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Borderlands 2's Mechromancer prepares for the Eden-5 Youth Science Fair
Gaige, the plucky Mechromancer in Borderlands 2, has some stiff competition at this year's Eden-5 Youth Science Fair. In a missive to her near-dozen subscribers, Gaige describes her prototype for the fair, Project DT: a mechanized drone designed to hunt down bullies and pulverize 'em.
Borderlands 2 bug wipes Badass ranks, chievos, across all platforms
So there's this bug in Borderlands 2. It wipes out players' Badass Ranks, golden keys, heads and skins with no chance of redemption, at times lowering stats to unplayable levels. The bug affects Xbox 360, PS3 and PC versions of Borderlands 2 and it doesn't appear to follow a pattern of attack.The bug, viewable in the above video, doesn't reset any of the challenges it erases, meaning players can't go back and try to complete them again. A 300-response thread on the official Gearbox forums chronicles players who have encountered the bug, though Gearbox Community Manager Chris Faylor says it is a "fairly rare" occurrence."Thanks for all the reports and specific details, folks," Faylor writes in the forum. "Our engineers are looking into this, and the information you've provided has proven to be a great resource while we investigate. At the moment, it seems to be a fairly rare issue and we'll keep you updated on when we resolve it."So far one piece of advice in the forum tells players who log in to find wiped Badass Ranks or achievements to immediately quit the game and boot it back up.We've reached out to Gearbox for more information about the bug and any potential fixes.[Thanks to everyone who sent in this tip!]
Borderlands 2 gets its first level 50 vault hunter in 43 hours
It's been a week since the launch of Borderlands 2, and though most players probably have a couple character builds by now, it only took 43 hours for the first player in the world to reach level 50. Noted streamer Matt Siegfried credits himself as being the fastest gamer to reach level 50, having played for 43 hours and 15 minutes nonstop since picking up Borderlands 2 at a midnight launch.The video above documents Siegfried's milestone, so you probably don't want to watch it if you've yet to finish Borderlands 2 or want to play it at some point in your life. You have been warned!
Borderlands 2 will have 'non-season pass' DLC, Pitchford promises
Borderlands 2 is getting four confirmed slices of DLC as part of the Season Pass, but it has even more planned, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford tells Kotaku. We already know about one piece of additional non-Season Pass content, the Mechromancer."We will have other, non-season pass related DLC," Pitchford says. "The additional character (Mechromancer) is one kind of example."We've heard rumblings of themes for future Borderlands 2 DLC: One may be an expansion on the weapons manufacturer Torgue, and another might involve Sand Skiff-like transportation. Pitchford reiterates a vehicle-focused DLC approach."Since we finished the game, we've started with some new ideas that we expect will show up in DLC," Pitchford says. "Some new vehicle types are on-deck – awesome stuff."All of the Season Pass DLC packs will be "big," similar to the third expansion for the original Borderlands, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx. Knoxx raised the level cap, added 30 new enemy types, new weapons, new vehicles and improved the AI."The stuff we're planning and working on for the Campaign DLC Season Pass is big DLC stuff – more like Knoxx," Pitchford says. "We're extremely far along with the first campaign DLC. The second DLC is also in amazing shape. The third DLC is a little farther out and the fourth DLC is just in the pre-concept stages."
Borderlands 2 'Torgue' expansion turns up on The Workshop resumes
Borderlands 2 promises four bits of DLC by June, and one of those may very well be based on the game's Torgue weapons manufacturer. A "Torgue" expansion is listed on a few resumes from The Workshop Entertainment, the studio behind PS3 Move's Sorcery, as spotted by Superannuation.A level designer lists the Torgue expansion for Borderlands 2 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC and a former senior level designer (through August 2012) lists "unannounced DLC" for those three platforms. Superannuation notes a current animator also includes the Torgue DLC listing on his resume, but that has since been taken offline.Another Workshop level designer describes one piece of unannounced DLC as an "expansion for a highly successful triple-A FPS," and with more than 10 hours of gameplay.
