Topic: What I'd like to see in Borderlands 2

[idolminds]

Release date: Sept 18th!

GET READY TO JOY-PUKE YOUR FACE OFF

[Cobra951]

Yayz!  This is one I have great hopes for.

[sirean_syan]

I call Ninja dude.

[MysterD]

Release date: Sept 18th!

GET READY TO JOY-PUKE YOUR FACE OFF

Oh, hell yeah!!!!!

[TheOtherBelmont]

Release date: Sept 18th!

GET READY TO JOY-PUKE YOUR FACE OFF

Hahaha, what a great trailer!  Looking forward to playing as Salvador.

[idolminds]

Borderlands 2 to be less picky about weapon/class combos.

Art director Jeramy Cooke said the first Borderlands was too restrictive in that regard.

“We sort of backpedalled on that from the first game. We found that people really just wanted to be able to use the weapons they wanted to use,” he said.

“We tried to be a little less like ‘you really want to use this type of gun,’ because inevitably someone would just take Brick and go get a sniper rifle and they just wanted to play that way. So we’ve opened the skill trees up a lot more so that people can access weapons that they want.

“Now there may be weapons that just harmonize better with certain skills but we’re not really kind of forcing that whereas like, you know, here’s a buff to this very specific class of weapon. We typically don’t do a lot of that.”

[gpw11]

That was the best fucking trailer I've ever seen.  Can we play some more of the first to get pumped for it?  I never finished it.

[Cobra951]

The first one is still my favorite game ever, overall.  This trailer gives me goosebumps.  I watched it several times when idol first posted, and I watched it again a few more times just now.  Great stuff.  If anyone wants to actually download this, here is a direct link.  720p MP4.

Edit:  Oh, and that pumping background music is Doomsday, by Nero.  "Doomsday"  Heh.  Appropriate.

[Xessive]

Awesome juice!

[idolminds]

Expected but confirmed Steamworks.

[Xessive]

Expected but confirmed Steamworks.

Based on what Gearbox was doing with the original (later patches in add Steam achievements etc.) it was, as you said, expected.

Honestly I don't mind. I kinda prefer it, at least from the angle of the features and improved matchmaking. On consoles the proprietary services (PSN or XBOX LIVE) take care of all that stuff but on PC each dev has to come up with their own, which is apparently a common gripe of devs bringing titles to PC, so this may be much more helpful in the long run.

[Cobra951]

Doomsday-trailer deconstruct over at IGN.  About 16 minutes of going through the trailer freeze-frame fashion, while adding info gleaned from the video and from previous conversations with GBX.  Worthwhile if you have the time and a better PC than mine.  (Damn H.264 codec sucks with old hardware.)

[MysterD]

Based on what Gearbox was doing with the original (later patches in add Steam achievements etc.) it was, as you said, expected.

Honestly I don't mind. I kinda prefer it, at least from the angle of the features and improved matchmaking. On consoles the proprietary services (PSN or XBOX LIVE) take care of all that stuff but on PC each dev has to come up with their own, which is apparently a common gripe of devs bringing titles to PC, so this may be much more helpful in the long run.

To add more to the above...
Gearbox's last released game DNF required Steam.

So, yeah - BL2 PC requiring Steam was expected.

EDIT:
To add more fuel to the fire - BL: GOTY from Amazon Download Service could be optionally activated up on Steam.

[Xessive]

So far I think Epic are the only ones to have made a game Steam-activated after release. I'm talking about Unreal Tournament III. I got the CE (non-Steam) way back, a few year's later when the game was released on Steam (around the time Epic made the huge Black Edition update) I put my retail CD code into Steam and it accepted it! A quick run through the forums revealed that it was part of Epic's surprise update to make everything work through Steam.

Oddly enough, after that Epic moved on to GFWL.

Coming back to Borderlands 2, I'm glad it's bound to Steam and not anything worse. At least Steam has a functioning set of online features.

[MysterD]

So far I think Epic are the only ones to have made a game Steam-activated after release. I'm talking about Unreal Tournament III. I got the CE (non-Steam) way back, a few year's later when the game was released on Steam (around the time Epic made the huge Black Edition update) I put my retail CD code into Steam and it accepted it! A quick run through the forums revealed that it was part of Epic's surprise update to make everything work through Steam.

Oddly enough, after that Epic moved on to GFWL.

Not odd at all for them to jump to G4WL, given the success they had w/ Gears of War X360.
And that they are pretty much buddies w/ Microsoft.

Coming back to Borderlands 2, I'm glad it's bound to Steam and not anything worse. At least Steam has a functioning set of online features.

