Tales From The Borderlands: Episode Two - Atlas Mugged Reviews
Tales from the Borderlands Episode 2: Atlas Mugged is a rare misstep from two talented, experienced developers in Telltale Games and Gearbox Software.
Tales from the Borderlands continues to tickle your funny bone and warm your heart with its second episode.
As second episodes go, it's a strong one. Plenty of things happen, but nothing too meaningful as it continues to lay a foundation for what will likely become a pretty zany finale. Still, the jokes were funny and there were a few good action sequences.
You can feel the creators of some games in certain details or plot twists, but Tales from the Borderlands Episode 2 goes further. It's as if everyone is dancing as hard as they can behind the scenes to put on a show, and you're experiencing the sweat as it drips from their brow. It's the sort of game that feels like a puppy dog desperate to be liked, and you can't help but pet it.
Atlas Mugged is pretty good stuff all around – not as explosive or hilarious as last time, but consistently entertaining nonetheless, with a handful of slick action sequences to keep things spicy.
Tales from the Borderlands Episode 2: Atlas Mugged is the best in the series so far and a high point in recent Telltale experiences. It shines both through its story, its action sequences, its clever dialog, and the pretty impressive scenes scattered through its plot.
It took way too long, but it's a fantastic second episode in what may well end up Telltale's best series to date.
Tales from the Borderlands episode two is, on the whole, a solid entry in what's becoming a darkhorse contender for my favorite Telltale series, not to mention an instance of Telltale finally going all-in on character moments.
It's a terrifically smart and fun adventure, and the stakes feel very real, even when we're not exactly sure just what the maguffin is or does. Things are just getting interesting for our characters though, and we can't wait to find out what happens next.
Tales from the Borderlands is killing it in just about every capacity. The writers, the aesthetic, the voice actors, the gameplay, everything is living up to what I would want out of a non-FPS Borderlands game. But the humor does rely heavily on knowing the Borderlands universe. So if you haven't played any of the games, you might want to play through them before you pick up Tales. (Just a heads up, you can skip the first one if you want to get straight to the good stuff.)
Telltale, please don't make me wait so long before Episode 3.
With this episode, Telltale Games wonderfully balances character development, story progression, and a hearty amount of good laughs all in one 90 minute to two hour session, setting it as a bit of a double-edged sword for the series as both its highlight (so far) and a tough bar to reach for the subsequent episodes.
Tales from the Borderlands got off to a good start last year, and now that Atlas Mugged is finally here, the series has only gotten better. I hope the wait for Episode 3 won't be quite so long, but however far away it is, I expect it will live up to the anticipation. Atlas Mugged certainly did.
Although not a negative experience, the drop in quality from Episode 1 can't be ignored.
Tales from the Borderlands Episode 2 continues Telltale's insanely hilarious ride through Pandora.
The second episode of Tales from the Borderlands strikes the right balance between setting up for the future and building upon the strengths of Zer0 Sum. It's not the borderline masterpiece that was the debut, but it isn't as far off as one might think.
But all of these are really just minor annoyances. They may have ruined the experience in any other game, but to be honest the story is just so good I would sit through a million bugs to see it through to the end. 2K and Telltale are a narrative dream team that crafts a story unlike anything else you have seen on the market. Even if you haven't picked up Episode 1, even if you've never played Borderlands before, pick up Tales from the Borderlands. You won't regret it.
Tales From the Borderlands: Episode Two - Atlas Mugged is an excellent second chapter in what promises to be an absolute belter. Fun, upbeat and pacey, it pushes the story forward in satisfying directions while slowing down just enough to deliver some brash humour and character development.
For people that love the world of Borderlands, and people that appreciate snappy writing and surreal comedy, episode 2 is a definite winner
If you want to look at Atlas Mugged by itself, it's nothing special by any means. But let's take a look at it for what it is. This is the second episode. It is a follow up to getting to know a bunch of great characters and the crazy situation they have just landed themselves in. Atlas Mugged is about coping with the events that happened in the first episode and setting up the things to come, all with hilariously written dialogue and excellent voice acting to match it. It is an awesome piece to a whole story that is shaping up to be one of, if not the best, Telltale Games series. Let's just hope it's not the end of June before we get to see the next part.