Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Twitch
    Game on Aus
    • News
      What’s coming to PlayStation Plus in June 2023?

      What’s coming to PlayStation Plus in June 2023?

      June 1, 2023

      IT’S JUNE! — and that means two things: it is officially the rainy season & it’s time for the next…

      ANZPL Split 1 2023 Trophy

      ANZPL Split 1 2023 LAN Finals: Champions Crowned

      May 30, 2023

      This is it. The ANZPL Split 1 2023 LAN Finals. Who would win the Lower Final and make it to the Grand Final to face the Skorpions?

      Company of Heroes 3 Xbox console give-away

      Company of Heroes 3 Xbox console give-away

      May 30, 2023

      TODAY’S release of the Company of Heroes 3 Console Edition released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, FiveStarGames…

      Assassin’s Creed: Mirage details emerge

      Assassin’s Creed: Mirage details emerge

      May 25, 2023

      AT the PlayStation Showcase this morning there was a few moments of excitement for me, one of them being the…

      PlayStation ’23 Showcase report

      PlayStation ’23 Showcase report

      May 25, 2023

      PlayStation went ahead with its PlayStation Showcase earlier this morning and kicked off the old E3-style season presentation of a…

      View All
    • Reviews
      Crucial T700 – The SSD powerhouse!

      Crucial T700 – The SSD powerhouse!

      September 6, 2023

      The Crucial T700 sets a new standard in performance when it comes to Consumer Grade SSDs, pushing speeds faster than…

      Hyper Karting and Hyper VR street signage

      Hyper Karting & Reality Hyper Amazing!

      June 7, 2023

      I recently visited Hyper Karting, a go-kart and VR centre in Sydney. As well as the go-karts, I was very keen to experience Hyper Reality.

      Company of Heroes 3 (Console Edition) – Tactical Brilliance

      Company of Heroes 3 (Console Edition) – Tactical Brilliance

      June 5, 2023

      Company of Heroes 3 marks the highly anticipated return of the critically acclaimed real-time strategy franchise to consoles. Developed by…

      Diablo 4 Review – A Dark and Thrilling Return to Glory

      Diablo 4 Review – A Dark and Thrilling Return to Glory

      May 31, 2023

      Diablo 4 is the long-awaited continuation of the iconic action role-playing game series developed by Blizzard Entertainment. I had the…

      Alienware AW510K Low-Profile RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

      Alienware AW510K Low-Profile RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

      May 25, 2023

      When I reviewed the Alienware AW720M Tri-Mode Wireless Gaming Mouse at the start of the year, I came away intrigued…

      View All
    • Podcasts
      Nuts & Bolts Ep 84 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 84: What Is The LCS Doing?

      June 3, 2023

      The World Of Tanks ANZPL LAN Finals have decided the Split 1 champions. Jim takes us through the action! Lots…

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 83 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 83: Let’s Get Down To Business

      May 20, 2023

      There’s lots to cover this week. Join Mercury and Jim as the World Of Thanks ANZPL heads towards their LAN…

      The Weekly Show Ep 279 Hero Card

      The Weekly Show Ep 279: Tech Issues: The Show

      May 19, 2023

      Doomcutie joins Stormie and Jim as they talk through mods, leaks and so much more! Plus our Bloody Good Game Of The Week thanks to Aussie Broadband.

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 82 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 82: We Missed You!

      May 13, 2023

      It’s been a couple of weeks so Jim and Mercury catch up to talk all things Dreamhack Melbourne. Plus Snoop…

      The Weekly Show Ep 278 Hero Card

      The Weekly Show Ep 278: Look Who Just Drops In

      May 12, 2023

      Doomcutie joins Stormie and Jim as they talk through mods, leaks and so much more! Plus our Bloody Good Game Of The Week thanks to Aussie Broadband.

      View All
    • Categories
      • BY PLATFORM
        • Playstation
        • Xbox
        • Nintendo
        • PC
        • Mobile
        • VR
        • Retro
      • BY GENRE
        • Action
        • Action-Adventure
        • Battle Royale
        • Fighting
        • FPS
        • Horror Games
        • RPG
        • Simulation
        • Sports
        • MMORPG
        • MOBA
        • Platformer
        • Strategy
        • Survival
        • Indie
      • GOA ESSENTIALS
        • Esports
        • Conventions
        • Tabletop
        • Hardware
        • Funny
        • Streaming
        • Win
        • Podcast
        • Video
    • More
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
    Game on Aus
    Home » Borderlands 2 VR Review
    game on aus logo
    ACTION-ADVENTURE

    Borderlands 2 VR Review

    Nick HollidayBy Nick HollidayDecember 28, 2018
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Score: 9/10          |        First-Person Shooter        |        RPG        |          VR

    “The planet of Pandora is a beautiful place and a lot of the time I’d completely forgotten that I was really standing in the middle of my living room.”

