The first trailer for Borderlands 2 already informed gamers that this sequel will have a bazillion more guns than its predecessor, and from looks at screenshots and demos it seems like a few new colors have also been added to the mix, but what we didn't know, until now, is just how all-encompassing it will be. It could be argued that too much focus is placed on game completion time these days — too many gamers worry about the value proposition rather than the entertainment derived — but nonetheless, when games cost $60, it's sometimes important to highlight the real meaty content.

And that's just what Borderlands 2 is going to be: a very substantial gameplay experience. According to Gearbox Software's VP of Marketing Steve Gibson the game will take up to 58 hours to complete, and that's only with a single character. But Gibson doesn't think that any gamer will just blast through Borderlands without trying all of their character classes, he sees the experience of playing Borderlands as a hobby.

“We look at it as a hobby, and that isn’t even counting the new Badass Points system and how that’ll affect every character you do. We want it to feel like you get more for your money. We’re happy for people to pay their money once and feel that they get ongoing value.”

Borderlands 2, in addition to featuring some old standards, also stars one or two new character classes, including the dual-wielding Gunzerker. Each provides a new way in which to deal out some real carnage, and each should help increase the Borderlands 2 play time substantially.

Granted, Gibson's version of a 58-hour completion time was clocked by a group working on a game guide for Borderlands 2, not someone playing the way your casual gamer would. There's obviously going to be a ton of content for Borderlands fans to mine, but, like in the first game, there will be some side quests that aren't worth the time.

Still the prospect of a game this large, and, of course more dubstep, has us extremely excited. Hands-on time with game has shown this is more of the Borderlands fans love, no matter if it takes 20 or 50 hours to complete.

How much time do you plan to spend in the world of Borderlands 2? Which classes are you most excited about playing around with?

Borderlands 2 releases September 18, 2012 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Source: Gamerzines