I really wanted to go back to a game that feels like comfort food to me, so I downloaded Borderlands 2, started a new character and just started playing. Now, I've had so many playthroughs in this game, and truthfully one more couldn't hurt, but it had me thinking why this game? What makes Borderlands stand out over other looters shooters that it could be playing? And sometimes I think it's boiled down to the simplicity of how the games own mechanics are, and I don't really think this is a hard game to beat, or to even understand, and I'd argue that even the progression system in this game is almost perfect. Between loot, skill choices, variety of weapons to use, overall quest lines, this one has them all beaten out shines the rest. But what about the gameplay? Now I think, among all the other titles, Borderlands 2 is probably the favorite of the family, and as much as I love the engine of Borderlands 3 and Wonderlands, Borderlands 2 just feels timeless. I'd say it's a classic just by association of its cel-shaded art style, but with that bleeding into the world around it and creating an atmosphere that I don't think other competitors have really managed to lock down yet, I truly feel like this is the reason why it's timeless. Now playing it right now as I record, this feels genuinely fun. I obviously know how the story's gonna go, I know where I'm gonna end up, but replaying that journey to the end is always so sweet. Use of variety really makes this game speak volumes. Give rarities for grenades, character class mods, rifles, pistols, shotguns, practically anything in this game and everything in this game has a rarity, and for me that just makes my little goblin brain that much more happier. There are tons of avenues to explore when it comes to playing any of the Borderlands games, and that's kinda why I find it so comforting. To familiar locations I've explored over 10 years ago, to using weapons I know that will create such an ease of diversity in my arsenal, Borderlands definitely knows what type of game it is and what it has become. And that leads me to my final point, imitation. So we know what kind of game Borderlands is, but why are other clones not the same as Borderlands? What makes me load this game up as opposed to loading up a game like Warframe or Destiny? And truthfully, it might just be how involved I feel as a character within the story, or it might just be the feeling of closure at the end, or just how freeing it feels to ride that power fantasy through the entire course of the game. I don't really know, and I don't really know if that's what other people think, but coming to the end of a game or a playthrough for me usually doesn't give me that sense of loss anymore, mostly because within your new game for Borderlands, after your first initial playthrough, comes a harder, more difficult playthrough. And now replaying the game with a twist on enemy difficulty, or new stats on shields, or new mods that will make your character much stronger, adds to an end game. And to me, that's something that the future Borderlands and other games don't really allow you to explore. That replayability factor means a lot to me. To me, that's what it means to be like Borderlands. The truth is I've played too much of other lootershooters hoping to have that same type of enjoyment as this game has given me, but honestly, I haven't found it in as much of anything else. I feel like I'm on a never-ending mission to find the perfect Borderlands clone to add to one of my favorite games. But now I guess fast forward after a decade of playing these games, and I can surely say that I don't think there's another game out there that can make a dent in lootershooters as well as Borderlands and Gearbox did to define the genre. And for that I'm thankful. I'm thankful to have games like these to go back to and re-experience over and over again with minor differences, but with each new playthrough, something always entices me to keep going, and even with mod support now in a wonderful community of other fans of this game, it's extremely popular even a decade later. Not that that should be a surprise to anyone, but these games are always going to remain popular. So thank you Gearbox, thank you for making these games, and thank you for giving me an opportunity to enjoy them with my friends and family. Now I'm going to continue my playthrough, so hope you guys don't mind, but I'll catch you guys in the next one. Have a good one. See ya.