Gearbox Software (Borderlands, Brothers in Arms, Duke Nukem, etc.)

[Eddy]

I agree, the world really does feel alive.

I also went ahead and bought the season pass for the future DLC.

[Foggle]

I also went ahead and bought the season pass for the future DLC.

I got the game and season pass for $65 total from Green Man. That includes the pre-order content (except for the Creature Slaughter Dome). Such a good deal; if the expansions (yes, EXPANSIONS, not DLCs) are anything like the original's, that's practically two games for the price of one.

These review blurbs from MetaCritic sum up my thoughts on BL2 perfectly:

It's a game for gamers, and a stark reminder that often the best games aren't those that set out to redefine the medium, or seek dour creative legitimacy, but those that set out to entertain, to make us laugh, to surprise us, and make such an impression that we'll return to them for years to come.

It feels funny to say this about a 13-year-old developer with a portfolio of work that includes Half-Life and Counter-Strike expansions, stellar squad-based WWII shooter franchise Brothers in Arms, and the original Borderlands, but with Borderlands 2, Gearbox has arrived as a real blockbuster studio. Right from the toe-tapping "Short Change Hero" opening cinematic, Borderlands 2 stands out as Gearbox's magnum opus, and one of the most memorable and fun gaming rides I've ever been on.

And speaking of that opening cinematic... goddamn. Easily one of the best cutscenes of all time. Check it out!

[gunswordfist]

Man, I always love it when sequels massively improve things. I'll have to get the first one. Probably will put it on my goozex list.

[Foggle]

Some details from the Kotaku community interview with Randy Pitchford (regarding Borderlands 2):

• The first story DLC is almost done, second one is well into development; Return Of The Jedi's sand skiffs are referenced in regards to the first one
• All four story DLCs are going to be as large as Knoxx if not larger
• There will probably be more DLC classes than just the Mechromancer
• Vita port is heavily teased, Mac port is definitely coming, "they'll see" about a Wii-U port
• Mod tools might be released sometime next year for the PC version
• Story DLCs will have more vehicles, possibly including flying ones
• The budget was actually doubled halfway through development, allowing Gearbox to add everything they wanted to from the outset, and even some other stuff that was never planned at all
• All of the graphics in Borderlands 1 & 2 are hand-painted and the artists get mad when people call them cel-shaded, cuz they aren't
• Pitchford supports used game sales but wishes there were a way that the publisher and developer could also get a cut of that profit
• Pitchford's most anticipated game is Ni No Kuni

[Foggle]

R.I.P. Magical2099
Some of you may remember Magical, he used to be very active on the forums here. A very proud Brick player, and a very close friend of mine IRL. I haven't been on the forums here in a long time, and I wasn't terribly active on here when I did play, but I thought I should let people know; for those who knew him, Magical passed away last Wednesday.

Don't really know what else to say... just thought I should let the people he used to game with know.

R.I.P. Mike (Magical)

11-24-82 --- 2-8-12

And you know what the license plate number of the Bandit Technical in Borderlands 2 is? Magical 2099.

[Eddy]

Gearbox is seriously the coolest.

[Daxdiv]

Gearbox confirmed for coolest bros in Video Gaming Industry, even bigger bros than Valve and Nintendo. 

[Foggle]

Just reached the first plot twist. Handsome Jack is probably the greatest villain in the history of gaming. While his dialogue may be hilarious, he's definitely no joke. Holy shit.

[Eddy]

Just reached the first plot twist. Handsome Jack is probably the greatest villain in the history of gaming. While his dialogue may be hilarious, he's definitely no joke. Holy shit.

I don't think I've gotten to this point yet but, yeah, Jack is a real bastard it seems. This becomes evident when find those ECHOs early on in the game from that disfigured woman when she tells Jack her husband is dead and he shoots her saying "Well now you have something in common!" before laughing hysterically and telling his men to wipe everyone out.

[Foggle]

Great dark humor there. I think it's impossible to not both love and hate Jack. Excellent writing.

Also, this game has much better scaling and progression than the original. While Borderlands 1 started out tough and got easier as it went along, this one starts out mildly difficult and eventually gets pretty damn hard. A couple of cheap deaths have really pissed me off, especially the ones that caused me to miss out on hilarious dialogue, but the challenge is awesome.

[Foggle]

I finally found Michael! He gave me an amazing machine pistol!

Also, according to Gearbox, it's actually the PC version that's working as intended... his spawn rate is supposed to be fairly low. The next console patch will apparently make him appear a lot less often on Xbox/PS3.

[Eddy]

I'll have to be sure to find him as often as I can before they patch it then!

And I think I got to the first major plot twist. HOLY SHIT.

Also, Tiny Tina is amazing.

[Eddy]

FUCK. While looking up a video of Tiny Tina's introduction there was a HUGE spoiler in the related videos. FUCK.

[Foggle]

And I think I got to the first major plot twist. HOLY SHIT.

It's just brilliantly executed. I'll have to reinstall the spoiler tags soon so that I can gush about it. Needless to say, Anthony Burch is an amazing writer and Handsome Jack is an amazing villain.

I don't know how I feel about Tiny Tina. Some of her dialogue is hilarious (the tea party quest line in particular is fantastic), while some of it just makes me want to facepalm. But I guess that's kind of the point.

I've had a couple of very important deaths spoiled for me, but thankfully nothing as earth-shattering as that amazing first plot twist. But I'm still not happy about knowing them beforehand.

Oh yeah, very soon you'll be getting to an area called Fink's Slaughterhouse. It's kind of like Moxxi's Underdome from the first game, except a LOT harder. It's definitely meant for co-op play, as I was only able to complete the first round solo (and it took me like 6 tries), so don't get too down if you try it and fail a bunch.

[Foggle]

Welp, I just accidentally dropped the awesome corrosive SMG Moxxi gives you into the Overlook grinder. brb slitting my wrists