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 week.
For those of you still struggling with your cookie settings for videos and/or podcasts sticking, consider adding a cookie exception (Settings --> Privacy & Security --> "Cookies and Site Data" header --> Manage Exceptions). For some people, this is still not working. It was workable at one point and then broke again, which isn't fun. They're looking into this and any other video/priority issue you send them.
The JeffJeff's Bizarre Adventure that was planned for last week will publish early next week.
For anyone wondering about the recent batch of videos titled "Giant Bomb Plays", when a video is titled as such, it is originally from a live stream where the staff was interacting with chat and taking community questions. This, obviously, is different than a pre-recorded Quick Look or Playdate, so they have a different name to indicate this.
Someone made a Mike Minotti Song. This is not a drill. This is a real thing a person created and published on the internet for everyone to "enjoy." The creator of this is available on Twitter if you wish to thank them or ask questions.
Finally, Patrick Klepek wrote a moving piece on Remap about the passing of Ryan Davis, the loss of his father, and needing to walk away from a parasocial relationship. If you enjoy it, please consider thanking him for it.
Giant Bomb's Extra Life 2023 Information
Hey, everyone. As the sub-headline here suggests, we are quickly approaching Extra Life 2023's Game Day on November 4th. We have a few hints about what the staff are planning for Extra Life! First, Jeff Grubb, Mike Minotti and 1 other special guest are 98% sure they will be able to stream an event when they are together in Minnesota! I can also tell you that Jan and someone else are planning something that will involve in-person streaming goodness. The hope, and fingers crossed this will work, is there will be a 12-hour west coast in-person team steam for Extra Life that should be followed by the East Coast team!
Now, for those of you that have joined the team and want to be hosted on chat, a sign-up sheet will be provided SOON! It will be provided when everyone on the site has finalized their plans for the event!
If you cannot join or are not a streamer, no worries! You can still help the effort by donating to the accounts that have already joined the team! As with previous years, we always try to make sure that everyone on the Giant Bomb Extra Life Team has at least one donation and that we have ZERO PEOPLE AT $0! If you cannot donate, no worries, maybe spread the word and share a team page at $0 to someone you know that might be interested in donating!
- Giant Bomb's Extra Life 2023 Team Page - JOIN NOW!
- Giant Bomb's Extra Life 2023 Announcement Thread - This is still under construction. Over time, it will be populated with the streaming plans for the site as well as community events that take place before or after Game Day.
- Dan Ryckert (Giant Bomb Staffer) - DONATION GOAL OF $7,440
- Shawn McDowell (Giant Bomb Social Media & Team Captain) - DONATION GOAL OF $100
- ZombiePie (That's ME!) - DONATION GOAL OF $1,000
Tweets
truly a dystopian vision@Tolkoto @DanRyckert @JeffGrubb @AlexBoniello @giantbomb pic.twitter.com/AZiBmavj4u
— ogto (@ogto_rt) October 18, 2023
@Tolkoto what the fuck did I just find? https://t.co/prnsdYxyAB
— Jan-O Lantern (@_janjerome) October 20, 2023
🚨ATTENTION, THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING🚨
— World’s Famous Giant Bomb (@giantbomb) October 20, 2023
It's that time of year again: Extra Life's National Game Day is in ~2 weeks, on November 4th!
If you'd like to donate or join Team Giant Bomb in streaming to raise money for Children's Hospitals, head here: https://t.co/72Dm5mULhy pic.twitter.com/MXmAoug6nF
— Grubb (@JeffGrubb) October 21, 2023
Nintendo Announces ‘Switch 2’ Cartridges Will Taste Good This Time https://t.co/ZWUxCSquM5
— Hard Drive (@HardDriveMag) October 21, 2023
Activities
Unsanctioned Unofficial Game Pass Game Club Voting Thread For Cycle Starting October 23, 2023 +
Gris Is The 22nd Selection Of Year 2 Of The UUGPGC! Finish By October 23, 2023!(By: @bigsocrates)
It is time for a new round of voting for the community-run Game Pass Game Club! Here are the nominees and special preference is paid to games that fit the theme of Halloween! VOTE FOR TWO GAMES IN THE THREAD!
Also, don't forget that Gris by Nomada Studio is the 22nd selection of the Giant Bomb Game Pass Game Club! Do you have any early impressions or thoughts about this narrative adventure game about a girl restoring the world?
Art
Giant Bomb As Sliders & With A Side Of Alex Navarro (By: @el_pollo_loco & @kyary)
Someone on the Giant Bomb Discord decided to post a picture of sliders they ordered and el_paolo_loco decided to have a field day with them by editing the Giant Bomb staff on to them. When Mike stated that he did not like pickles, el_paolo_loco and Kyary decided to convince him they were not all that bad.
The Bomb Squad (By: @vizualbee)
It has been a while since we last saw artwork of Giant Bomb art from andy/vizualbee, but this week definitely makes up for lost time. If you enjoyed this tableau of Giant Bomb staffers, don't forget to click the link and thank them for their work! Support artists however you can!
Blogs
The Best Year Ever (By: @marino)
Moderator Marino went back to their "Top 100 Games of All Time" list and decided to apply some MATH to it! He inverted the game rankings into points to see which year was his best year ever for games. Give it a read and consider thinking about how your own list would shape up!
