Borderlands 2 was a grungy and in-your-face first person role-playing game with a heavy emphasis on cooperative multiplayer that released in September of 2012. After the commercial success that was Borderlands, Gearbox decided to go bigger, better, and ultimately funnier as they worked on it's sequel which is heavier in plot-content and contained hundreds of thousands more guns than it's predecessor. Combined with an oddly unique love for the community which resulted in constant updates and multiple events that practically anyone could participate in and a plethora of DLC and free goodies- Borderlands 2 is easily one of the greatest and most addictive games I've ever played (with over 100+ hours no less).

GRAPHICS - 8
   Right from the very beginning with the original Borderlands Gearbox traded off realistic and polished graphics that the majority of shooters actively strive for in lieu of a cel-shaded comic book style which favors thick and heavy black lines over minimal cartoonish textures. It's a style that is applied to literally everything in the game, from the characters and monsters to the architecture and landscape. A fantastic move for a developer who doesn't work on Nintendo games- since more animated and exaggerated styles tend to be a little more timeless instead of eventually feeling outdated like graphics that strive to be 'real' due to being stuck in the technology available at the time.

   This time around with the sequel Gearbox added on a number of new visual features that stick out really well on top of the aforementioned cel-shaded modus operandi. A subtle depth-of-field is the main feature noticeable from the onset of the game since you start out in the middle of a blizzard and continue on into a snowy region for awhile before seeing more color aside from white, but it's effective nonetheless making the foreground feel brighter and closer compared to the blurry backdrop of mountains and other regions. Later on as you move in and out of dungeons and through various and unique areas the depth-of-field is combined with a beautiful ambient occlusion system that gives every section of the map a memorable feel that sets them apart from other each other.

   Another notable inclusion that I, personally at least, felt was very refreshing in an open world environment such as Borderland 2 was the ability to actually see other areas. Check it out if you ever find yourself playing Borderlands- While standing in Thousand Cuts I can easily see the huge Hyperion tower that serves as an important location in the plot later on, and while standing on the platforms of that Hyperion tower I can see off to Terramorphous Peak which is the location of a frustration inducing end-game raid boss and- wait, is that? You can even see the frustration inducing end-game raid boss ITSELF from this vantage point!

   Borderlands 2 isn't perfect, of course, though the issues it does have are minute and easy to ignore. A missing texture or two can be seen in locations that players aren't generally meant to see or explore anyways, and you can also find areas where there are holes in the landscape geometry that you can actually fall through if you're really trying your best to look for them.

SOUND - 8
   The music in Borderlands was very hit-and-miss for me. The opening theme song was fine enough, but with such big boots to fill with Cage The Elephant's "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" prefacing the previous game, it fell kind of short- though the opening cinematic itself was great. The combat music felt like combat music with no real frills or thrills, and the same goes for a majority of the other background tracks in the game.

   The voice acting is where this game really shines- and when I say shine, I mean like the good 'ol sun in the center of solar system. The original Borderlands didn't exactly have a convincing or elaborate plot- and I'll talk more about that later- so the characters didn't really have much to say outside of their combat dialogue. With Borderlands 2 engaging story-line, however, the original four characters were given prominent roles and they use them well. Our 6 possible protagonists in this one, unfortunately, get the Borderlands 1 treatment and are likewise restricted to combat dialogue, but are at least given unique reactions to some of the games situations.

   Of all the cast, however, the antagonist- Handsome Jack- stands above the rest. Never have I encountered a villain I've loved so much, and his voice follows every nuance of his crazy personality perfectly. When he's joking, he makes you want to kill him, and when he's angry, you almost feel a little scared for what might happen next.  Other than Jack there are a crazy number of other characters with zany and well acted voices that I just couldn't take the time to name- though I'll at least give some spotlight to Tiny Tina who is voiced by Ashly Burch from the popular youtube series "Hey Ash, whatcha playin'?"

ADDICTIVENESS - 10
   Never have I ever played a game as addicting as Borderlands 2. Sure, Borderlands was great and all, but the sheer amount of content in Borderlands 2 has me still discovering new things to do and interesting encounters to- well- encounter. With over 100+ hours in the game that I've logged so far, I still haven't seen everything this game has to offer and I'm beginning to get the feeling I never will. There's a lot to talk about here, so I'll try my best to break it down into the basics.

   Characters- There are 6 characters you can possibly play as, 2 of which are DLC, and every character has 3 skill trees. Every skill tree has about 10 possible skills, and the majority of these skills have multiple levels. In short, there are about a hundred ways just to BUILD a character, let alone play them. While some of the characters are BASICALLY designed for specific weapons in mind, Gearbox knew that a player might want to- say- run around with rocket launchers as Zer0, and they made sure there are plausible ways to build Zer0 so you can do just that. And with the addition of Bad A** Tokens, which are minute bonuses to character attributes like reload time or melee damage that stack up to big changes, there's likely never to be a character you make that is the same as someone else's unless you're following a specific build.

