I've spent a ridiculous amount of time in the last week playing "Borderlands." As much as I'm ashamed to admit it, the game has sat next to my television collecting dust for a long time. It's not that I didn't like the game, it was just one of those missteps where even popular titles can get lost in the shuffle. So, when word started getting around that a sequel was soon to be announced, I decided to finally vacate the game from my pile of shame. I'm glad that I did, because it's wonderful.
So now that I'm up to speed, and hopefully you are too, we can start getting excited about "Borderlands 2." Considering it was just announced, there's only a few details, but I'll run through some of the more impressive features as noted in this month's Game Informer.
First, there's going to be a new set of playable characters. The four vault hunters from the original game will make an appearance in "Borderlands 2," but they'll participate purely as non-playable characters. Gearbox has only released information on one of the new protagonists, but as far as duel-wielding dwarves go, Salvador is looking pretty amazing. His class is called "Gunzerker," which sounds a bit like Brick's insane melee action skill from the first game – but with guns.
While the game will maintain the branched skill-tree system from the first game, there's a definite sense that the world of "Borderlands 2" is a bit more immersive. There will be more opportunity for interaction and dialog with non-player characters. Gearbox is also claiming that the AI of enemies has improved.
Elements played a large role in the first game, and a new element, Eridium, will serve not only as a form of currency in "Borderlands 2," but will also play a role in guns and vehicles. It's not immediately mentioned if there will be gun customization, but Gearbox are wiping the slate clean in terms of weapons. That's no small task, considering that the original game had literally millions of possible weapon combinations.
We should hear some more information on "Borderlands 2" coming out of GamesCom and PAX Prime later this month.