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A cave with a skull and a waterfall where the Forgive Me quest begins
Product Reviews

There’s a sidequest in Borderlands 4 based on a meme making fun of Soulsborne games and it’s great

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Borderlands 4 is in a tough place when it comes to tone. The over-reliance on literal toilet humor in Borderlands 3 was so universally disliked that a follow-up was always going to pare it back a bit. Which Borderlands 3 does, though sometimes too much. The villains in particular end up feeling like personality-free zones, some of them not even having enough going on to fill the empty space on their introductory title cards. They’re just names and hit points.

The sidequests squeeze in some of the personality the main questline leaves out, and even (whisper it) reference the occasional meme. My favorite so far is Forgive Me, a quest based on a viral joke about the storytelling in Soulsborne games—a joke tweeted by Borderlands 4 head writer Sam Winkler back in 2022.

(Image credit: Sam Winkler)

Because the internet is the way it is, Winkler ended up having to explain in the replies that he actually likes FromSoftware games, saying, “I am begging anyone who thinks I’m dunking on fromsoft to learn how to make fun of the things you love”. And if you needed further evidence, the Forgive Me quest in Borderlands 4 is an extended gag about Soulsborne storytelling that clearly comes from a place of deep knowledge and appreciation.


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Forgive Me isn’t marked on your map. It begins in a cave in the Cuspid Climb area of the Terminus Ranges, with a waterfall pouring out of a giant skull at the entrance. Near a sword embedded in a fire a badass psycho attacks you, dropping a Desecrated Bolt as he dies. When you pick it up you hear the words “Zanzibart… forgive me” and begin an unmarked quest that instructs you to “Find Zanzibart’s resting place”, though it doesn’t add a marker for it.

You’ll need to find another cave in the Terminus Ranges, this one in Stoneblood Forest to the north and accessible by grappling point. There you’ll face the Cursed Myrmidon of the Cruel Dawn in combat and be left wondering if you can possibly have a crumb of context.

(Image credit: Gearbox)

At which point Vycarias, the Lore-Singer, a character who is a cross between a fantasy sage and a YouTuber who reads out flavor text will emerge from out of nowhere to monologue at you for nine minutes straight about the Shatterglass Plain, the Nevergreen, the Red Requiem, and a bunch of other proper nouns you’ve never heard before. It’s like reading a dense wiki entry for a game you haven’t played, and I applaud the voice actor who plays Vycarias for nailing the tone. It’s the kind of commitment to the bit that I enjoy about Borderlands, and I hope I keep finding it in Borderlands 4’s sidequests and inevitable DLC.



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Call Of Duty Movie: Activision Is Asking What Fans Want It To Be Based On
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Call Of Duty Movie: Activision Is Asking What Fans Want It To Be Based On

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A Call of Duty movie is in the works now at Paramount, but it’s still early days and there isn’t much to go on at this stage. But now, Activision is seeking fan feedback about what they want a live-action Call of Duty movie to be “inspired by.”

A survey being sent to members of the community feedback program Recon Squad asks fans to rank what they want the film to be inspired by. The choices include Black Ops, Modern Warfare, Zombies, or something other than Black Ops or Modern Warfare. Alternatively, Activision wants to know if people would instead want a totally new Call of Duty story to serve as the inspiration for the movie.

The survey was first reported on by Detonated.

EXCLUSIVE | NEW #CallofDuty Recon Survey asks Players to RANK what they want the ‘Live-Action Movie’ to be INSPIRED BY, with these options:

💥 Black Ops
💥 Modern Warfare
💥 ‘Call of Duty Zombies Story’
💥 NOT BO or MW (Ghosts, AW, etc)
💥 NEW Call of Duty Story pic.twitter.com/38hgahd2d9

— DETONATED (@DETONATEDcom) September 18, 2025

Of course, Activision and Paramount aren’t going to make the movie based on fan feedback alone, but the companies are clearly keen on gathering notes from fans.

