Borderlands 2:Game of the Year - Now Available

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2K and Gearbox Software today announced that the Borderlands 2: Game of the Year Edition is now available on all platforms in North America, and will be available internationally on October 11, 2013.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--2K and Gearbox Software today announced that the Borderlands® 2 Game of the Year Edition is now available on all platforms in North America, and will be available internationally on October 11, 2013. With over $100 of gameplay content for only $59.99, players have never had a better opportunity to get their hands on the critically acclaimed Borderlands 2, all of the Season Pass content, two additional character classes, plus more for such an outstanding value.

The Borderlands 2 Game of the Year Edition gives players the ability to take each of the six playable Vault Hunters to new levels, enjoy hundreds of hours of shoot-and-loot mayhem, and play each of the four highly popular add-on campaigns, all in one action-packed bundle. The Game of the Year Edition includes:


  • Borderlands 2 main game;
  • Captain Scarlett and her Pirate’s Booty;
  • Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage;
  • Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt;
  • Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep;
  • Creature Slaughter Dome;
  • Premiere Club Content:
    • Gaige, the Mechromancer Character Class;
    • Gearbox Gun Pack;
    • Golden Key;
    • Vault Hunter's Relic;
  • Krieg, the Psycho Character Class;
  • Collector’s Edition Heads and Skins;
  • Contraband Sky Rocket Grenade;
  • Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 1.
“The passionate support from Borderlands 2 fans continues to blow us away and allows us to offer the most value-packed Game of the Year Edition we have ever published,” said Christoph Hartman, president of 2K. “Our friends at Gearbox Software continue expanding the world of Pandora, and together we will continue bringing gamers the best shoot-and-loot mayhem possible.”
More information.
 
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I like BLII. And I'm generally forgiving of DLC practices. But this here is just sleazy: not only are there yet more DLCs on the way, but you're not even getting the most recent DLC, the increased lvl cap to 72.
 
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They're saving it for Game of the decade.

Their own award they'll give to themselves just like goty.
 
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They're saving it for Game of the decade.

Their own award they'll give to themselves just like goty.
Good one Joxer.:lol:

Other developers and publishers are guilty of this to. I'm looking at you Bethesda were every game they make gets one.;)

The problem is people keep buying the small dlc's so we will keep seeing more of it. It's the old supply and demand business theory. I don't want it but thousands of others do.
 
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Now I hate crap DLCs and had my share of them, but…

Just to set this straight:

- 80% of their DLC is cosmetic (skins and heads), so you really don't need those.

- The four major DLCs (Pirate, TORGUE, Hunt, Tina's) are 10 euro each, 30 euro bought together, that is 4 for the price of 3. It has been like this ever since you could preorder them. Put together, those 4 are actually longer than vanilla BL2, and altough the content is little less in quality compared to the main game, altogether it's still high, and certainly much more than most full AAA games these days. Consider them like, say, 2 real Expansion packs.

- The Vault hunter upgrade packs keep their original ideas. The first one was free, as promised, to people who owned the game. The second one, you had to buy. The same logic is followed here. However, since the second one is something that about 5% of the players see (and probably about 10% buys) in game, being a fourth playthrough practically, I don't think it's a necessity. Most players don't make it into True Vault hunter mode, it serves only a niché.

- The upcoming DLCs are the "headhunter packs" that are basically 1 area each with 1 or 2 repeatable quest with some random rewards and arena-like playstyle. They are made for max level, 71. That means, again, most people never will see them, no need to buy them unless you hit max level. They don't give much story, or any, at all. They exist to merely give additional content to players who can't get enough and want to keep on playing at max level. Like adding raid bosses and instances to MMOs.

So let me turn the reasoning about and say that the quality and quantity of BL2 DLC is - IMHO - quite unprecedented. Gearbox is trying to please most demands and has successfully done so. Most of the things are completely optional, but are there. They have given content to players for a year now, and BL2 in its entirety is a vast, vast game, with so much to do. But it's totally modular. Wanna enjoy a whacky sci-fi shooter with RPG elements and awesome coop? Play vanilla. Wanna play more? I recommend the content DLCs. And if you are as crazy about the game as some people, there's more content to sink your teeth in. I see no problems with it until quality is this good.

