Borderlands 2 is out tonight: launch trailer derails hero train, reiterates made-up number

As I write, Borderlands 2 is about seven hours away from release in North America. Eee! But before letting it march out of pre-purchase prison at midnight, Gearbox had to jingle the cell keys one last time.

That stretch of a metaphor of course refers to today's launch trailer, which pretty much summarizes Borderlands 2's beginning, middle, and end: Handsome Jack is introduced as a Very Bad Man, the heroes assemble, and an army of robots and shirtless men try to trample them. Then a double-gun-finger logo suicide, naturally.

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.