Borderlands

Role Playing Shooter. 87 bazillion guns. These were some of the buzz words surrounding Gearbox’s ambitious new shooter, and the game ended up knocking it out of the park with an intoxicating blend of first-person shooter, RPG leveling, crass humor and Diablo-style loot lust. 87 bazillion guns might not have been what you’d call scientifically accurate, but the different combinations of stats, parts, and styles brought the estimate of unique outcomes into the quintuple digits. Grinding for better guns and items was once again an obsession for gamers, and the ability to bring one of four unique characters, each with three specific skill trees, into four-player co-op, only sweetened the deal. The icing on the cake was that the game was generally extremely funny, even if it was juvenile. The sequel improved on almost everything, though nearly everyone missed the presence of beloved falcon pet Bloodwing. Regardless, both games represent some of the most flat-out fun experiences of this generation, and are worth tracking down.