Borderlands 2: Ten Years Later · 1:57pm Sep 19th, 2022

I've noticed a trend these past couple of years with games like Borderlands 3 (2019), Crackdown 3 (2019), The Last of Us Part II (2020), and Cyberpunk 2077 (2020). The one thing these games all have in common is that they were all very hyped up to be the next big hit only to be the next huge let down. Hidden gems like Maneater (2020), Grounded (early access 2021), and Trigger Witch (2021) are a welcomed surprise that have kept me going amidst a sea of rather lackluster newer content being released these days.

Since that's been on my mind as of a late, I thought it would be a great idea to go back and re-visit one of my favorite games of all time, and it seems like I picked a good time to do so since it's been ten years post its initial release. Today, I'll be basking in the undying gracious glory that is Borderlands 2, and all I can say is it's about as fun as snorting drugs from a strippers cleavage while riding a gold plated jet ski. Or, so I'm told by the local drunk.

Borderlands and Borderlands 2 are rated M for mature, and as such this blog will feature heavy language, violent rated M story comparisons, and possibly other sensitive subject matter some readers might not find suitable if they are not used to playing or seeing rated M material. Please turn back now if that kind of material is not for you. I take no responsibility for any spoilers, hurt feelings, or crushed egos that occur after the break. Again there will be spoilers. This will be your only warning.

Section I
Badass Characters

Critical, bitch!

One of the many movie directors I've listened to over the years once said something that I still think about to this day, which is that a sequel needs to be earned. I think the original Borderlands did just that, by creating a world that I, and many others, would enjoy diving into on a regular basis to find out just what kind of loot lay in store for us. I'd be lying if I said it was just the world of Pandora that brought me excitedly back to the game each weekend, because the characters and their abilities were also what held my attention even if it was to a character I wasn't using.

Standing tall and slim was Mordecai as The Hunter. A skilled sniper who owned a pet bird named Bloodwing that saved my ass more times than I can remember. Mordecai's various skills, especially the armor piercing skill, made him a formidable hunter on his own, but combined with Bloodwing they were a nearly unstoppable duo.

Lilith was the drop-dead gorgeous Siren, of which there are only six in existence at any one given time in the universe, whom held unfathomable power and limitless potential with her Phase-Walk ability.

Roland, built like a brick house, was The Soldier. A military trained badass that could drop a turret to wipe out anything that stood in his path. I speak from experience when I say that it was nice having this man, and his turret, backing me and my character up in tough situations.

And last, but not least, there was Brick, staring as Himself, and standing as tall as a mountain with the ferocity of tiger who could punch the lights out of anything standing before him.

All competent fighters, all great characters even with the small amount we know about them, all certified badasses. But, this is a blog about the second game, so some people reading this right now might be wondering why I'm talking about the first game. Well, dear reader, allow me to paraphrase John Wick's main antagonist, Viggo Tarasov, before I dive into the second game. The bodies the audience buried in this game laid the foundation of what the Borderlands series is today, so I'll start this blog off right by paying respect to the past that came before the sequel.

Axton - The Commando

Smarter, Stronger, more Sexually Attractive!

Axton's entire character can best be summed up by the phrase, if it isn't broke, don't fix it. At first glance, Axton seems like another ex-military type character we've seen before, and some could even say he's a carbon copy of Roland just without the badass catchphrases. But, I would disagree with those statements.

Axton, having left the Dhal military and became divorced at some point, was a former bounty hunter doing work for a local sheriff's office when he heard a news report about the Hyperion Corporation, Handsome Jack's company, calling for vault hunters to seek out a new vault on Pandora. Seemingly tired of his mundane life of easy bounties, Axton jumps at the opportunity to take on everything Pandora can throw at him, and his wife, which is actually known as his turret. Speaking of which, said turret is a vastly improved version of Roland's, being able to stay functional even if Axton is knocked down as well as being able to revive Axton if it kills an enemy. Oh, and the best part is with the right setup Axton can drop two turrets, which is better than one.

He's a true badass in every sense of the word. He loves guns, bullets, loot, and his turret. That's all the audience needs to know about him.

Salvador - The Gunzerker

Killing bad guys really is always fun!

