borderlands 2
Latest
Borderlands, BioShock and XCOM are headed to the Switch
As part of today's surprise Nintendo Direct Mini (which packed in way more news than anything "Mini" should reasonably offer), it emerged several big 2K Games franchises are coming to Switch. All three BioShock games -- BioShock Remastered, BioShock 2 Remastered and BioShock Infinite: The Complete Edition -- will hit the console May 29th, along with BioShock: The Collection, which bundles the titles into a neat package.
'Borderlands: Handsome Collection' headlines June's free PS Plus games
With Borderlands 3 arriving in just a few months, it seems like a good time to start catching up on or revisiting Gearbox Software's FPS series. And, what do you know? Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is one of the titles Sony is giving away to PS Plus subscribers in June.
Gearbox seeks help crafting the next Borderlands entry
Given the massive success of Borderlands 2 and the lesser but still significant success of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, it comes as little surprise that Gearbox is planning another entry in the over-the-top post-apocalyptic shooter franchise. "We are recruiting for next Borderlands. This is the big one," Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford recently tweeted, before offering his business email address to anyone who could be described as an "industry badass." Pitchford outlines no other qualifications, as the studio is seeking myriad people, from writers to art designers to engine programmers. Beyond the help-wanted ad, neither Pitchford nor Gearbox has offered any further information on the next Borderlands game. It will probably feature some iteration of robotic irritant Claptrap and vibrant, color-coded weaponry, but otherwise we're in the dark. [Image: Randy Pitchford/Gearbox]
Borderlands 2, Pre-Sequel bundle announced for PS4, Xbox One
Let's be honest, we all saw this coming: Publisher 2K has assembled The Handsome Collection, which includes Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (with all DLC) on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The collection launches March 24 and 27 in North America and internationally, respectively. There will also be a Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Claptrap-in-a-Box Edition, which includes everything in the standard mega box, with the addition of a remote controlled Claptrap steward robot, a collectible steel case and 12 "exclusive" lithographs. Where as the standard bundle will cost $60, the limited run of 5,000 Claptrap-in-a-Box Edition will cost $399. In fairness, a real Claptrap, along with research and development, would cost much more.
BioShock lead designer joins Orcs Must Die! studio
A recent blog post written by Robot Entertainment CEO Patrick Hudson reveals that Paul Hellquist has left Gearbox Software to join the Orcs Must Die! developer as its new lead designer. Hellquist then confirmed the news in a tweet a few hours later. Along with his work as lead designer on Irrational Games' Randian undersea shooter BioShock, Hellquist later worked at Gearbox as lead designer on that studio's well-liked story-driven shooter, Borderlands 2. What Hellquist will be doing at Robot isn't yet clear, though Hudson's blog entry does say that he expects Hellquist "to have a profound impact on the games we make, starting with Orcs Must Die! Unchained." [Image: Robot Entertainment]
PS Vita Borderlands 2 bundle $170 at GameStop, Amazon
Christmas is fast approaching, and if you're looking to pick up a PlayStation Vita for a pal (or for yourself, if the Grinch in you overtakes your giving spirit), GameStop and Amazon are both offering a solid discount on a Borderlands 2-bundled limited edition unit. Normally priced at $199.99, the Borderlands 2 Vita bundle is now up for grabs at both retailers for $169.99. The package includes a slim-model Vita, a voucher code for a downloadable copy of Borderlands 2, and an 8 GB memory card. There's no word on when the package will return to full price, so make sure to pick one up soon if you're in the market for a solid stocking stuffer. [Image: Sony]
PlayStation Co-Op Sale: Dark Souls 2, Far Cry 3, Rayman
In the spirit of the money-saving holidays (and Thanksgiving, we guess), Sony kicked off a new Co-Op Gaming sale today that discounts games with local or online multiplayer functionality. The deals end on December 1, and PlayStation Plus subscribers get a bigger discount than other PSN users: up to 80 percent off the price of some games. Of the group, there are ten PlayStation 4 games on sale through PSN this week, among which are Awesomenauts Assemble ($5.39), EA Sports UFC ($13.99), Mercenary Kings ($8.99), Rayman Legends ($19.59), Surgeon Simulator: A&E Anniversary Edition ($6.39), TowerFall Ascension ($7.34) and Trine 2: Complete Story ($7.99). Other notable deals include Borderlands 2 (PS3, $4.54), Dark Souls 2 (PS3, $19.59), Rayman Origins ($13.29 on Vita, $9.79 on PS3) and Far Cry 3 (PS3, $9.79). [Image: Ubisoft]
The Borderlands timeline unfurled
With the recent release of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Gearbox knows it may have some fans with questions on how the series' timeline is organized. That's understandable when your latest game is sub-titled "The Pre-Sequel." To bring order to the chaos, the series developer offered an "ultimate Borderlands timeline" on its blog late last week. The comic-style timeline divulges major plot points from before the original Borderlands through its direct sequel, Borderlands 2. Viewers beware: Gearbox didn't shy away from spoiling those major events in the timeline, including that of The Pre-Sequel. Our review of the latest game noted that the game is "missing just a bit of soul," but still "has the makings of a pretty great Borderlands game." The series' overarching story will continue with The Walking Dead developer Telltale's adventure game, Tales From the Borderlands, which is expected to launch this year. [Image: Gearbox Software]
Deals with Gold: Watch Dogs, Borderlands DLC blow-out
