Borderlands 2: Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage PS3 Review

You have to admire the first two downloadable add-ons for "Borderlands 2" simply for truth in advertising. Whereas "Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty" lived up to its name by giving players dozens of treasure chests to plunder for weapons, shields, mods, and more, "Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage," newly available this week for this strong contender for Game of the Year, offers players, well, carnage. From the tongue-in-cheek opening scene that promises "LOOT! And PECS! And EXPLOSIONS!!!," "Campaign of Carnage" will test your fighting skills more than most of the full game. Go play with Captain Scarlett for a few hours if you want new weapons. Go find Mr. Torgue if you want to be amazed that there's yet another wave of enemies to battle as more of your weaponry runs out of ammunition. You will die again and again in "Campaign of Carnage," yet another DLC offering from 2K Games that is more accomplished than most full on-disc games released this season.

• Publisher: 2K Games
  
• Developer: Gearbox Software
  
• ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
  
• Genre: First-Person Shooter
  
• Pros: Non-Stop Action, Hours of Gameplay at Low Price
  
• Cons: Waves of Arena Battles Get Repetitive

After installing "Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage," you can find some friends to play co-op (or go it alone), visit any Fast Travel station, and travel to the wonderfully-named "The Badass Crater of Badassitude." In "Pirate's Booty," you fast-travelled to "Oasis." Just the initial location names should clarify the differences for you. A new vault has opened and Mr. Torgue is looking for the most badass vault haunter in Pandora. Could that be you? Mr. Torgue is not going to take your word for it. It's time for a tournament.

At first, I was concerned that "Campaign of Carnage" would be nothing more than arena battles with waves of enemies to defeat to finish the mission. I've become accustomed to being disappointed by DLC, especially for games that promise new multiplayer modes but merely present the depressingly simple concept of survival. You, enemies, don't die. I was worried that was what we would get here when I found out that a maniac named Torgue wanted me to compete in a tournament. And there are some arena-esque missions, although even those are more creatively designed than most survival modes. More importantly, "Campaign of Carnage" is no mere arena challenge. It is a complete story with new characters, a few old ones (Tiny Tina is back!), and new worlds to explore.

The key word for this DLC is carnage. I travelled to the Badass Crater, spawned a vehicle, and was almost immediately blown up by a crazed group of "Mad Max"-esque lunatics that I think had strapped explosives to their cars and bikes. You will die over and over again in "Campaign of Carnage" as you battle a diverse array of enemies from traditional psychos to explosive robots to those damn Skags. It's non-stop action that's intensfied by a notable lack of new weaponry. You purchase weapons in this part of Pandora not traditionally but through token earns by defeating tournament contestants. It was hours before I had enough to even consider buying a new boom stick. So be careful what you bring to the Badass Crater in terms of firepower because it could be all you have for some time.

To be fair, there are some chunks of "Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage" that get remarkably repetitive but that's kind of the only common complaint about "Borderlands 2" in general. If you're not up for killing the same enemy type over and over and over again then you're not really up for a trip to "Borderlands 2" in the first place. "Carnage" turns up the repetitive enemies simply due to its increased difficulty over most of the game proper or "Captain Scarlett." The faint of heart need not apply for this tournament. Bring your PECS!

"Borderlands 2" may not have the visual pop of "Assassin's Creed III" or "Hitman: Absolution" but it is absolutely one of my favorite looking games of the year for one simple reason -- it has personality. So many games go for quality over character. There's something to be said for the mix of light and shadow in the saga of Agent 47 but it's just as remarkable to see a title like this in which the style becomes such an important part of the experience. Of course, "Campaign of Carnage" looks just as good as "Borderlands 2" and the audio work is similarly strong.

"Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage" promise 8-10 more hours of gameplay for what was already one of the biggest, most replayable games of the year for only ten bucks. And it comes to gamers not merely as more quantity but more explosive action with its own distinct personality. This is how DLC is done.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.