Salvador is a shoot first and ask questions later kind of guy, and I love it. I won't lie, Salvador's personality resonates with me on a spiritual level. It's like everything I think of saying, but won't, he just says it. Funny enough, no one in my group played as Salvador outside of one time a hacked, max-level version of him was used.

One of the best things about Sal is that his skill tree has a lot of hilarious skills in it, such as the Sexual Tyrannosaurs skill, which to this day still makes me chuckle. There's even a loading screen quote saying that the developers just wanted the player to say, "I don't know what it does, but I want that!" and while I never played as Salvador, I can honestly say I would have gone after that skill right away. And last, but not least, a lot of his dialogue are references to movies.

This guy rocks!

Maya - The Siren

Don't. Call me. Child.

One of the best things about Maya is that while she's a siren, she's not a carbon copy of Lilith even if they are both drop dead gorgeous sirens, and sexy as hell.

For starters, Maya's siren ability is vastly different from Lilith's, she has the power of Phase-Grasp which allows her to lock enemies in place while Lilith has the ability to turn intangible. Their backstories are also drastically different, while Lilith was a nerd playing games like Bunkers & Badasses, Maya was used as a tool for fear mongering by some monks.

Maya was raised on Athenas for 27 years, where she was trained to be a fighter to protect it's people from threats both foreign and domestic. However as time went on, Maya discovered Pandora held information about sirens and their powers, thus she asked to leave her home in search of answers only for her request to be declined. Shortly after that the monks brought her to a group of people they had deemed as terrorists, she was asked to execute them on the spot for treason. It was on this day that Maya connected the dots, the people of Athenas couldn't disobey the monks' order if they had to face the wrath of a powerful siren, so she executed the leader.

Since no one in my group used Maya as their main character, I didn't have an attachment towards her at first, so I found her Echo Logs on YouTube to fill me in on who she was as a character. It didn't take long for me to have a fond appreciation for her after hearing about everything she went through growing up. It's no wonder why she's a fan-favorite character.

Zer0 - A Number (Ironically does a lot of dividing)

Your eyes deceive you / An illusion fools you all / I move for the kill.

Ah, yes, Zer0, the strong silent type with a strong affinity for assassination and haikus. I believe it's his use of haikus that makes him standout from just being a generic assassin, and I can't really think of another character from any other franchise that does that, which is a big win in my book when presenting a character to the audience. Present day, I still think this is one of the coolest aspects of his character.

One of the things I love most about Zer0 is that based on his Echo logs he doesn't seek out the vault for frame or fortune, he does so merely because he sees it as one of the greatest challenges in the universe, and it's that aspect that attracts him to the vault. Yes, money probably plays a small role in his decision to hunt it, but it mostly comes from the excitement of the challenge itself.

Honestly there isn't a whole lot to know about him as far as his backstory is concerned. Zer0 is for the most part a silent assassin. He disappears like smoke and strikes like lightning. In short, he's called Zer0 because that's how many people are alive when he leaves the room.

Krieg - The Psycho

I'm commander of the poop train!

Feast your eyes on his pecs, his biceps, his triceps, his rock hard core, feast your eyes on his meat-cycle built for two. This huge mass of muscle is Krieg, our local Psycho.

Krieg grew on me as a character, because at fist glance I thought he would just be a generic mumbling psycho, but he ended up being more than that. One of the notable traits about Krieg is his split personality, having an inner voice that sounds rather sophisticated and profound, but on the outside he acts like a raging, gargantuan psycho. The second notable trait is that most of Krieg's dialogue, while sounding outlandish and weird, usually sounds like he's reciting a poem albeit a very gross one.

I would like to add that I found it incredibly sweet that Krieg developed feelings for Maya, at least in some way, shape, or form at first sight as shown in his trailer.

Gaige - The Mechromancer

I say Mechro! You say Mancer! Mechro...You guys suck!

Her annoying screaming aside, Gaige is a born badass with her sheer awesomeness, cybernetic limb, snarky wit, and general adorability. Whoever did the writing for Gaige's dialogue did a fantastic job, as well as her voice actress, because there are so many well written and well delivered lines that it's almost impossible to count them all. Even when I replayed her captured voice recordings from the game I kept finding lines I had forgotten about that had me laughing my ass off.