This week's edition of the Xbox Live Deals With Gold promotion features discounts on two Xbox One games, two Xbox 360 games and a slew of Borderlands 2 downloadable content. On the Xbox One side of things, the cartoonish, turn-based warfare of Worms Battleground receives a 40 percent discount while open-world hacking adventure Watch Dogs is discounted by 30 percent. The Xbox 360 sees the lion's share of this week's deals as both Borderlands and Borderlands 2 are each priced at 75 percent off. What's more, nearly all of the copious DLC released for Borderlands 2 to date has had its price cut in half, making this an opportune time to grab any downloadable add-ons that might be lacking from your copy of Gearbox's open-world first-person shooter. If you're tempted to pick up any of these discounted items, keep in mind that they are only available for a limited time. Come September 15, Xbox spokesman Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb will replace these deals with an entirely new set. [Image: 2K Games]
Borderlands 2 to scavenge for loot and experience on Linux
Borderlands 2 opened fire on psychos and wildlife almost two years ago, but Gearbox Software's cooperative shoot-n-loot is keen on hunting game in as many regions as possible. Borderlands 2 is now poised to cross another target off its list, as Gaming On Linux has confirmed it will launch on Linux courtesy of Aspyr Media. The port-savvy studio is seasoned with bringing shooters to Mac (and was in talks with Respawn about Titanfall on Mac months ago), but since it already did as much with Borderlands 2 last November, the studio now has Linux in its sights. IGN's followup adds that Aspyr's plans include "all of the awesome DLC" for Borderlands 2, so Linux fans should have plenty to aim at once the port opens season. Aspyr has not offered a launch window, but it teased to IGN that the studio will have more to announce about Borderlands 2 and other Linux-related content "in the near future." [Image: 2K Games]
Borderlands 2 free Steam weekend, Pre-Sequel up for pre-purchase
Want a fresh world to explore? If you haven't already entered the insanity that is Borderlands 2, this weekend represents your best bet. Beginning today and until Sunday at 1pm PT, the game is available to play for free on Steam. As part of the promotion, Borderlands 2 and its content are currently on sale for up to 75% off. You can grab the single game, sans DLC, for $4.99 or double down for $9.99 and nab the Game of the Year Edition, featuring bonus content. If you're a forward thinking player, this week Steam has opened pre-orders up for the next installment in the series, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Launching October 14, The Pre-Sequel is coming to PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. [Image: Gearbox]
Borderlands 2 shoots through 10 million copies shipped
Publisher 2K has shipped more than 10 million copies of Borderlands 2, maintaining its spot as the highest-selling game in the company's history, a spokesperson tells Joystiq. Overall, 2K has shipped more than 18 million copies within the Borderlands franchise. During today's Take-Two financial call, President Karl Slatoff addressed the viability of series developer Gearbox's next installment, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, when it's launching exclusively on current-gen consoles and PC: "Our view is that if you give consumers what they want, they come out for it. Our catalog sales have done very well – as we announced in this quarter, it's one of the key reasons we were able to beat in the quarter. We have a lot of faith in the Borderlands franchise. There's still a huge install base of consumers; Borderlands is beloved .... We have very high hopes for The Pre-Sequel for current-gen platforms and PC, indeed. But it will be reliant on quality, and we expect to deliver a really high-quality game." Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel launches on October 14 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC – we'll see how many more copies 2K's tower of 18 million can handle. [Image: 2K Games]
Borderlands 2 Vita update loots stability, control improvements
If the Vita's on-the-go version of Borderlands 2 has been a little unstable for you, a new update hopes to land a critical hit on those problems, in addition to adding control-related adjustments. Concerning the patch, SCEA Third Party Production Director Gio Corsi wrote that developer Iron Galaxy Studios had worked with Sony to "improve stability and performance throughout the game, including addressing known issues with audio playback." Vault hunters need to be comfortable while grinding away at quests and slaughtering wildlife though, a truth addressed by the update in its allowance for inverted gyroscope controls. Actions mapped to the Vita's touchpad can also now be assigned to "much smaller zones" to help avoid accidental melee swings or grenade lobbing. The adjustable touch-triggered buttons might accommodate one of Senior Reporter Jess Conditt's issues with the Vita port, but she still found the pre-patch version to be a "great game on a wonderful handheld device." [Image: PlayStation]
Joystiq Weekly: Amplitude is funded, Wolfenstein review, video previews and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. Amplitude fans just discovered a new favorite month of the year, as Harmonix's Kickstarter for a Sony-exclusive continuation of the lane-changing rhythm game cleared its goal within the final day of its funding campaign. Regardless of the original Amplitude's quality, the button-tapper's fan base is pretty niche - if games catering to slivers of the broader gaming population can find the funding they need via Kickstarter, it makes us wonder what other dream sequels we could get away with. There are always the down-and-out series begging for continuations like Shenmue 3, but that almost feels too obvious. What if we launched a Kickstarter for a team to continue an established property? We could start a campaign to glue the pieces of Wipeout developer SCE Studio Liverpool back together, then launch another to cover the resurrected studio's costs to make a new F-Zero! What's that you say? F-Zero is owned by Nintendo and is definitely not a property we can just give out to whoever we wish? Well, we can launch another Kickstarter to fund a protective shield until SCE finishes the game, and then Captain Falcon can finally get back on track with his career! On second thought, maybe we shouldn't take swings at the legal beehive. We'll have to think our F-Zero revival strategy over, but until then, we've got the cliff notes from this week's news and content ready for you. Details about the Xbox One's June update, reviews for Transistor and Wolfenstein: The New Order and video previews for Driveclub and Middle-Earth: Shadow of Morder - it's all ready for you after the break!
