Dishonored review: Revenge solves everything

It used to be that the stealth-action video game genre was reserved only for future, or near-future, settings. The “Metal Gear” series eventually gave way to “Splinter Cell,” each allowing you to fill the shoes of a grizzled soldier with a vast array of gadgets at their disposal. For a long time, the genre felt stale – until “Assassin’s Creed” showed gamers and developers everywhere that silenced pistols and night vision goggles aren’t prerequisites for stealth-based games. Now the stealth genre has been shaken up once again, this time by a game with an enormous amount of buzz, yet somehow still isn’t on everyone’s radar – “Dishonored.”

Developed by Arkane Studios and distributed by Bethesda, “Dishonored” is set in a world that could be ours, but is vastly different. You take on the role of Corvo Attano, former trusted bodyguard of the Empress Jessamine Kaldwin and her daughter Emily. At the game’s outset, Corvo is returning from a lengthy journey outside the city of Dunwall to seek aid from nearby nations. Upon his return, he is quickly framed for the murder of the Empress and the abduction of the Princess. Luckily, a group of Loyalists orchestrates Corvo’s escape from prison and soon he is gifted a set of supernatural powers by a mysterious entity known as The Outsider. With a new group of allies, Corvo now has the means to take revenge on the Empress’ murderers and rescue Emily.

Dunwall, capitol of the island nation of Gristol, is the seat of Imperial government for The Isles, a group of four islands including Tyvia, Morley, and Serkonos. Situated in a vast ocean, the main source of energy used throughout the world is oil derived from the booming whaling trade. Resembling a Victorian-era British city in the throes of an industrial revolution, Dunwall is dark and grimy, overrun by street gangs and a fearsome plague attributed to the growing rat population. The City Watch is charged with maintaining order in Dunwall and utilizes the ingenious inventions of Anton Sokolov, creator of numerous devices and mechanical contraptions that are also powered by whale oil. The City Watch is run by the Lord Regent, the man behind the murder of the Empress and the framing of Corvo. Though there are numerous different themes and ideas that make up “Dishonored’s” story, they all gel cohesively, creating an immersive, thoroughly alive world – a world that your actions directly impact.

Tallboys are only one of many imaginative inventions created by Anton Sokolov.

“Dishonored” is a first-person action/stealth game. The gameplay is mission based, though completing each mission can take hours and hours of time due to how many sidequests and actions you can embark upon. Though Dunwall isn’t open to you at all times, each mission brings you to a different part of the city, giving you ample room to explore and plan your course of action. At the end of each mission, you are given a number of stats pertaining to your actions, like number of kills/takedowns and how many times you were seen. The most interesting stat details how much chaos you caused over the last mission and is impacted by factors like your tactics in completing a mission or the consequences of your methods of completion. For instance, taking the time to move carefully, remain hidden and avoid killing enemies during a mission will result in a lower chaos rating than if you kicked in the front door and fought your way to your target, leaving numerous dead bodies in your path.

However, the chaos you cause has a larger impact than just on your post-mission stats. As you play, the more times you are seen killing or using your powers and the more dead bodies you leave in your path has a direct effect on the city around you. As the city becomes more chaotic, you will encounter larger quantities of plague carrying rats, rats who become more emboldened to attack when gathered in large enough groups. More chaos also brings about the presence of more Weepers – humans who have become infected with the plague but not yet succumbed to it. Weepers are dangerous as they can easily disrupt your sneaking and are just gross to deal with in general (what with their blood vomit and insects that live in their skin). More chaos also means more City Watch who will stop at nothing to overwhelm you if you are caught.

As you could’ve guessed, “Dishonored” isn’t a particularly happy game. The citizens of Dunwall live in utter squalor, alongside a hideous plague, while the rich and well-off nobility hide behind barriers, protected by the City Watch. The bleak, dreariness of the city is aided by the game’s interesting art style of clean lines, bold colors and exaggerated character designs, making people look as though they’d seem right at home in the “Aeon Flux” cartoon.

Whale oil fuels Dunwall

My favorite aspect of “Dishonored” is how it offers many different ways to complete missions. Most `missions require you to gather information on a target and subsequently eliminate that target – though your method of elimination doesn’t necessarily need to be death. Throughout the course of the game, given a bit more effort, you’ll often be given a chance to completely ruin the life of your target. Sure, killing them would be just as easy but your targets are generally those who were complicit in framing Corvo, and deserve no pity. In one early mission, rather than just killing my target, I was able to brand him as a heretic, making it a crime in Dunwall to associate with him or offer him aid of any kind. Not only was he no longer a threat to Corvo and the Loyalist resistance, but his life has effectively been ruined. “Dishonored” stays true to its tagline “Revenge solves everything.”

