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 from the last week.
First, as some of you are aware, multiple employees at GameSpot and Fandom were laid off last week. As Grubb and others have stated, these layoffs have not impacted any of the personnel associated with Giant Bomb, but some people let go were personal friends and associates to the staff. Please be considerate and reach out on social media to those still looking for help and support.
For reasons that are still unknown, notifications on Giant Bomb have been up and down. I actually had a meeting with the reps from Fandom last week and they indicated that previously, the notification system was busted across multiple sites and not Giant Bomb. This issue appears to be fixed, but feel free to let me or @dtoast know if it breaks again.
Speaking of that meeting, the topic of the video player came up and while I cannot divulge too much, I can affirm that resources and manpower is being relocated to address this problem. Likewise, while I cannot reveal everything, there are some ideas on how to get new traffic on the boards and site. I’m not going to say any of these ideas will get things back to a self-perceived “glory days”, but it is something that’s being discussed and will be tested in the future.
Tweets
Author’s Note: Definitely check out Lexi’s Tweet thread this week. They fantasy cast every single Giant Bomb staffer present and historical as characters in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise and there’s no denying how accurate they are. Just check out how they cast Rorie to get what I mean.
Galleria
Test Your Blight + Giant Bomb Meets Ichiban (By: @kone)
This week, Kone was on kind of an art-making roll! Obviously, people have been enjoying the most recent Blight Club and they went ahead and imagined all of the “wonderful” costumes we have seen as fighters in the original Mortal Kombat game. I love the palette swap on Dan.
Also, with everyone enjoying Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Kone imagined a world where some of the Giant Bomb staffers meet with and snap a selfie with Ichiban.
A Call For A New Mitch Meme! (By: Tosshi)
Everyone seems to be enjoying this current Blight Club where Mitch continues to get miserable with Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. So, why not make more memes from some of the hilarious moments from the feature! Tosshi, pulled this screencap and I think it has incredible potential!
Feel free to post what you made using this image in the comments and I promise to put it on the next Spotlight!
Video
Fall-less Victory – A Giant Bomb Blight Club Animated Clip (Episode 2) (By: Pickle Giraffe)
Last week, you may recall that Pickle Giraffe made an INCREDIBLE animated interpretation of Mike’s “flawless Victory” in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. Well, thanks to the positive reception they got, they went ahead and made a sequel based on new events that have been experienced by Mitch.
Activities
Turnip Boy Robs A Bank Is The 3Rd Game Of UUGPGC Year 3! Finish By February 12. Mark Spoilers! +
Steamworld Build Is The 2nd Game Of UUGPGC Year 3! SPOILERS OPEN! (By: @bigsocrates)
The community-run Game Pass Game Club has selected Turnip Boy Robs a Bank by Snoozy Kazoo as its latest pick! Have you checked out either of the Turnip Boy games? Click the link below to join the discussion and fun!
Also, the Giant Bomb Community Game Pass Game Club has officially opened its discussion for SteamWorld Build to SPOILERS! Feel free to discuss the game’s final act and review how it compares to other SteamWorld titles!
The GB Album Club 050 – Love Over Gold by Dire Straits (By: @unclejam23)
A new edition of the Album of the Week Club is up and this time the group will be listening to and discussing Love Over Gold by Dire Straits! Do you consider them legends of their genre? Are any of you fans of Dire Straits? Join the fun by clicking the link!
Blogs
I Finally Played Some Of The Crew And Found It Profoundly, Existentially, Depressing (By: @bigsocrates)
bigsocrates was aware that The Crew would be impossible to play in the coming months, but they were not prepared for how depressing it would make them feel about the current state of online game and games-as-a-service.
Dark Pictures Anthology – House of Ashes (By: @monkeyking1969)
In light of Until Dawn getting a movie adaptation in the future, monkeyking1969 decided to give The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes a shot and they penned a quick essay on why they enjoyed their time with the game more than expected.
