The Community Spotlight 2019.05.25

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I, @zombiepie, am once again honored to be your host this week. With E3 only two weeks away, life on Giant Bomb is getting a bit more stressful. Luckily for all involved, it sounds like the staff have some "big plans" for the site and live streams when the event finally goes live. Which is a good thing because the new releases were a bit "quiet" this week. Sure, Dauntless and Total War: Three Kingdoms both came out, but nothing really got the industry or press into a stir. Regardless, we have a LOT of housekeeping to review, so let's jump into!

• Abby was recently a guest on "Unlimited Lives Radio!" If you miss the energy drink reviews of old, give it a watch because everyone on the podcast taste tests four Amp Game Fuel “beverages!”
• There is a new Giant Beastcast t-shirt design available for purchase! This design has a mens shirt as well as a ladies shirt layout. Unfortunately, the Beastcast coffee mugs are currently sold out.
• Speaking of Giant Bomb merchandise, the "My First E3 T-Shirt" is currently on sale for $1! Be aware, sizes are limited. Additionally, shipping and handling, as well as customs charges may apply.
• If you want Google Calendar notifications for E3 2019, Giant Bomb user matsemann08 has you covered! Use the link below to add it to your personal calendar, AND it automatically converts to your time zone!
• If you need a little bit of Giant Bomb humor in your life, check out the "Giant Bomb Out of Context" account on Twitter, also @giantbomb_ooc. It Tweets Giant Bomb quotes daily, and sometimes you need that to keep yourself going.

Giant Bomb Galleria

Banner - A Decade of Giant Bomb vs The Electronic Three...in Polaroids (By: @marino)

Here's a preview of the promo image Marino plans to use for the upcoming E3 2019 banner contest. If you want a "cheat sheet" of where every image comes from, he's got you covered!

Reservoir Beast Poster (By: @jea_rum)

jea_rum has another AWESOME Giant Bomb-themed work of art! This one takes Giant Bomb East and combines it with the Reservoir Dogs movie poster! Marvel at their awesome work, and remember, support artists however you can!

Tweets Of The Week

Community Activities

Giant Bomb GTA V Crews (By: @dharmabum)

Calling all Giant Bomb users! Are any of you interested in joining a social group for GTA Online thanks to GBeast's new Grand Theft Auto V series? Here's a link to a "Master Thread" with every social club thus far!

The Golf Club 2019 Society (By: @mfisher8915)

Are any of you interested in joining a "Society" for The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA Tour? There's a new effort to revive the Giant Bomb community for the game and you can join in on the fun RIGHT NOW!

Best Of Blogs

Which Overwatch Character Is Probably A Cop? (By: @bonbolapti)

bonbolapti gets to the bottom of pressing video game questions that DEMAND answers! This time, they ask the all-important question: Which Overwatch character is probably a cop?

Of Beauty and Rage: The Journey is the Purpose (Outward) +

Of Beauty and Rage: All Man's Life (No Man's Sky) (By: @iesunoel)

Giant Bomb user IesuNoel is starting a new blog series looking at game with "beautiful" examples of worldbuilding. First, they share their new love for Nine Dots Studio's Outward. Read why they think the game successfully creates a sense of "purpose" through its worldbuilding. Second, they look at No Man's Sky and how it's finally coming around.

I Got Into The Closed Alpha Demo - Ask Me Anything (By: @acura_max)

These are always fun, but Giant Bomb user Acura_Max is hosting an "Ask me Anything" about the closed alpha for Nioh 2! Read over their early impressions of the new character creator and yokai designs and don't forget to share your "burning questions!"

Now I Wish The Entire Xbox One Console Was Able To Utilize Mouse And Keyboard (By: @ntm)

Giant Bomb user NTM uses their latest blog to discuss how they wish the entire Xbox One console was able to utilize mouse and keyboard set-ups. Read why they think it would improve the accessibility and quality of games on the platform.

Playing On Nightmare Really Opens Up The Combat (By: @doctordonkey)

Giant Bomb user doctordonkey ended up playing Rage 2 on its "Nightmare" difficulty and briefly comments on how doing so makes the game more enjoyable. Even if you don't like the game, give it a read to discover why they think difficulty continues to be the Achilles' heel of the Bethesda Softworks-era of id Software.

DLC Verses Micro-Transaction -- Don't Let Randy Pitchford Define Those For You! (By: @squidracerx)

After mulling over the Pitchford vs. Game Informer controversy for a bit, squidracerX agrees there's a difference between DLC and micro-transactions, but that distinction should come from consumers and NOT developers.

