We're back with another issue of Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, and this one marks the quarter-century point! We've gone monthly with this format, giving our writers the time to truly sink into the games they're playing. True to form, they've been toiling away at a wildly eclectic and diverse set of games, and they're dying to tell you about them! Enjoy this week's entries and we'll see you back here soon with more recommendations and odes to the games we love!

Charlotte Huston

I finished a replay of Portal 2 the other day and I was impressed at how well it still holds up; it's the pinnacle of the puzzle genre to me. The way it respects your time, and keeps you engaged is genius, since it gives the player a reason to want to complete all the puzzles in their way.

The main thing I've been playing is Disco Elysium. I'm not the biggest CRPG person, but Disco Elysium presents itself in such a way that I've been thoroughly enjoying it. It somehow manages to be utterly engaging almost immediately. I really couldn't bring myself to look away from it, and I was utterly enthralled by its writing and atmosphere. I do think getting into the world-building is a tad hard to wrap your head around since this is a fictional town with fictional countries and history. I've had an issue trying to establish that in my head from what the game gives you.

Beyond that, I've thoroughly enjoyed what I've played of Disco Elysium so far. I'd highly recommend playing it but without any prior knowledge. This feels like something you just need to play and experience for yourself. It feels like a visual novel a lot of the time despite being a CRPG, especially since the dice rolls don't feel intrusive. Sometimes you'll have to fail a dice roll in order to figure out what to do next, and I think that just shows how good the game is at putting the player in their world right away while making sure they feel comfortable and not overwhelmed at all. I can't wait to play more of it.

I also intend to play Star Wars: Bounty Hunter's re-release after a friend gifted it as a birthday present, really looking forward to that as well.

C.S. Voll

I finished 428: Shibuya Scramble's main story and most of its side routes, bonus stories, and bad endings. It's easy to see why Famitsu gave the game a 40/40 review score back in the day; it convinces you to care about all the characters, including the ones that are initially quite irritating, too. The team accomplished that largely through still photos and text; quite the accomplishment. It really goes to show that, no matter how you tell it, a good story can elevate an experience. It must have been a mammoth effort to fill out all those branching storylines on a board (my playing time clocked in at over 30 hours, and I didn't even complete everything).

Now onto another visual novel: Steins;Gate. I first encountered Okabe's story through the anime, when I was much younger. Back then, I was about the same age as the protagonist, and I admired his frenetic, mad scientist energy. Now, playing the game with a couple of years of added life experience, I kind of feel sad when I watch him act out his delusions at the start. It's interesting how the passage of time can change one's perception of a complicated character. It's still a special, if somewhat melancholic experience to revisit this story in a different form, though. When I started up the game for the first time, the distinctive notes of the theme song played, and I had to sit back and soak it all in for a moment. This is going to be quite a ride.

Taylor Levesque

If 7 Days to Die and Half-Life had a baby, it’d be Abiotic Factor. Recently my husband and I have been trying this game out, and we are absolutely loving it! It’s an Early-Access game that’s still in the works, and the Deep Field Games team is actively looking for feedback to improve it. I’ve already gone and convinced a few family members to get it because I was already having so much fun.

As you may have guessed by my description – or from what you've maybe even seen in screenshots or videos – this game is survival-by-crafting. You’re a scientist (or group of scientists) trapped in a research facility, aliens are on the loose, and you’ll need to use everything at your disposal to craft your way to survival. Cook up some dead aliens to keep from starving, get enough sleep, find sources of clean water, and ensure you can find a toilet in time, all while destroying anything in sight that you think you can use to make your next big invention. It may sound simple, but good gods, it is addictive.

Priya Sridhar

I started playing Princess Peach Showtime! and am having a blast. Part of me wants to make some of the cookies that she assembles and bakes in the Festival of Sweets. Also, I can dive into another world with my basic gaming skillset and receive a lot of forgiveness for failing to dodge or jump at the right time.

Ignas Vieversys

Besides continuously getting my ass handed to me by the creatures of The Realm of Shadow - special shoutout goes to Bayle The Dread, the Brobdingnagian proto dragon, the ugly sibling of Deathwing with broken hitboxes, who made me change my entire gear and took around 40 attempts in total, but rewarded me with one of the most epic boss fights so far (Shadow of the Erdtree players don't miss out on this!) - this month I've been playing KinitoPET.

