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 yesterday's release of Kingdom Hearts III and Resident Evil 2, it seems like good games are finally coming out! Normally it takes upwards of two to three months before things kick into high gear for the video game industry, but 2019 has been a pleasant surprise. As you will hopefully see, this week's Spotlight is packed to the brim with wonderful discussion threads that I hope you all partake in this week. So, without further ado, let's jump into the site related housekeeping, because we have a lot to talk about!
- Important Note - The site design team is aware of several outstanding issues from the latest site redesign. Here's their current roadmap, and share your concerns or issues with the site using that link.
- In case you missed out on it, here are all of the details you need to know about Giant Bomb's new "Giant Bomb Plays..." feature! Learn all about what it is and how the beta went using the link.
- If you watched UPF, you might have heard about Rorie hosting a giveaway! Here's the link to their blog, and best of luck winning this Dishonored 2 collector's edition mask (game not included)!
- Giant Bomb's New Era Snapback Hat is temporarily being discounted. It's being sold for $25 instead of the usual $35, but be aware, this sale is temporary!
- Speaking of Giant Bomb's merch store, remember to give the Sale/Clearance tab a look. There are a lot of shirts on sale for just $10!
Tweets Of The Week
Has anyone done this yet? @GBDudersFeed @alex_navarro pic.twitter.com/oi6oah44fP
— It's me! Drew (@drew_type) January 24, 2019
good smart pic.twitter.com/xs06x1D3oq
— Jeremy Medina (@JeremyRMedina) January 24, 2019
My tram just arrived so I couldn't run up to say HEYA to this person (barely had time to snap the pic) so if this is you in the @giantbomb tee:
— Cal Skuthorpe (@buzz_clik) January 22, 2019
1. HEYA
2. Sorry if you're weirded out by this (I can delete if you want), but
3. You're my first in-the-wild spotting of my work! pic.twitter.com/ff5OIMZcY6
Congrats @giantbomb you made it into the local paper! Truly one of the lucky ones “to being making money playing games” pic.twitter.com/k6mvWl0SfE
— C (@iCaseyJones) January 26, 2019
Giant Bomb Galleria
Vegeta x Giant Bomb (By: @Clerkboy)
Over on Twitter, Clerkboy has been happily consuming the new season of the All Systems Goku podcast. As a result, they created the banner art for this week's Spotlight!
Drew Scanline (By: @Xythar)
We've got puns over here! As the musical group Devo once put it, some things never change.
Community Activities
Giant Bomb Community Minecraft Realm (By: @darkstar_pug)
We now have a Giant Bomb Minecraft Bedrock Realm! The realm accepts Windows 10, Xbox One, Switch, and Mobile users! Learn how to join it using the link above!
Clips Of The Week
All Those Juicy Wiggler Deaths, In One Convenient Place! (By: Dr_Mel)
Dr_Mel compiled all of Giant Bomb's deaths from the last episode of "Giant Bomb Makes Mario!" Watch the video and have a good laugh at every Wiggler-based death of their own making.
Best Of Blogs
How Do You Prepare for the End of What Held You Together? (By: @willherox)
Giant Bomb user WillHeroX is dreading the upcoming release of Kingdom Hearts III, not because they think it is a "bad game," but because they do not want an adventure from their childhood to end.
Gaming Memories: Final Fantasy VII (By: @majormitch)
Giant Bomb user MajorMitch uses their latest blog to look back on Final Fantasy VII and share why the game still manages to draw them back into the city of Midgar to this day.
Giant Bomb 2018 Year End Review (By: @clagnaught)
Why it might sound a bit late for a year-in-review blog, things are a bit different for Clagnaught's offering this week. They ran down their favorite video content from Giant Bomb in 2018. Give it a read and find out what they enjoyed the most last year.
Deep Listens: Final Fantasy by the Dozen: Part Three *Featuring Rorie (By: @thatpinguino)
Moderators thatpinguino and ZombiePie continue their intrepid trek through the often surreptitious world of Final Fantasy XII with the help of Mr. Rorie. How have they fared with the game's hunts and mainline story? Give it a listen to find out!
Saturday Summaries 2019-01-26: Tales 101 Edition (By: @mento)
Mento has thrown together an intro to Bandai Namco's Tales series, in preparation for what might be Giant Bomb's first ever Tales game Quick Look. They also scrutizined Neon Prism, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and South Park: The Fractured But Whole, and have more Valkyria Chronicles 4 rankings to enjoy.
Join The Discussion
Anthem Demo Discussion Thread (By: @carryboy)
BioWare's Anthem recently had its multiplayer demo launch this week and the community has been buzzing about it ever since. If you have played it, what are your early impressions of the game thus far? Does it show promise, or is it dead on arrival?
Is Dan Growing A Kratos Style God Of War Beard? (By: @jaypethian)
We have a community poll debating if Dan is slowly growing Kratos' beard from God of War. I'm not joking. The image to the right is presented as "Exhibit A" to prove the point of the poll.
Resident Evil 2 Remake - Reviews & Impressions (By: @glots)
Have any of you tried out the Resident Evil 2 Remake? What do you make of the game's changes to the original? Have you tried out the game on the higher difficulty setting? Answer these questions and more using the link above!
Metroid Prime 4 Development Restarted Under Retro Studios (By: @kingbonesaw)
What is your reaction to Metroid Prime 4 getting a developmental reboot? Are you excited to hear Retro Studios is returning to the series? What do you think caused the original project to die a death by a thousand cuts?
The Hong Kong Massacre Discussion Thread (By: @liquiddragon)
Have any of you played The Hong Kong Massacre? Does it borrow too heavily from Hotline Miami's playbook, or does it bring enough original ideas to the table to be judged by its own merits.
Warframe 2019 Roadmap Discussion Thread (By: @rapid)
The Giant Bomb Community Warframe Clan welcomes you to read about and discuss the game's recently announced 2019 road-map! Use the link below to join the fun!
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Discussion Thread (By: @soulcake)
Have any of you tested out Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown? Do you have any impressions of its frenetic single- or multiplayer? Feel free to share them with the rest of the Giant Bomb Community!
Games With The Most Unique/Memorable Storytelling? (By: @jaypb08)
Which game(s) do you think have truly unique storytelling structure or techniques? Games like Gone Home and Dear Esther pioneered new ways to tell stories in games, but can you think of other examples?
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Turn-Based Mode (By: @rorie)
In an announcement almost no one saw coming, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is getting a turn-based mode for those who want the game to become even more "old school" than it already is right now. Do you have any thoughts yourself?
What One Game From The Current Gen Do You Wish Everyone Would Give A Chance To? (By: @liquiddragon)
We have a fun "Question of the Week" on the forums this time around: "What one game from the current gen do you wish everyone would give a chance to?" Hey Kingdom Hearts fans, now's your time to shine!
Useful User Reviews
- @prestige uses their review of Slay the Spire to articulate how it provides one of the best digital beck-building experiences you can buy right now.
- @frontman12's review for the RPG narrative adventure game, The Council, details why they think its puzzle design sabotages a perfectly good story.
- After struggling with the first and second games, @ronindrummer200 has finally found themselves enjoying a Mega Man X game! Read why they think Mega Man X3 is the definitive Mega Man X experience!
- Giant Bomb user @bhlaab continues their retro-game review series with an assessment of the Quake-clone, Chasm: The Rift! Read why they found few redeeming qualities with the game.
- @davesf's Warframe review shares what they think are the significant barriers preventing them from genuinely loving the game.
- @mrcropes gave the Xbox One release of Layers of Fear a try and was pleasantly surprised by the game. Read why on their review!