An Improvement but not a Triumph
The gameplay is identical to what was in the original. You'll blast through thousands of enemies, gaining exp and looting like mad all the way. The shooting is still rock solid and guns pack a great punch and are, for the most part, all fun to use. There's still a great amount of variety in terms of the weapons you'll find and while you're still going to find thousands of guns that look alike, you'll still come across those rare finds that make looting them all the more special. Skill tress, quest and travel are all identical to how they were in the original. The classes are pretty much the same as the original with some different abilities available which is a little disappointing. I would've like to see more unique classes this time around but sadly that looks like it won't happen until the DLC class is released in
October.
Presentation wise, the games visual design is still pleasing despite not taking much of a leap over the original and a few ugly textures here and there. The voice acting is lively but I'll admit I got a little annoyed with the characters. It's pretty lame when EVERY character you meet is this quirky, crazy, nutjob, the game really feels like it's trying way too hard to make everything so outrageous that they practically just shove it down your throat. The other audio problem comes with the lines of dialogue being interrupted and cancelled when you come in the vicinity of other areas or characters. If you're playing with other people it can be very difficult to hear what any of the characters are saying without it being dropped mid-sentence. If you like to pay attention to all the dialogue and story as I do, make sure you play with people who are going to stay close and let you hear the dialogue for a quest/story before running off.rnrnWhat you'll think of Borderlands 2 largely depends on what you want out of it. If you were hoping for large changes to the gameplay, very different classes and deep character customization you're going to walk away disappointed. However, if you've been itching for more gun looting fun that only Borderlands offers and don't mind more of the same, you're going to be hooked just as much as the original. Familiar? Sure, but it's still a blast and one of 2012's best games.