BORDERLANDS 3.

• Author: Suderman, Peter

In Borderlands 3, the latest installment in the zany sci-fi shooter franchise, you take on a murderous cult worshiping a cruel, vain deity who demands that her minions attack others, sacrifice themselves, and constantly sing her praises in order to appease her whims. I'm speaking, of course, of a popular teenage YouTuber.

Technically, the game's villain, Tyreen Calypso, isn't on YouTube. But she's a "streamer" who broadcasts videos of epic, bloody battles and signs off her 'casts with "always remember to like, follow, and obey."

Along with her brother Troy, Tyreen controls a seemingly endless horde of enemy followers, some of whom are just labeled "fanatics." One of the game's early sub-bosses is a character named Mouthpiece, who offers obsequious commentary on Tyreen's broadcasts, such as: "Another perfect livestream from our infallible god-queen Tyreen."

As metaphors go, it's not particularly subtle. But then, very little about this game is. Like its predecessors, Borderlands J is a cartoonishly animated open-world shooter. You spend most of your time engaged in frantic...