In an attempt to avoid anything remotely resembling work today, I was perusing Facebook like the true-blooded procrastinator that I am. It was then that I stumbled upon the Borderlands 2 image posted above.
And I’m going to be honest here; I spent an absurd amount of my day looking at it.
Part of it was that I just love Borderlands so much. But also, there are a lot of things buried in this image that are fascinating to me. Let me explain.
First of all, there’s the sign that says “CAUTION: Hyperion Resupply Zone.” Now, those of us who have done our research on Borderlands (and by “done our research” I really mean “played Borderlands extensively, watched every Borderlands 2 trailer about a billion times, and read every tidbit about the game we could get our hands on”) know that Hyperion was a weapons manufacturer in the original game that’s coming back as a major antagonist in the sequel. (Hyperion was also a major player in Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution.)
But what exactly is a Hyperion Resupply Zone, and why is it dangerous? (Other than the fact that it’s sure to include something that has to do with Hyperion’s awesomely accurate weapons.) I’m not entirely sure.
Next up is a “No Parking” sign that has some sort of glowy goo on it. Could this goo be Iridium, the substance that supposedly started showing up once the vault was opened in the original Borderlands? Apparently this substance has a role in the second game, and it sounds like it’s important to Hyperion specifically.
More likely, it’s slag, the new goo that you can coat your enemies with. Yeah, the “slagged beyond recognition” thing should have made that pretty obvious. (Thanks to commenter KasrkinSpecter for pointing this out.)
Then we have a sign that says “DANGER: Bullymong Crossing” and has a picture of a behemoth of a monster that looks like it’s about to pick up a Jeep with its gigantic muscular arms. Well, Bullymongs are a new type of creature in Borderlands 2 that are apparently sort of like four-armed gorillas with extreme lifting-things-and-throwing-them strength. Can they actually pick up the vehicles in Borderlands 2 and throw them? I don’t know for sure, but that would be awesome.
And speaking of vehicles, the last sign says “More Passengers = More Guns,” which is an obvious reference to Borderlands 2‘s new vehicle type, the Technical. This mammoth ride will hold four players, so your entire co-op team can pack into a single vehicle. Sweet!
Sure, we didn’t really learn anything new about the game through this image (unless I missed something, which is entirely possible though highly unlikely). Still, I enjoyed picking out all the various references scattered across it, and it only made me excited-er for Borderlands 2, which comes out September 18, AKA the best day ever.
I too spent quite a bit of time looking at but I believe the author is over analyzing
They are all showing off the new mechanics. The bullymong one might be a hint as to were to find donkey mong but otherwise the new “game changing” elements. Hyperion can drop enemies on you anywhere from their moon base. Slag, the new element that coats your enemies in purple goo causing them to be more susceptible to bullet damage read the sign lol. And more seats for coop in vehicles. Other than that nothing extra ordinary.