Paranormasight Had TWO Best Moment/Sequence Of 2023 Candidates That Got Completely Snubbed (By: @zombiepie)
ZombiePie isn’t quite done talking about their gaming highlights from 2023 and this week talks about Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo and why they think it got completely snubbed during GOTY debates. Just be warned that this blog features major spoilers.
Indie Game of the Week 355: Golf Club Nostalgia +
Mento’s Month: January ’24 (By: @mento)
Moderator Mento ends the workweek with a new entry in their “Indie Game of the Week” series and this one looks at Golf Club: Wasteland! Read why they were intrigued by its premise, but disliked its golf sim gameplay.
Mento also is starting a new blog feature on the site where they run down all of their gaming highlights from the previous month! Here’s one of the game awards they handed out for their gaming tomfoolery in January! Check it out!
All Saturn Games In Order: June 1996 (Part 3) (By: @borgmaster)
borgmaster returns to continue their effort to play every single Sega Saturn game that came out in North America! This episode tackles Shock Wave Assault, Shining Wisdom, Golden Axe The Duel, Worms, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3!
The Big Score: An Analysis of Pikmin 2 (By: @gamer_152)
Moderator Gamer_152 continues their retrospective on the Pikmin franchise with a look at Pikmin 2! Read all about what they think about the second game playing around with multiple protagonists, the items you collect, and Pikmin variety!
Discussion Threads
Persona 3 Reload Thread (By: @atheistpreacher)
Let’s admit it, Giant Bomb and Persona have a history. So, how many of you are excited to play Persona 3 Reload? Are you noticing any common themes with the early reviews? Thoughts about the changes? Join our discussion about it NOW!
Microsoft Becomes Second $3 Trillion Company As It Continues To Eliminate And Consolidate Jobs In Activision-Blizzard (By: @zombiepie)
Microsoft has become the second company in human history to reach a $3 trillion market value. The company also announced another batch of layoffs and consolidation at Activision Blizzard, Inc.. Share how you are felling about the matter.
Ubisoft Allowed The Crew To Become Unplayable For Some Console Players Prior To Its Being Shut Down (Fixed…For Now) (By: @bigsocrates)
bigsocrates reports how Ubisoft Entertainment has allowed The Crew to become unplayable for some console players prior to its being shut down. Read why they think this is a sign that Ubisoft is not messing around with game rights.
Eidos-Montréal Gets Struck By Embracer Malaise: 97 Employees Fired & New Deus Ex Game Canned (By: @zombiepie)
Eidos-Montréal is another game studio feeling the brunt of Embracer contracting. 97 employees have been let go and a new Deus Ex has been canned. Get the details and discuss what you think the future will hold for this studio.
Lewis Hamilton Switches From Team Mercedes To Team Ferrari For The Formula 1 2025 Season (By: @gtxforza)
The Giant Bomb F1 community wants YOU to join them in discussing the recent news regarding Lewis Hamilton switching from Team Mercedes to Team Ferrari! If you ask me, Tifosi are going to have a lot of soul searching to do.
Lists
Wanderer Above The Sea Of Fog (By: @edsone)
We have an “interesting” user list concept that is looking for YOUR HELP! edsone is looking to create a list of every example of official game box art with the protag standing above fog.
My Favorite Franchises of All Time (By: @guip1408)
Plenty of games have come out that guip1408 decided to re-rank their “Favorite Franchises of All-Time” list! Which franchises went up and which ones went down? Click the link to find out! Also, consider making your own version!
User Reviews
@lord_anime‘s Final Fantasy XVI review relays why they were utterly impressed by the technical excellence of the game but ended up completely bored with its story and characters. Read why they think its bones are bad.
Wiki Page Of The Week
YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! The Fate/stay night remaster is coming to the West! Finally, we get to enjoy “People die when they are killed!” in a proper English translation! To commemorate this news, here’s a link to the wiki page for the original game which lays out why people like me still love the Fate/stay night series.