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! Well, video games are finally starting to come out, but at a trickle. A lot of people on the site are buzzing about the re-release of NieR Replicant and many more can't wait to get their hands on Resident Evil Village and New Pokémon Snap. It is a welcomed change of course after the new releases almost entirely seized up making things "dry" for those of us that follow contemporary games.
Regardless, I want to thank all of you who tuned into the bonus streams for the Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run! The team SMASHED its $15,000 fundraising goal thanks to last weekend's streams! So, many thanks to those who donated and participated and here's to next year! For those of you who may have missed the event, don't worry. You can still donate to the team page, which I linked earlier. Pencils of Promise does not delete team or individual donation pages between years. So, donate whenever you can if you were not in a financial position to do so when the GBCER was running! With all of that in mind, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping!
- If you still have not signed up for the Giant Bomb weekly newsletter, here's a link to the official article sharing how you can sign-up for the fun!
- Red Ventures are hiring for new writers and editors on GameSpot! If you are interested read over the application requirements and give it a shot!
- The Live Bomb! plugin is being updated to fix current issues with it on Chrome and other devices! Get the latest update from on what is up from chaser324 using this link!
Tweets
Happy 7 year anniversary of this @GBDudersFeed @GB_Nonsense pic.twitter.com/bcEJTl6mJ0
— Cinnamon Toast Crunchwrap (@Thundawear1) April 23, 2021
Hey @giantbomb community and anyone who is an expert of Resident Evil! @MarinoV1 and I need YOUR HELP! We have a proposed wiki edit to the Leon S. Kennedy character page and it's trying to add this and neither of us can figure out if this is a troll edit or "legit."
— GB Duders Feed (@GBDudersFeed) April 23, 2021
help? pic.twitter.com/pu3q3mWvZ7
Best wallpaper or BEST WALLPAPER? (I miss Ranking of Fighters BTW) @giantbomb pic.twitter.com/RaiTDDOA2G
— Kiss That Unicorn (@GoneFormOfMan) April 21, 2021
PSN went down 10 years ago. And stayed down.@patrickklepek pic.twitter.com/XkfDB1vrE7
— Brad Lynch (@MarinoV1) April 18, 2021
The last of the donation artwork from the GBCER marathon. Quina from FFIX. Thank you @ThatPinguino for donating and everyone else too. See you all next year. pic.twitter.com/SbTwn4nsyV
— Michael Holbrook (@riostarwind) April 21, 2021
garfield 5.30.1990 pic.twitter.com/of4LWxT43w
— random garfield (@garfieldpicture) April 20, 2021
Galleria
Jan x Teletubbies (By: @jearum)
jearum decided to cross the Teletubbies with Jan! I think I speak for everyone in saying I'd like to see him take this image and add-in all of the Giant Bomb staff. There's no way that would become "nightmare fuel."
Videos
Snake Handler Sundays. +R with the Giant Bomb FGC! (By: VectorSpecter)
After a bit of a hiatus, VectorSpecter is back at in on YouTube posting archives of recent Giant Bomb FGC tournaments and play sessions. Here's a look at some funning about they had with Guilty Gear Xrd.
Activities
Celestrials (Nintendo Switch Warframe Clan) Is Recruiting! (By: @philosyfee)
Due to popular demand, we know have a community Warframe Clan for the Nintendo Switch version of the game! Learn all about how you can join the online group using the link below!
Star Trek: Legends Community Alliance (By: @bigevil1987)
Are there any community members that have checked out Star Trek: Legends on Apple Arcade? If so, here's a link to the community-run alliance in the game! Give it a click to hook up with other GB members!
Blogs
Indie Game of the Week 216: Aggelos + Mento Judges Judgment (By: @mento)
Mento is up to their old tricks this week with a couple of blogs for you to enjoy. First, Mento has a new episode of their "Indie Game of the Week" blog! This week, they take a look at Aggelos and assess how well it emulates the classic Japanese adventure games of the 16-bit era. Second, Mento looks at Judgment and reviews what makes it so different from the rest of the mainline Yakuza franchise! If you love the Yakuza games, definitely give it a read.
