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 this being the week of PAX West 2018, I hope you all have had your fill of informative and hilarious games industry panels. With that in mind, a ton of preparation went into Giant Bomb's panel and you can expect an archive of the event soon. While you wait, may I entice you with some site related housekeeping?
- The Premium Membership Sale IS STILL LIVE! The sale will last until September 7th, and pre-existing members can add to their current subscription. Click the link for more details.
- The ability to update or change your gender and city is no longer available. This was removed because GDPR deems it as "protected data."
- Those you you who have experienced issues with livestreams while using Safari are in luck! A fix is coming sometime next week!
Clips Of The Week
Every Time They Shoot Someone in Stage Nine Virtual Enterprise D Recreation (By: Jeremy Medina)
Giant Bomb sure does love Star Trek, and I'm right there with them! There's something perpetually novel about Star Trek's notion of a peaceful and idealistic future. That said, Brad murdering everyone in the Enterprise D was endlessly hilarious, and this week JeremyM compiled every time Brad shot someone during the UPF where they played the Enterprise recreation.
Giant Bomb Galleria
Ranking Of Fighters '18 (By: LetItMelo)
It's only a matter of time until they play Salty Bet during Ranking of Fighters. And what a glorious day it will be!
Jeff and Lasagna (By: Gigalithic)
There are still more Garfield video games to play. I really want to see them play The Garfield Show: Threat of the Space Lasagna. That game... is something else.
Community Activities
[BOMB] Giant Bomb Rocket Club Is A Rocket League Club For Steam Players! (By: samuraigarrin)
CALLING ALL USERS! We now have a Giant Bomb community Rocket Club for Steam! Learn how you can join the online community group by clicking the link above.
Tweets Of The Week
It seems like most people got their challenge coins this week, so here's what various people on Twitter thought of the newest piece of Giant Bomb merchandise.
My @giantbomb challenge coin and my first GB hoodie just arrived. This website and the people who made it changed my life. Still can’t quite believe I got to actually be on it from time to time. Love all those folks, here’s to their continued success. ??? #Bioforge4Eva pic.twitter.com/mtvktKPvhw
— Danny O'Dwyer (@dannyodwyer) August 31, 2018
Feel free to challenge me with ur own @giantbomb coin but you'd best be ready to buy me a drink =] pic.twitter.com/MNF4DAQ8rF
— Steve Kim (@Fobwashed) August 31, 2018
Got my @giantbomb challenge coin today, great momento of a great website, hopefully many more years to come. pic.twitter.com/3jNZxs5lSj
— Steve Vicat (@Mist3rV) September 1, 2018
Yessss @giantbomb pic.twitter.com/K1dk3iSEYs
— Noel (@TheLeoSol) August 31, 2018
Thank you so much @giantbomb @VinnyCaravella @jeffgerstmann @PackBenPack @bradshoemaker @DanRyckert @unastrike @ybbaaabby @austin_walker @patrickklepek #scoops and everyone else that has come through their doors. Here’s to 10 more years! @GBDudersFeed pic.twitter.com/vYwjAcZcjC
— Carlos (@ElRealCarlito) August 31, 2018
Best Of Blogs
NamCompendium Gaiden I: Pac-Man's Estranged Relatives (By: jeffrud)
jeffrud's latest NamCompendium blog post annotates the lesser known Pac-Man spin-offs like Pac-Man Plus and the terrible garbage that is "Professor Pac-Man," over here.
Some Useful Hints For Stranger Of Sword City (By: ValorianEndymion)
ValorianEndymion fell in love with Stranger of Sword City and wants YOU to give the game a shot! So, check out their guide on how you too can be successful in the game.
CPT Update 08/27/18 (By: Mago)
Mago has another convenient update on the Capcom Pro Tour rankings! Give it a read to stay up to date with the recent goings-on in the fighting game community.
Best Match Ever Episode 1: Atsushi Onita vs. Hayabusa - Exploding Barbed Wire Cage Bomb Deathmatch (By: turboman)
It's not just about video games on Giant Bomb. Sometimes we like to talk about things like anime or Beanie Babies, and this case, TurboMan started a new podcast series about wrestling! Each episode rates and ranks a different wrestling match claimed to be "the best."
My Top Five Anticipated Releases of September 2018 & The Good, The Bad, and the Free 02: Switch Galaxy Ultra (By: BlackRedGaming)
This week, BlackRedGaming has TWO blogs for you to enjoy! The first compiles the five games they cannot wait to play this month, and other reviews why Switch Galaxy Ultra is a game you should avoid at all cost.