Paramount boss David Ellison said in the Call of Duty movie announcement that he’s a big fan of the series, singling out the original World War II games, all the way through Black Ops and Modern Warfare.

“We’re approaching this film with the same disciplined, uncompromising commitment to excellence that guided our work on Top Gun: Maverick, ensuring it meets the exceptionally high standards this franchise and its fans deserve. I can promise that we are resolute in our mission to deliver a cinematic experience that honors the legacy of this one-in-a-million brand–thrilling longtime fans of Call of Duty while captivating a whole new generation,” Ellison said.

Activision has been trying to make a Call of Duty movie for years. In 2015, the company established Activision Blizzard Studios and announced it would make an entire universe of Call of Duty movies. At the time, the team said it had plotted out “many years” of Call of Duty movies based on Call of Duty sub-brands like Modern Warfare and Black Ops, but none have ever come to be. Stefano Sollima (Sicario: Day of Soldado) was at one point attached to direct one of the Call of Duty movies, with Oscar-nominated writer Scott Silver signed on to write.

Iconic Hollywood director Steven Spielberg reportedly wanted to make a Call of Duty movie, but he apparently had a series of demands that Activision wasn’t willing to agree to.

The next Call of Duty game, Black Ops 7, launches in November. A multiplayer beta for Black Ops 7 launches in early October.





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Madness characters lie in a vast pool of blood at the player's feet.
Product Reviews

This Doom mod based on ye olde Flash animation series Madness is, fittingly, way slicker than it has any right to be

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Back in the days when I used to haunt Newgrounds as a perpetually online teenager, a new episode of Madness would always shoot right to the top of the portal charts. The series, created by animator Krinkels, was a sort-of cultural after-dinner mint for fans of The Matrix.

Madness’ fast-paced, hyper-violent shorts involve grey, cross-faced people blasting each other to smithereens. Central to the series’ appeal was how its action scenes grew more impressive and elaborate with every passing episode, and it was always fun to see how far Krinkels could push things when a new entry dropped.

I haven’t thought about Madness for a long time (though the series hasn’t gone away, as I’ll get to shortly). But those memories came flooding back when I spied Somewhere in Hell, a Doom 2 mod that goes to impressive lengths to recreate Madness’ flashy, bloody action in id Software’s shooter sequel.


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Somewhere in Hell basically replaces Doom’s weapons and enemies with goons and firearms from Krinkels’ animations. But what’s impressive is how modder Recurracy 2 has infused the mod with the speed and vicious lethality of Krinkels’ animations. The legions of monochromatic foes you face move across the maps fast, crossing whole rooms in a matter of seconds to get in your face.

Somewhere in Hell Release Trailer – A Madness Combat Doom Mod – YouTube

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Weapons like the revolver and the double-barrelled shotgun, meanwhile, are imbued with joint-ripping recoil. When bullets connect with your faceless adversaries, they explode like an overstuffed haggis, showering the walls, floor, and the screen itself with gore.

Somewhere in Hell has been in development for a while, but it recently released its 1.0 version, which features 33 weapons and five playable characters. The mod also supports a bunch of custom mechanics like dual wielding weapons, while some of those characters have unique abilities such as a Max-Payne style shoot-dodge.

You can download Somewhere in Hell over on ModDB. If that isn’t enough Madness-related action for you, it’s worth noting the series has an official game—Madness: Project Nexus. This is a 3D, third-person blend of shooter and beat ’em up that was released back in 2021, and seems to be well-regarded among Madness fans.

The animated series is going strong too. The last episode “Contravention”, was released last year, while Krinkels is gearing up to celebrate Madness Day this coming Monday, with twitch streams, interviews, and an art, animation, and music competition for fans with cash prizes. It’s weirdly reassuring to see this old corner of the Internet still going strong.



