The Community Spotlight 2023.11.18

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 previous week!

The biggest announcement BY FAR has to be about the site's Game of the Year plans. If you have not yet heard, the final day of Giant Bomb's 2023 GOTY content will be conducted before a live audience at The Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles, California. While tickets were available for people interested in attending, those tickets have sold out.

However, many people have been confused about this announcement, and here's some clarification from @turboshawn, one of the people in charge of editing videos and Giant Bomb's social media team.

Since Grubb mentioned it on the Bombcast, I'll reiterate for anyone who missed it: The live event is the "finale" of GOTY discussion stuff. The focus, at least, will be on the Eurovision-style voting and the discussions surrounding that. But hey, who knows what else will be included in the show.

So, yes, the site will still have a full slate of GOTY deliberation podcasts for your enjoyment. For those of you asking about guest lists, I have nothing specific to report at this time other than Grubb is exploring the site's options. I would hint that you should remain optimistic.

And, in case you missed it yesterday, cool new merchandise is coming to the Giant Bomb store in the near future! There are new clothes on the horizon, but the big one has to be hand-carved and woodcut printed Giant Bomb Posters from Just A Jar Press! These are handmade posters, so only 100 uniquely printed posters will be available as well as 10 Limited Edition + numbered holofoil prints.

Extra Life 2023 Information

This weekend marks the STUNNING CONCLUSION of Giant Bomb's "official" participation with Extra Life 2023! On Saturday, November 18th from 12PM to 8PM Eastern, Giant Bomb Midwest will be led by Dan, The Windbag, and Mike Minotti in a gauntlet of retro game torture! With that sort of cast of characters, you can only imagine that there will be CHAOS! Also, please be aware, Dan has his own donation page which you will find linked below!

Also, Bakalar is going to do a SURPRISE PINBALL CHARITY STREAM on November 19th! As a result, we may have Giant Bomb chat during the weekend if there are enough people streaming for the team!

Also, we have a handful of Giant Bomb community members that are part of the site's Extra Life team that were not able to stream during the main "Game Day" weekend, and you will see them linked below! Donate what you can and many thanks to those that have both already donated and even streamed for the team! Even before Dan started, the team total was over $56,000!

• Dan Ryckert (Giant Bomb Staffer) - DONATION GOAL OF $7,440!
• Jeff Bakalar (Giant Bomb Staff) - DONATION GOAL OF $2,000!
• subpixelteam (Team Member) - DONATION GOAL OF $1,000!
• rasgueado (Team Member; Stream Date 11/18/2023) - DONATION GOAL OF $500!
• hightopninja (Team Member; Stream Date 11/25/2023) - DONATION GOAL OF $2,000!

Tweets

Activities

Jusant Is The 24th Selection Of Year 2 Of The UUGPGC! Finish By November 20, 2023. Mark All Spoilers! +

Unsanctioned Unofficial Game Pass Game Club Voting Thread For Cycle Starting November 20, 2023 (By: @bigsocrates)

Jusant is the 24th selection of the Giant Bomb community Game Pass Game Club! Have any of you checked out this game from Don't Nod thanks to Game Pass? What are your impressions of its climbing-based gameplay? Join the conversation!

Also, it is time to send in your nominees for the next batch of voting for the Community Game Pass Game Club! Here's what you can vote for, and don't forget that you can VOTE FOR TWO GAMES that you would like to see!

A New GB Album Club Cycle Is Coming! Come Submit Stuff! (By: @unclejam23)

The Community Album Club is making a comeback! Whether you are an audiophile or just someone who wants to try out new music, the club welcomes everyone! Click the link above and comment that you want to join the fun!

Art

Giant Bomb Game of the Year LIVE! Poster (By: @jearum)

This is the poster announcing the Live Performance of Giant Bomb's final day of 2023 GOTY content, and it was made by known community artist, jearum! Thank them for this amazing work of art!

Video

Giant Bomb Blight Club Sonic '06 but Only the Loading Screens (Sonic Campaign) (By: DMonk52)

It has been a while since we last had a video to share, but this one is something very special. Over on YouTube, DMonk52 made a compilation video where they took every episode of Blight Club's episodes for Sonic '06 on, and edited them down to only the loading screens. The video is almost 60 minutes long.

Blogs

Mis-Simian: Chimpossible (Part 1) +

Indie Game of the Week 346: Looking for Aliens (By: @mento)

For those of you still nostalgic of Burgle My Bananas with Dan, Vinny, Abby, and Mike Mahardy, moderator Mento is on a quest to get every single Retro Achievement in Donkey Kong 64! Read episode 1 on the site and see if they plan to complete this goal!

Also, Mento's latest "Indie Game of the Week" feature tackles Looking for Aliens and sees if its alien-based adventure is worth playing.

