PAX Prime 2011 Eyes-On: Borderlands 2 - Preview
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 27 August 2011 / 4,651 Views
Let me be very clear. Borderlands is one of my favorite games this generation. I've beaten all the DLC and run through the game about four times, alone and with friends. Therefore, to say I'm excited for the new Borderlands is an understatement. However, with any high hopes come high expectations. From what I've seen so far, Borderlands 2 is only improving on the original Borderlands, even in ways I didn't know needed improvement.
Borderlands 2 takes place five years after the original Borderlands. A man named Handsome Jack has teamed up with weapons and technology maker Hyperion and taken over Pandora as well as Pandora's moon. The demo began in an icy arctic area, immediately showing how Borderlands 2 is departing from the Mad Max-style sand-everywhere motif and really showing the diverse ecosystem of Pandora this time around. The developer playing the demo squared off against an Arctic Bullymong, a fairly large creature with four arms that can jump up to 40 feet, charge you, and throw snowballs and icy stalagmites at you. After dispatching the first one, a couple more came at him at once, showing off the vastly improved AI in Borderlands 2. Enemies will try to flank and use the environment against you this time around. It also showed how enemies can be crippled to the point they can no longer fight, giving you the option of walking away or finishing the job if you want the XP.
The next section we went to was a sequence on top of a dam in pursuit of a quest that involved saving a "friend." First we ran into another developer playing with us, a new Siren called Maya. So the Siren class is returning! Proceeding forward, we come to realize the friend in need is Roland, the soldier from the first Borderlands. We were then told all four of the protagonists from the first Borderlands will be NPC's of great import in Borderlands 2. Roland had been captured by bandits, but as we arrive, Hyperion forces show up and kidnap him from the bandits. So now we're facing two factions fighting each other, but also trying to stop us from getting Roland back. We also get to see advanced AI used in humans and robots alike. Humans will now climb ladders, jump up walls, and pursue much more than they did in the first game. Take out an enemy robot's legs and the machine will keep coming after you, since robots feel no pain. The variety of enemies was high and their behaviors much more organic and challenging than what we ever saw in Borderlands.
The class of character being used for the demo is what's been shown in the teaser trailer and most screenshots so far: the Gunserker. His special ability is dual-wielding weapons for a short time. He can dual-wield ANYTHING for that period of time. Weapons are still numbering in incalculable variety, but they've also been completely overhauled. Manufacturers will matter much more this time as every manufacturer will have their own quirk. Bandit brand weapons look like they're built from spare car and kitchen parts but are known for high ammo capacity. Another manufacturer makes guns that all have mini-gun rate of fire, while yet another fire mini-missiles instead of common rounds. This makes the variety of weapons more than just revolvers, assault rifles, and so on.
The list of improvements is staggering, and that's just from a short demo at PAX Prime. The old car has been thrown out the window. There are now better car physics and they showed off a 4-person car currently nicknamed the Party Wagon. The user interface (you know, where you manage your inventory, skills, etc) has an overhauled, three-dimensional look and now is arranged vertically, so you can easily use it while in split-screen. Oh yeah, and due to overwhelmingly popular demand there's finally a MINI-MAP!
Overall, the Borderlands 2 demo was on par with the oh-so-fantastic The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and BioShock Infinite demos seen at E3, the best of that show. Borderlands 2 is looking like a sequel that's taking a great game and making it - in some nearly unbelievable way - even better.
