Borderlands 2 doesn't mess too heavily with the successful formula established by the original back in 2009, delivering another customisation-heavy first-person shooter with the questing structure and customisation options of a role-playing game and a big emphasis on co-operative play.

Markedly improves on the original; Fantastic co-op gameplay; It's lovely to look at

Not quite as satisfying in single player; The story's not exactly riveting; More weapon slots would be nice

In 2009 2K Games released an unknown IP to the world, and that IP was Borderlands.  It was a game that had been in development since 2007 and there were some major changes about a year prior to the games final release.

Hark at this, look: I'm a Borderlands addict. Maybe not as much as you are, you gaming freak, but it's still my favourite FPS. A bold statement, I know, but I'll take the original Borderlands over Half Life or Stalker any day of the week.

Excellent sequel; Massively pretty; Guns are fun

Odd jumping mechanics

Borderlands 2 is a sc-fi FPS with RPG elements, and the sequel to the critically acclaimed and financial successful title from 2009. Like its predecessor, Borderlands 2 takes place in the planet of Pandora, a dangerous place filled with aggressive animals, ferocious monsters and crazy people who...

The cel-shaded comics like art style; the intense action; the gun diversity and the voice-acting all mix up to one whacky experience

The texture popping, the confusing navigational system, the lack of real character and vehicular appearance customization, the re-spawn of enemies can be repetitive; Some dialogue is not funny but downright disturbing.

Borderlands was revelatory. It was proof that the loot-chaser mechanic of Diablo could work in a first person shooter, that cel-shading wasn't only for comic book games and that Gearbox Software could do more than port games or make outstandingly (if depressingly) realistic tactical shooters.

Borderlands 2 deserves at least a nomination for Game of the Year 2012. First, let's get one thing out of the way. It's a lot-an awful lot-like the first game. The overall gameplay, character synergy, loot system, controls, and humor are nigh identical. Nighdentical.

87 billion guns mean the way you play the game is constantly changing; An improved story and even more over-the-top characters and jokes; Tailored to a rich; rewarding multiplayer experience that's entirely unique

So much like the first game; you might end up calling it "Borderlands 1-and-a-half.

The only downside here is that at some point the game may still feel like you're going through yet another generic loot fest, ultimately offering very little substance to those gamers who expect a richer story and a connection with the in-game characters.

This is a decent sequel that expands on a lot of the original's virtues; more to enjoy here than before; cool atmosphere and a great mix of FPS action and RPG gameplay; great music and sound

Not as exciting in single-player as it could've been; a lot of the game (the story) still feels generic

It is time to return to Pandora and loot more guns. Does the sequel bring enough to keep it fresh?

+ Genuinely funny; + Co-op is still a blast; + Love the visual style; + Plenty of loot to collect

Shared loot in coop; Lots of the guns feel useless

The original Borderlands was a game that shone with potential but in reality turned out to be more brown and boring than its in-game environments. Guilty on so many levels of simply underachieving for rather easily fixed reasons, has Borderlands 2 done the work and made for an impressive come back?

Great gameplay; interesting story; colourful and varied game world

A tad buggy; multiplayer could be more diverse

Back in 2009, Gearbox's space-western Borderlands, a mash up of first-person shooter and role-playing game, turned out to be rather popular despite a barely there story, limited variety between class types and combat, and ultimately rather repetitive gameplay.