Borderlands 2

Borderlands 2 preserves the best parts of the franchise while also making numerous, much needed improvements to areas like narrative and class skill design. Additional visual customization options would make it better, and the occasional technical issue takes away from the experience, but overall this is an excellent shooter no one even remotely curious should overlook.

Borderlands 2 doesn’t quite recapture the same sense of wide-eyed wonder that made its predecessor such a commercial smash-hit, but it’s still a dangerously addictive game. The humour may not be to everyone’s tastes, but the lure of the shooter’s loot is as strong as ever. It’s a safe sequel, but a solid one – and, honestly, who can resist the appeal of a title where you get to target midgets with rifles that fire mini-nukes as opposed to bullets?

Additions, refinements, and fixes all combine to create an appreciably improved experience, one that fully delivers on the promise of the first game. While Borderlands felt empty at times, this sequel is bursting with content and brimming with life, making it an absolutely delightful way to spend hours and hours and hours of your free time.