It’s time for another Retro Ad Replay! This is the series where we take a trip back in time in order to reminisce and celebrate the anniversary of the biggest moments in gaming. If you find yourself wanting more content like this, be sure to visit Mandatory.com.
In this, our September 18 edition, we’ll be traveling back seven years to September 18, 2012. This is the day that Borderlands 2 launched for the PC, PS3, and Xbox One in North America.
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Developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games, Borderlands 2 was a sequel to the hit co-op loot shooter of 2009, with Gearbox choosing to continue the previous game’s story, albeit from the perspective of a new group of Vault Hunters. The sequel still featured the same Pandora planet, as well as fan-favorite characters like Claptrap and Lilith, but also introduced new elemental types, more environments, brand new enemies, and much more.
The Borderlands 2 launch trailer prepared fans for the fight against Handsome Jack, showcasing the four new Vault Haunter’s abilities. Watch it below:
Despite releasing seven years ago, Borderlands 2 has remained relevant with several expansions: “Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty,” “Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage,” “Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt,” and “Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep.” A final DLC, which was made available for free, helped bridge the gap between Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3. This was called “Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary,” and was made available for the PC and remastered PS4/Xbox One versions of the game.
In the GameRevolution review (posted September 17, 2012), Borderlands 2 was commended for its many improvements, tongue-in-cheek humor, new abilities for weapons and accessories, and its great cel-shaded graphics.
Though Borderlands 2 doesn’t shoot for the stars, it does more than enough to retain our most awesome recommendation.
With Borderlands 3 having now launched, you can expect to see our review on the site very soon. Stay tuned!
