It Goes to Eleven
Initially, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx acts as a "man-check" of both your equipment and skills in Borderlands; if you don't have high-quality weapons and know when to use what kind of elemental weapons, the Crimson Lance patrols and drones that populate the early areas of the game are going to keep you busy for quite some time. Like all of the DLC released thus far, General Knoxx caters enemies to a player's level, but I found the DLC to be much more manageable with a level 37 character than I did with a level 50 character. Ironic, considering that General Knoxx was intended for players who have hit the current level cap.
It stays difficult throughout, but once you get past the initial road bump -- or return the main game to get an edge in levels -- General Knoxx offers the best experience Borderlands has yet to offer. Back from Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot's deviation in style, General Knoxx offers more of what made Borderlands what it is: Simple quests that often involve getting through several enemies, campy storylines with quirky characters, and of course, guns and other sorts of loot in a variety of stats and colors. "More of the same" is an apt descriptor, but it feels more like a refined version of the main game. Its pacing is much faster, the characters more distinct, and the ending brings much more closure than the main plot line did.
There are many repurposed assets in General Knoxx, but there's definitely some new people and places to see. T-Bone Junction as your starting point and main hub, and every other area in the game is connected by winding highways guarded by Lancer vehicles and security checkpoint drones. After getting over some of Borderlands' awkward vehicle combat, you'll see a number of new locations, though most of them don't vary too much from the wasteland motif. Among the most interesting places to visit are a prison and the titular armory, and new enemies such as the Drifter and the Combat Medic add a twist to an aging formula, but overall nothing too out of the ordinary.
Though the characters in Borderlands were unique but ultimately throwaway, General Knoxx succeeds of putting its stylish characters to good use. Moxxi makes a welcome return, Mr. Shank is fumbles with his sexuality in a surprisingly sensitive way, and General Knoxx himself is just a tired old man who wants nothing to do with the mission he's been assigned. They're all fun characters, and make many of the story sequences entertaining rather than a means to an end, as much of Borderlands was.
Regardless of what you thought of The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned or Mad Moxxi, General Knoxx is exactly what any fan of Borderlands would want from a piece of DLC; more levels (up to level 61), more enemies, more quests, more loot. It also balances the narrative elements with the action better than the main game did, and for $10, the amount of content you're getting is staggering. I'm up to 10 hours and I still have more to do, even after beating the main quest, and I can't wait to go back.