I'd argue that Gaige's backstory is one the most in-depth out of the vault hunters. Her echo recordings on YouTube are roughly ten minutes long, but they deliver so much information on her that it just seems to edge out the others at least from where I'm at. Don't believe me? Have a listen yourself.

*Gaige Echologs.

In just those few minutes, we are shown Gaige has a loving father, and presumably mother, she's a bit of a loner, but doesn't let that get her down, and she continues to persevere in her endeavors to build what will eventually become her fighting companion, Death Trap.

In short, Gaige is a nerdy, dorky, inventor, cyberpunk badass, and a whole lot of people lover her for it. It's truly no wonder why she's my favorite of the bunch, as well as a fan-favorite character.

Handsome Jack - The Self-Righteous Charismatic Manipulator

It's cute that ya'll think you're the heroes of this little adventure, but you're not. Welcome to Pandora, kiddos!

It's impossible to talk about this game without discussing Handsome Jack as he is arguably one of the best things about the entire series as a whole. I have a lot to say about Jack, so I'll let this list below refresh everyone's memory on what Jack has done prior to the main game. I'm going to limit this list to just the second game.

Here's a small list of the things Jack does:

Imprisoned his daughter, and siren, Angel.
Killed Brick's dog.
Military takeover of Pandora.
Destroyed Moxxi's Underdome due to rejection.
Used a spoon to scoop a man's eyeballs out.
Executed Helena Pierce and survivors.
Tortured Tanis.
Mutated and killed Bloodwing.
Murdered Roland.
Captured Lilith.
Had his grandmother killed.
Tricked Vault Hunters into killing the bandits that killed his grandmother to avoid paying them.

That's a very short list, which could be made a lot longer, but those are the highlights. Looking back on this game, I can honestly say Handsome Jack is one of the most cruel, sadistic, and charismatic people I have ever encountered in a game. The best part of it all, and this is something I've noticed he has in common with my favorite antagonist of all time, Thanos, is that Jack believes what he is doing is right.

Throughout the entire game, Jack refers to himself as the hero, in fact, in the opening cinematic before the player can pick their character he even outright states that while the vault hunters might think they are the heroes, they aren't. I'd also like to point out just how warped his mind was, because at one point he mentions how he helped torture Tanis, breaking every bone in her body, but let her live because that's what heroes do.

The amount of times I, and my cousin who I'll refer to as Player 2, went from hating this man with every fiber in our being to laughing our asses off because of his sheer loveable charisma and wit is incalculable, but it was a lot of times. That's a great thing for an antagonist as he isn't just screwing with the characters, he's also able to get under the skin of the audience to the point we all look forward to the final confrontation with him.

I'd also like to point out that Jack knows how to do his research and is very resourceful. I dare say that he probably had more information on the six sirens than anyone else in the entire galaxy, even when he was setback by losing his siren it didn't take long for him to bounce back to gain an upper hand on the Crimson Raiders.

To bring this character's endless list of amazing qualities to an end, Handsome Jack is a fantastic antagonist, he's cold blooded, charismatic, pure evil, and fucking hilarious. This is the kind of character people need to study, and understand, when making their own antagonists.

The only complaint I saw regarding the characters for this game, after doing some research on what people thought about them all, was that some of them felt generic or carbon copies of the previous games vault hunters. I still don't understand that complaint as these guys all have their own unique quirks even if it's only one or two traits that set them apart.

In closing to this section, despite having way more characters I could talk about, Borderlands 2 took just about every character in the game and gave the audience something to like about each one of them. Keep in mind that the ones listed here are just some highlights, other characters like Mad Moxxi, Tiny Tina, and Mister Torgue were absolute gems as characters. I'd also like to point out that even ten years later these characters do a far better job making me bust out laughing than most of the newest triple A games released today.

Section II
Three Key Moments

Scenes can make or break a story. There are countless examples across all storytelling mediums where a single missing scene ruins the story, conversely, there are also a plethora of examples where a scene, or group of scenes, solidifies a story as being a wonderful experience.