As mentioned above, there are numerous ways to complete each mission and sneaking through the shadows isn’t your only option. Having been the Empress’ bodyguard, Corvo is a formidable opponent in a fight – even without his supernatural powers. A sword is always equipped to Corvo’s right hand (the right trigger) and he can also block and parry blows (using the right bumper). Corvo’s left hand is where powers such as Blink (silent, instantaneous movement) or Dark Vision (allows you to see enemies and their line of sight through walls) as well as weapons like a pistol or crossbow.

This game’s greatest strength is allowing you to play in any style you choose without faulting or failing you. And don’t get me wrong, dual-wielding sword-fights are amazing but creeping through the shadows, monitoring guard activity and slipping unseen through secure checkpoints is as exhilarating as any sword fight. “Dishonored” has solid mechanics underneath its stylized visuals and plays very smoothly. You can block and parry quickly and easily during swordfights and using multiple powers and weapons during combat is effortless.

I only had occasional problems with the way the game handled, mostly pertaining to fine/delicate movements. Despite how well it usually plays, there are sometimes issues that tend to arise when including platforming elements in a first-person game (such as trying to Blink past guards only to end up in front of them or missing catching a ledge and plummeting to your death).

“Dishonored” also requires a great deal of “trial and error,” depending on how silently you intend to complete missions. If you have no problem sounding alarms and getting in huge fights, this isn’t an issue. But as someone who tends to be obnoxiously stealthy, I found myself getting irritated having to constantly reload after failing to quietly neutralize a guard or sneak quietly. Also, there’s no such thing as checkpoints in “Dishonored” so if you plan on playing stealthily, plan on saving often.

The city of Dunwall, home of the whaling trade, is a dark, dangerous place.

Overall, I can’t say enough good things about “Dishonored,” though it probably won’t suit everyone. The world presented is incredibly deep and there is a ton of backstory and history waiting to be uncovered as you play. Only, a great deal of this history is presented through text and I can guess that most people don’t play video games for all the great reading opportunities. Without delving into the history of Gristol and the Isles, the themes of “Dishonored” can feel like a great mish-mash of ideas without much tying it all together. Information on the whaling trade, the decline of certain city districts, and numerous other topics can be found with a little extra effort. Though, my favorite aspect of the lore is the mysterious Pandyssian continent. The largest landmass in the world, it remains largely unpopulated and said to be home to horrible beasts that roams its dense jungles and unyielding deserts. All these topics and more can be explored if desired, though choosing not to delve deeper into the lore of the world can make “Dishonored” seem a bit of a shallow, hodge-podge of ideas and themes.

Though “Dishonored” only features a single-player campaign, you can replay completed missions for a better rating or to collect any missed collectibles. I’d also be very surprised if there isn’t some form of DLC coming to extend your time with the game.

At this time of year, it’s tough to make time for anything but the best games but if you do make time to play “Dishonored,” you will not be disappointed. It presents an incredible adventure where your actions have weight that affect the world around you. With many other blockbusters on the market (Borderlands 2, Assassins Creed 3, Halo 4 etc.) you might be running low on time and money for more games (I know I am) but if you like stealth/action games, “Dishonored” is a must-play and hopefully only the beginning of a larger franchise.

Latest Xbox Live dashboard update goes...live

From ign.com

A comprehensive Xbox Live Dashboard update rolled out yesterday for the remainder of Live users. The update, which started going live last week, keeps relatively the same look and feel of the previous Dashboard but gives users more option and more ways to customize their Xbox Live experience.

The first thing I noticed after the update applied was that there are significantly more panels per page than before, a look similar to the new Windows 8 style. Despite the additional content, the layout remains crisp and clear and easily navigable. Don’t worry about the flow of the pages either, everything still moves quickly despite the additional panels per page.

All of the features previously available are still there, just with more options on how to sort and search content. You can now “pin” items to your Home page, letting you quickly call up frequently used games, videos or apps (like Netflix or YouTube) instead of needing to search for them. My first attempt at pinning something was a fail though – I tried to pin the latest Bioshock Infinite trailer, “Beast of America” to my Home page but wound up pinning the download link instead.

