The Community Spotlight 2020.10.10

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I, @zombiepie, am once again honored to be your host as we look back at the best creative endeavors from the Giant Bomb community! This week was certainly "interesting." For a variety of reasons, we have a record breaking number of discussion threads for you to scan over and partake in if you have not already. Major talking points include the PlayStation 5, especially the teardown video, and Genshin Impact. Though, Baldur's Gate 3 soft-launch and Crucible's shit-canning have also spurned massive speculation and discussions from the community. However, I do wish to mention something that has come up. As I will share in a little bit, some former CBSi sites have been hit by layoffs. As is the case whenever the topic of layoffs arise, please be respectful of those who have been impacted. Likewise, speculation on hiring's and possible "pick ups" by Giant Bomb are both unhelpful and not appreciated. It goes without saying this year has been rough for all staff members and this is one small thing we can all do to avoid making things worse. With that aside, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping.

• As mentioned earlier, a round of layoffs have impacted some former CBSi websites. Please join the rest of the community in wishing all who have been impacted the best in the future endeavors. Also, respect the privacy of the staff and those who have been impacted by avoiding speculation.
• Abby is getting massive coverage by various music-based publications over her crossover Fortnite video with St. Vincent and it is THE BEST! Rolling Stone, NME, and Stereogum just to list a few!
• Alex finally finished Mass Effect 3 and put a close to Mass Alex for a while. While they have not ruled out playing Mass Effect: Andromeda, they have said they want to take a break from the series for a while.
• In case you missed it, Vinny posted an update in the "Official Thread About Site Goings-On" Thread! Read all about the staff went through to make all of the recent Quick Looks and features on the site possible!

Tweets

Videos

Underwar (Not a Typo) (Giant Beastcast 08/27/2020) (By: Giant Beastcast Clips)

VTubers Are Just Like Wrestlers, When You Think About It (By: Giant Bombcast Clips)

Once again, I thought it was time to promote the OFFICIAL Giant Bombcast and Beastcast Clips YouTube accounts! If you want bite-sized YouTube postings of the best and funniest Giant Bombcast or Beastcast moments, these are the accounts to follow!

Art

80s Keyboard Fucker Jeff Bakalar (By: @TimesHero)

TMNT Keyboard Fuckers Jeff Bakalar (By: @FelixAndrews)

As you can see, a handful of Twitter users really enjoyed the latest Beastcast, and in response to some Jeff Bakalar ribbing, they made these HILARIOUS posters!

Community Activities

Genshin Impact Friend Exchange (By: @meatsofevil)

Calling all Genshin Impact players! We now have a community friend exchange thread and it is platform agnostic! Just post your info using the link and hookup with some other users!

(PS4) Squad Fulla Hulks Presents Saturday Assembly! (By: @bearhardt)

In light of Marvel's Avengers' post-launch roadmap being up in the air, the PS4 online group has posted an update! Read what their plans are for community events in the game using the link!

Blogs

The Wheel of Dubious RPGs Episode 019-021: Ultima IX, Dungeon Hack, and Dungeon Lords (By: @arbitrarywater)

ArbitraryWater has another episode of their Wheel of Dubious RPGs series on the site! For this episode, they played Ultima IX and Dungeon Lords... and even lived to tell the tale! It is a must read to say the least!

Granado Espada - Visuals (Early Game) And A Bit Of Music (By: @valorianendymion)

ValorianEndymion continues their coverage of Granado Espada on Giant Bomb with a new blog! Read all about the Korean fantasy MMORPG's character and world design as well as it music using the link above!

The Upcoming Generation Is Super Exciting Because All Competitors Will Be Successful (By: @haz)

haz takes to the site to blog about why they find the upcoming console generation between Sony, Microsoft, and others to be "exciting" because it seems decidedly more competitive than last generation.

Indie Game of the Week 191: Reventure +

Mega Archive: Part XIX: From Atomic Runner to Super Smash TV (By: @mento)

First, Mento has a new episode of their "Indie Game of the Week" blog series! This week they share their impressions of Reventure from developer Pixelatto! Second, they returned to their Sega Mega Drive/Genesis retrospective! This week they look at all of the games that released on the platform in the second half of 1992! Use the link above for a Sega-induced trip down memory lane!

