Welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight! I,
For those of you that experienced audio sync issues with the 09/09/2025 edition of the Giant Bombcast, that should be fixed and available on your favorite podcast app. Speaking of podcast apps, if you are still having issues with Pocketcasts not having updates RSS Feeds, the "fix" I mentioned last week seems to be solving most of the issues. To review, if you copy the RSS feed URL, then add "&foo=bar" at the end of the URL, you can somehow fix or reset your RSS Feed on the app. As Rorie can attest, Giant Bomb has had issues with Pocketcasts for almost a decade and still no one knows what they or this site does so differently that makes Pocketcasts such a problem.
For those of you with Premium, some exciting new updates have hit the beta site! Premium members now have the ability to "resume" videos using YouTube AND the site's bespoke video player. Also, for those wondering, sometimes videos take a bit to stick on the server and the site has to fall back on YouTube version. However, the site video player version should eventually post.
Nonetheless, there was a someone that mentioned they were having issues accessing the beta because there wasn't anything to log in with when they went to the drop down menu. If this happens, clear your cookies and cache for the site. Chuck says there are "some weird cases where users end up with like a half authenticated session" and they are still in progress writing guardrails to catch the issue.
Here's your weekly reminder to reach out to all past and present Giant Bomb community members to let them know that it's incredibly important to log-in so they can opt into preserving their usernames going into the new Giant Bomb site. The ETA to do this still is "before 2026," but doing things earlier is better. Also, for anyone concerned about if you have opted in or not, if you clicked yes and the pop-up isn't appearing anymore, you are in the clear. If you want to be absolutely certain you are opting to keep your username, send a DM to chuck on Discord or send an email to [email protected]. Also, Chuck's call for help from a few weeks back is still up and applicable for all who may be interested.
Finally, send Jan some love on bsky when you have the chance.
Art
Giant Bomb x House of Mouse Design (By: CreackyLegs)
The internet has been making a valiant plea for new Giant Bomb to bring bag coffee mugs CreakyLegs joins Lexi in appealing to Merch Master Mike's love for all things Disney to get us some ceramic-based merch on the store again.
Jeff Grubb T-Shirt Meme Template (By: CreakyLegs, magillamyke, turbohotdog, moondoggydogg, shroudoffate, giggy, trashboitrashhands, mstsc, and nickcoffman)
Over on Bluesky, CreakyLegs was busy starting a new Giant Bomb meme template, but this one at the expense of Jeff Grubb. Grubb tends to show off his t-shirts to the camera during podcasts and streams, so, why not use that as an excuse to have some fun? Here are the best examples of the template put to good use that I could find, but I can only assume there are some that I missed. If that's the case, feel free to drop a comment with a link or upload of the image in question!
Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/sir.bsky.social/post/3lylnyweqrc2z
https://bsky.app/profile/chucktowski.com/post/3ly767mvfd22j
https://bsky.app/profile/thehanna.com/post/3lyomkkl7ic2a
https://bsky.app/profile/lexluddy.xyz/post/3lyk6xswohk26
https://bsky.app/profile/gbdudersfeed.bsky.social/post/3ly72pzjbjk2f
Activities
The GB Album Club 096 - Scaring the Hoes by JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown (By:
There's a new album to discuss as part of Giant Bomb's Album of the Week Club! This week the group is listening to Scaring the Hoes by JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown! Want to join the fun talking about this recent-ish collab? Then, click the link and share away!
Herdling Is The 9th Game Of UUGPGC Year 4. Finish By October 1. Mark All Spoilers! (By:
Herdling by Okomotive is the latest game pick for the Giant Bomb Game of the Month Club! Have any of you heard about this mythical herding game? Have you seen its expressive art style in motion? Join the fun over here and drop a supportive comment when you can!
Blogs
Supertember: Week 1 + Indie Game of the Week 436: Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (By:
Moderator Mento is starting a series this month in which they attempt to complete as many SNES games as possible! Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! and Super Adventure Island are up first! Are there any SNES classics you want them to tackle next?
Likewise, Mento has a new entry in their "Indie Game of the Week" feature and this one is all about Duck Detective: The Secret Salami! After playing Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol, how does this duck detective-based adventure game stack up?
Island Time: The Good of Super Mario Sunshine (By:
It isn't exactly a popular stance to take, but moderator Gamer_152 decided to pen an essay on the indisputable positive aspects of Super Mario Sunshine. Where are my Sunshine defenders? I know you are out there!
Darkest of Days PC Demo Impressions (By:
Yes, this is an over ten-year-old blog that has incredibly janky formatting after presiding over multiple site revisions and updates, but it's still nice to see Jeff Grubb bumping some "classic" Giant Bomb community goodness for the lols.
Discussion Threads
Borderlands 4 Discussion Thread (By:
Borderlands 4 is getting generally favorable reviews with some criticism directed at its performance on PC. Nonetheless, have any of you given it a shot? Does it play as smoothly as the previous games and what are you playing it on?
Nintendo Direct September 2025 Discussion Thread (By:
So, what were your thoughts of the most recent Nintendo Direct? Most people thought it was fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine, but was there any announcement or game that stuck out to you in particular?
Your Thoughts On The First Trailer For Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave (By:
After months of rumors and speculation, Nintendo FINALLY announced a new Fire Emblem game: Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave. It might not be the long-rumored remake of Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu/Genealogy of the Holy War, but it looks pretty sharp! Share your early impressions in this thread!
What Is The Best Brawl Game? (By:
What are the "most necessary" brawlers or beat 'em ups people should play? Is it a game from the Streets of Rage or Final Fight series? Can you think of modern games worth playing from the genre? Share your picks in the thread link above!
It's Been A While...Maybe I Might Go Back To Battlefield 6 (By:
Some are sharing how the open beta for Battlefield 6 left them impressed, but are concerned about how the game will be at launch. Are you excited for the game? Is this going to be the first Battlefield in a while that has a stable launch?
The GBTrainers Club For Uma Musume Pretty Derby (By:
After being a viral hit for months, many new worldwide Uma Musume Pretty Derby players are hitting the game's "gacha wall" and burning out on its grind. Do you have any tips or tricks for them? How are you avoiding the special events from kicking your ass?
Maru, The Internet's Favorite Cat, Has Passed Away. (By:
The world recently lost Maru, the internet's favorite cat, as well as Haru Urara of Uma Musume Pretty Derby fame. What makes these "viral" real-life animals so special and why do so many people feel like they speak to them? Share your reply to that prompt in the thread linked above.
Lists
Trove of Favorite Games (By:
OdysseyRPG shares their "Hall of Very Good" games. This is a list of games that they loved in the past and still do today, but none of them will ever make their All-Time Games list!
Starcraft Like (By:
thecollectorx decided to whip up a list of the StarCraft-likes they think have more going for them than just being StarCraft clones. Are there any StarCraft-likes that stand out to you as being more than the sum of their parts?
Wiki Of The Week
As the most recent Nintendo Direct has reminded all of us, OG Super Mario Bros. is turning 40 this month! Despite that milestone, the game remains as playable and enjoyable as ever. You can read all about the game juice that makes it "work" on Giant Bomb's wiki page for the game!