In other words, execution is the key to telling a good story, and Borderlands 2 does this in spades. Below are three moments I think help bring the audience back down to reality, and reminds us about what's at stake amongst all the chaos and enjoyable action. Part of the reason why I picked these moments is because they're the ones that still make me pause every time I play through the game. Sure, I never quite hit the emotional high I received when I first played through them, but these moments stand out to me the most when I play through the game again.

Wildlife Preservation

Want Bloodwing back, huh? Shame, I've been doing some really interesting Eridium experiments with her. Hate to see her go, but heck with it. She's all yours.

Nothing could have prepared me for this scene the first time I played it. It was suspenseful, tragic, and nothing short of superb. Everything about this scene just works, and even though I'll never have the emotional high I experienced the first time playing through this, I still dread it.

This scene focuses a lot on Setup and Payoff, but drags the setup portion out a bit to build up tension for Bloodwing's reveal as this level's boss. During the search for Mordecai's beloved bird, the audience is shown a series of events that help keep everyone on their toes. For starters, the entire complex is being used to experiment on the local Pandora wildlife, then we are shown a large cage that could be used to hold an animal the size of a mammoth, it's supposed to be Bloodwing's cage, Jack's taunting peppered throughout this mission is also rather unnerving, and then Bloodwing is revealed to have been mutated into a large, gargantuan behemoth.

I believe one of the reasons this mission stands out is because it reminds the audience that Jack is capable of horrendous things, and can break anyone in the group if they aren't careful enough. The next reason would be that this death also hits close to home by eliminating a former playable character's companion, further reminding everyone that there are stakes in this fight. The final reason will need a small explanation.

During the director commentary for Avengers: Infinity War, the Russo Brothers stated that they don't usually get sad when something tragic happens on screen, such as Mordecai's bird dying gruesomely, but rather they get sad seeing how other characters react to the death in question. The final reason why I think this mission stands out is because we get to see Mordecai's devastated and violent reaction to losing his companion, which is still upsetting to see, at least for me. Keep this in mind as I'll be coming back to this reason during the next scene I talk about.

Alright, sweet, sweet, found it. Alright. This is a song for Mordecai's stupid bird. In E. *Crappy violin noises* Alright, you know what, screw you it would have been HILARIOUS if I'd found it earlier. Shut up!

Before I move on though, I'd like to point out how well Handsome Jack is utilized just after the player returns to Sanctuary. This is what I meant when I said that Handsome Jack could have me hating every fiber of his being one second, and then laughing my ass off the next, when all I wanted to do in this moment was soak up the melancholy.

Usually I wouldn't enjoy tonal whiplash like this, but Borderlands has a very specific kind of humor that needs to be carefully balanced out. In a situation like this, I don't mind the humor since it's Borderlands' sense of humor being used here. This works due to Setup and Payoff, shortly before returning we hear Jack trying to find a violin, which is the Setup, and then the Payoff happens here. In any other situation I wouldn't enjoy the tonal whiplash the story is doing, but here, it works.

Bearer of Bad News

He was...he was a good man.

Roland's death is a moment I struggled with deciding whether or not it should be mentioned in this blog or not. This is because it does a lot of things I generally don't like a death to do, to name a few things it's shocking, unexpected, and this happens to a former main character. A vast majority of time these three things are done poorly, but I think I know why it works here rather than a lot of other titles that fail at a moment like this.

I believe the main reason this works is because of the mission the player is tasked with doing just after the assault on the bunker. After Jack murders Roland, and kidnaps Lilith, the player has to break the news to various notable characters in Sanctuary. This action packed game full of hectic chaos, which I play for those very reasons, comes to a slow halt to have us tell everyone about our fallen friend. I honestly can't think of a similar game that does this, and actually does it well as often times a moment like this feels either forced, or unearned. It couldn't have happened to a better character either, Roland was such a charismatic guy that to this day me and Player 2 still quote him while playing other games.

The audience gets to see six reactions when each character at Sanctuary is told about what happened to Roland. Most of the characters respond with a rather sad reaction as one would expect, but it's how they express the reaction that makes the moment a rather somber one. I'd like to call attention to what the Russo brothers said about characters reacting to a tragic moment as it's these very upsetting reactions that make me remember this mission rather vividly, as well as dread it as the game draws closer to it's conclusion.

