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Tales of the Borderlands Ep 2 ‘Atlas Mugged’ (Xbox One) Review

Who would have thought that the perfect place for Borderlands would be in the hands of Telltale? Certainly not me… at first. However, from the moment I started, I realized how much more interesting the planet of Pandora can really be.

 There will be spoilers for Episode 1

After discovering the key to the GORTYS Project at the end of the first episode, things kick into high gear from the very start of episode two. After Fiona cuts out the eyeball of some poor sod (muahaha, no context for you), you find out that the lab discovered in the final moments of episode 1 was built to hide the key from Athena (whom you may realize as one of the main characters in the Prequel), and that it should never leave the lab. Out of nowhere, (the second playable character) Rhys screams, falls over the railing, and explodes into a geyser of blood… according to Fiona, anyway. What actually happened was…

On Rhys’ side of the spectrum, you discover that only he can see the digital ghost of Handsome Jack ( <3 ). It may be obvious to others, but I’m beginning to think this all has something to do with the hard drive Rhys stabbed into his eye-port(?) last episode. Jack doesn’t realize he’s… dead, however, and tries to strangle Rhys, causing Rhys to stumble, and fall over the railing above Fiona and the others, and hit his head on a computer board.

Taking no heed from the warning not to take the GORTYS Key out of the lab, the group decides to, yep, take the key out of the lab. Moonshot (you know, the incredibly accurate death missiles) begins rocketing toward them from Helios, destroying the back half of their escape vehicle. The episode truly begins when Rhys hits the boost on the car, and he and Vaughn go flying out the back.

Gameplay-wise, nothing has changed, and that’s fine, because it’s TellTale and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Like most of my other TT experiences though, this one still has a fair amount of lag in certain areas, which I really just cannot understand. Another thing I noticed, and I’m not sure if they did this on purpose but either way I’ll congratulate them, is in times of stress, the characters’ pupils expand and shrink at a rapid rate, giving a strange, artistic sense of added emotion. Again, not sure if they did it on purpose or not, but it’s cool either way.

Final Thoughts

Strong buildup and strong finish. I can’t wait for the next episode, which will hopefully spread some light on Athena’s insanity, and see the end of that *edited*, Vasquez. I may also see some consequences for my decision to let Felix ‘choke’ on the money.

Find out next time, on the next episode of Telltale Games’ Tales of the Borderlands.

About Jake Callier

Five parts actual review, 2 parts sarcasm, 2 parts bad puns, and one part self loathing = one of my game reviews.

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