Pretty predictable review honestly.
It might as well have started with the words "I didn't like the first game..." and end with
"...because of that, I don't like this game."
A few points of contention:
1) You do not have to grind to progress or win. At all. I beat the game using solely what I received from the main quests, and random White/Greens I nicked from vending machines.
Any "grind" you encounter is either a different interpretation of the phrase (this is slang after all) or it's self-inflicted.
2) The vehicle controls work perfectly fine for me. I honestly cannot find what his problem was and suspect Mr. Croshaw either missed the part where they mention the hand-brake/drift button, or he just invented a problem for the sake of a joke.
The latter of which is fine for "teh lulz"; not so fine for a review.
3) "...into the unexplored realms of shooting Jason in a scrapyard, and also it's been snowing a bit." (paraphrase)
Oversimplification is easy. Watch.
-Prince of Persia: "A guy who jumps around a lot to stab people and reach far ledges."
-Portal: "You make portals to get from point A to point B while a silly computer spits one-liners at you."
-Silent Hill
2 series "Psychotic losers go to spooky town and mostly die."
As for the humor potential in that line, it didn't go anywhere for me.
I could expound upon what was changed and improved from Borderlands 1, but why bother? I've already put more effort into this one part of my post than he put into that part of his review.
4) "Stop and Go gameplay" (paraphrased)
A fairly stupid and meaningless statement, given how many (real time) games have rising action and falling action that works in the same way.
This plays to the nature of gunfights in most FPSs.
Unless it's a "monster mash" shooter, most fights involve taking cover and retaliating.
(though I could make an equally useless, snide comment about how old monster mash shooters were nothing more than circle strafing with various weapons)
Maybe Yahtzee would prefer a shooter without a reload button.
Besides those, I do agree with what he said about the story.
There was another Vault. Plot convenience makes for a shitty plot.
Handsome Jack's motivations to lure Vault Hunters and then kill them is patently stupid; it doesn't eliminate competition, and if you find the backstory ECHOs, most of the characters were going to Pandora in spite of Jack's plan anyway (Salvador is a native of Pandora even).
I also have a problem with the masses calling them "Vault Hunters", like it's some sort of mystical rank. Apart from the Sirens, what specifically distinguishes a Vault Hunter from the regular rank-and-file? What gives them their badass powers?
The post-battle roundup of ammo and loot can become rather tedious, but it isn't that bad. Most generic resources like ammo and money will auto-pickup after fights.
Only on rare occasion did I find myself having to do inventory maintenance (and use that infernal interface), since selling item is a pretty quick and simple process.
Duffeknol said:
I know looking to find your opinion validated on the internet is pretty lame, but it can sure as hell feel satisfying sometimes, especially when half the internet tried to kick you to death if you so much as mumble that you don't like Borderlands because it's repetitive and boring, and that comparing numbers to more numbers shouldn't be anyone's idea of fun.
Because clearly, you are the one and only person who gets to dictate how people should have fun.