There's a fair amount of games that had different DRM at Retail [Non-Steam Version], but can additionally as an option be also be activated on Steam.

UT3 is obviously one, as you stated.

Sup Com: Forged Alliance can be optionally activated on Steam.
Doing so, also nets you the original Sup Com, BTW.

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic - Single Player Portion can be optionally activated on Steam.
X3: Terran Conflict, as well.
Prey is another.
Borderlands: GOTY Edition is another.

[MysterD]

Claptrap's "love letter" to PC gamers about Borderlands 2 PC.

I'm glad there's a nice list of features for Borderlands 2 PC...
But we shouldn't even have to ask for most of this stuff that they list there, when it comes to multi-platformed games that are ALSO getting PC versions.
This stuff should ALWAYS BE A GIVEN on the PC version.

[K-man]

I finished up the main story on Borderlands last night (I still have a good bit of Moxxie's stuff left to do).  Ending was sort of a letdown, but I'm at least happy that I can say I got through it.

The journey was a blast though, and well worth the 20 bucks I spent on the GOTY edition during a Gamestop sale.  The concept is a great one, but Gearbox certainly needs to improve on a number of things in BL2.  More varied enemies, missions, and landscape are a must.  I like the postapocalyptic wasteland as much as anyone else, but in a game this long it really begins to grind on you.  The missions sort of had an MMO "you've done this before but we've altered this mission slightly" curse going.  It also began to grind on me.

Granted I have read ZERO about BL2 to avoid any potential spoilers of the first game, so all of this could have been addressed.

[Cobra951]

Moxxi's a bit odd.  Whether Where the game lives long-term is Knoxx.  The general himself is a hoot.  And then there's Crawmerax.  Did you take him on yet?  It's really designed to be a coop fight, but it can be done solo.  This is where you get the best loot in the game by far.  You also need to do the 2nd playthrough and move on to the so-called PT 2.5, where everything is leveled at or above your level.  Very different experience from the easy PT 1.  You'll really need to collect good gear to have a chance in the real endgame, and there's practically no limit to the variety and quality of the guns and other gear you can find.  This is where the game gets its long legs.

[Edit:  "Whether"?  Ugh!  Wonder what I was thinking.]

[K-man]

I am fairly sure I tackled Crawmerax with a few friends.  Although at the time they were doing a bit of handholding since they were in the upper 40's in level.  I know we finished the General Knoxx DLC, so if that boss was part of the main quest line then we for sure beat him.

And yeah I'll probably delve into a second playthrough at some point, but for the moment I'm satisfied with my progress.  There are a ton of other games that I haven't given a first play through yet, much less a second.

10 years ago the promise of better loot would drive me along like it did with Diablo 2.  I think the gear quality sort of plateaued toward the end of the first play through, which was a little discouraging.

[Cobra951]

Crawmerax is basically a loot pinata, and the gear he drops eclipses the garden-variety stuff you normally get from bandits and skags.  And he respawns.  He's always at a high level too.  People who keep playing this game after months and years spend a lot of time taking down the big lobster.  It's the only way to get the best stuff.  The General Knoxx armory is good too, but without exploiting a certain glitch, your runs there are too short to be worth the time and effort.

[gpw11]

You guys are really making me want to install the first game again.

[MysterD]

Destructoid -> Preview on BL2.

Some of the missions also offer varying paths and endings.
Senior level designer Zack Ford said there will be times where ending a quest at one point as opposed to another will offer a different result.

[MysterD]

BL2 to get a 5th Class as DLC.
Those who pre-order, this class is FREE for you as soon as it's available.
For those who don't, it'll come to you around 60-90 days after the DLC's been out for those who pre-ordered.

[idolminds]

Thats....uh....kinda shitty.

[Cobra951]

Yep.  Sure is.

[sirean_syan]

Huh. I had heard it would be free to preorder folks and was fine with that. Of course, I didn't know about the time delay. That is kinda shitty.

[Xessive]

That's kinda what they did with the Borderlands GOTY and bonus stuff like the Duke Nukem demo: the demo was available to people who got the GOTY immediately but was released publicly a month later or so.

The DLC is time-delayed but will it also be free for those who don't pre-order? (sorry I can't view the link due to proxy restrictions in the office)

[idolminds]

Thats something I'm not clear on. It will be "available" after the time delay, but I haven't seen any clarification if that means we'll have to buy it.

So basically punish people for not preordering. Way to go.