All your video and game apps are still available, except the Zune Video/Music player is now Xbox Video. In Xbox Video, you can rent or purchase movies and TV shows – even new releases. Movie rental prices are usually around 360 MS points for SD and 480 for HD, not a bad price for recently released movies. The most impressive part of the new Xbox Video section is the TV shows, which features current seasons of popular shows like “The Walking Dead” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” Though, Season Pass prices for these TV shows can be a little steep (I noted that Season Pass for “The Walking Dead” cost 3370 MS points) but does offer access to the previous seasons as well. But, if you don’t have cable (but have high-speed internet) and just have to see “The Walking Dead,” Xbox Video is pretty good option. (And, honestly, you do want to see this season of “Walking Dead” – it’s easily the best yet.)

Other additions are an Internet Explorer app as well as a Sports page. I didn’t check out either of these additions, however I’d have to imagine that the Sports page is similar to the previously available ESPN content and Internet Explorer is, well, Internet Explorer.

It seems Microsoft has put a considerable amount of work into making your Xbox 360 and Xbox Live more of a complete entertainment center and not “just” a video game console. Some might be a bit overwhelmed with the new layout but the additional content and ease of use makes up for any uneasiness you might have about the new update.

Oh, one last thing. There is a sale happening on Xbox Live right now called “Spooktacular Shocktober” with discounts on all sorts of horror-themed games and DLC. The reason I bring this up is because the survival-horror classic, “Resident Evil 4” is available for download for just $10 right now. If you’ve never played “RE4,” you’ll never have a better chance at experiencing the game that start the “RE” series trending toward more fast-paced action and outlandish storylines. As “RE4” is easily one of the best, if not the best “RE” game of all time, it’s definitely worth $10 of your money.

Borderlands 2 Afterthoughts

I’ll be completely honest, I’ve been looking forward to writing my Afterthoughts of “Borderlands 2” much more than I did writing the actual review. For one thing, pretty much anyone who would be interested in the game knows what it’s about and knows that it’s full of as much badassery as one game can muster – and you didn’t need me to tell you that. On top of that, I try not to get too caught up on every little change made to the game and my opinion on it while writing the review but, being an opinionated nerd, I do have plenty of other notes and things I wanted to talk about.

Though I have a level 24 Commando and a level 23 Siren, I’m only on my first playthrough for each and have a long ways to go before I’ve maxed out either of them. For as much time as I’ve been playing, I still feel like I scratched the surface of this enormous game.

There may be spoilers below so read at your own risk.

There is no debate – the Commando class is best

-You heard me. Axton, the Commando, the spiritual successor to Roland’s Soldier class, is hands down the best class in the game. Why? Simple, really – dat turret. Axton’s turret is an absolute wrecking machine that none of the other action skills compare to. Though the other skills have their uses, the turret can function in similar ways to the other powers while easily remaining superior. It distracts enemies, damages them, is incredibly durable and can be upgraded to be even more devastating. Plus, you can even reclaim the turret once it’s made quick work of any nearby enemies (which it always does) to reduce its cooldown time.

I felt I had to stand up for Axton because one else on the internet will. Before the game came out, it seemed that everyone who was excited to play it was also really excited to play as Zer0. Or as Salvadore. And a few people were even stoked for Maya. But besides myself and a handful of others, it seemed hardly anyone was giving the Commando any respect. Even the devs don’t give him his due. Scattered throughout the game you can find wanted posters for each of the playable characters. Maya’s bounty - $720,000,000,000. Salvadore’s bounty - $99,000,000,000.99. Zer0’s bounty - $32,000,000,000. So what is Axton’s bounty? A measly $5,000,000,000! That’s just insulting, Gearbox.

Michael Mamaril is the man

-When I first got this game, I was wandering around, trying to familiarize myself with the main hub town, Sanctuary, when I happened across a character named Michael Mamaril. Since most NPCs in Sanctuary don’t have unique names, I decided to talk to him, thinking that he would offer some kind of quest. After greeting me, saying it was always good to meet another Vault Hunter like himself, he offered me the first purple weapon I had seen so far. I didn’t accept the gun right away, unsure of what kind of trickery Gearbox was trying to pull. Eventually I did take it – and that was that. Michael said he would be able to offer me something else if I ever found him again so I made it a point to seek him out every time I returned. He wasn’t always present (he seems to be around more often before Sanctuary takes flight) but when I did find him, whatever he offered me was undoubtedly one of the best items in my inventory.