This GOTY edition is a great way to buy a huge chunk of the content out there (the important part, I say) for a MUCH better price. If I hadn't bought most of the stuff already, this'd be a great deal.

Edit: I also see no reason to feel grumpy about these, because Gearbox has communicated the DLCs perfectly from the beginning. You always got exactly what they said you will, when they said you will (often earlier), and all in all you get your money's worth.
 
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Gearbox is trying to please most demands and has successfully done so.
You saying they've already made Borderlands 3?
No?
What, they didn't have enough material or design ideas for it? Then how come…
Put together, those 4 are actually longer than vanilla BL2

It's milking, plain and simple. I got lucky and never bought Borderlands 2 in the first place. If I wanted a game with dozens of DLC "collectibles", I'd invest into Train Simulator 2013.

But sooner or later the audience will have enough of that crap and stop paying for it. Especially after Ubisoft's experiment was a success (standalone FC3 silly spinoff instead of DLC that was sold in million copies). And after they all learn that CDprojekt's DLC are all free, you just pay for the vanilla game.
 
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It would be milking if it cost you more than your money's worth. I'm not sure you read my post.

I said - in so many words - that the quality and quantity of the major DLCs make up for a whole new game. That it's called Borderlands 3 or The Scrumptuous Adventures of Englebert Humperdinck in Groovieland is of no consequence. The only difference is that you can buy them in smaller modules. This is NOT material they cut from the original. This is what they were doing additionally for those inclined to play more.

Since I'm in game development, let me say you cannot expect a company to sell you 2 games for the price of one (even though with GOTY edition they are doing it). That is just not worth it, and like it or not, these people gotta get their salaries and dev cycles need to roll. Gearbox saw a demand for more of the game, and they decided to live up to it, sure, partly because of profits, but it's not a ripoff and all of that is strictly optional content.

Would you have preferred if they sold BL2 a year later with all the DLCs put into it but for 80 euros and full of optional content most people will never see? I don't get it.
 
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Get this then.
Can you buy, play, enjoy and have fun with Blood Dragon without buying FC3? Yes you can.
Salaries? Can you find a game that gives away new stuff (DLC) for free? Yes you can. Why are they doing it, are they insane? See, you giveaway some new stuff, it's in news around the globe and more ppl buy the game! No you won't make billions, but you'll get the respect from the audience unlike Borderlands. Salaries are not questionable. The only difference is that Borderlands' devs can't get enough and are trying to dethrone Oprah from the richest ppl list by any means possible.

I'm aware when it comes to not being wallethappy when some DLC is released, I'm in the minority. Currently.
And I'm not telling you not to buy any kind of DLC, in time you'll get disgusted with that stuff yourself.
 
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Yes, in a perfect world, every developer would be able to give away content for free while getting their salaries from the publishers, but that ain't the case. I don't want to idolize Gearbox, they are a company that goes for profits but gives polished games and quality content for your money (much like Blizz used to back when), and on the DLC field (which I know according to you is the anti-Christ) they are far, far from the worst.

In fact, what I'm saying is: If there is non-free DLC, let it be like BL2's.

If we are comparing it to CDPR (which I assume you are), I love them and support them for their free DLCs, and I see all the love it gets them. I would pay for those DLCs just to support them (I did, in fact, because I bought the games several times). But let's be honest, none of that free DLC is really more than a few gimmicks. Dark mode and Arena stuff is not the kind of quality content I'm talking about. Still, it's much appreciated. But I accepted I gotta pay for content they develop beyond the main game (and strictly for that, as I loathe cut content made into DLC).

As to how they do it? Well, they work for a fraction of the money Western devs do, 10-12 hours a day when crunch hits, and hope they will get a bonus when the product is successful. Then they will get fired between larger projects and go freelance. I'm not saying all this is true for CDPR (especially since they are their own studio), but most Eastern devs live in this. Also most Eastern offices of Western devs. In all that extra time they work (and don't get paid for) they make free DLCs towards the end of the dev cycle.