How to Hate Magic: The Gathering I: Intro/Imbalances (By: @gamer_152)

In case you missed it yesterday, moderator Gamer_152 wrote about the recent cards and policies that are making it harder and harder for them to enjoy Magic: The Gathering. Even if card games are not your thing, this is worth reading!

Master Of Orion 3 (By: @valorianendymion)

Is Master of Orion the most important game franchise the gaming hobby has left behind? ValorianEndymion certainly thinks that is the case, so they decided to re-review the highly controversial and much poo-pooed Master of Orion 3.

Testing A Giant Bomb Meme: I Played Thayer's Quest To Completion And Didn't Hate It (By: @zombiepie)

After watching some classic Giant Bomb content, moderator ZombiePie is starting a new blog adventure where they explore games that resulted in well-known GB moments and memes. To kicking things off, they played Thayer's Quest and its sequel, Kingdom II: Shadoan!

[Rant] Seriously, Do These "Always Online" Developers Never Want To Pause Or Save And Quit A Game? +

On Its Third Anniversary PlayStation 5 Is A Massive Success, But Are There Cracks Showing? +

10 Years After Launch The PS4 Is An All Time Great Console (By: @bigsocrates)

bigsocrates was recently playing Redfall and was reminded of how much they hate the recent habit of always online games blocking you from pausing and quick resuming or saving mid mission.

Last week, bigsocrates looked at the the Xbox Series consoles and, this week, it's time to examine the PlayStation 5. Can you really point to the console as the reason for its worldwide success? Is Sony's complacency a long-term problem?

Additionally, with the PlayStation 4 turning ten years old, is it time to put it in the pantheon of all-time great consoles? bigsocrates thinks so and points to it turning the fortunes of Sony's console division and racking up a strong portfolio of games.

The Crazy World Of Hololive Fan Games (By: @cikame)

How many of you are following a VTuber associated with the Hololive label/agency? If you are, cikame did a deep dive into the wild and crazy world of Hololive fan-made video games! Buckle up because this one GOES PLACES!

In Praise of Hi Fi Rush (And The GOTY 2023 Categories It Will Inevitably Get Snubbed For) (By: @bludgeonparagon)

bludgeonParagon is feeling better and better about putting Hi-Fi Rush at the top of their 2023 GOTY list. However, they penned an essay about why they worry it will get snubbed and why that reflects the high barrier for smaller games.

Discussion Threads

The Glory Society, Co-operative of Night in the Woods Devs, Dissolves Due To Health Issues; Revenant Hill Cancelled (By: @zombiepie)

How are you processing the news about the dissolution of The Glory Society and cancellation of Revenant Hill? Does it speak to a lacking security net with indie game development? Wish the impacted developers the best and join the discussion by clicking the link above.

How Should The Gran Turismo & Forza Motorsport Series Improve By 2028 & Beyond? (By: @gtxforza)

Hey, racing game fans! What do you think 2024 will hold for the genre? With the heavy-hitters out, what new 2024 or 2025 releases are you excited about? Also, what's up with Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown?

Please Explain The Concept Of A "Battle Pass" Is Like I'm An Idiot (By: @sombre)

For those of you playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, is the Battle Pass worth the price of entry? Who is it for and are you impressed by what has been promised thus far? If you have any thoughts, share them with people less familiar with the game's Battle Pass.

1 Year Ago Gearbox Bought The IP Rights To Risk Of Rain, Now They Are Making a RoR Gacha Game (By: @zombiepie)

One year ago, Gearbox bought the rights to Risk of Rain. This week, a Risk of Rain gacha game was announced though Gearbox clarified it was from a different team. Is this still a concern or do people need to chill?

Weirdest Thing You Saw In A Game (By: @topcyclist)

The title really says it all. What is the weirdest thing you have ever seen in a video game "organically?" Whether it be a weird instancing thing in an open-world RPG or a wacky behavior during an online match, share your stories!

Reviews

@pauljeremiah's Far Cry 3 review on the site maintains why the game still remains a high point in the Far Cry series after more than ten years after it first came out. Read why he feels like it is a mostly timeless open-world FPS.

@pauljeremiah also played the modern re-release of Live A Live. In the review, he articulates why it is the incredible experience its fans claim it to be and it is a crime it did not release worldwide earlier.

@doomocrat's Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name review shares why they think the game feels like a side dish to an upcoming main course, even if it captures the spirit of the series in spurts.

Wiki Of The Week

Master of Orion

ValorianEndymion's massive blog on the historical legacy of Master of Orion 1 and 2, as well as the massive disappointment that was Master of Orion 3, reminded me how the wiki page for the first master of Orion game is AMAZING!