Even though I've technically moved onto other games than the main one I'm writing about, there are still things that can be said about Borderlands 2.

GAMES!!!!

I really didn't plan on getting this game at launch. All it took to convince me otherwise was going to the Gearbox panel at PAX, seeing footage of Borderlands 2 like the customization and the upcoming Mechromancer class, and then receiving a free season pass for the game. After being able to make just enough money to buy the game, I prepurchased the game on Steam so I would get those little bonuses with it. I am now on True Vault Hunter Mode, and while I am no longer spending the majority of my time on it, I still enjoy the hell out of it. It is Borderlands, but better, and even after spending 83 hours on the first game, I don't feel burnt out by this one. You know I've been keeping track of games that after playing them I think will be on my GOTY list? Here's another one.

What about the game's quality hasn't been mentioned already? The increased variety in worlds, the better enemy AI, the fact that the PC version is better than the first and looks oh so fucking awesome? Yeah, it's so great. Well, sometimes in the case of the enemies. It is great that they just don't run in a straight line all the time, they try to use tactics to take you down, but playing as Zer0 by myself, which I assume is part of it, I find myself dying constantly, even in the endgame on normal. Granted, I died a lot as Mordecai in the first game, but I did not feeling I was going through tough and unfun battles once I got my skill trees set up the way I wanted and had the weapons I wanted in the latter half. Here? There are some really really REALLY hard enemies that I just want to run past because they take so damn long to kill, and it takes very little time for them to kill you. A rocket launcher did solve the problem, but I then had to go and find a good one to use.

And now in True Vault Hunter Mode, its almost like an extension of that, where its only the badass enemies that take too long to kill. I probably should just stop playing solo and find some people to play with, because it is hard going it alone, at least as Zer0. I'm betting its still tough either way, but your not as fragile when playing other characters like Axton or Salvador.

Still, even with those frustrations in battle, everything else was very enjoyable during my first playthrough. I for one don't mind the new characters, I think Handsome Jack is a humongous asshole that you really genuinely hate the closer you get to the end, and Tiny Tina is just as obnoxious as she is funny. Actually, all these characters are kinda funny just on the merit that they are insane. They've all got some screws loose somewhere. As for the characters you played as in the first game, they're not all equal. I played as Mordecai in the first game, and seeing what he goes through during the game I felt particularly strong about. And Brick's reveal was awesome, in fact, everything with him then on was pretty awesome too. Roland was probably the dullest, but that probably comes with his background as a former Crimson Lance.

I'm glad that I got this game and really enjoyed the hell out of playing it. Unfortunately, I'm now broke, and more awesome games are coming out that I'd rather play on PC but can't because I got no money. Almost regret buying this game, but not quite.

And the Rest

Vampire the Masquerade - Bloodlines

I got this game for free courtesy of ArbitraryWater, and have played about 6 hours so far. It is pretty much Deus Ex with vampires, and has some problems still even with the fan patch applied. But the systems in place are cool, and the fiction behind the World of Darkness is interesting. More on this game in the future, I guess.

Thief Gold

That new Thief II patch retroactively works with Thief Gold, and after thinking about the game again, I decided to do a new playthrough, this time on Hard. Already done the first four levels, and as always, I like the sneaking missions with human enemies more than the undead missions. The new objectives on higher difficulties does help make the missions more interesting, depending on what the mission is of course.

Other Things

College is still going alright. I haven't done much else with that 3D model for my portfolio, and instead have been drawing stuff that might get in there. Probably easier and less time consuming than working on a model while trying to figure out Blender at the same time.

Also, two weeks from now is the ExtraLife charity, which I will participating in on the Giant Bomb team this year, because October 20th is my birthday. Right now I'm in the process of getting donations and sponsors for me, and already got one from a good friend of mine online. The rest I'll mostly be getting from family members, as my parents sound supportive of me doing this, mostly because of the charity aspect. That's good too, but this is also me getting to play games for 24 hours straight, which I've never done before and sounds exciting. So everybody wins.

In Conclusion

And that's it. Again, with the 24 hour marathon two weeks from today, I'll probably be too busy playing games to post a blog that morning. That's okay, as I'll just post the next one a day early. Friday still counts as the weekend.

Peace.