Borderlands 2

In a crowded field of shooters where little differences can make all the difference, there are generally two camps on the original Borderlands: the first say that the kick-ass artistic style and general snarkiness of the game set it apart and made it a lasting contender, and the second claim all that was a nice gimmick, but that the thin storyline and sometimes dodgy combat far outweighed that.

Happily, both camps should be pleased by the latest installment of the series, which offers an even better visual appeal, a huge array of weapons and combat options, and, thankfully, a much-improved script and storyline to follow while you’re shooting psychos.

For the uninitiated, Borderlands 2 carries with it a great comic-book sense of visual style that never tries to be realistic when it can just be fun and vibrant. You’re one of four characters with different skill sets, from crowd control to assassination to, get this, gunzerking, but really, if you never look past the huge array of randomly generated guns, you could still be a happy bunny.

Multiplayer is a nice way to go but more often than not makes enemies more frustrating to kill rather than enjoyable to take on. Combat does get repetitive after a while, but helpfully the over-the-top writing and tongue-in-cheek nature of every quest makes this easier to bear.

Overall this is a game about fun, and on that score it delivers. If you never ask more of it than a great way to kill time and psychotic enemies, you’ll never be disappointed. [Alex Cole]