     

    Originally released back in 2012, Borderlands 2 was one of the biggest game releases of the year and fans haven’t been able to get enough of it since. Following up with it’s port to the PS Vita in 2014 and a current-gen console release the following year, it looked as if they had touched on all bases with this RPG First Person Shooter hybrid. However I was taken by surprise when Gearbox Software and 2K Games announced it was coming to Playstation VR. The idea of almost literally jumping back into Pandora and feeling like I was really there had me excited. But would it make me feel like the badass Vault Hunter I’ve always wanted to be..?

    If you’re unfamiliar with the story so far, Borderlands 2 is set five years after the events of the first game. After opening the first vault and killing The Destroyer, the vault hunters didn’t find the extraordinary treasure as promised. Instead, a valuable mineral called Eridium leaked out and spread across the planet of Pandora. The Hyperion Corporation, led by the evil Handsome Jack, come to Pandora for the precious mineral and use their power to take over the planet. However there’s apparently another bigger vault out there and Handsome Jack brings you, a new set of vault hunters, along for the hunt…and then screws you over. Afterwards you join an anti-Hyperion group called the Crimson Raiders who plan on taking down Handsome Jack and the rest of Hyperion.

     

     

    In a nutshell though, this RPG is all about guns, loot, more guns, shooting things and a bazillion more guns in a large open-world setting full of zany characters. You have four classes of vault hunter to choose from, each with their own unique abilities and traits. DLC classes aren’t included in the VR version, and is just one of the few differences there are from the regular game. Its lack of multi-player support is another, which is a shame since Borderlands 2 has always been fun to play with friends.

    Arriving at the main menu, you’re met with the familiar 360 degree view of Pandora. No matter how many times I’d seen it, I was excited to see it all from a much closer perspective and couldn’t wait to view the rest of the game like this.

    But first I had to get used to interacting and moving around in the world. I gave both the traditional Dualshock 4 and Playstation Move controllers a go and definitely favoured one more than the other. Moving around with a control pad felt familiar, somewhat clunky but comfortable enough for the first few minutes. But since it’s in VR, it came with the common motion sickness and nausea I’ve become all too familiar with in past VR experiences. Walking however isn’t the only way you can move your character around in Borderlands 2 VR. The more VR-friendly teleport system is the perfect alternative to those annoying motion sickness issues. Although doable with the Dualshock 4, I found it to be a more fluid action using the Move Controllers instead. I gave a driving a go exclusively using the Move Controllers and was left underwhelmed with the experience. Pointing forwards to accelerate and backwards to reverse weren’t how I was expecting to “drive” around Pandora.

     

    Jumping into combat was the true test of how well these control options handled. Using the control pad, I wasn’t aiming my gun like I normally would. Instead I was moving my head around to aim the crosshair. Switching over to the Move controls, I felt as if I was really holding onto the gun itself. Not only did I start feeling like a vault hunter, but my aim became a lot more accurate. Moving around in the battlefield however took a lot of practice.

    Although familiar with Borderlands 2’s fast paced combat, I still became quite overwhelmed at first. Especially since the action’s now quite literally in my face. Trying to get myself out of sticky situations felt clunky using the Dualshock 4 and at first even clunkier with the Move controllers. After a few bloody rounds with some psycho bandits, I was zipping around the battlefields like a pro. I felt I had a much better advantage in battle while I was teleporting instead of walking/sprinting. However I did manage to still be surrounded by half a room full of enemies on occasion, but Borderlands 2 VR introduces a new ability to help.

    A part from swinging my arm around like a maniac, Bad Ass Mega Fun Time helped deal with those close encounters. B.A.M.F. Time pushed back enemies standing too close while also slowing down time around me. This became a regular tool even when I wasn’t being jumped on. The satisfaction of teleporting around the battlefield and obtaining those perfect critical shots while having B.A.M.F. Time activated gave me a lot more of those badass vault hunter feels. And just like all your other abilities, B.A.M.F. Time has been integrated into each classes skill tree and can be upgraded.