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A soldier in an icy landscape facing off against two well-armed skeleton enemies while a dragon watches in the background
Product Reviews

This metroidvania based on an old Atari 2600 classic had the audacity to release on the same day as Silksong, but it’s a nice break from Hornet’s hell

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Every week at least a couple of metroidvanias release on Steam, and most remain obscure. Adventure of Samsara, which released on September 4, was more fated to obscurity than most, despite being published by an ascendant Atari. Because September 4 was also the day Silksong released. Few were going to make time for a handsome but orthodox pixel art metroidvania when the joys and indignities of Pharloom beckon.

Except me: I needed a break from Silksong earlier this week, mostly because I was getting my ass kicked, but also because a small detail on the Adventure of Samsara Steam page piqued my interest. This is actually a spiritual sequel of sorts to the 1980 game Adventure, which was probably the most cryptic and sprawling Atari 2600 cart on the market.

Adventure gave me nightmares as a child. Whereas most Atari 2600 games were cheerfully straightforward one-screen arcade games or scrolling shooters, Adventure had designs on being a full-blown, well, adventure, and it displayed some proto-metroidvania qualities to that end.


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You explore a same-ish labyrinth as a dot, collecting color-coded keys to unlock color-coded doors, avoiding bats and dragons, and using tools—such as a magnet and a bridge—to solve problems. Its austere blocky graphics are to ASCII what Duplo is to Lego, but there’s a quiet inscrutability to it that freaked me out as a kid (as did Secret Quest, another fairly ambitious Atari 2600 adventure game).

Here’s what the original Adventure looked like (via Retro Games Fan):

Atari 2600: Adventure – YouTube

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After spending around seven hours in Adventure of Samsara, I can confirm that it doesn’t share a hell of a lot in common with its 1980 source material. The closest call-back I can find, the dragons, are coiled in the same way as the old game and similarly color-coded. If you liked Adventure (I highly doubt you ever loved it), then you’re probably not going to feel relief or the frisson of familiarity with this 2025 game. It definitely feels like a case of having a languishing IP fitted to a new game, almost as an afterthought. (Beyond the Ice Palace 2 comes to mind.)

That’s fine (that’s business) but how does Adventure of Samsara stack up as a 2025 exploration platformer? Kinda well, but not brilliantly. As a “Solar Champion” it’s my job to reactivate “a mysterious interdimensional fortress”, which means exploring a big interconnected underground labyrinth full of monsters, traps and those dragons. Along the way I find the usual array of exploration-gratifying power-ups while unlocking shortcuts, save points and fast travel stations.

Image 1 of 5

(Image credit: Atari)(Image credit: Atari)(Image credit: Atari)(Image credit: Atari)(Image credit: Atari)

My Solar Champion is a floaty lil’ fellow (“lil” because Adventure of Samsara feels more zoomed out than most modern platformers) and his actions can’t be canceled. These qualities do not bode well at first, but I did get used to the stiffness of the controls, probably because Samsara isn’t otherwise a very demanding game. My Solar Champion eventually has three weapons—a sword, a bow and a hammer—and the latter two double as traversal and exploration tools, alongside the usual hard-won character upgrades. Yes, there is a double jump.

I was surprised to find that this game kept me up just as late as Silksong has been this past week.

What I like about Adventure of Samsara is its atmosphere. Yes, it blends fantasy and sci-fi in a pretty familiar way, but the retro-futuristic synth soundtrack is evocatively subtle. It clearly has designs on channeling the 1980s, but it does so in a quiet, nearly plaintive way that’s quite at odds with the nowadays suffocating banality of synthwave.

The other thing I liked about Samsara, especially compared to the 30-odd hours I’ve spent in Silksong, is how exploration-forward it is. There are bosses, but they’re not especially hard, and once you’ve beaten them you can look forward to big chunks of just nosing around. At first this exploration is done tentatively, as the combat is pretty rote and repetitive: attack, dash back, attack, dash back. But once my Solar Champion has some crisper moves and more effective weapons, the exploration becomes freewheeling and engaging. I was surprised to find that this game kept me up just as late as Silksong has been this past week.

