Whilst I don't have an awful lot of it as of late, and especially since I foolishly opted into a rather expensive phone contract for the Galaxy Note (which is admittedly totally awesome) without proper thought, I finally almost have enough cash saved to purchase a new game. My birthday is in a while along with Christmas, but I want something to entertain me up until this period and am having a difficult time deciding between Borderlands 2, XCOM: Enemy Unknown or Dishonored of which I can only afford one. I have listed some concerns I have about each title and would love some advice on what you think I should buy.

• Borderlands 2 does seem to be bustling with content and will likely have a thriving online community. The co-operative FPS games, such as Dead Island, have always been really enjoyable to me. Plus, the continuous DLC support will mean that it has hours of potential entertainment. However, I am unsure as to how enjoyable the game will be alone or with strangers and don't have a wealth of people to play with. Still, I could likely do some local split-screen with some friends and my cousin is absolutely addicted to this game - so I could play with a fair amount of people.
  
• Dishonored was the game I initially planned on purchasing since I loved the Deus Ex franchise, of which this blatantly draws inspiration from with its open-ended gameplay and multiple ways of completing objectives. The supernatural abilities just make it all the cooler! However, I am a little concerned of its length (especially in comparison to XCOM or Borderlands 2) and also worry about some of the AI and story, which is a big part of a video game to me, complaints. For a $60 USD game or around ￡45 GBP here, I would prefer for it to last as long as possible and I feel as though the other titles do offer more longevity.
  
• I purchased the original on XCOM a couple of months ago after watching a charity live stream by the Yogscast in 2011 and, despite only playing around 4 hours of it (this was primarily because of its brutal difficulty), I could see what a gem it was. A more streamlined experience that caters better to my ability, along with updated graphics and online play does appeal greatly. However, I am concerned as to how well a strategy game could be played on an Xbox 360 console, since my laptop certainly won't run it and I must admit I don't usually enjoy strategy games on consoles.

I'm not sure if you'll be able to enojy Borderlands 2 for more than 1 or 2 playthroughs. However, it does have a lot of content in a single playthrough and took me a little over a week to finish. (didn't play 24/7, more like 3-5 hours each day, weekends possibly for 10 hours.)

Dishonored is a game I'm interested in getting, but I don't like all the super powerful special abilities. I also don't know the length of the game, so I won't be buying it just yet. From BL2 and dishonored, I'd say go borderlands 2. Assuming you don't have a problem with the way the game looks, and enjoyed the first game.

Can't say anythng about XCOM.

Dishonored is short and not worth it at full price for the amount of length it is.

I can vouch that Borderlands 2 is awesome although like Gorbad said, you may get 1-2 playthroughs on it before you get bored with it.

Well, I find that I can enjoy even the worst of games with friends and family to play with and it is because of this that I think Borderlands 2 would be a rather good investment. Even if it weren't a very good game, which I know to be a false statement, I would likely still enjoy it a bit because of playing with friends and family. Plus, unlike Dishonored, I have played both the original and opening of Borderlands 2 - so know it is a good game. Dishonored 2 does seem short and I couldn't vouch for more than one playthrough, whilst Borderlands 2 is worth a few in my opinion.

Completely disagree. While the campaign may be short, it all depends on how you play. I am upwards of 11 hours already on my first playthrough and plan to do at least two more playthroughs very soon. If there is one thing that makes up for Dishonored's short length, it is the replayability the game has.

I don't see it as having too much replay value. I mean, sure there are multiple ways to do things, but just like Deus Ex I chose to do those things because they were the preferred way for me and my play-style. Doing different decisions isn't what I want to do, if any of that makes sense. But, ideally, I'd like them all. Just playing split-screen Borderlands 2 earlier with my cousin was a hell of a lot of fun, and he isn't even a great partner to play the game with. By the way, I am referring to the Xbox 360 version of all these games - in case that makes a difference.

With multiple ways to enter, different endings upon your actions, a way to play completely pacifist, a way to play without being detected at all, or a playthrough where you kill everything you see.

I see way more than one playthrough there.

I found the first Borderlands to be really boring. Thanks Gheart, you made up my mind.

I liked the original Borderlands, but brought it on Onlive - so there is absolutely no online community whatsoever - and simply never got into it. It is good though!

Bethesda employee. Joking, but I do plan on getting them all. I merely want the game that will last me longest, since I won't be able to get another game until Christmas. From that standpoint, what do you think will last me longest? XCOM, Borderlands 2 or Dishonored?

Dishonored will probably not last you the longest, but I haven't played Borderlands 2 or XCOM (yet) but I would assume XCOM would last the longest.