Indie Game of the Week 121: Dandara +

May Millennials 3: Gothic (Intro) +

May Millennials 3: Gothic (Outro) (By: @mento)

As to be expected, Moderator Mento has a smattering of blogs this week to read and enjoy. First, "Indie Game of the Week" blog series with a wonderful write-up on Dandara! Read why they thought the game was a fascinating but short action platforming experience! Additionally, they wrapped up a fun retrospective on the first Gothic game. Check that series out and find out why why they think the game survives the test of time, even in 2019.

Join The Discussion

Playdate - A New Handheld From The Guys Who Published Firewatch (By: @jesus_phish)

Software development company Yesterday Panic announced a crank-based handheld named the "Playdate." Feel free to share your hopes or initial impressions in our discussion thread using the link above.

Sea Of Thieves Tall Tale Quest Discussion Thread (By: @jaecee)

Calling all Sea of Thieves players! What are YOUR impressions of the Tall Tale quest line? Some users are claiming it adds a lot of "life" to the game, but what do you think?

Nioh 2 Gameplay Trailer & Alpha PSA (By: @boozak)

A trailer released showing off Nioh 2 and a closed alpha is available to select users! Join our discussion about what we know about the game thus far, and early impressions of the alpha.

GOG Announces Galaxy 2.0 (By: @rorie)

GOG recently announced Galaxy 2.0 and you can read all the details about the new launcher by clicking the link! Also, do you plan to drop a different launcher in favor of Galaxy, or are you sticking with your current suite of launchers?

Valve Announces Their Own Version Of DOTA Chess (By: @rorie)

What is YOUR reaction to Valve announcing they are making their own version of DOTA Chess? Is this a sign of the "next big thing" in the video game industry? What business model do you expect the game to use when it launches?

Vacation And Games (By: @dispossession)

Here's a fun discussion thread hopefully MORE users join! When you have a vacation, how do you factor in video games? Do you cut gaming out entirely or sneak them in during breaks?

How Do I Play GTA Online By Myself? (By: @xanadu)

Inspired by Giant Bomb East's new GTA Online video series, user xanadu asks an important question others have asked before: how do you play GTA Online on your own? Share your take using the link below!

Here's A Trailer For Path of Exile: Legion (By: @rorie)

Calling all Path of Exile fans! What is your reaction to the Path of Exile: Legion trailer? Was there anything in the announcement or developer commentary that excites you?

Observation Discussion Thread (By: @sahalarious)

Observation is a new indie-thriller where players control a space station A.I. If you gave this interesting game a try, drop a comment using the link above. If you want to learn more, feel free to join as well!

Lovable Lists

My Favorite Games of All Time (By: @guip1408)

Giant Bomb user guip1408 spent a great deal amount of time thinking about their 100 all-time favorite video games, and this list is the end result! Give it a read and learn which games made the cut!

Militia-Gaming Concept (By: @ultimateaero8)

UltimateAero8 is a bit of a military buff and is working on a batch of military-themed user-created lists. Here's one where they are trying to annotate every example of a "militia" in video game history.

Useful User Reviews

• @iesunoel reviewed the PlayStation 4 version of Outward and shares how they enjoyed the game's story and beauty despite a few mechanical misgivings.
• @junior_ain returns to reviewing entries in the Mega Man franchise! This time, they got around to Mega Man 3 and use their review to investigate the reason for the game's lack of "staying power."
• @ayanthar91 noticed the original Just Cause was on sale a while back and reviews how it is an absurdly fun game sabotaged by inconsistent gameplay mechanics.
• @dinoracha played around with the procedurally generated shoot 'em up, Monolith, and reviewed how its gameplay is as sharp as its graphical style.
• @guip1408's review of The Last of Us: Remastered shares how it provides the "definitive" Last of Us experience in a single package.
• @mabaseslums finally got around to playing La-Mulana and shares their overwhelmingly positive impressions on their review!
• @yyninja's review of 428: Shibuya Scramble gets to the bottom of if the oddball Japanese FMV adventure game is worth your time.

Wonderful Wikis

The Capcom Five

After listening to the Giant Bomb Aftermath podcast this week, Marino was surprised that our wiki didn't have a concept page for The Capcom Five. So, of course he made one.

If you want a hot take from me (ZombiePie), I honestly do not think P.N.03 is as bad as everyone makes it out to be.