The Community Spotlight 2019.06.01

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! THE END IS NIGH! E3 2019 and the emotional and physical toll it will inflict on each and every one of us is right around the corner! As such, the notable new releases have slowed to a trickle. Additionally, please be aware as the staff prepare for E3, your regularly scheduled programming will change. For example, Jan's Pokemonday series is on a brief hiatus, and with Giant Bomb East preparing for its migration to California, be aware their output might appear as if it is stopping. Nonetheless, let's talk about one of the "best" parts about E3 on Giant Bomb... the ANNUAL BANNER CONTEST!

E3 2019 Banner Contest!!!

The 11th Annual E3 Banner Contest (By: @marino)

The annual E3 banner contest is here! Use the link above to learn about the rules so you can join the fun! Don't forget, animated and non-animated banners are allowed! Here are some of the entrants that have been submitted thus far!

Animated Banners

Gallery

Non-Animated Banners

Gallery

Tweets Of The Week

Community Activities

Unofficial Giant Bomb Woodworking Club - Project 1: The Step Stool (By: @yothatlimp)

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Last month, Giant Bomb's Unofficial Giant Bomb Woodworking Club set a month-long project to make a stool. User BaconHound managed to do it and now it's one of their son's favorite piece of furniture! Use the link to stay updated on future community projects!

Fellow GB Heisters Assemble! (By: @keirgo)

With Giant Bomb East's Grand Theft Auto V series quickly becoming a community favorite, the efforts to organize community events in the game is growing. If playing heists with fellow Giant Bomb users sounds exicting, use the link above!

Best Of Blogs

Bucketlog May: Banjo-Tooie +

Indie Game of the Week 122: The Mooseman +

May Millennials 4: Arx Fatalis (Outro) (By: @mento)

Giant Bomb's resident blogging machine, Mento, found a way to publish three blogs this week. The first, looks at Banjo-Tooie and why it represents the excesses of the N64-era of platformers. The second, continues their "Indie Game of the Week" series by looking at The Mooseman. Finally, they wrap up their retrospective on the cult-classic, Arx Fatalis.

I Don't Want To Join The Golf Club (By: @notnert427)

notnert427 picked up The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA Tour thanks to Xbox's Games with Gold program and unfortunately walked away from the game unimpressed. Find out why the game's presentation and gameplay disappointed them.

May Vita Lineup And Upcoming Titles (By: @blacklagoon)

It's the dawn of a new month and you know what that means! BlackLagoon is back with a new blog annotating the latest releases on the PlayStation Vita. According to them, the Vita had an impressive lineup in May! Wait, why are you laughing? It's true, just read their blog!

All Kolechians Must Be Searched: Political Action in Papers, Please (By: @gamer_152)

Most video games claim that moral things happen when powerful individuals pick the good guy option. Moderator Gamer_152 explains how Papers, Please is an exploration of where that view of morality breaks down.

Ten Years Ago, GRIN And Capcom Made One Of Gaming's Hottest Messes: Bionic Commando (2009) (By: @zombiepie)

Giant Bomb moderator ZombiePie wants you to join them in celebrating Bionic Commando (2009)'s ten-year anniversary even if the game is, according to them, a "hot mess." This obviously includes an exhaustive discussion about Nathan "Rad" Spencer and the "origins" of his bionic arm.

Join The Discussion

Death Stranding - Coming out in November 2019 (By: @glots)

The internet appears to be "buzzing" about the Death Stranding Release date trailer. If you have seen the trailer does anything make sense to you? Do you understand any of Kojima's subsequent Tweets about Death Stranding's gameplay?

Randy Pitchford Just Retweeted A Video Of Animal Cruelty(By: @not_a_bumblebee)

I'm not going to say much about this topic other than it resulted in the most active thread of the week and I am grateful a majority of the community were able to participate in this topic in a civil and respectful manner.

Mandatory Racing In First Person Shooters (By: @bmccann42)

ere's a fun discussion any Giant Bomb user can join! What do you think about "forced" driving missions in FPSs? Can you think of any times when these sequences have been fun? Share examples you can think about using the link!

Larian Is Teasing A New Game. It's Baldur's Gate III. (By: @arbitrarywater)

What do you make of the recent rumblings about Baldur's Gate III? Do you trust the franchise in the hands of Larian Studios? What is on your wishlist for a mordern-day follow-up to the beloved CRPG franchise?

Xbox Game Pass Announced For PC (By: @bradbrains)

Xbox Game Pass is coming to PC! Are you excited about the service on PC? Is it an immediate buy, or are you still waiting for something? What does this mean for the Xbox platform?

Outer Wilds - Have You Played It? (By: @humanity)

Have any of you checked out Seumas McNally's Outer Wilds? In this Seumas McNally Grand Prize Winner you explore a solar system on the brink of collapse! If that at all sounds interesting to you, participate in this thread by leaving a comment!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Announced (By: @reap3r160)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was announced today! What's your gut reaction to the trailer and early footage? Is Call of Duty in need of a franchise reboot? Do you find the game's title at all confusing? Answer these questions by joining our conversation NOW!

Halo: MCC - Reach - PC E3 2019 Gameplay Demo (By: @casepb)

Based on the early footage and trailer, what are your impressions of the PC port of Halo: The Master Chief Collection? Do you plan to pick the game up on Steam? Use the link above to join our discussion!

Pokémon Sleep Discussion Thread (By: @gundato)

Hey everyone, what are your thoughts about Pokemon Sleep? Are you excited a new attempt to "game-ify" sleeping since the death of Wake-up Club? Do you plan to download the appli... zzz zzz

Best Mainline Ghosts 'n Goblins Game? (Released in US) [POLL INCLUDED] (By: @tiggytog)

Here's a fun poll and discussion thread! What do you think is the "definitive" Ghosts 'N Goblins game? Where do you stand regarding the Ghosts 'n Goblins vs. Ghouls 'n Ghosts debate?

Is KOTOR 1 Still A Must Play? (By: @ntm)

The original Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is over fifteen-years-old and we currently have a discussion thread debating if the game is still a "must play" for anyone who loves gaming or Star Wars.

Thoughts On The New FromSoft Game Leaks & Rumors? (By: @jonny_anonymous)

Calling all fans of FromSoftware! What do you make of the leaks/rumors about their next project? Which of the rumors has you the most excited? George RR Martin and a Norse-themed game, or an open-world successor to Dark Souls?

Preventing The Collapse of Civilization (By: @ghost_cat)

Have any of you seen Jonathan Blow's "Preventing The Collapse of Civilization" lecture? Give it a watch and join our discussion about his main talking points about the pros and cons of the modern digital age.

Useful User Reviews

• @riostarwind had an initial positive reaction to Mortal Kombat 11 as they did with Injustice 2. Yet MK11 didn't hold their interest quite as long thanks to how the Krypt is made.
• @ayanthar91 reviews Modern Warfare 2 as it nears its ten-year anniversary and assess if it has stood the test of time.
• @ayanthar91 decided to play Neversoft's Gun after falling in love with Red Dead Redemption II. Read why they enjoyed the game, despite its inconsistent design.
• @natesolo22 finally got around to playing Playdead's Inside and shares why they were enamored with its story but frustrated by its puzzle design.
• With the franchise in an unfortunate purgatory, @guip1408 decided to go back and play Legend of Mana and assess its "rank" in the World of Mana franchise.