Initial Impressions: Borderlands 2

I'm going to keep this one short and sweet. If you're not playing "Borderlands 2," you probably should be.

With most games, it's pretty easy for me to find the "fatal flaw–" the thing that ensures that some people just won't like them regardless of whatever else they might do well but "Borderlands 2" from the four hours I've seen of it so far is a game that should appeal to just about anyone.

Unlike the first game, which was very good despite having some fairly obvious shortcomings, "Borderlands 2" sports a level of polish and refinement that is downright amazing when you stop and think about just how much is happening in the game at any given moment.

One of the most important things I look for in a gaming experience is a sense of adventure. I want to visit new places, fight new enemies, learn new things and be entertained while doing it. Beyond that, I want to be able to share that experience with others. "Borderlands 2" does all those things and more and does them with a style and technical competence that's hard to deny.

I of course have not played enough of the game to judge it as a whole but I would be extremely surprised if its quality fell off noticeably as I progress through it. There's a real sense of passion and craftsmanship to "Borderlands 2" that make it feel like it was created more for the love of games than the love of money and I don't see any sign of that fading as I get deeper into it.

If there is one potential criticism I could see being leveled against "Borderlands 2," it could be that the game is much more difficult when playing solo than it is when playing co-operatively with others; however, I personally see that as more of a "feature" as I typically want a greater challenge from a game when I'm playing it alone. The way the difficulty is balanced just makes sense as it provides a real motivation for bringing friends along beyond simply having a shared experience.

The bottom line is that "Borderlands 2" is a game worth playing based on what I've seen of it. In particular, if you have friends you like to play games with, I will go a bit out on a limb and say it's a "must-play" title.

Borderlands 2 - (via Steam)