Eventually, I started wondering what the deal was behind this apparently new face in the series who would willingly give up such sweet loot. As it turns out, the answer is a lot sadder but ultimately more touching than I had ever expected.

Michael Mamaril was a gamer and a huge fan of “Borderlands.” Because the world is a messed up place that doesn’t make sense sometimes, Michael was diagnosed with a terminal illness and passed away in 2011 when he was just 22. A friend of Michael’s contacted Gearbox and asked if series mascot Claptrap would read a short eulogy for Michael, which you can listen to here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuroFpcFq-c).

During the heart-felt speech, voice actor David Eddings promised that Michael would live on forever in the Borderlands and the developers did an astounding job memorializing their late fan. Gearbox could’ve just added a short note about Michael in the credits but instead went above and beyond anyone’s expectations and actually added Michael as a character in the game. And not just any character, but one who will freely give you some of the best loot you could find for nothing so that even people who don’t bother looking into the story behind Michael’s appearance in “Borderlands 2” will find themselves saying,  “I don’t know who this Michael Mamaril is, but he is the man!”

Gearbox managed to find a way to simultaneously honor one of their biggest fans while at the same time forever ensuring that even complete strangers will think that Michael Mamaril is pretty awesome.

Baby you can drive my Runner

-Though it isn’t available from the start, there is a new four-person vehicle to drive, the Bandit Technical. It’s a decent option to the traditional Runner and though it can seat everyone you’re playing with, its weapons leave a bit to be desired. While the Runner sports a machine gun or rocket launcher in the gunner seat, the Technical features a saw blade gun and a barrel launcher. The saw blades fly a bit slower than bullets and its hard to get used to leading enemies with it and though the barrel launcher is powerful it also suffers from accuracy issues. Plus the bigger frame of the Technical doesn’t provide the same maneuverability as a Runner. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the Technical, I just prefer the Runner.

I propose a trade

-In the first “Borderlands,” if you played with others, it was inevitable that you would eventually pick up items better suited for someone else. Though that doesn’t happen as often anymore with the removal of gun proficiencies (see below), sooner or later someone will want something you’ve got. If you wanted to give items to another player, your only option would be to simply drop that item from your inventory so someone could pick it up.

While there wasn’t anything wrong with just dropping items, it was a bit…inelegant. “Borderlands 2” introduces a new system where you can trade all sorts of items between yourself and another player – even money. Now instead of having to read the stats of a weapon to your friends, you can open the trade menu and let him see it first hand. You can even duel for items through the trade menu, which I thought was a neat addition. Granted, dueling for items sounds like it would take the participation of the other player involved, since a loading screen conveyed it as "A teammate just ninja-grabbed some sweet loot? Open the trade screen and duel him for it!"  So like I said, it takes the participation of the other player and if he's the kind of jerk who swipes sweet loot before you can check it out, he probably is the kind of jerk who won't even open the trade screen, let alone give you a shot at his ill-gotten gains.

Baaaaaddddaaaassss

-As I mentioned above, gun proficiencies are no more. Though each class still features a few skills in their trees which pertain to specific weapon types, it’s not nearly as confining as the first game. Replacing the proficiencies are Badass Ranks which bring their own advantages. As in the first game, there is a large list of challenges to complete which earn you Badass Ranks (as opposed to generic XP). Challenges pertain to pretty much every action in the game – dealing certain types of damage, killing X amount of this enemy, opening crates, collecting weapons and lots more. After enough ranks, you earn a Token which grants you a small percentage upgrade to a stat like gun damage or recoil reduction. Though they might not seem substantial at first, enough time and ranks will lead to some nice bonuses to important stats. And you can even disable these additional perks if you want a bit more of a challenge. But the best part of Badass ranks is that your rank and stats are shared across all your characters, meaning the more characters you create, the more Badass potential you have.

