Borderlands 2 details start to emerge

By Adam Rosenberg August 7, 2011

borderlands-2-game-informer — Image used with permission by copyright holder

2K Games and Gearbox Software finally made Borderlands 2 official last week, with an announcement that the game is coming sometime after April 1, 2012. While no real details were revealed the announcement promised info to come soon, both from Gamescom later this month and from the September issue of Game Informer.

Why wait another moment to hear anything about the highly anticipated sequel when the first details from the GI feature are online right now? The game will keep with its predecessor’s four-player cooperative gameplay, though you’ll have a new cast of four to play as, Gematsu reports. The character seen on the GI cover is one of the protagonists, Salvador the Gunzerker, whose special ability allows him to dual-wield any weapon. The previous game’s playable characters will return as NPCs.

The flow of the game has changed as well, with newly dynamic story missions having an impact on the way things turn out further down the road. If you take too long to complete a time-sensitive mission, for example, that failure will be reflected in the story, which will bend and twist accordingly in these situations.

The first game’s millions of guns won’t return, with Gearbox instead bringing out a new millions-strong assortment. Firearms will also now be made to look more unique, with products from individual manufacturers being given a more immediately recognizable visual identity. There are other improvements as well, such a more active NPCs, a wider range of vehicles and a new resource — Eridium — which doubles as currency and a consumable stat-booster of some kind. You’ll have to wait for the GI issue for the full rundown and sweet, delicious screenshots.
Stay tuned.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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