‘Borderlands 2’ better than previous installment

There were numerous things that made “Borderlands” such a thrilling game when it came out three years ago — the brilliant design of planet Pandora, the aggressive creatures, the unique characters, the various missions, the plentiful spoils and, of course, the innovation of all these things collected in a first-person shooter.

In “Borderlands 2,” the exhilarating elements return and prove to be better than ever. The game kicks off with a failed murder scheme, commenced by adversary Handsome Jack. From there it takes off into a cyclone-paced catching up with old cast members (Claptrap, Scooter, Moxxi, etc.) and blowing various creatures’ heads off.

The most significant difference, perhaps, is that Pandora feels like a vibrant, lively place. What used to be a desolate, lonely planet mostly occupied by blood-thirsty men and creatures is primarily the same; however, Pandora doesn’t seem to be so lonely anymore with an extended cast of various amusing characters.

Warfare will seem memorable to returning vault hunters — just aim your gun and fire at that drooling thing until the prizes pop out. However, the real bonus of combat is in the extra diverse collection of enemy classes.

Jack has an impressive mob of robots at his disposal and no doubt the varied, more intentional combat circumstances that result will not fail to electrify throughout “Borderlands 2.”

We cannot overlook the sparkly new guns and accessories that are highly worth working for. Getting your hands on a good weapon is a compelling rush that pushes you far outside your confines and drives you to play “just another” five minutes. It is definitely an addictive rotation that I was all too willing to trip into again and again.