Review Round-Up: Borderlands 2
Posted by JMatula
Mac Gamers’ return to Pandora to vanquish Handsome Jack came only 2 short months after release on other systems, and boy has everyone been happy about that. With such a close release date, sometimes the individual Mac reviews can get lost in the shuffle, but fear not gamers! GameAgent has collected all the Borderlands 2 reviews specific to the Mac port for you to read for yourself. It’s another edition of our Review Round-Up! To read the full review from each outlet, click the header for each review.
Current Ratings
As of 1/17/13
Mac Life: 4/5
Mac Gamer HQ: 4.5/5
OneClickMac: 5/5
Macworld: 4.5/5
Mac|Life
by Matt Clark
Positives: “Wonderfully goofy story. Addictive item looting. Great co-op gameplay.”
Negatives: “Little difference from the original Borderlands. Some quests feel repetitive.”
“The bottom line. Borderlands 2 may not stray far from the basic ideas that made its predecessor so popular, but new abilities and a fantastic plot will delight even the hardest cynic of the shooter genre.
Full review from Mac|Life…
Mac Gamer HQ
by Ric M
The Good
- Addictive all around
- Polished gameplay
- Original, good-looking graphics
- Great Multiplayer
The Bad
- Slow start
- Not as fast as the Windows version
- Can get tiring when played Solo entirely
Final Word
“Borderlands 2 for Mac is without a doubt one of the best releases of the year. I will not repeat all the reasons described above, let me just say this game is fun to play, solo or with friends. The mechanics are polished and will never get in the way of the fun.”
Full review from Mac Gamer HQ…
OneClickMac
by Adam Blades
Note: This review is for the current version available from the Mac App Store.
Pros: Truly incredible attention to detail and scope, fluid and satisfying gunplay, full cast of characters with laugh-out-loud voice acting and writing, much more variety in enemies.
Cons: No Co-Op.
Final Say: “Borderlands 2 doesn’t just overshadow its predecessor, it towers above it like the Statue of friggen Liberty… holding a Dahl Sniper with Explosive Rounds. The number of detailed environments, satisfying gunplay, huge cast of fantastic characters and of course, the loot grabbing, have been honed and refined to a level that Gearbox could only have dreamed of 3 years ago. Borderlands 2 is an absolute must on your Christmas list. Go get it.”
Full review from OneClickMac…
Borderlands 2 wins OneClickMac’s Game of the Year!
Full story from OneClickMac…
Macworld
by Peter Cohen
Bottom line
Borderlands 2 is easily one of the best current games for the Mac, period. It takes everything that’s fun and enjoyable about the original and amps it up even more. Once Aspyr gets the Mac version in sync with its PC counterpart for online play, it’ll be just about perfect.
Full review from Macworld…
Control Command Escape
by Ninja Foodstuff
What Borderlands 2 does really well is makes you feel empowered, and keeps your excitement level up. Whether it’s the ever-increasing numbers billowing out of bullet impacts, or the flashy cutscene to introduce a new foe, you’ll feel like a badass right from the start. Most of the blandness from the original has gone, leaving you with a game that’s fun to play with friends or solo (despite reports to the contrary). Though it doesn’t particularly break any new ground (conveniently leaving lots of action RPG mechanics to pillage in Borderlands 3), it does do everything much better. Once you get over the initial hump, Borderlands 2 is feisty, frantic, and most of all, fun.
Want to a good review of the currently available DLC for Borderlands 2? This great site has a review here.
Mac App Store
…and now some reviews from your peers!
Disclaimer: Only a few of the Mac App Stores were picked for their content and helpfulness to others.
Great game.
by arbweb (5/5 Stars)
This game is awesome. A lot of things to do, huge maps and gorgeous cell-shading graphics. It works perfectly on my MBP with Core i5 and Intel HD 4000.
Runs on 2010 Mac Mini
by Alaska Ron (5/5 Stars)
I had played the first Borderlands and thought it was just an absolutely amazing and beautiful game when I heard Borderlands 2 was coming out I was pumped and could not wait until September 21st. When it came out for the Mac App Store I was a little hesitant because I didn’t know if I want to spend 45 bucks on a game and I didn’t expect it to be better than the first because the first was so good but I finally got it andmy mind was eternally blown. This game is god of shoot and loot or any lotting online game in general. and the game runs perfectly on a 2010 mac mini buy this game. IT’S GODLY.
Not the best version of this game available
by Flexicaly (3/5 Stars)
The current game is single player only–although the developer says that they will release a mac-to-mac multiplayer update in early 2013. This is a significant omission as the game really shines in multiplayer.
Currently, the version lacks a number of key features, including multiplayer, the Mechromancer class and other DLC, that can be obtained in other versions (such as the mac version of the game that is sold on Steam).
I regret buying this version, although the game is still fun as is.
pretty cool game
by Vbrake12 (4/5 Stars)
Runs very smooth on my 15 inch Macbook Pro with Retina Screen, no overheating, could have higher resolution though.
Editor’s Note: There are a several reviews on the Mac App Store and around the net with concerns about multiplayer and various other technical issues. Take reviews (both good and bad) with a grain of salt unless they specify their rig so you have a frame of reference for their gameplay experience. Please visit GameAgent and turn on Mac Match so you’ll know for certain if the game will run on your Mac before purchasing. App Store reviews and blog comments aren’t exactly the most efficient way to get help with your game problems. Check out the Borderlands 2 FAQ to see if it helps with any unanswered questions. Of course we’ll do everything we can to help anyone who comments here, but remember: the quickest and best way to get help/resolution to any and all issues on Borderlands 2 is to contact Aspyr Support directly.
For helpful pointers on strategy in your first game of Borderlands 2, check out our Borderlands 2 Beginner’s Guide. For all of GameAgent’s other Borderlands 2 coverage, click here.
Seen any other reviews worth sharing with your fellow Mac gamers? Now that you’ve had plenty of time to play, what are your thoughts on Borderlands 2? Let us know in the comments!