The Hawt Dawg Man Conundrum or How Not to Design a Puzzle (By: Gamer_152)
For their latest introspective blog series about video game mechanics, Gamer_152 wrote about puzzles in non-puzzle games and how they clue us in to their solutions.
Saturday Summaries 2018-09-01: "Shame Old, Shame Old" Edition (By: Mento)
Mento looks back on some old "lists of shame" to see how they've been tackling their backlog. They're also all about cyberninjas, Zeldalikes, fantasy pirates, and cutting pizza with scissors this week.
Join The Discussion
Spider-Man - General Discussion/Hype Train (By: glots)
Marvel's Spider-Man is probably the biggest release of the upcoming week, so are you excited to play to play the game? When the game finally comes out, feel free to use this thread to share your impressions of it.
How Has Kingdom Hearts Held Up? (By: Bioshocksurvivr)
The title says it all, with the release of Kingdom Hearts III conceivably a few months away, what do you make of the franchise's initial offering? Are there any Gummy Ship defenders out there? Did its popularity owe a lot of its success to being released in the right place at the right time?
Do You Think The Final Fantasy 7 Remake Will Come Out? (By: liquiddragon)
Let's be blunt about the community poll of the week: Do you think the Final Fantasy VII Remake will EVER release? Is there any hope it will see the light of day? Is it doomed to become the next Half-Life 2: Episode Three?
Donut County Discussion Thread (By: MocBucket62)
Have any of you played Donut County this week? Have you enjoyed the game's whimsical physics, or is it a thoroughly frustrating affair? Join our discussion and share your two cents' worth!
Is Ashley From Mass Effect Irredeemable? And Also How Come Garrus And Tali Don't Get The Same Amount Of Hate? (By: Manhattan_Project)
We have another community debate that has the Giant Bomb user-base divided. Inspired by "Mass Alex," is Ashley Williams irredeemable? Do Garrus Vakarian and Tali'Zorah nar Rayya get a pass on their intolerance?
Your Current Mobile Game Of Choice? (By: ChangeTheL1ghts)
Are you still using your phone to play mobile games? If you answered "yes," what are some of the games currently taking up your time? Share and discuss your time wasters and indie darlings over here.
Anyone Have A Raspberry Pi? (By: The_Greg)
Calling all Raspberry Pi owners! We now have a Raspberry Pi community thread! Join our conversation about the well known family of microprocessors, as well as their game playing potential.
Have You Started To Wean Yourself Away From Steam? (By: liquiddragon)
Over the past few years, have you noticed your use of Steam change? Do you buy more or fewer games on the platform? Share how your usage of Steam has evolved.
Cyberpunk 2077 48 Minute Demo Discussion (By: Ares42)
What do YOU make of the recent Cyberpunk 2077 footage? Did it make you excited for the game's eventual release, or are you concerned about the game's status? Share your thoughts with the rest of the Giant Bomb community.
Streets of Rage 4 Announced (By: SASnake)
How does everyone feel about the recent Streets of Rage 4 announcement? I know there are a lot of you who have strong opinions about DotEmu's track record. Share your positive or negative reactions to the reveal trailer over here.
Are Goombas Psychokinetics? (By: imhungry)
So... I guess this was a forum topic being debated on Giant Bomb. You're welcome.
Lovable Lists
NamCompendium Gaiden RANKED (By: jeffrud)
Some Namco licenses have been abused over the years. Case and point, check out jeffrud's ranking of the non-Namco Pac-Man games.
Top 10 Games (By: GalaxyCurse)
GalaxyCurse uses their latest list to show which ten games defined their childhood and made a lasting impact on who they are today.
Useful User Reviews
- jeremyf reviewed Donut County on the PS4! Read why they thought the game is a great introduction to gaming concepts for younger audiences.
- morecowbell24's Chasm review highlights how the game's procedurally generated levels end up being becoming its Achilles' Heel.
- On a whim, riostarwind played and reviewed Pokémon Moon. Read why they think the game's narrative focus elevates it above most Pokémon games.
- Inspired by the recent influx of community interest toward the series, guip1408 uses their review of Mass Effect 2 to articulate how the game is a modern video game masterpiece.
- ValorianEndymion wrote a review for Blue Reflection and explains why it ISN'T entirely the magical girl JRPG you might think it is.
Wonderful Wikis
Our wiki page for the crossover fighting game, Blade Strangers, is surprisingly detailed! Give it a read whenever you have the time.