For those who don't watch Nexpo religiously, KinitoPET is a little horror game inspired by BonziBUDDY, the infamous desktop virtual assistant from the 90s (think Clippy but more sinister and hairy). The game can be finished in an hour or two (there are multiple endings, as per the tradition of other fantastic fourth-wall-breakers like Pony Island and IMSCARED), but the tricks that KinitoPET pulls off in that short time - like turning on your webcam and opening the command prompt - do make you uneasy in the best possible way, especially if you're playing this alone in the dark (my salute to those daredevils). One piece of advice: go into this experience blind. Don't watch any walkthroughs, nor read any reviews - just download KinitoPET, have a glass of holy water by your side (just in case), and start the game.

If you love the cheap thrills of obscure horror games as much as I do, this one will blow your socks off. The most insane part is that KinitoPET was created by a high school student with no prior coding or interactive design experience if we were to believe that one Reddit interview. As a person who went through a game design course myself, to see people work full time on much lesser projects with additional help from experienced developers, I'm both in awe of the young lad and frankly, a bit scared. If he was able to make some players believe that KinitoPET is an actual virus as a first-time developer, who knows what thrilling horrors await us in the future?

Bryan Finck

Having polished off Dave the Diver not long after the last "Now Playing..." was published, I immediately jumped to another highly acclaimed title in my backlog - Tunic. I'd heard great things about the game while it was still an Xbox console-exclusive title, and I've been dying to get to it ever since it came to PS Plus. I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint, and I quite enjoyed getting one of several endings to the game's story. Though I found the game's main gimmick of playing rather blindly while you discover the instruction manual to be new and refreshing, it led to some WTF moments that seemed too cute by half. The minute-to-minute gameplay was almost always great though, and for me that is what matters most. I enjoyed my time with it and I can't ask more than that.

My most anticipated game of the year was EA Sports College Football '25. As a college football wonk and devotee of the games before their 11-year hiatus, I was beyond excited for the game to return. That said, I've barely played it because I was trying to finish Tunic, which I suppose is quite the recommendation for the diminutive fox and company. Now that I've had time to jump in though, the gridiron simulation is all I had hoped for and more. The on-field gameplay is a bit tougher than I remembered, which is appropriate, as defense can be a challenge even against "lesser" teams both in the game and in real life. Dynasty mode is where I'll spend most of my time, leading my beloved UCF Knights to an eventual College Football Playoff Championship with a side of world domination. Definitely pick it up if you're a fan of the sport.

Last but not least, the horrific reviews of the Borderlands film led me to jump back into Borderlands 2, which I started in 2020 and never finished. So now I'm (hopefully) about to face Handsome Jack for the final time, and I'm remembering why I loved (and occasionally hated) the game. Wave after wave of enemies can feel punishing to the extreme, but blasting them to bits is always mechanically pleasing. With death a mere blip with no real consequences, and each new weapon gives that sweet loot-filled hit of dopamine when you need it most. I wanted an FPS fix in the extreme and Gearbox's sequel hit the spot just right.

Be sure to tell us what you're playing in the comments and check back next month for more of what our team is getting into

Borderlands 4 is real and coming sometime in 2025. Gearbox Entertainment made the latest sequel to its hit looter shooter franchise official with a teaser at Gamescom Opening Night Live showing a literal collision of worlds. It arrives just in time to give fans something to look forward to after the recent movie bombed…

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You might not have to wait long to see what’s going on with the much-pilloried Borderlands movie starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart for yourself from the comfort of your own couch. The box office bomb is reportedly coming to streaming as early as late August, after less than a month in theaters.

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Podle nové zprávy serveru Variety vydělala očekávaná hraná filmová adaptace Borderlands během úvodního víkendu celosvětově pouhých 16,5 milionu dolarů.

Tyto příjmy jsou v porovnání s oznámeným rozpočtem filmu ve výši 115 milionů dolarů slabé. Variety také uvádí, že náklady na marketing a distribuci činily dalších 30 milionů dolarů.

