Borderlands 2 is a cooperative shooter roleplaying game.
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Story & Themes
Just as the gameplay of Borderlands is all about shiny loot, so is the story. The series in set in the far reaches of known space on a sparsely populated world known as Pandora. There are a few settlements, but most of the inhabitants are poor and the planet is pretty much lawless. It has a sort of "the wild west in outer space" feel to it.
On a similar nearby planet known as Prometheus, a "Vault" was found prior to the events of the first game, which contained all sorts of valuable alien technology. Because alien ruins similar to the ones found on Prometheus were also found on Pandora, it is assumed that there is another Vault to be found there. And so, seeking their fortune, many "Vault Hunters" come to Pandora. In both games, the player characters are Vault Hunters, and in both games the plot is fairly straightforward. You and your friends follow clues to find the Vaults while shooting your way through any alien beasties or bandits that get in your way. In Borderlands you will wander the land, engaging in gun battles with bandits, fighting off alien monstronsities, and perhaps more importantly, gathering ever more shiny loot. This is funnest when you're playing with at least one other person; the game even has different classes with their own specialties and abilities which interact in useful ways.
The Borderlands 2 story is a wild science fiction ride, with trains, a 13-year-old bomber, cyborgs, and spaceships.
There are four playable characters and two additional downloadable characters. Whichever character you choose, you'll traverse Borderlands' open world and blast baddies to collect an arsenal of fancier and fancier guns. It's not the most sophisticated game ever made, but it works for partially switching you brain off and just playing with a couple of friends for an hour or six.
Save Points
Borderlands uses a checkpoint system. Whenever you die or quit the game, the next time you load in you will be at the last checkpoint you visited.
Heads Up!
Violence This is a game all about shooting people, so yeah it's pretty violent. It's not the most realistic or graphic violence, but it's up there.
Scary Imagery There are a lot of scary, over-the-top monsters.
Sex & Nudity The game is cartoony, with a comic-book style, and there are pictures of scantily clad women throughout, as well as lots of verbal sexual references. It's very jokey.
Strong Language This game is all about excess and irreverence, so there is a fair amount of swearing to go with the violence.
Substance Use One character class, the Siren, uses a substance called Eridium to fuel its powers, and it comes off as rather drug-like at times. Lillith, the Siren from the first game, shows signs of addiction to Eridium. Alcohol can be encountered in the game, although it doesn't play a large role.
Consumerism Borderlands contains satire about rampant consumerism, with characters trading weapons and relics, and sometimes buying them in vending machines.
Discrimination Some women love the franchise's female characterizations and playable female characters.
Conversation Starters
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