Check out this Minecraft easter egg in Borderlands 2
This video shows you how to reach a hidden Minecraft-inspired area in Borderlands 2, which includes Creepers and familiar blocks just begging to be broken. Be warned: the video includes minor spoilers for the game (and a lot of awesome).
Borderlands 2 region-locked in Russia, players speak out
Steam versions of Borderlands 2 are region-locked to Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Ukraine, Lithuania and Estonia, meaning players with the RU version will be unable to play online with anyone outside of these areas. Many people in these regions pre-ordered Borderlands 2 without receiving any indication that they would get a different version, and on the eve of the game's launch they're taking their case to Reddit, Gearbox and publishers 2K Games and 1C.Reddit member K900_ has compiled a list of grievances and attempts to solve the issue:These potential players are unable to pre-load Borderlands 2 and it is unclear if the game will support multiple languages, or if it will only be in Russian. Since many people in countries outside of Russia don't speak Russian, this further complicates the issue. DLC may not work on the RU version of Borderlands 2, as those who pre-ordered the Season Pass are unable to activate it. Players paid full price for the game.2K Games is in charge of any region-locking and responded to one inquiry with the following message: "All users with a Russian IP address that are attempting to purchase and play the game will be restricted to the RU version of the game. This version of the game will only be compatible with other RU versions of the game, meaning you will only be able to play online with other Russian IP players. We deeply apologize for any and all inconvenience this issue may cause."Boxed versions of Borderlands 2 appear to not be region-locked, even though they are compatible with Steam.2K responds to these problems on its own forum, apologizing for not providing region-lock information during the pre-sale and discussing possible refunds:"2K Games and 1C are aware that digital distribution pages for the Russian, CIS and Baltic states versions of Borderlands 2 contained incorrect information regarding the language and cross territory compatibility support. We apologize that this information was incorrect during the pre-sale and pre-order period for these territories. We are working with our partners to update those pages, and offer any customers who pre-ordered or pre-purchased the game the opportunity to cancel their order and receive a refund."Additionally, we are working with our product development teams to investigate potential support for additional languages and options for our customers in these territories. While this was and is not possible for launch, we will provide an update this week on our progress."
Borderlands 2 review: Non-trivial loot pursuit
Borderlands 2 caters to a primal part of the brain, where violence is the answer to everything and fat loot is the worthwhile reward. Gearbox Software's second effort shows a more learned approach that doesn't languish, and sets a breakneck pace from the opening moments of the game.%Gallery-161206%
Borderlands 2: every enemy in one image
Borderlands 2 has around 300 enemies, and they're all in the image below, which we assume was torturously sketched, lined and colored by a Gearbox marketing artist. Borderlands 2 drops tomorrow, so click to make the pic bigger and study up.
Borderlands 2's handsome launch trailer
Borderlands 2 won't be available until tomorrow, despite what its trailer released this morning wants you to believe, which means there's still time to get the Mecromancer DLC as a bonus with pre-order.
Borderlands 2 available on PSN at launch
Borderlands 2 will be downloadable on PlayStation Network in North America on its September 18 release date, the PlayStation Blogcast revealed. It's also available for pre-order on PSN in Europe right now, for release on September 21. That makes the PlayStation Plus release of Borderlands a really smart piece of marketing.Unfortunately, since the American download version is not currently pre-orderable, it won't get you Premiere Club access.
Borderlands 2 'Golden Key' unlocks this chest in Sanctuary
If you're a vault hunter who signed up for Premiere Club – accomplished by pre-ordering Borderlands 2 through a select retailer – you'll find yourself burdened by one golden key come launch day. This golden key unlocks a special treasure chest in the city of Sanctuary.The chest (pictured above) will drop some very rare (see: purple) loot once open – loot that is scaled to your character, Gearbox says. So the potency of the loot within is dependent on the level of your character when you open it – and while we know how hard it is to not open a chest full of loot in a game where that is one of the primary goals, you may want to hold off as long as you can on this golden chest.