A colorful cast of characters

-I know I talked about the writing and Handsome Jack in the review but I didn’t really touch on the other characters in “Borderlands 2,” which is a pretty egregious oversight considering how awesome most-to-all of them are. Many familiar faces like Marcus, Moxxi and Scooter make returns but there are even more outlandish characters who make the original cast seem normal by comparison. There’s Sir Hammerlock, the half-cyborg adventurer who generally sends you on missions where you seek all forms of Pandora’s wild-life – and kill them. There’s Tiny Tina, a 14-year-old hyper-active girl with a penchant for ridiculous slang and high explosives. And we can’t forget about Ellie, Scooter’s full-figured sister who runs a garage of her own in The Dust. The series’ trademark dark humor has been enhanced greatly with a healthy dose of juvenile humor as well, which I first noticed on an outhouse in a Bandit shantytown a sign reading “Dook hut, no fapping.”

Variety is the spice of life

-Though I played the original “Borderlands” to death, I’ll be the first to admit that it reused enemy designs and environments fairly regularly. You spent most of your time killing bandits or skags and there were only a few different types of enemies within each class of enemy. To make matters worse, the majority of the environments in which you killed these generic enemies were pretty generic themselves. Gearbox did an incredible job giving each area a look and feel of its own by diversifying the types and terrains in the landscapes and filled each with unique creatures and areas of relative safety. While some maps may force you to venture around on foot, other maps are large and wide open necessitating the use of a vehicle. And while the colorful, detailed landscapes are important additions, what you’ll really need to keep your eyes on are the deadlier enemies.

Being that “Borderlands 2” traverses a wider area of the planet Pandora, you’ll come across a much larger swath of its residents – most of whom will not be pleased to see you. For example, in the first game, the bandits were the same everywhere you went but now different areas feature different types of bandits, each with their own personalities. Like the Rat class of bandits who you typically see underground or in cave areas. Tunnel Rats, Thief Rats, and Lab Rats are the most common and most will also try to pick up dropped items and money if you don’t get to them first. This brand of bandits are completely different from the ones you’ll find in drier, desert areas like Nomads and Torturers who are much hardier and often carry shields. Enemies now can also have elemental properties without being classified a Badass and can even impart these properties onto smaller enemies.

But the biggest enhancement to the enemies you fight is the addition of evolving enemies. Certain types of baddies, like Goliaths and Vakrids, have the ability to change and become more powerful during a battle. Goliaths, for example, are large Bandit enemies that dual-wield guns and wear giant pots over their head. Scoring a critical hit on a Goliath will turn it into a Raging Goliath and cause it to drop its guns and pummel everything nearby with ferocious strength and speed – I once saw a Raging Goliath jump a few stories into the air to attack me, since there wasn’t anything closer to it on the ground. If the Raging Goliath manages to kill anything, it will become progressively stronger and harder to kill, changing into a Badass Raging Goliath, new Super Badass variety of enemies or worse (to be honest, I never usually let them get this far, so I’m not totally sure what comes next).

Vakrids are new insect enemies which always start out as Larval Vakrids but when they take damage, they will flee to a safer area and change into a cocoon. If the cocoon isn’t destroyed it will become the larger, stronger Adult Vakrid. These too can turn into Badass and Super Badass versions if not destroyed. Evolving enemies are huge issues that need to be addressed quickly on the battlefield or they can quickly become an overwhelming problem. I really love how the new enemy types and evolving enemies force you to change your strategy on the fly and keeps firefights from becoming dull or repetitive.

Handsome Jack’s Flying Robot Circus

-Did that title work? I’m not in love with it. Regardless…I like Jack’s robot death machines so much I thought I’d give them their own section outside the entry above (and not just because that one was running a bit long). As the head of the Hyperion Corporation and the main bad guy, Handsome Jack needed to have a fighting force that was as identifiable as his giant H-shaped space station. Rather than just give him an army of expendable faceless humans who would be on par with the Crimson Lance from the first game, Gearbox opted to equip Jack with a never-ending tide of relentless, emotionless killing machines. You can blow the robots apart, taking off arms and legs but until they’re down for good, they’ll keep coming at you like Terminators. But these guys have a leg up on Terminators because when they’re injured, they display a repair beacon and a nimble flying machine called a Surveyor will cruise in a repair the injured bot.

Usually these bots only inhabit Hyperion controlled areas but when Jack feels like being dramatic, he will launch down volleys of robots from his space station. And when dropping giant, killer robots on your head isn’t enough, you’ll come face to face with a Constructor. Constructors, while massive, well-armored enemies in themselves, are named that for a reason as they can create new enemies on the fly as well as launch auto-turrets and fire missiles to protect itself. They’re incredibly tough to bring down, especially since they can create new enemies to replace ones you’ve killed and forces you to take your attention off any Surveyors repairing damaged bots. Jack’s robot army is incredibly dangerous enemies and add tons variety to the combat.

