Borderlands 2 seems to be selling well. Very well. Some projections pin the game’s final sales at over 3 million copies. That’s great. It also surprises me a bit. The first Borderlands was somewhat of a surprise success. I didn’t realize how many people became rabid fans until the Borderlands 2 hype started. Still, it felt like the game had a healthy but niche group of fans while lacking a broader appeal to the general gaming audience. When we visited PAX East early this year, I noticed a stark contrast between those of us foaming at the mouth to see the in-development sequel, and the harsh indifference from gamers who did not enjoy or had not played the original.

Despite the booth’s insanely long lines, it felt there were more of the later than the former.

I’m enjoying Borderlands 2 so far, but I can’t help but wonder if the incredible sales figures are as much a result of the team’s brilliant marketing as they are a testament to the game itself. Gearbox and 2KGames have proven that they know exactly what Borderlands is and what the game’s strongest assets are. Apparently marketing and a great relationship with your community are important. Who knew? (Quick, send a memo to Nintendo.)

Most reviewers have been overwhelmingly positive. Like, 9+ of 10 positive. Again, I’d be a fool to render judgement on a game that I’m only a third of the way through (every reviewer knows you have to play at least 55% of a game before you can review it), but I can’t help but think that many people are making allowances for some of Borderlands‘ failings that maybe we wouldn’t offer to other games.

To name a few examples; I’ve had problems with poor hit detection in both the gun-play and character movement, I’ve had my character become stuck in geometry to the point of requiring a restart of the game, and the missions are often obnoxiously uninspired.

At this point, nothing has been so horrendous as to make me dislike the game. But many of them are grating enough to at least affect the score. Of course, some reviews do seem to be taking these things into account. But there’s been enough nearly-perfect scores to at least pique my interest.

I always find it hypocritical when we ignore things in games we like, then completely tear apart games that we don’t have the same attachment to when they commit the same mistakes. On a side note, every time I’m forced to type any form of the word ‘hypocrisy,’ I can’t help but think of hippopotamuses. Hippos make me smile.

The writing in Borderlands 2 is brilliant. More specifically, the dialogue in Borderlands 2 is brilliant. I find myself laughing at things like incest, torture, and poop-jokes. Granted, I always find those things funny, but Borderlands has a way of making them really funny. Some of the characters are more annoying than others, but everyone is deliciously twisted. Even the good ones. If this is what survival in a brutal wasteland is like, I can’t wait for the apocalypse!

The game claims to have over 87 billion guns. That’s like, 87 billion more guns than Zelda had. In reality, there’s just a large list of modifiers that are randomly applied to guns you find. The result is the same – a lot of friggin’ guns to find, compare, buy and sell.

Yet I still can’t find a halfway decent rifle! Seriously, I’m still using some random, “white” rifle I found prior to level 10!

Okay, that’s a lie. I recently upgraded to a “white” rifle I found in a vending machine that has marginally better stats. Compared to all the crazy-ass pistols, shotguns, and sub-machine guns I’ve found, I just can’t seem to find a damn rifle. Hopefully things will sway the other way by the end of the game, and I’ll be rocking a backpack full of electric-corrosive, large magazined, fully-automatic death-sticks that fire sharks Or something. For now I’ll just keep yelling, “Pew pew” as I eviscerate bandits with some dinky little handgun . . . that shoots bullets that bore through their heathen flesh then catch them on fire.

I find the playable characters to be boring. That’s unfair – I can really only state that I find Axton boring. I’m not loving his “personality” — what little of it I’ve seen so far. I also find myself staring at the ability screen each time I level up and thinking, “I don’t want to put points into any of these things. And the next tier? I really don’t want to put points into any of those!”

The last time I talked to Ben, he seemed more than a bit disenchanted with his character, Zero. It’s entirely possible that between the two of us we picked the two weakest characters. Ben and I are kind of known for making bad decisions. I just wish I was as excited about my player as I am about everyone else scattered across the face of Pandora.

I’d really love it if I could play someone as brilliantly ass-hole as Handsome Jack. They should have named him “Awesome Jack.” On second thought, that sounds like something you’d pay extra for at a sleazy Vegas bordello.