Welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight! I, @zombiepie, am once again honored to be your host as we look back at the best community creations and most notable site-related news from the previous week!
Jeff Grubb was on an episode of Trivia Tower on MinnMax and the VOD is up on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. How did he and the Giant Bomb community do? Watch to find out!
When it comes to bugs, many of you may have noticed that videos have stopped uploading on to the site. This trend stems from the site's uploader/encoder having something fundamentally wrong with it. Jan and others worked on the uploader for a while, but were not able to fix it before the weekend. As such, please watch VODs on Twitch and YouTube as a temporary workaround.
Based on the input of others on the Discord, it seems like the frequency of the Cookies tab has gotten a lot more tolerable. For those that may have missed it yesterday, to meet new US and EU laws pertaining to tracking cookies, Giant Bomb needed to change how it reminded you about your cookie settings. From time to time, the bottom portion of your screen should remind you that you can opt out of tracking cookies. If this tab is popping up constantly or not at all, please drop a comment over here.
Over on GameSpot, Jean-Luc hosted an episode of GameSpot After Dark this week and decided to break down some barriers by inviting editors from IGN to join his panel discussion. If I told you one of the people on this podcast was Michael Higham, would you be more interested?
Finally, and I hate to do this, but please consider dropping a supportive comment that you read this feature and appreciate its continual inclusion on the site.
Tweets
A quick 90s style splash screen. Checking to see if I still know how to operate Adobe Flash. haha! @giantbomb pic.twitter.com/reoiHdEzXG
— "It is I, Jearum!!" 🇵🇭 (@jea_rum) April 25, 2024
MINDFREAK timelapse with @jeffgrubb and @baileymeyers @giantbomb pic.twitter.com/cPp0x474c9
— Pickle Giraffe (@Pickle_Giraffe) April 26, 2024
I SAY I SAY BOY DOWN THERE WITH THE CAPE AND TOUPE LIKE SPITSHINE ON A PIECE'A'COAL. YOU GOTTA I SAY YOU GOTTA PUSH THE LAD GENTLE-LIKE, NUDGE THE BOY DOWN THE LIGHTNING CORRIDOR. ALL THIS SUPERIN AND LASERIN AIN'T GONNA DO YOU NO GOOD IF YA CAN'T EVEN FOLLOW DIRECTION BOY pic.twitter.com/v1iWGuqlCy
— ogto (@ogto_rt) April 25, 2024
— Ｓｉｒ５０００ @ 🤙Infinite Wealth🐲 (@Sir5000) April 23, 2024
@giantbomb pic.twitter.com/M1oEk17xXV
— lex luddy (kiryu's roommate) (@BasicalliLexi) April 24, 2024
Activities
Li'l Gator Game Is The 9th Game Of UUGPGC Year 3! Finish By May 6! Mark All Spoilers!
Battletoads (2020) Is The 8th Game of UUGPGC Year 3! Finish By April 22! (By: @bigsocrates)
The latest pick for the Giant Bomb Game Pass Game Club is Lil Gator Game by MegaWobble! Have any of you given this alligator-based adventure game? Did you play it on PC, Xbox, or Switch? Join the fun in the first thread!
Likewise, it is the final call on the Game Pass Game Club's discussion for Battletoads (2020)! Do you have any positive or negative takes on Rare's attempt to bring back the Battletoads?
Video
Metro Prime - An Animated Giant Bomb Series - (Season 2 Episode 4) (By: Pickle Giraffe)
With the end of Blight Club with Superdan finally here, enjoy the latest episode of Giant Bomb Animated by Pickle_Giraffe! This episode is definitely a banger with Dan's exasperation with the game really coming through perfectly. Try not to blink or else you'll miss quick cameos from Patrick and Vinny and maybe you can hear a laugh from Drew they pulled from a classic Giant Bomb Sleepy Dog DLC purse moment back in 2012!
Galleria
New Giant Bomb Overlay (By: @jearum)
Holy. Shit. Today we have a clear work of art to promote in this week's edition of the Community Spotlight with jearum finally getting to share the new 90s inspired Giant Bomb overlay they have been working on for a while now!
Can you spot all of the Giant Bomb references in this work of art? Share in the comments your favorite touches!
Bakalar's Favorite Hat (By: @kone)
Kone was so impressed by jearum's work, they decided to have fun with the C|nut hat they noticed in the background, and obviously, they applied it to the one person they knew would love it the most.
