First Borderlands 2 Review Says Its Bigger And Ballsier

Today the first review of Borderlands 2 went live. The latest issue of UK gaming magazine GamesMaster says that the four-player co-op shooter is "bigger, ballsier, and bullet-ier" than its predecessor.

GamesMaster's review also calls Borderlands 2 the "antidote to stuffy military shooter." The missions are more diverse than in the original game, and the weapons are improved as well. The review also bills B2 as "the prettiest game of 2012." The overall review score was 95%.

Borderlands 2 takes place five years after the first game. Handsome Jack and his Hyperion Corporation now rule Pandora with an iron fist. Jack plans to wipe out Pandora's population and create a new industrialized world. Players control the heavily armed misfits who set out to stop them.

Gameplay wise, Borderlands 2 is pretty much a first-person shooter version of Diablo. You destroy hordes of enemies and then pluck randomized loot from their remains. Players can find thousands of different weapons that can be customized to their liking.

The game offers four new characters for players to control, each with unique skill trees. You can go it alone or team up with three other players. GameMaster says that B2 "soars" in co-op mode and will make single-player feel downright "lonesome."

2K Games will release Borderlands 2 on September 18th in the United States. The game will debut elsewhere in the world on the 21st.