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 issue with non-premium videos being tagged as premium has been fixed. Also, some people are saying the site video player is better and previous issues are gone. Chime in over here if that's not the case for you!
Speaking of videos on the site, the video player seems to be working for a vast majority of people now. If you are still having issues with the video player, please continue sending in your experiences.
When it comes to listening to podcasts via podcast apps, @turboshawn is investigating the issue and trying to work with the popular apps many of you are saying are not working. They found that last week's issue seemed to be Pocket Casts-specific, while the issues this week with the VMDT and GMM RSS Feeds seems to be with the RSS feeds specifically. For now, please try downloading directly from the site and TurboShawn will try to have the feed issues fixed as soon as possible.
Grubb made a writing contribution to XboxEra's 20 year retrospective on the Xbox platform and the ups and downs of Microsoft's console gaming efforts. You may recall that one of the people running XboxEra is a long-time Giant Bomb fan.
Finally, for those of you planning on attending PAX East, be aware you should buy your badges SOON! Saturday-only tickets are now sold out! You can currently still get a 4-Day badge though. And for those of you that missed the news for the past two weeks, the Giant Bomb staff will be at PAX East with numerous appearances!
Galleria
TurboShawn With His Best Friend + Miquanchi x Balatro (By: KONE)
TurboShawn is not a fan of Chadley. So, why not have him smiling right next to him? That's exactly what Kone was thinking! Likewise, Kone also imagined Mike in his Quan Chi getup as a Balatro card!
Grubb In The Woods Meme (By: @RaginTombo, @D3rachi, and @Kone)
Earlier in the week, Grubb humorously tweeted that he was walking in a wooded area in Ohio and thought it reminded them of a video game level. A few of the usual suspects decided to have "fun" with the photo they posted.
Videos
Finale-less Victory - A Giant Bomb Blight Club Animated Clip (FINALE) (By: Pickle Giraffe)
THE GRAND FINALE IS HERE! Many thanks to Pickle Giraffe for doing this animated series and seeing Mike's adventures in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero to the very end with these animated highlights. As thanks, head on over to YouTube and give them a follow and maybe they continue on with future animated videos of Blight Club.
Tweets
Finishing up the big finale for the @giantbomb blight club animated series. Until then @Tolkoto will just have to wait here. @DanRyckert @JeffGrubb pic.twitter.com/Qqbe0RWbo7
— Pickle Giraffe (@Pickle_Giraffe) February 29, 2024
Thanks to @giantbomb's @JeffGrubb and @DanRyckert for having me and @haleyfax on Voicemail Dump Truck to talk about dates, crushes, hidin' booze, and all of the important things in life. https://t.co/a2yfQwNoDM pic.twitter.com/2ZP9IlKzHV
— Ben Hanson (@yozetty) March 1, 2024
MK Mythologies Bloopers - https://t.co/gVdQZ8ZD3R @Tolkoto @JeffGrubb @DanRyckert @giantbomb @_janjerome @jeffbakalar
— Eric Wicker (@EricWicker) February 28, 2024
At an old Giant Bomb/Cards Against Humanity Panel, someone suggested to Ryan that a good joke for a card would be “laughing without smiling”. I think about that all the time.
— Matt Kessler (@MattBodega) February 27, 2024
I cant believe its been 9 years since the first Film & 40s @giantbomb @drewscanlon @DanRyckert pic.twitter.com/xcDs6pvcYm
— Cristian Rodríguez (@cristian_rarg) February 27, 2024
It's always a good day when a game reminds me of one of the weirdest concept pages I've created. pic.twitter.com/P8snCn1Ee7
— Brad Lynch (@MarinoV1) March 2, 2024
Activities
Brotato Is The 5th Game Of UUGPGC Year 3! Finish By March 11! Spoilers? What Are Spoilers?
Brotato by indie developer Blobfish is the latest pick for the Giant Bomb Game Pass Game Club! Have any of you played this game yet? If you have, what are your tips and tricks? What are your thoughts about it? Join the discussion!
Rollerdrome Is The 4th Game Of Year 3 Of The Game Pass Game Club! Finish by February 26! (By: @bigsocrates)
The Game Pass Game Club has officially opened its discussion of Rollerdrome to SPOILERS! Do any of you have thoughts about the game's story? Were there any late-game missions that had you struggling? Discuss away!
