Borderlands 2 vs Just Cause 2
Borderlands 2 is an action-RPG FPS game from Gearbox Software (2012) while Just Cause 2 is an FPS open-world game from Avalanche Studios (2010).
Quick answer: Borderlands 2 has the higher Metacritic, 89 to 84.
What each one is
Borderlands 2 is filed under Action-RPG and FPS. In contrast, Just Cause 2 under FPS and Open-World.
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Story, characters and reception
Plot
Setting and characters Dameon Clarke provided the voice for Handsome Jack . Five years have passed since the events of Borderlands , when four Vault Hunters—Roland, Mordecai, Lilith, and Brick—were guided by a mysterious entity known as "The Guardian Angel" to the Vault, an ancient alien structure that was rumored to hold exotic technology and riches. On entering the Vault, they were instead confronted by an alien abomination known as "The Destroyer". (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical reception Reception The game received generally positive reviews upon release, according to review aggregator platform Metacritic . Many reviewers agreed that the game is a notable improvement over the original. Allistair Pinsof, writing for Destructoid , praised the gunplay and the variety of guns, which can change the gameplay experience as different weapons force players to approach combat differently. (Wikipedia)
Plot
Four years after Just Cause , Rico Rodriguez is dropped into Panau to find his former handler Tom Sheldon, who is suspected of going rogue and aligning himself with the country's dictator Pandak "Baby" Panay. With the aid of intelligence asset Karl Blaine and a weapons dealer only known as the Sloth Demon, Rico allies with the island's three dominant criminal gangs and factions: the Roaches, an organized crime syndicate; the Reapers, an insurgent… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Just Cause 2 received generally positive reviews upon release, with critics praising its gameplay, graphics and open world; the game was widely regarded as a significant improvement to its predecessor. It was nominated for Best Action Game at the 28th Golden Joystick Awards , losing to Assassin’s Creed II . Eric Neigher of 1UP. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Borderlands 2 | Just Cause 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.1/10 | 8.1/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (90%, 312,170) | Very Positive (91%, 51,583) |
| Critic aggregate | 89/100 | 84/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | $14.99 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | verified |
| Released | 2012 | 2010 |
| Developer | Gearbox Software | Avalanche Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Borderlands 2 vs Just Cause 2, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Borderlands 2Action-RPG FPS gameJust Cause 2FPS open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Borderlands 2Loot, Shooter, ActionJust Cause 2Open World, Action, SandboxThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Borderlands 2Score 8.1 · 90% on Steam · 89 criticJust Cause 2Score 8.1 · 91% on Steam · 84 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Borderlands 2312,170 reviews · 5 add-onsJust Cause 251,583 reviews · 8 add-onsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Borderlands 2$19.99Just Cause 2 ✓$14.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Borderlands 2PlayableJust Cause 2 ✓VerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Just Cause 2 takes 2 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueBorderlands 2 and Just Cause 2 on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Mobile
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The cheaper right now: Just Cause 2 ($14.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Just Cause 2 (verified)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Borderlands 2 (312,170 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
ShooterActionMultiplayerCo-opFPSFunnyComedyOpen World
Where they differ
LootLooter ShooterRPGFirst-PersonCombatOnline Co-Op
SandboxThird PersonThird-Person ShooterDestructionExplorationModdable
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Borderlands 2 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Just Cause 2 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Borderlands 2 | Just Cause 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | DX10 compatible graphics card with 256 MB of |
| Minimum CPU | 2.4 GHz Dual Core Processor | Dual-core CPU with SSE3 (Athlon 64 X2 4200 / Pentium D 3GHz) |
| Minimum RAM | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Install size | — | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Borderlands 2 · Just Cause 2.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Borderlands 2 and 6 for Just Cause 2. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Borderlands 2 and Just Cause 2 in scope?
Borderlands 2 has drawn 312,170 Steam reviews and ships 5 add-ons. Just Cause 2 has drawn 51,583 Steam reviews and ships 8 add-ons.
Is Borderlands 2 or Just Cause 2 better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Borderlands 2 rates higher (8.1 to 8.1). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Borderlands 2 or Just Cause 2?
Just Cause 2 is cheaper right now at $14.99, against $19.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Borderlands 2 or Just Cause 2?
Borderlands 2 has the higher Metacritic, 89 to 84. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.