   Weapons- Weapons are the cornerstone of Borderlands. "Well, of course it is, weapons are always important in a first-person shooter." Well, that is very true, but even more so in Borderlands where there are thousands- heck, thousands OF thousands, of possible weapon combinations. You may get a shotgun with exploding rounds that you also throw a copy of like a grenade when you reload. You might get a sniper rifle that shoots a three round burst that ricochets between enemies or off of walls when you're scoped in. You might just get yourself a nuclear rocket launcher that explodes into 3-5 smaller nukes upon detonation- combined with the possible character builds this already presents hundreds of play-through possibilities

   Co-operation- Borderlands games can be solo'd, sure, but they are at their heart cooperative titles. Whether it's split-screen or online, playing with friends provides an alternative to many fights in the game, but the enemies do get bonuses while other players are in the campaign as well. You're a sniper, one friend's rolling with a shotgun, another provides a pinning offensive with an assault rifle, and your good friend Wild Bill is reeking havoc with a rocket launcher. Or if you're more like me and my friends, everyone's got their trusty sniper rifle and you're picking everyone off like fish in a barrel- there is NEVER a dull moment when you're duking it out with your best buds while taking out hordes of bandits, psycho's and Hyperion Loaders.

   New Game+- Are you done with the game? You saved the day from Handsome Jack and Hyperion? Nope. Do it again on True Vault Hunter Mode where the enemies are tougher but the loot is so much sweeter. Did you take down Jack once again and Pandora is at your feet? Nope, do it again on Ultimate Vault Hunter mode with even TOUGHER enemies and SWEETER loot- and on top of that you can also now collect Seraph Crystals from Ultimate Raid Bosses to truly max out your character to OP8 (which are 8 levels ABOVE the max level. A weird system, but unique and fun!)

STORY - 8
   The original Borderlands was very light on story- It was very cut and dry: You're adventurers, there's a vault with treasure, and some seemingly mystical pretty lady telling you where it is. The DLC for the original were fun, but overall contributed nothing but a couple characters into the Borderlands canon and interestingly enough the plot for the first game was retroactively made more interesting by Borderlands 2, which explained the former's events in what is meant to be it's true context. Borderlands 2 is where Gearbox really showed off their story-telling chops.

   The game opens up with an unfortunate and unintended scuffle between the new Vault Hunters and the global powerhouse Hyperion ends with the protagonist(s) face down in the snow and left for dead before being rescued by everyone's favorite robot: R2- wait, no,  CL4P-TP aka Clap Trap! With a bounty on your head from Hyperion's head-of-command, Handsome Jack, and the mysterious beauty Angel speaking words of wisdom and guidance into your ears you'll head out on your way to meet new enemies, old friends, and find out a conspiracy that reaches back far and deep as you search over the torn world of Pandora in search of a way out of this messy situation and maybe even a Vault full of ancient alien treasure.

   Borderlands 2 is full of twists, turns and enough story that you might as well throw away that copy of The Fault In Our Stars you've been reading. Every single inch of this game is riddled with interesting dialogue and uniquely odd/oddly unique quests ranging from a guy who wants you to shoot him in the face (aptly named Face McShooty) to a mission in which Handsome Jack will ACTUALLY PAY YOU TO KILL YOURSELF (warning: in game suicide only). And, for those interested, Gearbox even has a metric buttload of references to memetic subjects like double rainbows or phrases like "u mad bro?" If those aren't your thing, then you can take solace in enemies like Rakkman and or Donkey Mong.

DEPTH - 9
   I've already mentioned a plethora of features that can keep you playing this game from character creation to the seemingly infinite combinations of weapons. The story itself feels like a good 6-7 hour trek when you're doing nothing BUT the main quest, and side missions and exploration can add well over 20 extra hours on top of that. Combine that with the multiple difficulties and the DLC and you've got yourself an action packed adventure that makes Skyrim look like a middle school student's short story by comparison.

DIFFICULTY - 7
   The difficulty in Borderlands 2 can be hard to pin due to all the factors that may or may no be involved. From the perspective of a single player adventure on, say, normal difficulty it's pretty straightforward and acts like a rather traditional rpg. You fight enemies on your level in a specific area, and they may or may not get more and more difficult the closer you get to the next  boss. Attempting to move further than these areas, or other offshoots generally meant for side-quests, will have players pitted against tougher and more difficult enemies until they level up to the appropriate strength necessary to take them on. A skilled or knowledgeable player can generally ignore these ancient rules of adventuring and run headlong through the quests until they end up fighting things that will probably kill you in one shot.

   Adding in other players to the mix will have the game remixing and buffing enemies so that they are prepared for multiple targets of different strengths however, and this can sometimes get pretty messy and doesn't feel too balanced if you're rolling with a team of less than 4 members, but as long as you keep your head down and your shields up you shouldn't have too many real issues. Keep your wits about you and experiment with weapon and elemental types to play on the natural weaknesses of your enemy and you should be able to solo even True Vault Hunter mode.

   OVERALL Borderlands 2 could arguably be the most enjoyable game I've ever played. It's been awhile since I've had a game that has offered me a challenge, a great story, a fun mayhem filled experience, and barrels upon barrels of laughter all in one sleek and smooth cel-shaded package. Though I've stopped playing it without experiencing 2 or 3 of the games many DLC, I would highly recommend this title to anyone and everyone regardless of their preferences towards playing with others or not- if you want a good time, look no further than Borderlands 2. (I'd highly advise the purchase of the Game of the Year edition, just saying.)