Gearbox posts final version of Borderlands 2 Mechromancer class
Gearbox Software's final look for Borderlands 2's Mechromancer DLC was posted this morning. The character, available October 16, is the fifth playable class in the game and is still available with pre-order. Without the pre-order she'll cost $10.
PSN Tuesday: NFL Sunday Ticket, Zen Pinball 2 and Borderlands (free for PS Plus members)
Are you ready for some apps that enable you to watch football on Sunday? Okay, so we failed Marketing 101 – it's our way of saying DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket is now available to PS3 users.Joining football is free-to-play PS3/PS Vita cross-play compatible (phew!) Zen Pinball 2, from Zen Studios. If you're a PlayStation Plus subscriber, there are the usual discounts to consider, like 75 percent off Greed Corp and 40 percent off Daytona USA, and a free download of Borderlands. The full list is over on the PlayStation Blog.
Borderlands 2 Mechromancer available October 16 for $10
Borderlands 2's Mechromancer DLC should be available October 16 for $10. Eurogamer reports Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford dropped the current date and price estimate this weekend at PAX Prime.The Mechromancer will be the fifth playable class in Borderlands 2, which you can still get bundled at no extra cost with a pre-order of the game. Publisher 2K Games also recently announced there are four $10 DLC packs planned for the game by next June, which are also available through a $30 "Season Pass." Immediate upsell, upsell, upsell.
Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 dead, new IP born
It turns out Gearbox had a very good reason for letting the Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 trademark lapse: the name is dead. Development on the game continues, but Gearbox announced during a PAX panel that Furious 4 has become so different from the Brothers in Arms franchise that it has become a new IP entirely, Kotaku reports. Apparently that's what Randy Pitchford meant back in July, when he noted that the game had "evolved."Further information about the game, including minor details like a name and release window, will have to wait for another announcement from Gearbox.
Aliens: Colonial Marines' Escape mode looks painful if you're a human
Yesterday Sega and Gearbox announced Aliens: Colonial Marines' new 'Escape' multiplayer mode, a four vs. four, Xenomorphs vs Marines bloodbath. Today, they've sent us that bloodbath in video form, and it looks a bit painful for the marines.It's up to the marines to escape the Alien planet's outpost by getting to the extraction point, while the Aliens just chase them down like dogs. There's a time limit too, meaning the marines must work together to make it out with their limbs and guts intact.Should the idea of gutting or being gutted entice you, Aliens: Colonial Marines is playable at this weekend's PAX Prime. The game itself arrives next year on February 12 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The Wii U release date remains unannounced.
'Borderlands 2 Season Pass' announced, all four DLC packs for $30
Borderlands 2 will have at least four downloadable content expansions by next summer. 2K Games announced a $30 season pass this morning, available at launch, which will make the four pieces of $10 DLC accessible for the price of three. The season pass is available for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.Pass holders will be able to download the new content as it goes live, with all four "scheduled to be available by June 2013." Borderlands 2 – and the Season Pass – will cooperatively roll into retail September 18.%Gallery-160312%
Borderlands gets demade, is playable in your browser and totally rad
You wanna play Borderlands, but you're stuck at your job. Also, the new Borderlands still isn't out, and you've played so, so much of the first one. Or maybe you're only into 16-bit games? The Borderlands remake – an official part of the Borderlands 2 marketing campaign – is here, and it's pretty boss.Well, okay – it's as boss as a top down, 16-bit, browser-based rendition of Borderlands could possibly be. Incidentally, that's far, far more boss than we had imagined. What're you still doing here? Go play it!
In Borderlands 2, heavy weapons need you
Borderlands 2 is approaching and you need to familiarize yourself with its hardware if you hope to survive. Here are two videos promoting two in-game weapon manufacturers: the Soviet-inspired gear from Vladof and the element-loving weaponry from Maliwan. Now, pick one!