  

Zingers

-Highly considering getting the season pass. The pass costs $30 and is said to include four upcoming DLC packs which should all, allegedly, be released by next summer. Since each DLC is going to be $10 by itself, spend a little now to get more later on. Which is great because…

-Gearbox has not only released the Mechromancer class earlier than expected, but they have also already announced the first DLC, titled “Captain Scarlett and her Pirate’s Booty,” which has been given a release date of Oct. 16. The new area has been described by Gearbox President Randy Pitchford as being a large, dry area “more like Tatooine than an ocean” that also features a bandit occupied area known as Oasis. This DLC pack is also said to add a new vehicle – the Sand Skiff (think those little ships that traveled next to Jabba the Hut’s barge) – as well as a new currency called “seraph crystals,” though no word on what you’ll be able to purchase with them. I’m pretty blown away that Gearbox has not only released the Mechromancer early but that its first announced DLC pack is only days away from coming out. Gearbox definitely knows how to give their fans their money’s worth – and how to keep them coming back.

-You can’t keep health packs in your inventory anymore, which is kinda lame. There are more opportunities to pick up health vials now and more chances to add some aspect of health regeneration to your character but it’s not the same.

-Once you reach Sanctuary you’ll have access to numerous stores, a space to store weapons as well as a method to share items between all your created characters. Not only that but you can spend some time and money on the slot machines in Moxxi’s bar. For a price, dependent on your level, you can take a spin for a chance to win weapons, money and Eridium making them a great time waster if you’re a gambling man. Though, they do shoot out live grenades at you if you line up three Bandit masks, so play at your own risk. So far I’ve gotten some pretty sweet loot out of these machines, lots of blues, some purples but no oranges yet for me. A friend scored an orange gun when we were playing once, but that was the only time I’ve seen it happen so far.

-Flying enemies add lots of variety to the combat. I mentioned the robot Repair Surveyors and bandits also have flying contraptions of their own called Buzzards. Though they can get a bit annoying and overwhelming, if you aren’t prepared to face them, they are a welcome addition to the series’ stable of enemies. It’d be great if we could pilot a flying vehicle ourselves, but I’m not holding out hope.

-E-Tech turns regular weaponry into crazy, over-powered versions of its original self. I’ve seen assault rifles that shoot lasers, shotguns that shoot balls of fire and I’m sure that’s just the beginning.

-I didn’t think this would be a problem but I’ve run out of use for Eridium. After buying every SDU that Crazy Earl has to offer, I keep picking up Eridium (on my travels or from the slot machines) but there’s nothing that I can do with it anymore. It’d be cool if Gearbox eventually added additional uses for the stuff but I’m not holding my breath.

-There’s a day/night cycle though the time of day is rarely important. I’ve come across maybe one mission where the time of day mattered and even then it was just for bonus XP (if I completed a certain mission at night).

-Rocket launchers actually are worthwhile in this game. If you played enough of the first game, you undoubtedly came to realize that rocket launchers were surprisingly useless. They didn’t seem to do much damage, their explosions didn’t seem to bother or stagger enemies and they somehow seemed to lack any noticeable splash damage. Their ineffectiveness was also part of the reason most people avoided Brick. Such is not the case anymore. It’s weird, but I almost find them to be too effective and tend not to keep one hotkeyed unless I know I’m going to be fighting an extremely resilient enemy.

-Make sure you check everything – and I mean everything. It won’t happen often but if you’re diligent enough in your exploration, you can sometimes turn up rare weapons in refuse piles or tiny containers.

-Though this problem isn’t as bad or prevalent as it was in the first game, some missions still contain elements of manufactured length – missions where you’re required to return to a different area to “turn in” the mission, only to be told it’s the first part of a multi-part mission that will have you going back and forth between the same areas, completing similar tasks. Like I said, it’s not as it was in the first game, but the fact that you’re still subjected to these dull, back-and-forth affairs is a bit annoying.

Borderlands 2 review - We're gonna need a lot of guns

It’s been a while since my last update and I’d like to apologize for that. I have a good reason, though. Gearbox Software recently released “Borderlands 2,” sequel to the 2009 surprise hit “Borderlands” (one of my favorite games of all time) and, well, I’ve spent a bit more time on quests and searching for loot than actually writing about it. But trust me, once you get a taste of everything that “Borderlands 2” has to offer, you may never want to leave either.