The GB Album Club 053 - Sanguivore by Creeper (By: @unclejam23)
The latest edition of the Giant Bomb Album of the Week Club is here and this time the group is listening and reviewing Sanguivore by English rock band, Creeper! Are you familiar with this group? Regardless, join the fun NOW!
Blogs
Mento's Month: February '24 + Indie Game of the Week 359: Depths of Sanity (By: @mento)
Moderator Mento made the most of their Leap Day this year. You can read about it on their monthly wrap-up blog! What was their favorite game they played last month? What was their favorite indie gem? Read to find out!
Mento also has a new edition of their "Indie Game of the Week" feature and this episode is all about 2019's Depths of Sanity! Is this Metroidvania about investigating mysterious noises at the bottom of the ocean any fun? Check out their blog to find the answer.
Finishing Final Fantasy III [Part 2]: Dear GOD, This Might Be The Worst Endgame In Franchise History! (By: @zombiepie)
While everyone is enjoying Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, moderator ZombiePie decided to play something considerably older and worse: Final Fantasy III. Read why they think its reputation as being brutal is earned, but with caveats.
Diving for Friendship... and LIBER-TEA! (By: @mooseymcman)
In case you missed it, friend of the site MooseyMcMan wrote a FANTASTIC essay about Helldivers II and its ongoing "war." Read why they have a blast playing it with friends, enjoy its cooperative nature, and appreciate its satire.
I Never Expected Kirby's Return To Dreamland Deluxe To Restore My Zest For Gaming (By: @bigsocrates)
bigsocrates ended up picking up Kirby's Return to Dream Land on the Switch to see how that version would translate the original Wii mechanics. Read why it ended up as the best gaming pick-me-up they have had this year!
All Jaguar Games in Order: 1994 (Part 2) (By: @borgmaster)
borgmaster returns to remind you that the Atari Jaguar was a real thing! This week, they played Checkered Flag, Club Drive, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, and Doom! Could you imagine playing a version of OG Doom with no music?
Death Wave: Cities: Skylines and Simulatory Failure (By: @gamer_152)
Moderator Gamer_152 penned a new essay and this one looks at Cities: Skylines! This blog looks at how the game simulates "death waves" and how the game simulates failure when you make misinformed decisions when making a city.
Discussion Threads
Sony Announces Cuts To Gaming Worldwide. 900 Laid Off. Guerilla, Insomniac, And Naughty Dog Impacted (By: @zombiepie)
Many are still reeling from Sony's massive layoffs in its gaming divisions. Get a summary of the news and share your thoughts. What do you think about some pointing out how Sony's public statement says a lot about US worker rights?
Article From Forbes On Tech Layoffs (By: @skuski)
skuski noticed an article by Forbes that explored the recent layoffs impacting the tech and gaming industry and is hosting a community discussion about its findings. Feel free to give the article a read and share if you buy Forbes' conclusions.
EA Just Laid Off 5% Of Its Workforce Or ~670 People (By: @zombiepie)
Electronic Arts announced that they would be laying off about 5% of its workforce or about 670 people as well as cancelling some of its projects. Get a summary of the layoffs and join the conversation about the brutality of 2024.
Endurance Motorsport Series Announced (By: @gtxforza)
A new racing game, Endurance Motorsport Series, got announced and you can catch the trailer here! Isn't it a little weird to see KT Racing announce a new racing game while Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown remains MIA?
Balatro Seed, Tips, & Tricks Sharing Thread (By: @zombiepie)
Our Balatro tip sharing thread and community guide is coming along well! If you have had found an especially powerful combos or Joker cards, feel free to share them with a handy comment! Also, don't forget to chime in with seeds that might be easy for newcomers!
User Reviews
@geimers has a review of the Genesis version of the Cutthroat Island movie tie-in video game! Cutthroat Island is best known for being a box office bomb that killed an entire movie studio, but did you also know it was a bad action platformer?
Lists
Top 19 Games Of 2023 (By: @invisible)
It might be mightily belated, but Invisible finally got around to making a 2023 GOTY list! However, they really felt like ranking nineteen games they enjoyed rather than the standard ten!
Wiki of The Week
With the release of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, let's take a look back at the many forms of FF7's protagonist. Cloud Strife has been on many adventures and not just in the Final Fantasy universe!