The Community Spotlight 2019.09.21

Hello everyone and welcome to yet another edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight. I, @zombiepie, am once again honored to be your host this week. From time to time, there are hard "themes" to the Community Spotlight and this week's edition is no different. For this episode of the Community Spotlight, you'll noticed several entertaining videos as well as a couple of opportunities to make the world a better place. Nonetheless, you'll still be be able to read and enjoy more traditional community works. As always, please try to show your support for these creative endeavors, whatever shape that may take, as even a short comment saying "thank you" goes a long way. No matter, with that, let's jump into the site related housekeeping.

• As many of you already know, hyperlink colors have been changed on the site. Use this link to share any positive or negative impressions of the new font color.
• As you scroll down to the "Community Activities" section of the Spotlight, you'll notice the Giant Bomb community-wide Extra Life charity effort is in full-swing! Here's the link if you wish to join Giant Bomb's Extra-Life team and here's another link if you wish to donate to Giant Bomb's account.
• Speaking of charitable efforts, Drew participated in Bike MS this weekend and is still working around the clock to raise money for multiple sclerosis research. Here's a link to his donation profile.
• Also, if you missed out on Drew's Bike MS charity livestream with Vinny, here's a link to the archive of the six-hour stream.

Community Activities

Community Extra-Life 2019 Master Thread (By: @matt)

Giant Bomb's community Extra Life charity event is all set to start on November 2nd! This marks the ninth year of Giant Bomb's participation in Extra Life and the team fundraising goal is currently at $250,000 USD! If you are able to join the team, that would be great, but don't forget to donate and spread the word!

Clips Of The Week

Deep Fake - Giant Bomb's Alex Navarro in Vampires Kiss (By: Shane O'Brien)

So, it appears a Giant Bomb fan on YouTube made a deepfake video merging the faces of Alex and Nicolas Cage in Vampire's Kiss. Obviously, it involves THAT SCENE. If this ends up giving you nightmares, I am incredibly sorry.

Giant Bomb Animated 004: you can stack fruit? (By: andyrentz)

A few weeks ago andyrentz shared a variety of animated "classic" Giant Bombcast moments. The videos were adorable and compiled into a single convenient YouTube playlist. This week they make their glorious return with an animation of Jeff getting his mind blown about fruit stacking in Animal Crossing.

Giant Bomb Extra Life Promo Video & Giant Bomb Extra Life Music Disk (By: @hamst3r)

As is the case every year, Hamst3r is back to celebrate Extra Life with promotional videos to help spread the word about the Giant Bomb Community's charitable efforts! Check the videos out and don't forget to thank them for their hard work!

Final Fantasy Two Bad: Part Two- The Grand Final-e (By: @thatpinguino)

A few weeks ago, I linked you to a podcast hosted by three Giant Bomb users as they plotted a quest to beat OG Final Fantasy II. Here is the second, and final, episode of their long day's journey into night.

Tweets Of The Week

Best Of Blogs

Aggregators and The Launcher Wars (By: @gundato)

Gundato talks about the almost dozen video game launchers they have installed and asks if we are in the midst of the "Launcher Wars." Likewise, is the explosion of developer-specific game launchers good for consumers?

Currently Playing AI: The Somnium Files (By: @bowl-of-lentils)

Bowl-of-Lentils has been playing AI: The Somnium Files and uses their latest blog to discuss how the game crafts a compelling story with interesting characters and choices.

Gaming Memories: StarCraft (By: @majormitch)

Giant Bomb user MajorMitch looks back at StarCraft on their latest blog and shares why it still remains one of the most awe-inspiring games they've played in their life.

Indie Game of the Week 138: Pocket Kingdom (By: @mento)

Additionally, Mento continues their "Indie Game of the Week" series with a look at Pocket Kingdom! Use the link below and read why they found it charming but held back by a lack of gameplay creativity.

Interview: Zach Barth, Head of Zachtronics (By: @gamer_152)

Moderator Gamer_152 had a brief talk with Zach Barth, the man behind the systemic puzzle games of Zachtronics Industries. Give it a read and learn how they approach difficult but enjoyable puzzle games.

Join The Discussion

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Beta Discussion Thread (By: @sahalarious)

Have any of you checked out the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare beta? Join our community discussion thread and debate the good and bad of the beta with your fellow Giant Bomb users.

What Order Do I Play The Yakuza Games (I Want To Play Them By Release Date, Not Story Order)? (By: @ntm)

As people get more excited for Yakuza 7, fans of the series should participate in this community discussion thread debating the order newcomers should play the Yakuza games? Should they go by release date or follow the franchise's canonical timeline?

Patch 5.1: Vows of Virtue, Deeds of Cruelty - Releasing Late October 2019 (By: @snakelinksonic)

ATTENTION Final Fantasy XIV players! What are your impressions of the recently announced 5.1 patch? Is there anything from the October expansion you can't wait to play?

What's Your All Time Favorite FPS Campaign? (By: @liquiddragon)

What are your favorite FPS campaigns? Current front-runners include modern hits like Titanfall 2 as well as "classics" like Halo 3 or OG Doom. Share and discuss your picks with the rest of the community.

Guess Who's Got A Launcher Now: Rockstar! (By: @rorie)

Rockstar Games just announced a new launcher! Do you plan on using it, or will you pass? Using the link, earn all about the details, and join our community discussion about its long-term viability.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan Discussion Thread (By: @glots)

Apropos of Drew's charity stream featuring the game, have any of you checked out Man of Medan? Even if you played the game before the stream, join our community discussion using the link above!

Game Subs Made Me A Monster (By: @c4p3n)

Here's an exciting community discussion on the Giant Bomb forums: are game subscriptions impacting your long-term ability to maintain interest in what you play? Some users in the thread are arguing they give up on game far easier than before the introduction of such services, but what say you?

Trails of Cold Steel III Demo Discussion Thread (By: @bowl-of-lentils)

A demo of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III hit the internet recently. Check it out and join our community discussion debating if what is in the demo is an improvement upon previous games in the series.

Apple Arcade Game Recommendation Thread (By: @warpr)

Have any of you checked out Apple Arcade? If you have, are there any games you recommend? For those passing on the service, what's preventing you from taking the plunge?

Haven Island - New Hitman 2 Map Out On The 24th (By: @glots)

Calling all Hitman 2 fans! What is your gut-reaction to the recently announced Haven Island map? What are the odds it allows you to kill someone using a coconut or mojito?

Terminator: Resistance Announced, Coming Out In November (By: @rorie)

Terminator: Resistance, a new Terminator game for modern consoles and PC, was announced and is coming out in November! Are you excited to try it out or afraid it will be as bad as Terminator Genisys?

Lovable Lists

Plat Ain't It, Chief (By: @mento)

Moderator Mento made a list that looks at the games they are painfully close to acquiring a Platinum Trophy. Give it a read and think about making a similar list of your own!

Useful User Reviews

• @humanity uses their review of Gears 5 to extrapolate how its attempts to reinvent the Gears formula are largely unsuccessful.