Graphics

This is the section in Borderlands 2 that gets me the most excited. The game is a refreshing change of scenery from most current games. It is a much needed step away from the ultra-realistic, blood covered screen that is modern day first person shooters. The shell shaded graphics are easy on the eyes and enjoyable at the same time. It allows the game to take itself less seriously, while still looking great. On maximum settings the game looks stunning; however it dropped the frame rate on my computer to about 15-20 during combat and rendered the game almost unplayable.  With the settings a bit lower, the game runs much better and still looks great. As a test I turned the graphics down to the minimum, and while the game didn’t look nearly as good, you could definitely tell it was the same game, it was still playable.

Audio

The audio in Borderlands 2 is just another reason why this game is amazing. The music is passable, but it is merely for background purposes anyway. I can’t say that at any particular point in the game I was really listening to the music. Each gun has a different sound when firing, which makes combat a pretty entertaining by itself. Where this game really shines is the voice acting and dialogue. Gearbox has the uncanny ability to make me smile any time there is some sort of dialogue or even a monologue (Bonerfarts…Seriously).

The voice actors and actresses do a great job on making the characters believable and enjoyable from start to finish. It could be Handsome Jack, who you learn to love and hate from the very start of the game, or Sir Hammerlock and his very British attitude, but any time there is someone talking I found it enjoyable and entertaining. Even the player’s guardian angel, who I found to be rather robotic and boring in the first Borderlands, I found to be enjoyable and even funny when she lets her human side show.