Graphics

8

Borderlands 2 has a visual style all its own, it may not initially impress some used to a "next generation, high definition, ultra realistic landscape", but it is nevertheless very appealing and detailed. Some of the landscapes and views around Pandora (the world on which the story takes place) are beautiful and each area has its own look and atmosphere. Characters and enemies are detailed and extremely varied in appearance. You can customise your characters appearance with a large selection of outfits and heads which you can collect throughout the game.

Audio

10

No real killer soundtrack here (apart from the the introduction video), just really good atmospheric music throughout. Where this game really shines is the voice acting for characters, enemies, audio logs and even weapons (yes some of them can talk!). The dialogue is often very funny, helping to explain and drive the story, fill in background and really adds the the immersion.

Gameplay

9

A mix of FPS and RPG, Borderlands 2 is a lot of fun to play. So many missions to complete, so many enemies to kill, so much loot to grab. You are given massive area's to explore all over the world of pandora filled with creatures, quests, secrets and homages to lots of popular culture. Controls are responsive, intuitive and the game mechanics (even at higher difficulties) feel fair and well thought through. As you progress through the game you will earn xp and levels which allow you to customise your characters skills giving a large variety of gameplay styles.

Story

9

The story in Borderlands 2 is rich and engaging. The action is character driven, and while the main story is fairly linear, the open world nature of the game allows you to take a break from the main story arc and explorer the hundreds of characters and side missions that can be found all over Pandora. It also has one of the most badass, charasmatic and handsome villians of all time...

Replayability

9

So many reasons to replay this game. Firstly the story can be completed at least 3 times with the same character at increasing difficulty and xp levels (normal, true vault hunter and ultimate vault hunter) with progressively better rewards. There is so much detail in the story and so many optional missions that each play through feels different. Next you have at least 4 (more with DLC) characters each with their own skills, playstyle and story to explore. Finally you have tons of loot in the form of Guns, Shields, Grenades, Relics and Class Mods you can collect for your character. These increase in rarity from white (basic) to orange (legendary) generally the rarer the weapon the more damage it will do and many will have additional unique abilities (red text).

Multiplayer

10

For me, this game remains simply the best cooperative multiplayer experiences you can have. Your character's skills really augment and compliment each other when playing as a team. Enemy and mission difficulty automatically adjusts to the amount of players, requiring real teamwork and synergy to avoid dying at higher levels. The multiplayer allows you to connect (drop in and out midgame) to your steam friends games or to public games, connections for the most part feel quick and responsive even with 4 players and with only a small delay on audio communication.

9.5

I can't recommend this game enough, while a minority of missions feel like you are just a glorified delivery boy, most are creative, funny and packed full of classic moments and great characters. So much fun to pick up and play with friends. - I haven't really mentioned the DLC (of which there is a lot) in this review but the main ones (Mr Torgue's, Captain Scarlett and especially Tiny Tina's) are all well worth getting (these are included in the Game of the Year edition), great fun to play and add loads more content to the game. To progress to the highest level in the game (level 72 +overpower levels) you will also need the ultimate vault hunter pack 2 so I would recommend that if you reach the end and still want more.