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Borderlands 2 is nearly upon us. On September 18th, players will finally get the chance to jump into the game's 58 hour campaign as one of four playable classes: Gunzerker, Commando, Assassin, or Siren. A fifth player class, Mechromancer, is coming soon as post-launch DLC. In fact, it's coming quite a lot sooner than we expected. Just today, Gearbox Software announced that Gaige the Mechromancer will join Borderlands 2's cast of characters on October 16.

With the game's release date only a week away, the Borderlands 2 hype-machine has been locked at its "Max Power" setting. In addition to the Mechromancer news, Gearbox has released a couple of new BL2 trailers: the first (above) offers a comprehensive look at the game and its world, while the second is a live-action affair that made its televised debut on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown. To top it all off, Gearbox Software has created online Skill Trees for players who just can't wait to plot out their character's progression.

A number of Mechromancer gameplay details surfaced in the wake of PAX Prime 2012, at which Gaige's name was first revealed. No footage of Gaige in action made it out of the show, but Gearbox has released an image of the diminutive cyborg lass, along with a reminder the she'll be a free download for anyone who pre-orders Borderlands 2 - otherwise, be prepared to shell out another $10 to play as the Mechromancer.

The Mechromancer doesn't make an appearance in either of the new Borderlands 2 trailers. Perhaps that's for the best in the case of the game's deliberately goofy live-action commercial. Channeling a distinctly 1980s brand of over-caffeinated action-movie bravado, the TV spot has more in common with the Super Meat Boy "Destroy Your Face" trailer than it does with, say, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn. That doesn't mean the Borderlands 2 commercial isn't kind of awesome in its own right - it is. Check out a low quality copy of it below, courtesy of YouTube user BiGBANGTH3ORY.

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Unlike its predecessor, Borderlands 2 will allow players to level up their characters infinitely. Nevertheless, it might be a good idea to go in with a plan. To that end, interactive Skill Trees have gone up on the Borderlands 2 website. The Mechromancer isn't covered, but players who want to map out an upgrade path for the Gunzerker, Commando, Assassin, or Siren are all set.

Ranters, are you looking forward to playing as the Mechromancer, or are you more interested in one of Borderlands 2's on-disc classes? Have you tried out the interactive Skill Trees? What do you think about that live-action commercial? Let us know in the comments below.

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

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Follow me on Twitter @HakenGaken.

Source: Borderlands 2, Gearbox Software, BiGBANGTH3ORY