It's hard to put a finger on what, exactly, as the action plays out during a virtual demo presented by Gearbox, the studio handling development after Telltale, the spinoff's originator, died in 2018 and then (sort of) came back the next year. The setup is reminiscent of the original "Tales from the Borderlands" while starring a new cast: Anu, Octavio and Fran, three lovable losers who'd likely be background NPCs in a standard first-person shooter "Borderlands" game, bumble, stumble and stutter their way through the machinations of evil capitalists and a planetary invasion on the worst day of their lives. There are jokes and quips aplenty. There are dialogue choices, quick-time events and minigames. Octavio, the main male lead, exudes a certain-to-be-humbled cocksureness that's reminiscent of previous "Tales" lead Rhys, except streetwise instead of corporate.

Spending on video games and related equipment reached an all-time high last year, with Americans shelling out $42 billion to immerse themselves in virtual worlds where they can steal cars, shoot cowboys, and fight Nazis with abandon. But as tens of thousands of video game fans and creators gather in Los Angeles this week for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, more commonly known as E3, a difficult truth about the gaming industry is beginning to emerge: what's seen by outsiders as a fun, creative business is becoming psychologically and financially unbearable for those working in it. "Every game you like is built on the backs of workers," says Nathan Allen Ortega, 34, who thought he found his dream job when Telltale Games offered him a position as a community and video manager in 2015. Ortega was such a Telltale enthusiast that he used to participate in cosplay--the practice of dressing up as a particular character for events--as Rhys Strongfork, one of the main heroes in the company's Tales from the Borderlands. So it was an easy decision to pack up his stuff in Texas and relocate near the company's headquarters in San Rafael, California.

It has taken seven years to finish the story of Clementine, the girl forced to survive a zombie apocalypse with no hope of rescue – and we almost didn't get to see it end at all. In 2012, the excellent first season of The Walking Dead video game made its developer Telltale synonymous with player-driven storytelling, forcing gamers to make choices that influenced how things progressed. But just one episode into this final season, in 2018, Telltale closed its doors without warning, leaving all but 25 employees without work, benefits or access to healthcare. Skybound Entertainment, owned by Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, stepped in to see the game through to completion, but due to the abrupt change in circumstances, most of the creatives who spent years working on it couldn't be there for the end. The video games industry is dependent on teamwork, but the profit imperative often leads to an unsustainable environment that rarely meets its workers with empathy.

When we we first met Clementine in Telltale's The Walking Dead, she was a scared eight-year old hiding in her tree house from the zombie hordes. Over time, she learned how to shoot, scavenge and survive as the world crumbled around her. Mostly, that was due to her great mentor: Lee, the first season's ex-convict lead. Now in The Walking Dead's final season, Clementine is a teenager with a young charge of her own. It's her job to keep him alive -- but also, to make sure he grows up properly. Welcome to parenthood in the zombie apocalypse.

But now for the good news: A staggering number of excellent games are coming to PC this holiday season. Like seriously, too many for any one person to play. We've rounded up 15 of the PC games we're most looking forward to this fall. While a few of the usual heavy hitters make the list (Forza), we've also tried to pick out a few surprises, or games you might not have heard of, like The Occupation. Because hey, you definitely know Shadow of the Tomb Raider is coming out this fall, but have you heard the good word about Outer Wilds?

TellTale's'Minecraft: Story Mode' is coming to Netflix in 2018. Minecraft: Story Mode is coming to Netlfix later this year. That's not a new TV show, it's a video game developed by TellTale, the studio behind the popular Walking Dead games. Of course, whether TellTale makes games or "interactive stories" is up for debate, and Netflix is insisting that the company doesn't consider this a video game. "We don't have any plans to get into gaming," a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement.

Telltale Games has announced that it is bringing "Minecraft: Story Mode" to Netflix as an interactive show later this fall. The video game developer also revealed that it is developing an entirely new game that's based on the hit Netflix series "Stranger Things." "We're delighted by the response we're seeing to the idea of'Minecraft: Story Mode' coming to Netflix in the fall as an interactive adventure. Separately, we're thrilled to confirm that Telltale is developing a game based on'Stranger Things' that we'll publish to consoles and computers at a later date," Telltale Games said on its Twitter page. "Our partnership with Netflix is something we're incredibly proud of, and while we don't have anything more to share right now, we're excited to reveal details on these projects later in the year."

Netflix has reportedly signed a deal with Telltale Games to bring simplified versions of its popular titles to the streaming service. The company confirmed to TechRadar that the first of these will be Minecraft: Story Mode, which will appear on the platform, followed at some point by a new Telltale game based on the Stranger Things series. These might not be'games' as we think of them. Sources told TechRadar that Minecraft: Story Mode will appear in a five-part episodic form and Netflix confirmed to them that the game will appear "in an adapted form." It may appear on the platform as early as later this year, and will be playable using any remote control with directional and select buttons -- ideally, users won't need any more hardware to enjoy.

Microsoft is having a massive Xbox One Spring Sale on games right now. So massive, in fact, that we spent hours sifting through it to pick out our favorite game deals in a list that feels like it contains just about every noteworthy Xbox game available. The sale ends April 9, and if you're an Xbox Live Gold member, you can get some extra discounts through April 2. Below are our favorite deals in the bunch. All of these titles have good reviews and some of the larger discounts in the sale. To see the rest of the discounts, check out Microsoft's page for its 2018 Xbox Spring Sale.

Telltale's original Walking Dead game was special, blending a gut-wrenching storyline with interesting, believable characters. Five years and two seasons later (four if you count 400 Days and Michonne) the adventure has started to show its age. So for The Walking Dead Collection -- a new bundle that launches on December 5th -- the developer has given everything a visual upgrade. To explain the changes, Telltale has released a video comparing the two versions during a pivotal scene -- Lee and Clementine's first meeting. At first, the differences might seem small.