The Talon of God

I wasn't supposed to die by the hands of a CHILD-KILLING PSYCHOPATH! You're a savage! You're a maniac! You are a bandit. AND I AM THE GODDMAN HERO!

The fall of Handsome Jack is a mission I won't ever get tired of replaying. It's one of those endings where I can find something new to appreciate about it every time I play through it, no matter how annoying Lilith's constant screaming about rising lava is.

During Jack's final moments, the audience gets to see who he really is, a psychologically broken man. Even covered in his own blood, slowly dying, Jack still believes he's a hero, which just goes to further support how far Jack's hero complex was ingrained into his psyche. He's a warped, twisted, and bastardized version of whoever he used to be. I've even heard some people refer to Jack as a fallen angel, and to a certain degree, I can agree with that. Seeing Jack unravel at the end here is beautifully tragic.

It's also worth noting that the audience gets two boss battles, one with Jack, the other against his ultimate weapon, the Warrior, and it is a great way to finish out the main campaign's story. Beating Jack into submission is it's own reward, but the fight against the Warrior is the proper way to end a Borderlands game, because at it's core the game is about vault hunting, exploration, and loot. Lots of loot. My point being that this ending is just brilliant in it's execution.

In closing, I'd like to raise a glass to Bloodwing and Roland. A decade later and you both are still missed very much.

Section III
Campaign Expansions and Story Mechanics

I need to preface this section by saying that while I would love to rave about each of the campaign expansions that were released, I just can't cover all of them in this critique, which is why I'm going to say something on the ones that stood out the most. Each one of the expansions was a blast to play even if I don't say something about a specific one.

Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon's Keep

Every time I play through this I keep getting closer to shedding a tear at the sight of Tina hugging Roland's statue. It's just a very touching scene. Also the final shot with everyone paying their respects to their fallen friends is nothing short of brilliant.

I'm getting ahead of myself though, so lets talk about Tiny Tina. Without a doubt, Tina is one of the most tragic characters Borderlands has. She is 13 years old, and has lost her parents, lives on her own, is a pyrotechnics genius, lost her second father figure, Roland, witnessed Mordecai lose his companion, and some how she's still standing, albeit with a lot of unresolved issues. This expansion tackles Tina dealing with loss, and her psychological trauma in such a unique and creative way that it's a reference I would personally study if I ever wrote a story on the mentioned subjects. A lot of people, especially ones that have gone through a traumatic experience, will often use escapism as a means to cope with said trauma and this expansion is the literal manifestation of that.

The sheer amount of emotional depth this expansion has is far more than anyone would have expected from this series, and I love it. This was one of the most heart breaking, silly, hilarious, gut wrenching, creative, and down right enjoyable story expansions I have played in my life time.

Mad Moxxi and the Wedding Day Massacre

Alright, so the story behind this expansion isn't what I want to focus on, it's actually the vault hunters I'd like to shine a light on. In this expansion, as well as in Sir Hammerlock vs. the Son of Crawmerax, which I'll get back to in a moment, the audience is given far more unique dialogue and a small look into the lives of each vault hunter. As far as the wedding story is concerned, we are shown through dialogue about what a vault hunter thinks of a given situation, or something about their past. For example, Zer0's loner personality can be seen on full display, or we can also see that Gaige has a thing for older men like Sir Hammerlock.

Regarding the Son of Crawmerax, this trend from the wedding expansion continues by delving even further into each vault hunter's past along with more unique dialogue. The highlight of this expansion is the ending where each character gets a message from someone they know, and their reactions are pure gold. Little subtle details from their dialogue are what help give them more depth, more personality, and overall make them a joy to play as or learn more about. I would have to make an entirely separate blog to show all of their interesting quotes, and what they could mean about them, but as I mentioned at the start of this section I just can't cover all of them in this critique, so I suggest everyone re-visit this game to check it out for themselves.

Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary

There is way to much I could say about this expansion, but I'll sum it up as this; outstanding and suburb. Here's what I mean by that. This expansion was released five years after the final expansion, and in those five years there were two other games released, Pre-Sequel and Tales, which means more lore, more things to connect, and more things to take into consideration when moving the story forward.

This expansion takes the history that came before it and works with all of those parts rather well. I can't list all the amazing things this expansion does, but I will point out that the fact that this story makes Tales canon by having the characters give Scooter a farewell after his passing in that game, and it's rather touching. Also the inclusion of another Tales character further adds to that point. Even upon replaying this expansion, I'm still left staggered at how well all they managed the additional content between it's release and the former final expansion.

The Heroes Journey - Wisdom is a Circle

In one of my previous blogs I mentioned that the Heroes Journey is in the shape of a circle for a reason, I think it's time I explained the reasoning behind this. By design this journey is meant to allow a writer to keep the story going as long as they choose to, which is why it's shaped like a circle, it's a cycle that can be repeated over and over again until something changes the outcome of the cycle's circular nature.

Here are a few notable examples that use this cycle.

Star Wars

Harry Potter

Samurai Jack

Spyro the Dragon

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avengers: Infinity War

I mentioned this cycle because of a comment I read a while back that said Borderlands has the Heroes Journey going for it. I can see what they mean. The cycle itself is simple, yet manageable when telling an epic adventure tale, which allows a writer to focus more on developing the characters while still moving the story forward. Every main character, and most side characters, are developed in some way, shape, or form that progresses them as characters even if they're starting from a not so desirable place. I think that's what Borderlands really has going for it; a simple tale told well.

To be fair, without that comment pointing this out to me I probably wouldn't have made the connection between the game's story and the Heroes Journey. I did some small observational research on how to identify a story potential using this cycle. This is because during my English Literature classes, as well as listening to more main stream writers, it always sounded like everything was a Heroes Journey story, but if everything is a Heroes Journey then nothing is, also that train of thought leaves out genre specific rules, or other mechanics, and thus bastardizes the nature of the cycle. Thus began my research.

I found that most stories that are truly successful with this cycle, such as the examples I listed above, usually have a few things going for them. For starters, these stories usually involve the main characters fighting against an oppressive regime of some kind already in place, or by a new upcoming tyrant with an army at their command. These stories are usually plot driven rather than character driven, which means the main character(s) will usually change a little, but not a lot. Lastly, upon completion this cycle can be repeated again after the main threat is eliminated.

Both Borderlands games do this to a degree. Commandant Steele had the Crimson Lance at her command. Handsome Jack had his Hyperion empire backing him up with a seemingly endless horde of bots. Colonel Hector had his elite squad of Ex-Dhal soldiers. Once one of them was beaten, and things returned to normal, another tyrant rose up to take their place.

Avatar the Last Airbender uses the cycle phenomenally well with a Three Act structure. Season one, which is Act One, establishes the world, characters, magic system, and general setting for the story by the time the audience reaches the end of said season. Season two, which is Act Two, picks up the character development and pushes the characters further along their journey until they reach the end of the season when Ba Sing Se falls, which puts every character aside from the antagonists at their lowest points. Season three, which serves as Act Three, re-establishes the goal of defeating the Fire Lord, but adds Sozin's Comet to heighten the stakes while hyping up what is essentially the boss fight of the entire show. Then it brings all the character arches to a close once Ozai is defeated. This season also pays off everything that was set up from the previous parts of the show.

This cycle, it's a road map, and it tells a writer where they should be going if they get stuck. It's not a magic formula that writes the story for the writer in question, never has been, nor will it ever be. It's simple, but effective, and that right there is why I believe that comment I originally saw had a great point to make. There's sometimes even a life lesson thrown in along way, such as with great power comes great big booty bitches, or something like that. Borderlands 2 follows this cycle to keep it's story simple, so that it can focus a bit more on the character development that makes it's cast of characters so memorable even if we've seen the tropes before.

Or, as I said in a previous paragraph and to bring this explanation full circle, I think that's what Borderlands really has going for it; a simple tale told well.

With all of that said, I do have a few final thoughts on this game and it's story. With where the Commander Lilith expansion leaves the vault hunters, I can honestly say this series had a gem of potential on their hands with limitless possibilities.

