Borderlands 2

There are more than a few reasons why Borderlands 2 is better than the first, which generally boil down to "better everything," but I would argue that the most meaningful is in how expertly crafted the sequel's content is. The environments are varied and beautiful (oddly, except for the overwhelming amount of snow in the early game) -- the missions are almost all engaging and witty, and there are a ton of them.

Borderlands was fun with a group, but a chore alone; Borderlands 2 is a pretty similar experience with friends, but actually a blast as a solo adventure, too.

The game's balance and sense of humor are excellent, and there's always a constant drive to fight more badass dudes and get more badass guns. (The addition of casino slots to turn extra cash into more chances of weapon drops is also pretty brilliant.) Borderlands 2 may not be a perfect game - I might accuse some enemies of being unreasonable - but it is an all-around improvement over its predecessor.

Better than: Borderlands
Not as good as: Skyrim
And guess what: there's DLC!

Progress: Level 35, beat Jack