By Joey Kucker, Carlisle Area High School, Carlisle, PA

My friends and I are on a train, barreling through the massive desert at breakneck speed. Mid-journey, a rocket hits the front of our train and derails us, putting us in the middle of the Arctic with nothing but our fists to fend off the robots that are attacking us.

This may seem completely unrealistic but for the videogame “Borderlands 2,” that’s only the beginning. This is because “Borderlands 2” doesn’t try and be like other games. It embraces its complete and utter insanity with pride and does it with a unique style unlike any other game this year.

The original “Borderlands” released in late 2009 to massive critical and commercial success. It combined elements of multiple genres into one single, unique experience that captivated audiences and spawned several expansions over the span of two years.

Here, three years later, “Borderlands 2” has finally arrived. Greeted by much hype and speculation, the question is posed, can it live up to the first game’s highs?

In short, yes. “Borderlands 2” takes all of those lofty expectations and shatters them, crafting a unique and rewarding experience that should be experienced by everyone. It does this through the use of an engaging and humorous story, fun co-op gameplay, and “87 bazillion guns” While that number is an advertising line for “Borderlands 2” I have no doubt that there are millions of guns, if not a billion.

The reason for all the guns is because of a system implemented in the game that allows for random gun creation. What this means is that the game will take multiples pieces from a pull of thousands of parts and put them together on the spot. For the player, that means that every time you find a new gun, it will be fully unique from every other gun. Through my 60+ hours with the game so far, I have yet to find a duplicate gun. It’s incredible.

The first “Borderlands” was known for its humor and the sequel takes it to a new level entirely. This is hands down one of the funniest games I have ever played. The game has nearly non-stop jokes, some of which made me have to stop playing and put my controller down because I was laughing so hard.

Helping its sense of humor is a great cooperative mode. The entire 100+ hour campaign is fully playable with up to four people. To make each player’s experience different, there a four different classes each with their own skill tree upgrade system. The Commando (the soldier-type), the Gunzerker (a class that can dual wield every gun in the game), the Assassin (the stealth class), and the Siren (the magic class).

For my playthrough, I used the Siren with a destruction skill tree. By the end of the main game, I could lift somebody up, set everyone in the vicinity on fire, and then send an electric shockwave out that destroys everything. My friend’s Siren, on the other hand, took the healing skill tree and could heal our entire team by shooting us, and could throw a bomb that poisons enemies.

That is just the start of everything that “Borderlands 2” has to offer. I could talk about the deep customization options, or the crazy Easter eggs, or even the addicting risk/reward systems embedded in the game, but I don’t need to. All that needs to be said is that you owe it to yourself to get this game. You won’t be disappointed.