Borderlands 2: Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt Review for PC

Borderlands 2: Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt Box Art

System: PC, PS3*, Xbox 360
Dev: Gearbox Software
Pub: 2K Games
Release: January 15, 2013
Players: 1-4
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p	Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol

Oh, and speaking of elemental damage types, there’s a cool new feature here. The new “Swamp Vehicle” resembles the sort of hovercraft you’d find in the Everglades, and whenever you spawn one, you can choose the elemental damage type of its mounted cannon. That’s actually incredibly helpful, as it allows for slightly more strategic use of vehicular manslaughter.

Borderlands 2: Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt Screenshot

And there are still the requisite Easter eggs that pay tribute to other game series. For example, I can tell the folks at Gearbox are probably excited for Dead Space 3, as I discovered a weapon called the Plasma Cutter. Though it bears little resemblance to Isaac Clarke’s iconic weapon of the same name, it ended up being my most-used weapon throughout the campaign.

Unfortunately, what it all boils down to is that Gearbox has set such incredibly high expectations with the Captain Scarlett DLC that it’s going to be nearly impossible to live up to those consistently while keeping the DLC coming out in a timely fashion. And that’s really the biggest problem with Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt; we’ve been expecting so much from it. It’s not a bad deal for ten bucks, but it’s shorter than we had hoped, there’s no level cap increase, and the Trophy/Achievement offerings are meager once again.

By
Josh Wirtanen
Editor / Social Media
Date: January 18, 2013

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.5

Graphics
Same great Borderlands style, though texture pop-in is starting to become an issue.

4.5

Control
As comfy as we remember.

4.3

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The voice acting is still great, including the brand new Dr. Nakayama, but there’s a lot less of it here than in previous DLC packs.

3.0

Play Value
Borderlands 2’s DLC packs keep getting shorter.

3.8

Overall Rating - Good
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	3.5 - 3.9 = Good	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair	4.0 - 4.4 = Great	5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

The Best guns in Borderlands 2 yet!

Defend Hammerlock's Hacienda.

To Hunt and Be Hunted.

All New Swamp Location.

New Swamp Vehicle.

New Heads & Skins.