Borderlands 2

[Jasdoif]

I think my only gripe is the removal of weapon proficiencies. I think the badass tokens are interesting, but a semi-random gain at a diminishing rate doesn't compare to a steady rise in your chosen gun. I really have no need, other than player preference, to combo sniper rifle with revolver, because I'll get more tokens if I vary my type usage regularly.

I heartily disagree. Weapon proficiencies effectively penalized you for using multiple types of guns, since proficiency gained toward one gun type doesn't apply towards other gun types: you end up lower overall, and/or one of the types seriously lags behind in performance. I think player preference should be the primary reason behind your choice of weaponry. Plus, now you can more directly compare weapons of different types, instead of having to remember/calculate how proficiencies affect them.

My biggest gripe thus far...is that if there is some way to replay ECHO messages you've received, I haven't been able to find it. Granted, calling the replay menu in Borderlands "disorganized" is an understatement, but I miss the ability. Particularly when one message gets cut off by another one starting.

Borderlands, at least the first, was predicated on shooting on the move almost all of the time. For almost all characters and builds, you were strafing or kiting everything. Rarely was it effective or desirable to stay in one place for too long. In Borderlands 2 that doesn't seem to be the case. The landscape has a lot of stuff in it: rocks, boxes, random junk, etc. It adds some flavor and gives you some cover when needed. The issue is that Borderlands isn't a cover shooter. There is no developed mechanic to accommodate combat while in a static position. The player is still supposed to keep moving and that is by design, from the enemies to the skill trees. For example, when a Badass melee monster is charging me, I'm not supposed to stay behind the crate and fire from cover. I'm supposed to shoot, move out of his way, and keep shooting as I avoid his attacks.

There's one key mechanic that supports cover: Shield recharge delay. You have a good point about a Badass melee charging at you, but a Badass Bruiser? It's slow, and can fill you full of bullets/rockets if you try falling back (I gained much experience in this ). And in Borderlands 2, you can move (albeit slowly) while crippled, so getting downed behind cover doesn't outright prevent you from gaining a second wind like it used to.