[Cobra951]

The original article was misleading. They updated it with this:

"To clarify confusion regarding our original wording, while preorders will receive the Mechromancer for free, the content will release to all players at the same time. That date is not set but a Gearbox representative said it would be 60 to 90 days after the game releases."

So it will be a paid post-release DLC for non-preorder customer and a free post-release DLC for preorder customers. It will release at the same time for everyone. Odds are it will be on sale during the holiday sale as well. I know I got burned pre-ordering the original Borderlands due to that.

I'm taking a post there at face value, for what it's worth.  It's a shitty thing to do either way.

[Xessive]

Perhaps I ought to wait for a GOTY again... I usually avoid pre-orders unless the upfront offer is worthwhile i.e. 20% off vouchers etc. I'll see how things pan out.

[idolminds]

Yeah, GOTY edition sounds like a good choice.

[Xessive]

Borderlands is one of those games that's gonna depend on how many people I know are playing. If enough friends convince me to go for it then I'll cave

I was a fairly late adopter of the first one, hence why I grabbed the GOTYE, and it was awesome while it lasted. In fact the only reason I stopped was everybody else stopped. I kicked around the singleplayer for a while before I got bored and moved on.

Hmm.. I'm feeling nostalgic. I think I still have my save file too. Anybody feel like playing some BL coop?

[MysterD]

Borderlands 2: Collector's Editions revealed.


$150 Ultimate Loot Chest

   Authentic Marcus Kincaid bobblehead
    Inside the Vault: The Art & Design of Borderlands 2 hardbound book
    Collectable sticker set
    Cloth map of Pandora
    Digital comic download code
    Bonus downloadable in-game digital content
    Collectable scaled replica of the red loot chests found throughout Pandora in Borderlands 2
    Steelbook case
    Creatures of Pandora wide-format ID chart
    Lithograph postcard set
    Field notes from Sir Hammerlock
    Numbered certificate of authenticity

$100 Collector's Edition

   Authentic Marcus Kincaid bobblehead
    Inside the Vault: The Art & Design of Borderlands 2 hardbound book
    Collectable sticker set
    Map of Pandora
    Digital comic download code
    Bonus downloadable in-game digital content

[Cobra951]

No, thank you.

And

No, thank you.

[idolminds]

Replica loot chest is neat, but I don't really care about the rest of that stuff. Maybe the DLC...except its DLC. The wait for GOTY is on.

Also, at $150 they can give you a printed copy of the comic instead of a download code. Jesus.

[MysterD]

Shacknews -> Keep your Borderlands 1 saves for Borderlands 2.
Keep your BL1 saves around b/c when BL2 notices your BL1 saves, it'll net you some some exclusive "customization extras" such as extra character heads and skins.

EDITS:
PC Gamer -> A Borderlands 2 NPC named Ellie.
RockPaperShotgun -> Interview w/ Randy Pitchford.
EGMNow -> Borderlands 2's Campaign is being said to be around 58 hours long...
Mashable.com -> 12 Small Touches That Will Make ‘Borderlands 2′ a Big Hit.

[MysterD]

GameSpy -> Showing off some of Borderlands 2 PC's Options Menu.

[MysterD]

Gamesmaster magazine in UK gives Borderlands 2 a 95% score.

[MysterD]

Borderlands 2
REVIEWS

Scored out of 10
AtomicGamer -> 10.
GameArena -> 10.
GameInformer -> 9.75.
GamerLimit -> 9.5.
EGMNow -> 9.5.
GamingNexus -> 9.5.
GameTrailers -> 9.2
AusGamers -> 9.2
StrategyInformer -> 9.1
Eurogamer -> 9.
OXM -> 9.
IGN -> 9.0
Edge -> 9.
InsideGamingDaily -> 9
VideoGamer -> 9.
ZTGD -> 8.8
GameSpot -> 8.5.
GamesTM -> 8.
TheVerge -> 7.5

Scored out of 5
G4TV -> 5 stars.
Guardian -> 5 stars.
GameSpy -> 4 1/2 stars.
Joystiq -> 4 1/2 stars.
GamesRadar -> 4 stars.
GiantBomb -> 4 stars.

Scored out of 100
VentureBeat -> 92.
PC Gamer -> 90.

No Score
RockPaperShotgun -> "Wot I Think."
CanadianOnlineGamers.
ArsTechnica.
Zero Punctuation from Yahtzee.

Destructoid & their "friends"
Destructoid -> 8.5 (out of 10)
DToid Show -> Tara Long's Review.
Rev3 Games -> Anthony Carboni's Review.

[Xessive]

For anyone who pre-ordered, the pre-load is available now!