What I wanted to do with my initial post is to shed some light on what all that BL2 DLC entails and how it works before jumping to more conclusions. Far be it from me to change your ways, Joxer. :)
 
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I just described how this is as complete as it ever gets. You'll never ever need the rest.
 
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I bought this game and the season pass nearly a year ago for less than this $59.99. The only thing I dont have access to (I think; there's so much superfluous crap to keep track of) is the new Krieg class which I don't care for anyway. Granted, I bought both on sale, but it still holds that this "GOTY" edition is an insulting repackaging of content that has long been available for a cheaper price.

And that in itself I could live with. But to repackage something time and time again, as I'm sure they'll do in another 6-12 months after they're done with the game entirely, is entirely repugnant and should not be defended in any way.

Borderlands II, platinum edition. Only $59.99, October '14.
 
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@Drithius

I see, and I agree mostly, except that I believe that this package is for people who haven't bought the game at all yet. I recall the same happening for Borderlands, and how happy my friends were, because now they could buy the whole damn thing in one go, instead of fiddling with DLCs. Now if they do re-package it again, I'll be just as disgusted as you are. Now I only see it as a chance for new players to buy the most important core of the experience in one go.

@sea

Yea, I was badly generalizing. Not even important in the discussion. Still, comparing the amount of content and the quality of content of free DLCs I can think of and BL2 DLCs reveals a huge chasm between the two. I'll say it again, I don't feel entitled to content of the game someone develops AFTER release, or plans to release afterwards if the game does okay. Not unless it reeks to have been cut from the main.
 
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I just described how this is as complete as it ever gets. You'll never ever need the rest.

That is apologist reasoning, and is flat-out wrong.

I accept that companies have found DLC as the means to gain extended revenue streams, just like freemium games, and it works - after all, EA is making more money giving us Real Racing 3 for free than they did selling Mass Effect 3 for $60!

BUT ... compared with say Oblivion GOTY, which had *everything* to date (even horse armor), this is more like a 'Civ Gold' edition, with main game and content expansions ... this one holds back content intentionally for purely financial reasons. So they are charging multiple times and STILL keeping revenue streams open.

Also, remember when GOTY actually MEANT something? Me neither, but at least you would only have 3-4 games out there putting out GOTY editions ... now I have no doubt that we would get a Dungeon Lords GOTY edition! I'm surprised they didn't do that with DL XXII!
 
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I also prefer these to be called Complete Editions, but this one would not qualify as such, indeed, since it does not include all DLCs.

Look, I am not a Gearbox spokesman, and I don't mean to say that they are an especially charitable company, but why demonize them so I can't grasp. What I say I say as someone who actually played all the available content, I can say that this is nothing more than the core of the game content minus the cosmetic and very high-end DLCs. So don't tell me I'm "flat-out wrong". Have you even played the game?

And that Oblivion GOTY contained *everything* is really, really wonderful indeed. Poor customers won't be cheated out of their horse armor ever again. God bless Bethesda, champions of Housing and Hiking DLCs. I'd rather pay a few extra bucks than get free crap, thanks.

The Witchers did free DLCs very well, but they had no huge content to speak of. Still, you can't expect anyone to develop two games for the price of one. With this GOTY edition, noone is cheated, because it lists all the items it contains, it is communicated plainly and openly. Nobody ever said at Gearbox that "ok, this will contain all the DLC we put out".

I really can't wrap my mind around this negativity.

You get X products for 60 dollars that would otherwise cost more like 90. Whoever already has them will not be cheated by this, because... they already have them! Probably bought it on a sale, like some of us. They can be bought on sales later on still, I'm sure.

Whoever does not have the game now has a package that they can buy for 60% of the price of buying all its parts separately, and then, if THEY SO WISH, they can buy the rest as separate DLCs for about 15 bucks, all of which are cosmetics and a level cap raise they will probably never benefit from. Why, or how, is this milking, or misrepresenting the product, or charging multiple times? If anything, it makes the whole stuff to be bought cheaper and easier! But OMG evul Gearbox is trying to get your money!!!11!
 
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