Server Variety s odvoláním na zdroje ze studia uvádí, že „téměř 60 % nákladů na výrobu filmu ‚Borderlands‘ pokryly mezinárodní předprodeje“. Film Borderlands však přesto zaostal za očekáváním.

Film od společnosti Lionsgate a režiséra Eliho Rotha měl premiéru 9. srpna 2024. Nejlépe si vedl na domácím trhu, ale i tak vydělal pouhých 8,8 milionu dolarů z 3125 kin.

Slabé výsledky hry Borderlands o premiérovém víkendu následovaly po řadě negativních recenzí od kritiků i fanoušků. Den před premiérou se jeho skóre na Rotten Tomatoes mezi kritiky propadlo na ohromující nulu.

V únoru 2024 oznámila studia plány na filmový svět Borderlands. Tyto plány jsou pravděpodobně vážně ohroženy poté, co první film v pokladnách kin zaostal za očekáváním. Někteří fanoušci a náhodní diváci přesto chválili herecké obsazení, například výkon Cate Blanchettové.

Na cestě je také mnoho filmových adaptací videoher, které jsou založeny na jiných duševních vlastnictvích. Naposledy společnost Story Kitchen oznámila plány na filmovou adaptaci historické hry Kingmakers. Tuto filmovou dohodu odhalila ještě předtím, než bylo potvrzeno datum vydání předlohy.

Článek Film Borderlands je po úvodním týdnu propadák se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.

The Borderlands film adaptation helmed by Eli Roth still has one day before it lands in theatres but reviews have come out, and it’s not scoring well.

There was some hope — despite trailers raising even more questions on how the adaptation would play out — remaining among fans of the Gearbox gaming franchise that the Borderlands film adaptation would embrace the zany spirit that made the games so popular. But now that reviews are out, it appears critics have condemned the film. CGMagazine’s review from Shakyl Lambert scored the film an abysmal 2 out of 10 and claims even the A-list group of actors didn’t help the issue. He states “Cate Blanchett is one of the best actresses of our time, but you couldn’t tell here with the way she phones it in as Lilith, a character whose personality in the film can be reduced to “active disinterest.”

Other critics have also blasted the film, with Metacritic sporting a very low 32% out of 18 reviews, with only a single positive review. Rotten Tomatoes paints an even worse picture, with an astoundingly low 3% out of 30 critical reviews (also with only one positive review). Borderlands, even when compared with other video game film adaptations still doesn’t do much better. The poorly received Super Mario Bros. live-action film from 1993, received a higher score, sporting a 35% among critics on the Metacritic website. The universally (by fans and critics alike) condemned Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (which came out in 2009) still holds a worse critical score of 17%.

While critical reviews are still coming out for Borderlands, the film releases globally in theatres tomorrow August 9. Until then, fans can join the conversation over on the official Borderlands Reddit, where fans have taken to discuss the critical reception thus far.

Classic titles may get a lot of flack, but their designs were second to none, so we’ve decided to rank them! These posters highlight some of the best classic titles out there – along with some beautifully recreated and original illustrations.

For the sake of transparency, ‘retro’ has been defined here as anything that was released before the eighth console generation. So, before the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch’s release.

Today, during IGN Live, we got our first real look at the Borderlands movie, and folks, I’m not sure this is going to be very good.

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When it comes to video games, there are a lot of memorable characters. Outside of their design or role within a game, what makes these characters memorable is their voice, and every one of these comes as a result of actors spending hours in a recording booth. 

There are a lot of voice actors out there, but some are more prolific or memorable than others. Their voices resonate in our heads as part of the characters we come to love while playing, but who’s behind these voices and where else have they appeared?

Joel Miller (The Last of Us) - Troy Baker

Troy Baker might be one of the most well-known voices in video games. He’s not only the voice of Joel in The Last of Us but also Higgs Monaghan in Death Stranding, John Jones in Fortnite, The Joker in Batman: Arkham Origins, and the voice of Snow in multiple Final Fantasy titles, including Final Fantasy XIII.

