7. Borderlands 2
Publisher: 2K Games Developer: Gearbox Platform: Xbox 360/PC/PS3 Release Date: 21st September 2012 Borderlands was easily one of the most visually dazzling games there has ever been, and its sequel will continue that, refining and evolving the central gameplay experience without changing too much. After all, why would you change something that was so successful and so much fun? The sequel picks up the action of the original some five years later: villainous Handsome Jack has taken over the Hyperion Corporation and anointed himself as leader of Pandora. Obviously we don't like this, and obviously there's a planet-load of fire-power with which to express our disdain. That "we" in question comes in the shape of four brand new characters, all of who come with different abilities - Salvador the Gunzerker, Maya the Siren, Axton the Commando and Zer0 the assassin. Each class obviously influences how you play and how you fight, but the one thing that is guaranteed in every case is cartoon-like violence, all set against the phenomenal looking backdrop that this time out looks crisper and more colourful even than the original. If anyone ever tries to accuse violent video games or being anti-artistic, feel free to point them towards Borderlands 2, which scrimps on neither the unadulterated hyper-violence and hugely creative weaponry nor the immediately identifiable aesthetic. And be assured, though it looks like Gearbox could have thrown all of their budget at making the game look pretty, the gameplay is just as important, with the developers keen that the over-riding experience of the game is one of fun, and not just visual bedazzlement. It's no great exaggeration to suggest this might just be Gearbox's greatest game yet. And damn, does it have personality... http://youtu.be/nicvyhrmTDs Now try and get that song out of your head.