(Image credit: Atari)

I also came to appreciate the pixel art, which was a bit of an obstacle for me at first. The world is coherent and carefully illustrated, but the enemy sprites kinda look like something you’d see in uh, Siralim. They’re barely animated—they just blob around. But this culminates in Samara having an interesting primitive quality that oddly reminded me of Barbuta from UFO 50.

Will Silksong signal the end of the charming, humble indie metroidvania? Are these games now doomed to be big budget affairs designed to sap mindshare for weeks going and months? What I love about the genre is that the vast majority of its purveyors—the ones making games you find on Steam with less than 50 reviews—feel like the work of joyful hobbyists, a tradition that runs from Cave Story through to stuff like Astalon.

Adventure of Samsara definitely belongs to that tradition, despite having a 40-odd year old IP attached to it. Yes, it has rough edges, but the next time you want to slide into a mysterious, enveloping metroidvania that doesn’t want you to suffer mercilessly, I’d recommend giving it a look. Maybe also check out Zexion.



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BioShock film script currently in the works, to be based on first game
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BioShock film script currently in the works, to be based on first game

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The script for the BioShock movie is currently being written, with Vertigo Entertainment producer Roy Lee confirming the film adaptation will be based on the first game.

In an interview with The Direct, published on September 9, 2025, Lee told the publication that the BioShock film is “definitely going to be based on the first BioShock game.”

The publication was speaking to Lee about The Long Walk, the upcoming dystopian horror (based on Stephen King’s novel) directed by Francis Lawrence, who is signed on to direct the upcoming BioShock movie.

“The Long Walk became a reality because BioShock was delayed for a little bit, where we had to do some more script work,” Lee revealed to the publication.

“And so as the script work is being done, we shot The Long Walk.”

BioShock’s script is currently being penned by Logan and Blade Runner 2049 writer Michael Green.

Lee went on to reveal that Lawrence, who has directed several of The Hunger Games films, was “already committed” to directing The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which is currently in production in Spain and is due for release in November 2026.

“And so it’s just waiting for him whenever The Hunger Games is completed, and the script is just being worked on right now,” Lee continued.

Take-Two Interactive has been trying to bring its dystopian first-person shooter series to the silver screen for almost two decades.

In 2008, Take-Two announced a deal with Universal Pictures to make a BioShock movie, to be directed by Pirates of the Caribbean’s Gore Verbinski.

But following budget concerns and the loss of two directors for the project, it was ultimately cancelled in 2013.

In 2022, Netflix announced its plans to bring the franchise to the silver screen, with the live-action film to be produced by Vertigo Entertainment and 2K.

In 2024, however, Netflix slashed the movie’s budget to focus on making it a smaller, “more personal” project.

During a panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Lee explained the BioShock project was being “reconfigured” following a change in leadership at the streaming firm.

“The new regime has lowered the budgets,” Lee said. “So we’re doing a much smaller version… It’s going to be a more personal point of view, as opposed to a grander, big project.”



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The protagonist of BioShock fires a Tommy gun at a Big Daddy.
Game Updates

Upcoming Bioshock Movie Adaptation Based On The First Game

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Now that the film and TV industries have finally cracked the code to making decent, sometimes great, live-action adaptations of video games, there’s actually good reason to pay attention to the developments of these works. To be excited about them, even. One of the latest games to get the treatment is none other than Xbox 360-era darling BioShock. The first one (not Infinite, thank god).