Discussion Threads & Forums

Amazon Game's Crucible Cancelled (By: @resist2exist)

Amazon Game's Crucible has been cancelled. Join the rest of the community in discussing the news and what this could possibly mean for the rest of Amazon's game development branch.

Sony Outlines PS4 Backward Compatibility On PS5 (By: @haz)

Sony has posted more details about their PS4 backward compatibility plans for the PS5. Read how things will work, and share your impressions with other prospective PS5 owners.

Sony Betting On Streamers With The NEW PS Camera (By: @monkeyking1969)

Is Sony betting on streamers with the improved camera on the PS5? Could the console become a popular streaming platform? How much of that is dependent on improving the UI for streaming?

Official PS5 Teardown (By: @frytup)

The recent PS5 teardown video is still making the rounds on the internet and become a bit of a meme generator, however, you can share your impressions of the video and what has been shown of the PS5 using the link above.

Is Pokémon Sword/Shield Suitable For My Seven-Year-Old Daughter? (By: @cubbielover)

Here's a forum thread that hopefully puts a smile on Jan's 's face! There's a Giant Bomb user wondering if they can get their seven-year-old into Pokémon Sword/Shield. Comment if you think the game is a good starting point!

Avengers Update Roadmap May Be In Purgatory (By: @finaldasa)

Reports are coming out that the update roadmap for Marvel's Avengers is either on hiatus or in purgatory. Get the details and join the rest of the community in discussing the game's future.

Hey, Cook, Serve, Delicious 3?! Is Coming Out On PC, PS4, XBOX1, Switch, And Mac On October 14. (By: @mocbucket62)

Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! has gone gold! Are you excited to get your hands on the game on October 14th? Will you be getting it on PC, PS4, XBOX1, Switch, or Mac?

Mouth Dreams Discussion Thread (By: @jaqen_hghar)

Alex has publicly discussed their love and admiration for it, but have any of you given the new Neil Cicierega album, Mouth Dreams a listen? If you have, here's a link to the community discussion thread for the album where you can share your impressions.

Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access Discussion Thread (By: @rorie)

Are there any users out there they have played around with the Early Access release of Baldur's Gate 3? If so, share your early impressions of the game's soft-launch, including your thoughts about the gameplay and storytelling, using the link above!

Genshin Impact Censorship Discussion Thread (By: @evilmonkeyslayer)

What do you make of Genshin Impact censoring out any reference to Taiwan or Hong Kong? Does this impact your perception of the game? Is this just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Chinese developed video games?

Six Crazy Frights 2020 (By: @mrmckrinkledink)

With October starting, are there any games you hope to see covered in Six Crazy Frights 2020? Can you think of any games that should have been played last year that missed the cut? Share and discuss your picks with the rest of the community.

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remaster Discussion Thread (By: @bigsocrates)

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is getting a remaster! A majority of the community appears surprised EA remembered the game existed. However, share your level of excitement with your fellow users!

Best Fake Credits [SPOILER WARNING!] (By: @alistercat)

Here's a fun discussion thread on the Giant Bomb forums! What are your favorite examples of fake endings and fakeout credits in video games? Share and discuss your picks, and, obviously, SPOILERS ARE A PART OF THIS DISCUSSION!

Lists

Scariest Enemies (By: @chad_pitt)

Chad_Pitt tried to get into the October spirit with their latest list on Giant Bomb which annotates who they think are the "Scariest Enemies" in video game history!

User Reviews

• After avoiding the game for years, @vaiz finally got around to playing Batman: Arkham City. Read why they think the game sets the "gold standard" for comic book-based video games.
• @eduardopaulo's Super Mario 3D All-Stars review details why they found the package deeply disappointing even if the games in and of themselves are fine if not great.

Wonderful Wikis

Running Towards the Screen

In honor of the release of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, let's take a look at the "Bandicooting" page. Sure, we had to rename it at some point to something more "understandable" or "proper" or "not as good", but it will always be the Bandicooting page to us.