“”Borderlands”” is the most addictive game of the past holiday season. The compelling art style, intriguing level-up reward system and the ridiculous amount of different weapons in the game are sure to keep you shooting and looting all year long.

After originally renting the game, I eventually decided to purchase it when the game’s expansiveness really rubbed off on me. The game is huge and with the new downloadable content it’s even bigger. Each mission can take hours to even get to the required level to tackle it, and after that the mission itself will take at least another. This especially starts to come into play after you’ve beat the game’s main beginning story arc and are forced to tackle a tough guy named Sledge. Trust me, it’s more difficult than it sounds, and the amount of time this game will burn off your life could almost be considered unhealthy.

Fortunately, it’s not due to the addictive co-op mode that will help keep your social life active. “”Borderlands”” can have up to four players for simultaneous co-op and it’s a blast. Fighting over the game’s ever-increasing good loot is a lot of fun, and “”Borderlands”” gives you incentive to play with more people because the game will actually drop better loot from harder enemies the more people you have playing. It’s a great system that works well.

The art design is fantastic because it resembles a comic book in some ways. It complements the attitude of the game and truly breathes a life into the desolate world you inhabit. The guns are entertaining and many of them offer individual perks. Oh, and did I mention there are more than 100,000 guns in the game? That should keep everyone busy for quite a long time.

Unfortunately, the ending of the game is a disappointment and the story holds no real bearing or focus, but all the other elements in “”Borderlands”” come together in a way that makes this game better than the sum of its parts. Give it a purchase, and don’t expect to take it out of your disc drive anytime soon. “”Borderlands”” is one of the best games you’ll play this year.

Score: 9/10