Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep

Zach Goodier

New Borderlands 2 DLC? Yes, please.  This is probably the biggest DLC for Borderlands 2 ever made, and I would probably say it's the best.  This DLC celebrates popular nerd culture, having the entire DLC take place inside a session of "Bunkers and Badasses" that Tiny Tina is hosting.  In case you were wondering, that is indeed a clever legal dodge for Dungeons and Dragons.  And with Tiny Tina hosting, the session is full of hilarity and craziness, as characters from the game, including DLC's, make appearances in this fantasy world.

Hmmm... I feel like I may have played this game before.

The basic story is this: you are visiting a fantasy world that has been tainted by the "handsome sorcerer" that is essentially Handsome Jack from the main game.  How can he be back? Because it's a fantasy game, silly. Tiny Tina, like any good "bunker master," takes inspiration from things that occur not just in real life, but also off of the "echonet" and other sources of media.  The session gets help from characters like Mr. Torque, who provide some of the funniest moments in the DLC for me, but that's not for a lack of competition on the part of the other characters.  Roland is also back, adding for an emotional reunion with one of your favorite characters.  His introduction into the game gives a real strong sense that they wanted to send Borderlands 2 out with a bang, bringing together everything, and everyone, that made the game a blast to play.

New chest idea is neat.  You can pay eridium to double your chances, and if you roll a 20 (a critical success), you get some high rarity loot.

How is the story? Well, if you are looking for a deeper narrative, then why the hell are you playing Borderlands?  And besides, like any good role-playing tabletop game, it ends up being more about the enjoyment factor than trying to blow your mind at every turn.  But this DLC is not only meant as a final farewell to Borderlands 2, it also gives a strong nod to many popular cornerstones of "nerd" culture.  There are side quests that reference Lord of the Rings, Dark Souls, the Elder Scrolls, Game of Thrones, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.  Never has a DLC made me feel prouder to be a nerd.

Welcome back, buddy.  We missed ya.

The enemies have an interest twist in this game as well, with knights and skeletons using metal shields that actually block and deflect bullets, this means that you have to aim carefully, or find some means of contending with them.  There are a lot of new enemies here, all based off of fantasy games, and challenging the player in different ways.  Another addition is the new Pixies, that if caught can actually benefit the player by providing buffs to aid them in their current area.  The fact that they sometimes shout, "Hey, listen!" made me laugh, as well.

Great way to part ways with the game.  Enjoyed every minute.

Overall, this DLC is a grand slam for me.  If you aren't a serious nerd, then you probably won't get too many of the references, which means you're missing out on half of the fun.  However, even on its' own merits, this DLC is brilliant.  Bringing the cast back together for a final round of fun and excitement makes this DLC feel incredibly well thought out, providing the fans with everything and everyone that they enjoyed up until now.  This DLC is worth EVERY penny, and then some.  All of those references to other franchises just add the cherry on the sundae for me.  There's plenty of content, and the challenge keeps you busy the entire time.  However, the loot isn't as impressive this time around, with only a few standout weapons and gear being added to the roster.  This is still a DLC to remember, though, and I'm still going to be playing it for a while.

The Good:

-Game of "Bunkers and Badasses" allows for Tiny Tina to work in all her glory to provide a fun story for the player

-All of the cast comes back, even the ones that we had originally lost in the main story.

-Extensive add-on provides lots of quests, enemies, and places to explore.

The Bad:

-Limited loot possibilities outside what you could already get your hands on.

Scully Rating: 9.8 out of 10

Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt (Borderlands 2 DLC)

By: Robert Murphy

Hello everyone, I know it is long overdue but oh well here it is, the review for the latest DLC to come to “Borderlands 2”, “Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt”. That’s right we are delving deeper into Pandora and this time we’re heading to a more jungle like area with an Indiana Jones type of feel to it, ancient natives and all. But I don’t think Indie had to face the creatures you are about to face or had the kick ass weaponry you vault hunters are packing out there. After you download the DLC, players are given the option to go to a new area known as Aegrus where our resident cyborg gentlemen huntsman is looking to take up a bit of sporting good fun by hunting the areas exotic creatures. Not at all surprisingly though, things do not go according to plan and this “nice” get away turns ugly or uglier I should say, when  the evil doctor Nakayama, who's trying to create a clone of Borderlands 2 villain Handsome Jack aboard his massive downed ship starts to intervene. And so almost immediately we are taken away from the mustachioed antics of Sir Hammerlock and are sent after the mad doctor because who else is going to save Pandora…..again and even Sir Hammerlock himself says the same once you are taken away from the hunt.  

Vault hunters facing down a Witch Doctor

Dashed expectations are the words that come to mind when you play “Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt”, if you are like me and you were looking forward to Sir Hammerlock getting his own unique tale of monster hunting exploits, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Despite the fact that the DLC is named after him Sir Hammerlock is barely seen or mentioned throughout the entire span of the story, you spend the first one or two missions with him and that’s it. Most of the story consists of players chasing after Dr. Nakayama and destroying his twisted Handsome Jack perversions and the local tribesman which can prove to be difficult. A new enemy that players will be facing is known as the Witch Doctor and he comes in many forms like slagged and electrified but in any form he proves to be a pain in the ass for the simple fact that they are able to heal other savages and blast away Vault Hunter shields with a single shot. Also they can turn into an elemental force of bats, tornadoes and other pain in the ass effects that will have you in last chance mode in a matter of seconds which frankly annoyed me to no end on many occasions.

Dr. Nakayama

The downloadable campaign takes place across three chapters, with a few side quests tossed in to pad things out but they are nothing new that we haven’t already seen. The DLC is fairly short, and where Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage was bolstered by some great voice overs and funny characters that distracted you from the tedious missions, “Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt” doesn't have the charisma of Mr. Torgue or Tina gave you in the last DLC to liven up what are ultimately a few switch-flipping and fetch quests. For those of you who may of noticed the DLC also doesn’t raise the level cap at all and there in laid my reason for waiting to play this DLC, because of my level 50 character I chose to wait until the level cap was raised. For those of you who waited like me, there is some good news as recently the game has had its level cap increased to 61 through a DLC offered through the game, adding some purpose to playing this the DLC.

Claptrap gets some worshipers this time around

In closing, “Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt” is anything but what the title suggest, players unfortunately barely see our mustached cyborg and are instead made to ignore the enjoyable setting they are placed in. The new area is well put together and I would of loved hunting with Hammerlock across it but instead I had to face down the wanna-be Handsome Jack, Doctor Nakayama, and where Handsome Jack was a cool, swarmy and cocky bastard with a robot army to back it up, Dr. Nakayama has a second rate army and immediately regrets ever challenging you. All in all, there isn’t much that saves the DLC, not even “Borderlands” legendary humor, making for an unfortunately disappointing add on.

Good:

-The new area is well designed and nice to enjoy if you take the time to look around

-One or two chuckles to be had but not many

-Hey it’s still Borderlands and that’s good for something

Bad:

-Witch Doctors are very annoying enemies

-Dr. Nakayama is a second rate, Handsome Jack wanna-be that really worsens the DLC

-Sir Hammerlock’s barely involved in his own DLC

Scully Rating: 6.0 out of 10