As reported by The Direct, producer Roy Lee (A Minecraft Movie, Weapons, The Long Walk) said that while everything else about the movie must be kept secret, “it’s definitely going to be based on the first BioShock game.” The deep sea adaptation hit a snag after some necessary script work, but it looks like it’s on track; now it just awaits director Francis Lawrence (Constantine, The Hunger Games, The Long Walk) who first has to wrap work on The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

While I’ve been something of a hater of the non-stop barrage of live-action video game adaptations, I find the idea of bringing the first BioShock “to life” as a big-budget movie a neat proposition. Sure, the story is the most obvious expression of why Atlas Shrugged’s themes are stupid, but the setting, the underwater city of Rapture, was a real treat to explore, and seeing it reproduced on the big screen should be a treat.

As a thematic device, Rapture is a pretty straightforward tool for skewering libertarian-minded politics, but as a setting, it’s dreamy and atmospheric, with tremendous potential for some seriously cool set and prop design. And if Francis Lawrence’s work on 2007’s I Am Legend is anything to go by, the man knows how to work well with evocative settings. Who knows, maybe we’ll take some better lessons away from this trip down to the doomed ocean floor city than we did the first time.



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Octopath Traveler 0 Will Limit The Size Of Your City Based On Your Console
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Octopath Traveler 0 Will Limit The Size Of Your City Based On Your Console

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Later this year, Octopath Traveler 0 will put you in control of your own destiny as you attempt to rebuild your town alongside a party of heroes. But the size of your city is going to be limited based on which system you choose to play the game on.

Square Enix has shared the Octopath Traveler 0 specs (via Wario64), which reveal that each console has a limit to the buildings that can be added to a town. Nintendo Switch comes in far below the other platforms with a 250 building limit. Switch 2 and PlayStation 4 can handle 400 buildings. But to get the maximum of 500 buildings, you’ll need to play the game on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, or PC.

When it comes to rendering resolution and frame rate, the Switch once again lags far behind the other consoles with 1280 x 720 and a maximum of 30 FPS. Switch 2, PS4, and Xbox Series S can all reach 1920 x 1080 resolution, but the Series S can also hit 120 FPS while the other two consoles are locked at 60 FPS. PS5 and Xbox Series X both have 3840 x 2160 resolution and 120 FPS, and the PC version allows users to select their own resolution and frame rate.

After playing a demo for Octopath Traveler 0 during Gamescom, GameSpot’s Steve Watts praised the game’s expanded customization, larger parties, and bigger towns. Octopath Traveler 0 will arrive on December 4 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch. However, Square Enix has revealed that there won’t be an option to upgrade the Switch version to the Switch 2 version.

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Ken Levine’s BioShock successor Judas still in development, with a new gameplay system that decides who the villain is based on your actions
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Ken Levine’s BioShock successor Judas still in development, with a new gameplay system that decides who the villain is based on your actions

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Image via Ghost Story Games

I almost forgot about this one, but it sounds very promising

|

Published: Aug 27, 2025 03:32 pm

Remember Judas, the first-person shooter and next game from BioShock creator Ken Levine? Yeah, it’s hard to blame you if you forgot.

Similarly to BioShock 4, Judas has not been heard or seen in over a year, but Levine just dropped a new blog post out of the blue detailing what’s been going on with the game’s development. Don’t get too excited, because it’s likely still far off from releasing, but it’s not all bad news.

Along with new, gorgeous key art for the game seen at the top of this article, Levine detailed Judas’s Villainy system, which he says some takes inspiration from Shadow of Mordor’s Nemesis system, but functions quite differently.

“We’ve just finished a major milestone: Villainy,” he said in the post on PlayStation Blog, which also includes a minor glimpse at gameplay. “Villainy is a central feature of Judas. When you play BioShock or BioShock Infinite, the villain is always going to be the villain. Fontaine, Comstock — they’re always going to be the bad guys. In Judas, your actions will attract members of the Big 3 to you as friends. But ignore one of them enough, and they become the villain. From there, they will get access to a new suite of powers to subvert your actions and goals.”

