“Borderlands” may have established a signature Gearbox style, but “Battleborn” cements it. The visual style, humor and even branching upgrade paths owe so much to the studio’s popular series that I wouldn’t be surprised to learn this was an alternate multiplayer mode that spun off into its own series.

What does the U.S. presidential election — and the ascension of Donald Trump — mean for gamers? I’m not talking about how Trump feels about censorship or violent video games, mind you (I honestly don’t think he cares about either): This is about net neutrality.

Sometimes it can be hard to nail down the things that make a game special. For me, the “Battlefield” series has always been my go-to first-person shooter, and while the franchise hasn’t quite felt like the “Battlefield” that I know and love over the past few releases, that hasn’t stopped me from hoping that one day I’d find myself enjoying it all again.

Back in those dark days before I had my gaming PC, the only things I could really play on my creaking laptop were in 2D. Civilization V was only barely workable if I played it on the lowest quality — which I did, for more than 100 hours (and a lot of freezing).

The “Zero Escape” series has earned a reputation for inflicting mental anguish on players, combining the torturous mind games of “Saw” with “Choose Your Own Adventure” books to create an experience that puts players through the wringer.

Nintendo unveiled its long-gestating NX console last week: Nintendo Switch, the console you can “switch” on the go from TV sidekick to awkwardly big handheld in mere seconds, thanks to detachable controllers.

When the opposition pushes all of its war assets toward one beachhead, sometimes it’s smarter to avoid that fight altogether and make headway by creating another front. While “Call of Duty,” “Titanfall,” “Halo,” “Destiny,” “Gears of War,” and many other shooters compete in a sci-fi battle royale, DICE instead dove deeper into the annals of military history to reveal a singular first-person shooter gem: “Battlefield 1.”

“Gears of War 4” makes it easy to forget any reservations regarding the franchise’s new home at The Coalition. “Gears of War” fans pay attention to every detail of the story and every minute change in multiplayer gameplay, all while expecting the same ridiculously gory fun that the series is known for.

As promised last week, here are some thoughts about the VR titles I sampled when I paid a visit to Lost Inside VR in Kaimuki to play with the HTC Vive. I spent about 10 minutes or so on each title.

It’s not often that a video game columnist in Hawaii gets “out in the field” for an article, but this past weekend I headed over to Lost Inside VR in Kaimuki (next to Himalayan Kitchen) for some “research.”