Borderlands 2? Yes F#$%ing Please!

When I play a video game, there are certain experiences that I look for. I want to be greeted with something visually enticing, preferably something new and, in its own way, beautiful. There needs to be a decent storyline, or at the very least, if its a mission-based game, the concepts behind each mission needs to be decent. Clever characters, well-written dialogue and encapsulating atmosphere need to abound. Borderlands was the perfect offering on that alter of pretty high expectations. It exceeded every single one of my expectations for both first person shooters and role-playing games.

The original Borderlands "trailers" were short films featuring one of our little robot friends from the original Borderlands, the Claptrap. He is acting as a director and host for little informative videos on the making of Borderlands. Here are two of them. Not really kid-appropriate, but highly entertaining and very much in the feel of the original.

So, when I tell you I'm excited about Borderlands 2, you know this is serious.

Besides the official world premiere teaser, there is some leaked gameplay footage from what appears to be the E3 official premiere announcement. The game promises to bring back the vicious insanity of the enemies, the same comic-like cel-shading graphic style and the same dark variety of violent humour. Though, the enemies - and NPCs (non-player characters) - are apparently going to be smarter, with the ability to flank and work as a team. The Psychos, Gearbox vice president Steve Gibson says, will still have the same attitude, "Wow that's a gun! I want my face in front of it."

The links provided have all the information I could find that is currently available about the upcoming title, which is rumoured to be released in September this year.

Oh, and if you are so inclined, the game can be pre-ordered from the official website. You're welcome.

Mahalo.

The Thrilling Conclusion - Dreadfully Ever After

"Dreadfully Ever After" is the final book in the trilogy of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". The original book - heretoafter referred to as PPZ - was credited to co-authors Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, who can be said to have pioneered the genre within Quirk Classics, which followed up with "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters" and "Android Karenena".

This novel - DEA - was written by the same man who wrote the PPZ prequel, "Dawn of the Dreadfuls" (DD), and I daresay it is the best of the lot. The author, Steve Hockensmith, captured the language and the feel of a Victorian-era novel, as well as that of a pulpy adventure/zombie novel. The language is amusing an the characters well drawn.

I find this is the best of the three because, while PPZ was amusing, it was simply a retelling of the original PP, but with zombies - and that was great. DD was a prequel, so naturally had to set up certain things to take place in PPZ with love interests you sort of knew wouldn't go anywhere. DEA, however, was a wholly new creation and was by far the most fun, with exciting new characters - and heartbreaking characters deaths - and genuinely felt like a Victorian adventure novel that just happened to have the Bennets in it - which I appreciated the most.

The book was thrilling, hilarious and smart and I highly recommend it to anyone.