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Borderlands 2 Stays The Course With Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage

Gearbox Software has been in rapid-fire DLC mode ever since Borderlands 2 released on September 18th. It’s barely been out two months, and we’ve already received a new class, the pirate-themed Captain Scarlett missions, and now the second mission pack, Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage. Does it live up to the high standards Gearbox has set with its previous downloadable offerings?

Out of all of the DLC across both Borderlands titles, Max Moxxi’s Underdome Riot (from the first game) is typically regarded as the weakest by far. It featured several horde-like arena modes that required multi-hour commitments to finish, and added virtually nothing in terms of narrative. Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage is a solid second offering for the sequel, but it also tends to fall into arena-like battles more often than not.

This isn’t a horde mode of any sorts, as there is a loose narrative tying the battles together. Similar to No More Heroes, these missions task the vault hunter with taking out a series of opponents in an effort to be ranked the number one badass of Pandora. Along the way, you’ll have the hilarious Mr. Torgue barking in your ear. All of his sentences sound like they’d be right at home in a 1980s pro wrestling promo, and he’s prone to attempt guitar solos using his voice when he gets especially excited. Plenty of humorous characters have inhabited Pandora across these two games, and I found myself laughing at Torgue just as frequently as mainstays like Scooter and Marcus.

A new currency is introduced in this DLC, and it’s rewarded after successful missions or when you kill certain badass enemies. These Torgue Tokens can be redeemed at new Torgue vending machines, which are stocked with ludicrously powerful weaponry. It’s nice to have a new, rare form of currency that’s more valuable than the gold that’s littered throughout Pandora. 

I had a lot of fun going through this Campaign of Carnage, but the overall experience felt more shallow to me than Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty. Whereas that DLC took me to what felt like brand new areas and had me completing unique missions, these quests seem more standard by comparison. It’s a lot of running from point A to point B in generic environments, then fighting a ton of dudes in a big room. Given that it’s Borderlands, it was still fun to blast away at baddies with my high-powered gunzerker. I’m not disappointed with this offering, but I’d like to see future DLC packs experiment with wackier and more unique quests and environments.

 

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Comments
  • that's a shame.  cant wait to play it though, thanks for the heads up :3

  • Well your honesty is appreciated.  Overpowered weapons you say?  I'm all in!

  • So glad I skipped Borderlands 2
  • There's a typo in the second paragraph, I hate to be that guy but...just sayin.
  • im really excited about this!! but i want them to raise the lvl cap!!! an i want to see a pearlscent weapon.... but i know its not going to happen for a long time!! lol,  but im glad they are doing good with the dlcs!!!

  • It sounds really cool, I haven't even beat half the game or the first dlc. The season pass already seems worth it though.

  • I agree. It's still fun, but this feels a lot more...lazy, than the Scarlett DLC.
  • I hope there's at least some closure... Scarlett's DLC really left you hanging at the end

  • I think I'm going to wait on a review from one of you guys before I get this DLC day of release.

  • I've been extremely disappointed in the DLC in Borderlands 2 that is released to date.  It all feels stale to be honest.

  • Nice!  Been waiting for this DLC!  Love the new form of currency!  going to battle it out on TVHM with a friend later today.

  • Everyone loves a horde like mode in games, yet when Borderlands does it, everyone jumps on it as derivative and uninspired?!?!? I don't get it That said, while I loved the main game, I have tired a little of the DLC side missions. I'd prefer a little more story, and a little less of the fetch quests found in the GBX universe. I just wanna kill stuff, and enjoy a cool story. Don't need to find 'a bottle of booze and bring it to a dead guy' kinda missions
  • I've only made it to the arena and explored the surrounding area, but so far Torgue is hilarious. I'm perfectly content with the less-than-stellar quests as long as the comedy factor is consistant.

    "I was busy suplexing a shark in a bolo tie. You might be wondering which one of us was wearing the bolo tie, me or the shark. The answer? Yes."
  • I already have the Season Pass so I am definitely going to play through this. Then once they finally release everything I what to do a fresh play through.

  • I actually haven't even touched the DLC or the updates yet because I do not want to get my legends NERF'd (Patch and a few updates have been added to nerf the Legendary: The Bee). However I'm sure I will get a hold of these DLC's for 360 once I get done farming all the Legends.
  • *sigh*

  • The first dlc was was great a must buy for fans

  • good to know what to expect of this dlc. can't wait to play it.

  • I'm glad to have purchased the Season Pass and excited for this DLC and the rest. The game's a blast!

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