Borderlands 2 on Vita: Mostly Handsome, Jack
It is complete. With today's launch of cross-save support for Borderlands 2 on Vita, the game is fully fleshed-out and filled with finger-flicking delight. That isn't a euphemism – since it's on Vita, there's plenty of touchscreen and rear touchpad action in this latest version of Borderlands 2. Some of it works, and some of it feels designed in the bowels of frustration hell. Borderlands 2 wasn't conceived as a Vita game, and at times that fact is obvious – when it runs into framerate issues or the graphics pop in (usually leaving my character's irises and pupils for last on the home screen), it feels like a big game ported onto a tiny device. These issues are mostly ignorable, but they contribute to a few annoying gameplay problems.
Borderlands 2 Vita adds cross-save support
It was a longer wait than expected, but Borderlands 2 players can now resume progress between Vita and PS3 vault-hunting. A new patch adds cross-save functionality to the Sony versions of the game - and to reiterate, just the Sony versions. Gearbox's portable loot-and-shooter features six previously released DLC packs, including Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty, Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage, the Psycho and Mechromancer classes, and Ultimate Vault Hunter's Upgrade and Collector's Edition packs. Also, the Vita port has a two-player cap on online hijinks. [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]
Borderlands 2 Vita may get cross-save support on Tuesday
Vault Hunters just set out for a fresh round of loot in this month's Vita release of Borderlands 2, but they all returned to the hunt as measly, level-one adventurers, regardless of whether or not they had Eridium gathered in a PS3 save file. The on-the-go romp through Pandora will eventually offer cross-save support, but the involved update has had vague launch dates as well as a missed estimate of yesterday. However, a tweet from Gearbox head Randy Pitchford suggests the patch will arrive on Tuesday, with Pitchford stating the new deadline felt "more reliable" than the last that he was given. The Vita version was developed by Iron Galaxy Studios and published by Sony, so while it makes sense for Vita owners to want a great, time-saving feature, impatience with Pitchford or Gearbox is a bit unwarranted. [Image: Sony]
PSN Store Update: Soul Sacrifice Delta, Borderlands 2 Vita
It's a quieter week on PSN, with just two new games each for PS3 and Vita. Starting with the portable, Borderlands 2 gets a standalone release ($40) after featuring in last week's Vita 2000 bundle, and Soul Sacrifice Delta has a few freebies in a limited edition bundle ($36). As for the PS3 new releases, there's Episode 3 of The Walking Dead Season 2 ($5, or part of $20 season pass) and the slightly belated Serious Sam 3: BFE ($20, or $15 with Plus). Also, JRPG fans may be tempted by a new Tales bundle that combines Graces f with Xillia ($60). Finally, some bits and bobs to round up: Skullgirls Encore on PS3 is the latest Plus freebie, Dishonored is permanently price reduced to $20, and the PS Blog has all the latest sales and Plus discounts. [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]
Borderlands 2 Vita zeroes in on Europe
Europe may have got the Vita 2000 a few months before North America, but it'll have to wait a few weeks more to play Borderlands 2 on it. Sony says starting May 28, Europeans can loot wastelands on the go too. Borderlands 2 Vita is part of the new bundle for the handheld's slimmer, lighter iteration. The shooter's standalone version hits next week on May 13, and according to Shacknews that's when the game will be patched with PS3 cross-saving. [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]
Save your Borderlands 2 progress across Vita and PS3 'shortly'
Borderlands 2 on Vita will support cross-save capabilities with PS3, but that feature isn't live just yet. A patch to add cross-saves is heading to PS3 "shortly," a Gearbox representative said in the Borderlands 2 forums. Borderlands 2 launched in a bundle with the new, slimmer Vita on May 6, and the standalone Vita game hits on May 13. The Vita game includes six DLC packs: Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty, Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage, the Psycho and Mechromancer Character Classes, the Ultimate Vault Hunter's Upgrade Pack, and the Collector's Edition pack. The Vita version of Borderlands 2 supports a maximum of two co-op players, though the SCEA Third Party Production team "strived to include four-player co-op," Sony said. [Image: Gearbox]
