Still one of the best co-op shooters ever made, even years later. Gearbox nailed the "shoot and loot" formula here — the gunplay feels tight and satisfying, and the sheer variety of weapons (millions of them, thanks to the procedural generation system) means you're constantly finding something new and absurd to play with.
What makes it great:
Handsome Jack is one of gaming's all-time great villains — genuinely funny, genuinely menacing, and his commentary throughout the campaign never gets old.
Four distinct playable characters (Axton, Maya, Salvador, Zer0), each with deep skill trees that support very different playstyles. High replay value if you want to try them all.
Co-op is a blast. Drop-in/drop-out multiplayer for up to 4 players makes this one of the best games to play with friends — loot scaling means everyone stays geared up.
The cel-shaded art style has aged beautifully. It doesn't look dated the way a lot of realistic shooters from 2012 do.
Tons of content. Base campaign is meaty, and the DLC (especially Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep) is some of the best expansion content in the genre.
PC performance is excellent — runs smoothly even on modest hardware, and mod support/community tools have kept it fresh.
Minor gripes: Some early-game weapon slog before the good loot starts flowing, and a couple of the DLC side quests feel like padding. Neither comes close to ruining the experience.
If you like looter-shooters, RPG progression, or just want a game with genuine personality and humor, Borderlands 2 is an easy recommend. Get a couple friends, grab the season pass if you can, and go shoot some bandits.
