I watch a fair bit of TV, but certain things manage to slip by me. Such is the case for the new live action Borderlands 2 commercial now showing on the boob tube. When I heard that the commercial was out there, but that I hadn't managed to catch it yet, I took to youtube, and the low quality video below was what I found.
First of all, mad props (do people still say that?) to the makers for finding the tiny little man willing to slap on a gas mask with glowing eyes so he could swing a mace and play a midget bandit psycho for less than 10 seconds of total screen time.
Second, yes, taking the smooth cel-shaded style of Borderlands' Pandora and trying to make it look realistic is a challenge in and of itself, so yes, it does look pretty cheesey. But that is part of Borderlands charm. After all, you can't really expect a realistic portrayal of a game that features a rocket launcher that saps an enemy's health after dousing them in acid, or a character who can trap anyone who looks at her the wrong wall in a bright blue wall of energy.
If you can work through the commercial, there's really only one disappointing quality I could find: no mechromancer. Something of a cyborg, little is known about her, even her actual name. As indicated by her name, she will have the ability to take control of mechs, and will also be able to summon the D374-TP, lovingly referred to as the "Deathtrap," what Gearbox's president Randy Pitchford described as claptraps big angry cousin, calling it a, "gigantic evil robot that'll just beat the living shit out of the enemies."
As cool as it would be to watch a giant robot on TV that isn't a transformer, I'll let Gearbox slide on that one.
Borderlands 2 is out September 18. In the meantime, try your hand at building your character before the game releases.