These Big 3 characters (Tom, Hope, and Nefi) will be central to the game, according to Levine, and players will “get to know these characters intimately.” Much of Judas is still being kept secret, but Levine and his new studio Ghost Story Games want “losing one of them to feel like losing a friend,” and they will all be “competing for your favor and attention.”

“In BioShock Infinite, there was a lot of energy invested into developing your relationship with Elizabeth,” said Levine. “By the end of the game, you knew everything about her, her abilities, her hopes and dreams. But the truth is she knew almost nothing about you, the gamer playing Booker. In Judas, the Big 3 observe you as you play, and they have feelings not only about how you approach combat, hacking, and crafting, but most importantly your interactions with the other two characters.”

This sounds pretty awesome in theory, but it must be said that it’s now been over 12 years since BioShock Infinite, which is the last game Levine released at Irrational Games, along with its Burial at Sea DLC. The industry has changed entirely since then, and expectations for this title will be high.

With still no release date in sight, I’m choosing to be cautiously optimistic that Judas will end up being a title that may surprise us all whenever it finally comes out.

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Goodbye Jason Voorhees, hello Michael Myers: Friday the 13th developer and publisher return with a new multiplayer survival horror game based on Halloween
Product Reviews

Goodbye Jason Voorhees, hello Michael Myers: Friday the 13th developer and publisher return with a new multiplayer survival horror game based on Halloween

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Halloween: The Game Reveal Trailer – Future Games Show gamescom 2025 – YouTube

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Seven years after IllFonic and Gun Media had to say farewell to their hit multiplayer survival horror game Friday the 13th, they’re back—except this time, it’s Halloween. Announced at today’s Future Game Show, Halloween is a “one-versus-many stealth horror experience” in which players don the creepy mask of Michael Myers to hunt down the citizens of Haddonfield, or work together as his potential victims in a desperate effort to stop him.

“Stick to the shadows as Civilians, seeking out Haddonfield residents to warn them and searching for a way to contact the authorities,” the press blast says. “As Michael Myers, give them a reason to fear the dark and cut the phone lines to prevent the police from ruining his favorite holiday. Whether playing solo in story mode, against bots offline, or facing others in online multiplayer, each mode rewards stealth, strategy, and skillful play.

“Staying true to the original film, IllFonic masterfully recreates the eerie atmosphere of Haddonfield across multiple maps and authentic locations. With a haunting ambience and score inspired by the legendary movie, Halloween brings the terror home in a new experience that will keep both old and new generations looking over their shoulders.”


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I’m not much of a horror fan so I’m really in no position to speak to the distinctions between the Friday the 13th and Halloween franchises—it’s all just freaky masks, huge knives, and screaming teenyboppers to me. But I do find it very interesting, and amusing, that IllFonic and Gun Media are coming back with a game that, superficially at least, looks so much like Friday the 13th. There will definitely be differences in gameplay: Players will alert NPC townsfolk and police to the looming threat, for instance, leading to “increasingly powerful and thorough neighborhood patrols” that will help even the odds against the killer.

But the bottom line is that a small group of soft, squishy locals are going to have to work together to survive an unkillable maniac who exists only to hack those locals into little bloody bits, and, well… that sure sounds like tomayto, tomahto to me.

I might be reading too much into it, but IllFonic co-founder and CEO Charles Brungardt also seemed to throw a little shade at his former partners while praising his new ones.

“Working with Compass International Pictures and Further Front has been a dream,” Brungardt said. “As rights holders of the film and producers on the game, they’ve shared incredible insights to help us stay true to the soul of the 1978 film. Their tremendous passion for Michael Myers has pushed us to craft something that fans of the franchise will truly appreciate.”

Friday the 13th: The Game, you’ll recall, was brought low by a dispute over the ownership of the franchise between Victor Miller, the writer of the original film, and Sean Cunningham, the producer and director of the film.

Halloween is set to launch sometime in 2026 and will be available for PC on Steam and the Epic Games Store. For now, you can take a closer look at what’s coming at halloweengame.com.

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