Harley Quinn (Arkham City) - Tara Strong 

Tara Strong is a voice that’s iconic for multiple generations. To me, she’s Timmy from Fairly Odd Parents. To my daughter, she’s Princess Twilight Sparkle from the My Little Pony franchise. In video games, Tara has played not only Harley Quinn in multiple titles, but you can also hear her voice in Rage, and she’s the voice of Rikku in Kingdom Hearts II.

Snake (Metal Gear Solid) - David Hayter

While David Hayter is perhaps most well known for his role as Snake in the Metal Gear Solid franchise and outside of it in other titles, he’s also appeared as the Winter Soldier in Marvel Heroes, a Jedi Knight in Star Wars: The Old Republic, and has multiple voice roles in the Ghost in the Shell game, released in 1997.

Mario (Multiple) - Charles Martinet

I can’t in all good conscience write this list without including Charles Martinet. His voice simply is Mario to anyone who has ever played a single game of the franchise. However, Mario isn’t Charles’ only voice role in the world of video games. He’s appeared as Orvus in Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Vigoro in Skies of Arcadia, and, perhaps surprisingly, The Cat in the Hat in a few titles aimed at kids, such as Dr. Seuss Toddler. 

Asterion (Baldur’s Gate III) - Neil Newbon

If TikTok is to be believed, Neil Newbon is the voice of everybody’s favorite Dom. However, before he was the voice of Asterion, Neil appeared in the Resident Evil games as Karl Heisenberg in Resident Evil Village and Nicholai in Resident Evil Resistance. He also played two roles in Detroit: Become Human, Elijah Kamski and Gavin Reed.

Ezio Auditore (Assassin's Creed II Trilogy) - Roger Craig Smith

Roger Crag Smith, I’m not ashamed to say, played a pivotal role in the formation of my love for gaming. I was, and remain to this day, obsessed with Assassin’s Creed II and will always consider it the best of the Assassin’s Creed titles. However, Roger Craig Smith has appeared in many more video games. He’s played Kale Vandelay and SEB-AAA in Hi-Fi RUSH, Sonic the Hedgehog in multiple titles and Mirage in Apex Legends. Most recently, you might recognize his voice as Mission Control in Helldivers 2.

Tiny Tina (Borderlands) - Ashly Burch

Although most recognizable for her voice as Tiny Tina in the Borderlands games, Ashley Burch has played a lot of memorable characters in other titles. She’s the voice of Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn, Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, Mel in The Last of Us Part II, and also provided the voice of Chloe Price in both Life is Strange games. 

Urianger (Final Fantasy XIV) - Timothy Watson

Aside from gracing the world with the purely Shakespearean presence that is Urianger Augurelt in Final Fantasy XIV, Timothy Watson has also appeared in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla as King Burgred, has multiple voice roles in Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, and played Mumkhar in Xenoblade Chronicles. 

GLaDOS (Portal) - Ellen McClain

The voice of everybody’s favorite psychopathic robot from the Portal games was provided by Ellen McClain, but it wasn’t the first time she provided an iconic robotic female voice in the world of video games. Ellen is also the voice behind the Combine Overwatch AI in Half-Life 2. She also appears in Cyberpunk 2077 as one of Delamain’s split personalities, though this one was modeled after GlaDOS.

Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher) - Doug Cockle

Doug Cockle is the voice of Geralt in The Witcher game series as well as when Geralt appears in other titles like Soul Caliber VI. He’s also appeared as Bhaal in Baldur’s Gate III, Robert Nightingale in Alan Wake II, and provides multiple additional voices in Horizon Zero Dawn. Outside of gaming, Doug also played the role of Father John Maloney in 2001's Band of Brothers.

The post 10 most iconic video game characters and who voiced them appeared first on Destructoid.

Gearbox Entertainment was one of the companies Embracer purchased during its massive buying spree that was followed by widespread layoffs and studio closures. As reported by Kotaku, the Borderlands maker is poised to be sold out, and more information will be shared next month.

Embracer had purchased Gearbox for $1.3 billion in 2021. However, after purchasing studios from around the world, the Swedish company released an open letter explaining that it is aiming to become a “heavy-investment-mode to a highly cash-flow generative business," and this will require “closing or divestments of some studios and the termination or pausing of some ongoing game development projects.”

