Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx picks up immediately after the end of Borderland's main campaign and expands the world of Pandora by offering forty-four new missions as well as a new level cap. It's a perfect DLC purchase for diehard Borderland adventurers looking for a greater post-apocalyptic challenge than the original retail package. The Secret Armory of General Knoxx centers on the vigilante Athena who wants to take down the mega-corporation Atlas. Fearing that their vice-grip on Pandora is slipping away, Atlas rears its ugly head to beat the colonists back into submission. Athena enlists you in her fight against corporate greed by offering you a large reward: all the spoils contained in the armory of the cantankerous General Knoxx. Unfortunately, the story is ultimately of little consequence, and the corporate vigilante angle falls by the wayside. Still, it's nice to see Gearbox put some effort into fleshing out the franchise's canon.

The core of the expansion grants players access to new vehicles, new weapons, new enemies, and a higher level cap of 61, offering seasoned vets a new plateau to reach as well as 11 new skill points to obtain. The new environment are vast webs of horizon-bound highways with a myriad of optional areas to explore and new drops to be found. Much like the main game, The Secret Armory can be played alone, but it's best when enjoyed cooperatively thanks to the uneven difficulty of some of the missions. Certain sequences feel unbalanced for solo-play in their difficulty scaling, even at the recommended mission levels. I had trouble with speedy Ninja Assassins and the sneaky Meat Popsicles -- yes, that's their actual name -- that pop out of nowhere, so having some mates to cover my back proved critical.

The overall attention in the Secret Armory is impressive, and the quirks that made the main game so memorable are definitely present here. From the consistently good voice acting to the appearance of familiar characters, the Secret Armory is bubbling over with Borderlands' trademark style. It's an exceptional addition to the franchise, and adds loads of content to satiate Borderlands veterans. It's a must-have for fans of the series, and it's a terrific follow-up to the also excellent Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot.