Borderlands 2 is the sequel to the idea pitched in the mid-aughts of 'What if Diablo II had guns?' to which every person at Gearbox software replied in unison 'It would #@%&ing rule!' and opted to work tirelessly to make this dream a reality. Though my hour-count on Steam is only 80 or so hours, I have probably two thousand more on the Xbox 360 played exclusively on Maya... not even to OP8 or anything.
The art style is refined from the first game and shockingly vibrant and varied for a late-7th generation game. To go from Borderlands (2009)'s atmospheric, desaturated, and dingy Pandora to Borderlands 2's is the ideal way to expand on a universe without taking away from what makes it so hellish. Even environments returning from BL1 manage to have new pops of color that make them stand out... it's just a shame that they're so few and so late into the game that they aren't given the time to sit with you.
In terms of gameplay, it's largely an objective improvement. Item parts have been standardized and made far more memorable such that an experienced player can identify if a piece of gear is a godroll before they ever view the item card; a mechanic I believe future games drop the ball on in favor of more variation. Gunplay is different to a degree, but probably really only because of the shift in engine from 1 to 2, but skills are vastly improved. Like the previous game, each of the four Vault Hunters (six if you have the DLC) feature wholly unique action skills and three skill trees, allowing for specialization and hybrid playstyles with the new action skill augments and melee overrides.
The last thing I feel is worth mentioning is the soundtrack. Borderlands 2 features heavily on electronic tracks while retaining some of the western ambient music from the previous title, fusing into a pretty fun tonal clash that never really feels grating. Combat music gives way to ambience naturally, and exploration is made all the better for it. I think the one thing Borderlands has consistently excelled in is music and setting the tone of their games appropriately with it.
It's good! It's awful and unfunny, but it's good. 9/10