This news doesn't come out of the blue, as in 2023, a report from Reuters previously stated that Gearbox is working with Goldman Sachs and Aream & Co to explore a possible sale and that there is interest from third parties. Not long after, a Bloomberg report emerged that Gearbox is planning to either go independent or transfer.

It appears that we'll find out more soon, as in a town hall with staff earlier this week, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford revealed that a decision had been made about the studio’s future, according to two of Kotaku's sources. The studio's employees haven't escaped the barrage of layoffs across Embracer's studios, and despite Pitchford assuring employees that they wouldn't experience the same fate, dozens were let go, and those who were subjected to freezes on pay raises and hiring. One of Kotaku's sources claims that they have been seeking employment elsewhere "not just due to the Embracer layoff fears, but due to pay."

There appears to have been friction in the relationship between Embracer and Gearbox, as due to Embracer budget shortfalls, "the studio shelved work on some exciting new projects and IPs to focus primarily on the next Borderlands games which are published by 2K," according to two of Kotaku's sources. There are still projects in the works, including a Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands sequel, but the studio "lost senior people" due to feelings of uncertainty.

Gearbox won't be the only studio squirming away from Embracer. According to Bloomberg, Saber Interactive is being sold to a private investment group. This comes during a year that has seen massive layoffs and studio closures, creating an uncertain environment for the entire industry.

The post Gearbox is reportedly ready to part ways with Embracer appeared first on Destructoid.

Following reports last year that Embracer Group was considering selling Borderlands studio Gearbox as part of its ongoing "comprehensive restructuring programme", it's now being claimed a sale to a third party is in the "late stages" of being finalised.

That's according to Kotaku, which says Gearbox CEO and co-founder Randy Pitchford had previously told staff the studio was facing one of three possible scenarios: it would either stay with Embracer, be sold, or would finance a buyout and become independent once more. However, Pitchford reportedly shared an update with employees earlier this week, saying a decision had been made about Gearbox's future, with more to be revealed next month.

Kotaku says it understands Gearbox will sell to an unnamed buyer and that the sale is currently in the "late stages of being finalised". And while Embracer Group - which purchased Gearbox for $363m in 2021 - did not respond to Kotaku's requests for comment, Pitchford deflected the website's inquiries, saying, "We will be thrilled to share whenever we have projects to announce or news to share as we work hard towards our mission to entertain the world."

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Embracer bought Borderlands maker Gearbox Entertainment for $1.3 billion back in early 2021 amid an unprecedented acquisition spree that’s since turned into a financial disaster. Now, just three years later, Kotaku has learned that Gearbox is closer than ever to being sold out from under what is arguably the most…

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It's looking increasingly likely that Gearbox Entertainment is going to be sold by Embracer. In a town hall with staff earlier this week, CEO and co-founder Randy Pitchford reportedly told staff that a decision had been made regarding the studio's future, with more details to be shared in March.

Embracer bought Gearbox for $1.3 billion (around £1.02 billion) in 2021, but it was reported that they were looking to sell last year as part of ongoing layoffs, closures and divestments.

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UPDATE 21/2/24: The first trailer for the Borderlands movie is now available, featuring Jack Black's voice as Claptrap and the expected amount of poo and pee jokes. Watch it below in full:

ORIGINAL STORY 20/2/24: Two new photos from the upcoming Borderlands film have been released.

The photos, shared by People, both feature the Academy Award-winning Cate Blanchett - with some very enviable red hair - as infamous outlaw Lilith.

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I’ve been thinking a lot about how great actors end up in bad movies. Maybe it was prompted by Madame Web somehow trapping Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney, but it’s always sad seeing someone whose craft you admire working with bad material. Anyway, the first Borderlands live-action movie trailer is out today, and it…

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Two new photos from the upcoming Borderlands film have been released.

The photos, shared by People, both feature the Academy Award-winning Cate Blanchett - with some very enviable red hair - as infamous outlaw Lilith.

The first photo shows Lilith on her own, looking pretty close to her in-game character.

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It’s been a few years since we’ve heard or seen anything about that Borderlands movie starring Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Kevin Hart. So it was great to finally get our first real look at the cast in some new screenshots and oh… oh no.

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