The latest piece of downloadable content for Borderlands 2 on Mac turns its focus on arguably one of the funniest characters in the main campaign's story, Sir Hammerlock. A three hour-plus adventure through an entirely new continent, Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt adds some massive environments, tough enemies, and of course, the opportunity to scrounge for even better loot. While there are a few issues with enemy balancing, Big Game Hunt is a great reason to head back into Pandora.
Big Game Hunt appears on the Fast Travel station as a new environment, The Hunter's Grotto. After jumping over to the lush area, Sir Hammerlock will greet you, excited to start a weekend of hunting down creatures for sport. But things don't go quite as planned, as a devotee of a recently toppled enemy aims to get in the way. It's fairly standard Borderlands fare on the story front, with boss fights and Hammerlock's quirky humor keeping things interesting during the compact quest. Big Game Hunt's main campaign is easily completed in less than three hours, but a wide assortment of side quests are available to lengthen the experience.
Don't expect to jump into Big Game Hunt with a low-level character, though. The creatures and enemies start at level 30 and scale upward from there. Moreover, Big Game Hunt is going to put your Borderlands experience to the test, as the giant monsters and tribal savages feel a lot tougher than the levels indicate. Enemy difficulty is a fun challenge, but at times, Big Game Hunt feels miserably unbalanced. The new Witch Doctor heals other enemies and himself to ridiculous levels, which seems a potentially interesting new mechanic on the surface – but when two Witch Doctors spawn in the same area, the challenge quickly turns to frustration.
Of course, the draw of Borderlands 2 is better loot and the thrill of taking down massive bosses, and thankfully, Big Game Hunt has plenty to offer on both fronts. The back-and-forth quest system can grow a tad monotonous, but when Big Game Hunt gets it right, mowing down baddies with a few friends is still a blast.
The bottom line. Despite missteps on enemy balancing, Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt is a great addition for any Borderlands 2 fan.
of 5
Mac OS X 10.7.5 or later, 4GB RAM, 256MB VRAM
Lots of new and interesting environments. Big, crazy creatures. More loot to plunder.
Some unbalanced enemies. Same kinds of back-and-forth quests as main game.