Panzer Dragoon Saga Warrants Its Hype And Practically Matches The PS1-Era Final Fantasy Games But Is NOT Worth +$1,000 (By: @zombiepie)
Giant Bomb moderator ZombiePie got around to playing Panzer Dragoon Saga and penned an essay on why it is an artistic masterpiece. It's also a game they think nearly matches the PS1-era Final Fantasy games. However, as they review, it is not worth the $1,000 price tag for those wanting to play it legally.
The Tower of Dubious Horror Games: BANNED IN THE NTSC (Deep Fear and ...Iru!) (By: @arbitrarywater)
Do you want some spooky horror games today to get prepared for Halloween? Well, ArbitraryWater has got you covered with a new edition of their "Tower of Dubious Horror Games" feature! This episode takes on Deep Fear and …Iru!, two INCREDIBLY questionable B-tier horror games from the past!
Lords Of The Dark Souls Clone (By: @atheistpreacher)
AtheistPreacher played a not insignificant amount of Lords of the Fallen. So, they decided to write a blog reviewing the game on the site! Read why they think it is a decent “one of those” that missed an opportunity to try new things.
Sweet Home And Bitter Home (By: @infantpipoc)
The 1963 Japanese crime film High and Low by Akira Kurosawa has had an odd influence on video games, especially mystery visual novels. Learn all about that and if you should give the movie a watch on infantpipoc's latest blog.
All 3DO Games (Kinda) In Order: 1994 (Part 05) (By: @borgmaster)
It's time for another tour of the "wonderful" video games that graced the 3DO by borgmaster! This week they Off-World Interceptor, Strahl, Shanghai: Triple-Threat, and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Slayer! Read all about it NOW!
What's the Greatest Video Game: A Nightmare on Elm Street (By: @imunbeatable80)
It's time to get into the Halloween spirit with imunbeatable80's latest blog on Giant Bomb! Also, they're going back into the past by playing A Nightmare on Elm Street on the NES! Did this game deserved getting called bad names by the AVGN?
U.S. Ska Lord: Adventures in a Jumbled Lordran (Part Two) +
Indie Game of the Week 342: Maneater (By: @mento)
How many Souls fans out there like Tamoor knew about the Dark Souls randomizer? Moderator Mento gave it a shot and shares how things went during their first playthrough!
Additionally, they have a new episode of their weekly "Indie Game of the Week" feature and this one is for Maneater! I recall when this game got a lot of buzz during the start of the pandemic.
Schlocktober '23: Okage: Shadow King Is Not A Horror Game But Is Total Schlock. I Kind Of Liked It. +
I'm Amico Obsessed But I Have No Interest In This Sad Looking Astrosmash. The Shills Deserved Better! (By: @bigsocrates)
For the latest episode of their "Schlocktober '23" feature, bigsocrates checked out Okage: Shadow King, which they concede might not be a horror game, but it is schlocky enough that they are letting it slide. Also, they have a new Amico post on the site thanks to Astrosmash, initially an Intellivision Amico exclusive, coming out on Steam!
Game Pass Gems: 2023 Referendum (by: @jeremyf)
jeremyf loves using their Xbox Series X, but they have written a blog about how they feel like 2023 was a "referendum" on Game Pass and they remain concerned about what the future holds for the service and platform.
Discussion Threads
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Impressions Sharing Thread (By: @bigsocrates)
How many of you have picked up a copy of Super Mario Bros. Wonder? What are your thoughts? Have you enjoyed this return to 2D platforming for Mario? Are there weird power-ups grabbing your attention?
For Giant Bomb What Do You Expect Will Likely Make The Top 10 GOTY List 2023? (Lock Ins) (Multiple Answers) (By: @topcyclist)
Whelp... it's not even November and we already have a community thread taking votes/bets on how everyone thinks Giant Bomb's staff 2023 GOTY list and rankings will shape up! If you have any thoughts, here's the link to join the fun!
How Many Staff Top 10 GOTY 2023 Lists Will Include Starfield (By: @bisonhero)
Speaking of GOTY discussions, in a thread that is bound to tickle Mike and Grubb pink (whom I agree with about the game), we have people taking bets on how many staff GOTY lists will hit the site with Starfield on it!
World Of Horror Official Release Discussion Thread (By: @allthedinos)
A while back, we had a thread asking if World of Horror was dead since it had been in Early Access for a while and the developer hadn't updated it in years. This week, the game finally exited out of Early Access. As such, we have changed the thread title! Have any of you played the full game?
Lists
GOTY 2009 (Adjusted) (By: @mento)
Moderator Mento plays a decent amount of backlog games every year and that is part of the reason why they decided to return to their 2009 GOTY list to make some adjustments. Read which games went up and down, as well as got added, here!
Reviews
@pauljeremiah's Murasaki Baby review shares why he thinks it still stands as one of the most unique game experiences on the Vita, even if its style and structure is not everyone's cup of tea.
@pauljeremiah also gave Titanfall 2 a review almost in tandem with Giant Bomb's TNT coverage and the game getting a much-needed multiplayer update! However, you can read why they think the game's campaign is the real highlight.
Wiki Of The Week
With Super Mario Bros. Wonder coming out and most people talking about Elephant Mario and Princess Peach, I thought it would be best to throw things back to Mario's lesser-appreciated brother, Luigi!