Though the core of the series hasn’t changed much – explore Pandora’s vast, hostile landscapes, complete missions and shoot things in the face while collecting gobs and gobs of loot – nearly everything has been improved and upgraded to provide a more streamlined experience. The visuals are brighter and cleaner, the characters are a bit deeper and the story has received a significant amount of attention as compared to the first game. But more importantly, it’s easier than ever to play cooperatively with friends, which you will definitely want to do to get the most out of your time on Pandora.

Times are still rough on the backwater planet of Pandora. In fact, they’re worse than ever. The events of “Borderlands 2” hinge on two huge events in the history of Pandora. First, the opening of the Vault at the end of the first game changed the landscape of the planet significantly, sparking the growth of a precious element known as Eridium. Along with the opening of the Vault, the events of the DLC pack “Viva La Robolucion!” has resulted in the Hyperion Corporation setting up permanent operations on the planet. Hyperion has begun strip-mining the planet’s Eridium resources while simultaneously seeking out another hidden Vault.

Unlike the faceless Atlas Corporation in the first game (or whoever was controlling the Crimson Lance), the Hyperion Corporation has a very well-known leader – Handsome Jack. It seems Jack has taken credit for opening the original Vault and is responsible for luring the Vault Hunters to Pandora this time around. Jack wants the new Vault all for himself and hopes to rid himself of competition by wiping out any new Vault Hunters that show up on the planet. Though you initially come to Pandora seeking the fortune that the Vault is said to contain, stopping Jack and getting a manner of revenge on him quickly becomes your biggest goal.

The cast of "Borderlands 2" (from left) Axton, Zer0, Salvadore and Maya

Getting to Jack won’t be easy, however. The landscape of Pandora is brutal as ever and you’ll need some serious firepower to survive. Gearbox has done a considerable amount of work adding a greater level of variety to every aspect of “Borderlands 2.” There are more categories of enemies as well as newer types of each enemy to ensure that firefights never become dull or predictable. There are numerous, different landscapes, ranging from grasslands, rocky canyons, chilly tundras and more – as opposed to the brownish, rocky terrains that comprised a majority of the first game. And perhaps most amazingly, there are even more guns in this game.

In “Borderlands,” just as in the sequel, there are many different manufacturers that produce the various guns and equipment to be found. Only, those differences weren’t very pronounced in the first game. While it was hinted at that certain companies imbued their weapons with unique traits, most guns usually performed similarly despite this. Such is not the case in “Borderlands 2.”

Not only do guns from different companies each perform in their own unique manner, they each will generally have a distinct appearance as well. For instance, Dahl guns are generally highly dependable guns with good accuracy, steady rates of fire and high damage. Visually, Dahl guns resemble military grade technology, giving each a solid, sturdy appearance. Another company, Maliwan, specializes in elemental technology and as such, their guns will generally be SMGs or pistols with high rates of fire and great accuracy. Maliwan guns have the appearance of being made from lightweight materials and usually sport a colorful paint scheme. Those are only two of the many, many different manufacturers represented in “Borderlands 2” and you’ll undoubtedly, eventually come to favor certain companies over others. Personally, I’m a big fan of Torgue guns which sport a colorful, yellow-and-black checkerboard color scheme and always deal explosive damage. They may not fire quickly, but when your rounds explode on impact, you don’t need to fire many shots.

Before I even played “Borderlands 2,” I knew that I was going to be spending a lot of time playing it, searching for more baddies to kill and loot to “appropriate.” What I didn’t know was that killing and looting would take a backseat to something else entirely – the story. The first game wasn’t known for its storytelling – mainly because there was hardly any story to speak of. Luckily, there was a much greater emphasis on creating memorable characters and events in “Borderlands 2.” Each character begins the game with a playable audio recording giving you a slight peek into their backstory and possibly referencing why they are on Pandora. Characters you meet along the way have their own personalities and motivations outside of simply moving the plot along, a significant change from the previous game where NPCs seemed to only exist to help you advance.