Blogs
Helldivers 2 Has A Lot Going For It, But Ultimately I Don't Like Games As A Service (By: @bigsocrates)
bigsocrates decided to give Helldivers II a shot and relays on their latest blog why they recognize that it is a good game, but shares why they simply cannot get over their personal mental block against live service games.
The Jobs In Final Fantasy III Are Weird, Broken, Beautiful, And STILL Deeply Influential On The Series (Part 1) (By: @zombiepie)
While most in the press have moved on to covering Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and the upcoming FFXIV expansion, Moderator ZombiePie decided to return to OG Final Fantasy III to properly review how its job system is still influencing the series.
What's the Greatest Video Game: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (By: @imunbeatable80)
For the latest of their "What's the Greatest Video Game" feature on the site, user imunbeatable80 checked out Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury! Is Bowser's Fury really the game changer some make it out to be? Read what they think!
Dragon's Blogma II (By: @mooseymcman)
MooseyMcMan put Dragon's Dogma II through its paces and wrote all about it! Do they think the pawn system has been improved and what do they think of the game's world-building and story? Read to find out.
Indie Game of the Week 367: 9 Years of Shadows (By: @mento)
Moderator Mento has a new edition of their "64 in 64" feature! This is where they play a randomized assortment of N64 games in just 64 minutes before passing judgement! This week tackles Bomberman 64 and Mahjong 64!
Likewise, Mento has a new edition of their "Indie Game of the Week" feature on the site and this one is all about 9 Years of Shadows! Were they impressed by its vaguely Greek gods-inspired post-apocalyptic story or action platforming gameplay? Click the link above to discover the answer
Lambda: Black Mesa and the Legacy of Half-Life (By: @gamer_152)
If you enjoyed NocClip's Black Mesa documentary, you should check out Gamer_152's blog on the game and exhaustive examination of the enduring and undeniable legacy of Half-Life! Here's the link and don't forget to drop a nice comment!
Discussion Threads
Are PlayStation Stars "Purchase" Campaign Rewards Stingy? (By: @bigsocrates)
Is there anyone out there that feel like the PlayStation loyalty program to earn rewards, (i.e., PlayStation Stars), is stingy? That's how some feel, but others feel like the program is perfectly fine. Discuss here!
BlizzCon 2024 Is Cancelled. Do You Think The Event Is Dead Forever? (By: @zombiepie)
BlizzCon 2024 is cancelled. Are you surprised by this news? Also, do you trust Blizzard's assurances that the event still is being planned for the future? Is anyone else getting ESA/E3 flashbacks?
They're Re-Releasing Licensed Nuon Games On Repro Carts, Including Tempest 3000 (By: @bigsocrates)
Did any of you hear the news that Songbird Productions is re-releasing Tempest 3000 on NUON console repro carts? How many of you even remember the Nuon? Get an in-depth summary of this news and how you can snag a copy of Tempest 3000!
Just Checking In... (By: @jakob187)
Here's a blast from the past for all of youthat go WAY BACK to the Whiskey Media Days! jakob187 has dropped by after being away from the site for years! Send them good wishes and reminisce about the old days here!
What's Your Excuse For Not Playing Iggy's Reckin' Balls To Completion Now That It's On Switch Online? (By: @bigsocrates)
Extreme-G and Iggy's Reckin' Balls are the most recent games selected by Nintendo for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members. What does the selection of these two titles say about Nintendo's value of its paid online service?
Friendly Reminder That You Have One Week To Pick Up The Palestinian Relief Bundle! Also, What Are Your Recommendations? (By: @zombiepie)
If you somehow missed, Itch.io is hosting a massive charity bundle called the "Palestinian Relief Bundle." It has hundreds of titles and more in it for the asking price of $8. So, for those of you that have picked it up, what are your recommendations?
Embracer Is Splitting Into Three Companies. It Would Be Funny If Real People Weren't Impacted. (By: @bigsocrates)
It would seem Embracer Group is breaking apart into three companies. Get the news and join the community discussion on the site. What do you make of Asmodee becoming its own company or “Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends?”
Reviews
@infantpipoc's NieR:Automata review discusses why they don't think the game lives up to its hype after playing it for the first time after avoiding it well after its initial release.
Wiki Of The Week
As bigsocrates reported in a discussion thread, the NUON console/DVD player is getting a mini-revival of sorts! Songbird Productions is making repro carts for the platform and now is your chance to give Tempest 3000 a shot! Also, get a refreshing crash course on the NUON and what led to its highly predictable downfall.