and range in size. One of the new enemies, called a Varkid, seems like Bloodwing reincarnated to come get revenge by swarming gamers.

The storyline is hopefully the real winner of “Borderlands 2.” Players from the first game commented on the sparse story development, many times glossing over written text in favor of skipping to high octane gameplay. This time around, it seems that the adventure aspect of the game, going on this great journey, is the focal point. The main information of the storyline is actually communicated by the story themselves, leading to a much more organic gameplay experience.

In a typical ‘few good men versus horrendous gigantic evil’ style storyline, there is a vault that must not be opened on Pandora or else all manner of chaos and insanity will erupt. Gameplay footage so far seems to depict the storyline with a revolutionary feel, pitting a small squad of people against a tyrannical emperor. A classic theme to be sure, so there is hope that this storyline will be an excellent companion to the seemingly fantastic game play.

“Borderland 2″ is set to amaze fans this fall with a mid September release. Perhaps teasing fans with the late release of information on the Mechromancer class as well as the start of school for many college students, this game promises to excellently distract all types of gamers into its treasure hunting, vault looting shooter action adventure. Gearbox and 2k Games succeeded in creating magic once again. Look out for Toonari Posts’ character upgrade article for the specific class to class changes, coming soon.

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

About the author

Calvin Li
Calvin is currently a Politics and Entertainment writer, as well as the Assistant Gaming Editor for Toonari Post. He holds a Master's Degree in History and a Bachelor's degree in Marketing. A Native New Yorker, he enjoys speed reading and eating, as well as exploring, snowboarding and bowling.

Related Posts

Borderlands 2: Character Class and Action Skill Changes

Celebrated as one of the games with the most guns of all time and excellent gameplay, "Borderlands 1" was a role playing shooter the likes of which gamers had rarely seen before. The skill trees were excellently designed,...