     

    Interacting with the menus using the Move Controllers felt incredibly smooth but that was until I reached the backpack tab. Although equipping items was as simple as dragging and dropping, it was pretty easy to accidentally select gear I didn’t want and having it automatically equip. I also found that pictures wouldn’t always match what items really were, resulting in a lot of confusion and at times frustration. This was also a problem when using vending machines as well.

    The flaws however were easily trumped, in the end I was having too much fun enjoying this new way of experiencing Borderlands 2. Viewing the environments in VR had me regularly taking a moment to breath it all in. I’d even take the time to have a closer look at smaller details. As someone whose always loved the design of the bazillion guns that are on offer, it was so cool to be able to admire them up close. The planet of Pandora is a beautiful place and a lot of the time I’d completely forgotten that I was really standing in the middle of my living room. I also couldn’t recommend enough to stand up while you play. This added to the “realness” of being a vault hunter and freed up a lot of body movement as opposed to sitting on the couch.

    With all of that said, it’s safe to say that I stepped back into reality feeling like a badass vault hunter. Borderlands 2 VR was the Borderlands experience I never knew I needed. And as the sole reason as to why I bought a Playstation VR, I’m left with no regrets.

     

    Borderlands 2 VR is available now for Playstation VR and I give it a 9 out of 10.

    Like Game On AUS on Facebook
    Subscribe to Game On AUS on Youtube
    Follow Game On AUS on Twitch

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleRide 3 Review
    Next Article Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden Review

    Related Posts

    Crucial T700 – The SSD powerhouse!
    GAMING REVIEWS September 6, 2023

    Crucial T700 – The SSD powerhouse!

    The Crucial T700 sets a new standard in performance when it comes to Consumer Grade SSDs, pushing speeds faster than…

    Hyper Karting and Hyper VR street signage
    GAMING REVIEWS June 7, 2023

    Hyper Karting & Reality Hyper Amazing!

    I recently visited Hyper Karting, a go-kart and VR centre in Sydney. As well as the go-karts, I was very keen to experience Hyper Reality.

    Subscribe

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    Ads

    Categories
    • ACTION
    • ACTION-ADVENTURE
    • APPLE
    • BATTLE ROYALE
    • CLOUD GAMING
    • CONVENTIONS
    • DLC
    • ESPORTS
    • Events
    • FEATURE
    • FIGHTING
    • FPS
    • FUNNY
    • GAMING HARDWARE
    • GAMING NEWS
    • GAMING REVIEWS
    • GIFT GUIDE
    • GOA
    • GOA PODCAST
    • HORROR GAMES
    • INDIE GAMING
    • Industry
    • MMORPG
    • MOBA
    • MOBILE
    • NINTENDO
    • Open-World
    • OPINION
    • PC
    • PLATFORMER
    • PLAYSTATION
    • Press Release
    • PREVIEW
    • RACING
    • RETRO
    • RPG
    • SIMULATION
    • SPORTS
    • STRATEGY
    • STREAMING
    • SUBSCRIPTION GAMES SERVICE UPDATES
    • SURVIVAL
    • TABLETOP GAMING
    • TECH
    • VIDEO
    • VR
    • XBOX
    Related Article
    Crucial T700 – The SSD powerhouse!
    GAMING REVIEWS

    Crucial T700 – The SSD powerhouse!

    September 6, 2023Zak BearmanBy Zak Bearman

    The Crucial T700 sets a new standard in performance when it comes to Consumer Grade SSDs, pushing speeds faster than many other NVME PCI-E…

    Crucial Memory and DDR5: Unleashing Epic Experiences!
    GAMING HARDWARE

    Crucial Memory and DDR5: Unleashing Epic Experiences!

    July 13, 2023Zak BearmanBy Zak Bearman

    Our friends at Crucial offered us an opportunity to review some of their Pro series memory! Me being the avid gamer and hardware savant…

    Hyper Karting and Hyper VR street signage
    GAMING REVIEWS

    Hyper Karting & Reality Hyper Amazing!

    June 7, 2023Darren 'Str8JaktJim' MacneallBy Darren 'Str8JaktJim' Macneall

    I recently visited Hyper Karting, a go-kart and VR centre in Sydney. As well as the go-karts, I was very keen to experience Hyper Reality.

    Game on Australia Logo

    Game On Aus is an Australian games publication working across written, video and podcast, and supported by an ever-growing community of content creators and fans!

    Copyright GameOnAus 2023. Privacy Policy. Website by Digital Hitmen

    CONTENT
    • News
    • Gaming Reviews
    • Podcast
    • Tech
    • Indie
    ABOUT GOA
    • About Us
    • Contact

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.