Just a few of the cosmetic changes possible for Maya the Siren

But most importantly, “Borderlands 2” presents one of the most engaging and entertaining villains I’ve ever encountered. In the first game, there wasn’t any one, identifiable villain. There were numerous boss characters you would fight, but not one central figure which you struggled against. Handsome Jack changes all that for the better. Jack is the head of the Hyperion Corporation and, in addition to mining all the Eridium from Pandora he can, he is searching for yet another hidden Vault. Luring new Vault Hunters to Pandora was actually part of his plan – round up anyone who might discover the Vault first and make sure that they don’t. And, being the head of a massive corporation, Jack has plenty of resources at his disposal to ensure he reaches the Vault first – namely thousands upon thousands of hulking, death-dealing robots that he launches from his space station orbiting Pandora’s moon (which just happens to be in the shape of a giant ‘H’). Despite the fact that Jack has a tendency to kill anyone who gets in his way, he truly believes that he is the hero of the story and that you are the villain who doesn’t know when they’re beaten. Superb writing and voice acting gives Jack – and every other character – a depth and life that just wasn’t found anywhere in the first title.

Speaking of the Vault Hunters Jack lures to Pandora, I gotta admit, I’m a much bigger fan of them than I was of the previous four. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Roland, Lilith, Mordecai or Brick but Axton, Salvadore, Maya and Zer0 are just way cooler and sport much more friendly skill trees. Whereas the original four characters were seemingly locked into a category of weapons they were better suited for (Mordecai and sniper rifles, for instance), you’re given much more freedom to use the weapons that work for you. Being that Zer0 is Mordecai’s spiritual successor, you would probably think he would be predisposed to sniping. And while, sure, you can use snipers all you want, Zer0 has many skills which don’t focus on sniping, necessarily, but on critical hit damage so that if you have a preference for close combat you aren’t handicapped if you want to turn him into a ninja with a shotgun instead of hazy figure in the distance with a sniper rifle.

While it was obvious that Gearbox did a ton of work to improve the most immediately noticeable elements of the series, a great deal was done to improve the gameplay mechanics underneath it all, as well. Driving received a great deal of work, now giving each vehicle a greater feeling of weight and torque, replacing vehicles that felt as if they were gliding across the landscape. An onscreen minimap now gives you a better sense of where you are in each environment and a larger overworld map has been added to the Fast Travel menu, allowing you to instantly see where highlighted missions are located. Items dropped by enemies (like money and ammo) are now picked up automatically, which helps greatly collecting the massive amounts of loot dropped by enemies – especially while driving. Little touches like these, and more, have gone into making an already stellar series even better.

Zer0 gets ready to introduce his blade to a Vakrid, a new enemy

When I first opened the Fast Travel menu, I was surprised at how large the available map was. After playing for several more hours, I truly started to get a sense of how much work was done to even out area/mission discovery with how quickly your characters gain experience points and levels. Never did I feel like I was progressing too quickly or that certain mission were beyond my abilities. Even when playing with friends who have various leveled characters, I was surprised at how even the difficulty of the combat remained. Each firefight is intense – especially with more people – but I never felt overwhelmed or frustrated.

Despite its action-packed, FPS exterior, “Borderlands 2” is very much an RPG at its core. Each character has three, large, diverse skill trees where earned skill points can be spent. Die-hard fans will no doubt spend too much time agonizing over how to level up their characters as numerous builds of each character are possible. In combat, each hit you register pops up a number to instantly let you know how much damage you’re dealing – as well as color-coding the numbers to let you know the type of damage as well. You’re even able to change the appearance of your characters and make them distinct and unique to you. 

Over everything else, the ease with which you can play “Borderlands 2” with friends or strangers over Xbox Live is astounding and being able to share your journeys across Pandora with others is worth more than all the loot in a hundred Vaults. Parties can be easily organized from the main menu and you can instantly jump into a friend’s game or change network settings from the pause menu. It’s even possible for two-players on splitscreen to play with over the internet with others. But no matter how it’s accomplished, one thing is certain – “Borderlands 2” is better with friends.

The amount of content offered by the core game of “Borderlands 2” is truly astounding and promises to offer nearly limitless amounts of fun and gameplay. When you consider the fact that Gearbox is releasing another playable class this month (the Mechromancer) as well as four DLC packs before the next summer, you could easily play “Borderlands 2” until the next summer and still not be tired of it. With a bunch of incredible titles on the horizon like “Dishonored,” “Halo 4” and “XCOM: Enemy Unknown,” it will be harder and harder to find time to return to Pandora but make no mistake – Handsome Jack has not heard the last of me.