There's plenty of character material to work with going forward, such as Krieg's personalities possibly trying to merge, or at least learn to live with each other so he can impress Maya. Gaige's stolen schematics are potentially being used to make Crime-buster-bots for a corrupt law enforcement agency, which could mean a potential heist against the facility that builds them. Athena could also be protecting new Sanctuary as a bodyguard of sorts to atone for her past, and would also have a place to settle down in with her wife, Janey Springs. Or maybe Lilith could deal with an eridum addiction, or substance withdrawals after using it so much. There's also a war somewhere on the horizon as mentioned by the guardian, having all these characters together would certainly help build a solid defense for when it happens.

All of this means; more loot, more money, possible romance, and the adventure of a fucking lifetime. Or, to paraphrase Gaige, we are living in the most awesomely awesome time period in history with what we have here. All of this is potential that could build an amazing story for future games, or even one final game to close the series out.

Closing Thoughts

There's a lot more I could talk about, and while this game's story isn't perfect, it does do a lot of things well enough that it makes returning to it a treat. I've enjoyed this game, and series, so much that I've even considered buying the deluxe edition of the Bunkers and Badasses table top role playing game.

Just doing the research for this blog was enough to remind me of all the hilarious moments me and Player 2 had while exploring Pandora. One of my favorite memories being when Player 2 discovered he could throw his gun during a reload, which would then make the gun explode, lead to us yelling at whomever had that kind of weapon to, "throw your gun at them" when the enemies were to much to handle. Or when we burst out laughing during Tina's DLC when we found Claptrap in a Gandalf outfit guarding the bridge.

A long ten years have gone by since the initial release of Borderlands 2, and while I haven't played through every character yet, I can honestly say this game is still one of the best looter-shooter games that can go toe to toe with any modern day, 2022 game in it's genre. With all of the expansions taken into consideration, I'd say this story is a solid 8.5 out of 10, and a must play for anyone that loves loot, guns, and mayhem.

That's all I've got for today, now scram.

Resources

Resource Count: 38
Angry Joe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDPxcFNgTOg (Borderlands 2 Angry Review)

Borderlands Timeline
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wvb8jAKsno (The Complete, Unabridged Timeline of Borderlands) (EruptionFang)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-1ykt9Ray0 (The Complete Borderlands Timeline...So Far | The Leaderboard)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SK-rDcwXso (Borderlands Story Summary - What You Need to Know to play Borderlands 3!)

Character Quotes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxcOAh6h2b0 (Borderlands 2 - The Best of Handsome Jack)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4Fx4Jtl8Kg (Borderlands 2 - Axton Quotes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZuzzapfPHQ (Borderlands 2 - Gaige Quotes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK0CbcP3iOg (Borderlands 2 - Zero Quotes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd0IaBX8cEU (Borderlands 2 - Krieg Quotes)

Cut Scenes from Gamer's Little Playground:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YOoZAs6eIk (BORDERLANDS REMASTERED All Cutscenes (Game Movie) 1080p 60FPS)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T9ambyam20 (BORDERLANDS 2 All Cutscenes (Game Movie) 【Full Game / 1080p HD / 60FPS】)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KnJsNbQqQo (Borderlands The Pre-Sequel All Cutscenes (Game Movie) 1080p HD)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYu-pAbWPAY (Tales From The Borderlands Full Season 1080p HD)

General References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydBDD5JfvgQ (Why Borderlands 2 Is A Gaming Masterpiece)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=May_ohK4rF8 (Axton's Echo Logs (Commando Backstory) | Borderlands 2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0QBTg3RgXs (Borderlands 2 Gaige Full Echo Log (Mechromancer Backstory))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rYcIGcSiQU (Maya's Echo Logs (Siren Backstory) | Borderlands 2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFN3uaH2AqY (NEW Borderlands 2 DLC EVERY Character Quotes! (Son of Crawmerax DLC))

Recap:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdNYZjkQOTs (Borderlands)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3MsfkZA_CM (Borderlands 2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClTsbGEBsnM (Borderlands Pre-Sequel)