Get Chrono Crossed: Part #1: Ten Out Of Ten? Review It Again! (By: @zombiepie)
Moderator ZombiePie is starting a new retrospective on Chrono Cross to mark the 20th anniversary of its NA release! Use the link above to read the first episode of the series and why they struggled to get through its mechanics desite loving its zany story.
Modern Video Games Are Unpreservable +
Progression Skippers Are The Worst "Bonuses" For Ultimate Or Deluxe Editions +
Ratchet & Clank 2016 Is Like Video Game Candy For Me. Delicious Empty Calories I Can't Help But Gobble (By: @bigsocrates)
In the first blog, bigsocrates uses Dirt 5 as a case study on how impossibly hard it is to replay modern games in the form you originally played them. Give it a read to learn about their perilous journey to navigate unwanted updates and free DLC. Next, they discuss why character progression boosters and bonuses are the worst features to put in ultimate or deluxe versions of games. Finally, bigsocrates restarted their retrospective on the Ratchet & Clank franchise with a blog exploring the 2016 reboot. Read why they consider the game "empty calories" but empty calories they cannot stop gobbling up.
The Wheel of Dubious RPGs Episode 33-34: Star Ocean III and Anvil of Dawn (By: @arbitrarywater)
ArbitraryWater has a new entry in their "Wheel of Dubious RPG" series on the site! This episode is all about Star Ocean: Till the End of Time and Anvil of Dawn! Read why they thought one of these games was "too good" to be on their wheel.
What's the Greatest Video Game: Dante's Inferno (By: @imunbeatable80)
For whatever reason, imunbeatable80 decided to give Dante's Inferno a shot. Read why they were pleasantly surprised they did not hate the game... all the time. Also, it this blog is a friendly reminder to check out Ryan's Inferno, one of the most underrated videos on the website.
Weekly Update #25 - April 18, 2021 (By: @qreedence)
qreedence continues their month-long effort to finish Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and shares their progress on their latest blog on Giant Bomb as well as their thoughts on Cozy Grove!
On the Level: Thwomp's Switch Fortress (By: @gamer_152)
To mark the shutdown of the original Super Mario Maker's online servers and features, moderator Gamer_152 takes you through a tour of their favorite Mario Maker level they have ever made.
Discussion Threads
Hitman 3 - Elusive Targets Thread (April 23rd - May 3rd The Politician) (By: @glots)
There's a NEW Elusive Target in Hitman 3! What was your experience with The Politician? Feel free to use the link above to share your tips and tricks with the rest of the community!
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Trailer Discussion Thread (By: @gtxforza)
A new trailer dropped for Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown! What do you make of the supposed reboot of the Test Drive franchise? Can you think of any simcade type racing games like Test Drive Unlimited that have set new standards for the genre?
Microsoft Drops XBL Requirement For F2P MP Games (By: @rorie)
Microsoft drops XBL requirement for F2P multiplayer games! How many users out there want to jump into APB Reloaded or Yaris? Anyone? It should be noted, Warframe is also a part of this new policy.
What Are The Worst Games You've Played A Significant Amount Of Recently And Why? (By: @bigsocrates)
As the title suggests, what are the worst video games you played all the way to completion? Why did you feel you had to see the game all the way to the end? Share your tales using the link!
Is There Too Much Poop In The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth? (By: @fontelroy)
One of the more active polls on the forums is about if there is "too much poop" in The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. Here are the results of the poll thus far and feel free to join the "fun."
Anyone Else Find Game Subs Not Super Worth It? (By: @luminaryghost)
Game subscription services like Game Pass and now PlayStation+ Video Pass are getting more common! However, not everyone supports these services. If that includes YOU join our discussion on why these programs aren't connecting with you.
Do You Often Right Off A Game From Early Impressions And Later Regret It When You Eventually Play It More? (By: @topcyclist)
When was the last time you wrote off a game for more than a year and latter came to regret it? Join the community discussion in sharing your examples and detail what caused you to dismiss the game or games in question.
If A Boss Requires You To Look Up Whilst Avoiding Holes In The Floor Then Your Boss Is Bad And You Should Feel Bad (By: @bemusingname)
There's an incredibly active discussion on the forums debating everyone's least favorite video game boss design trope. The example by the OP are bosses that "require you to look up whilst avoiding holes in the floor." Chime in with any other tropes that annoy you just as much!
Will You Ever Get Back To Playing Your Backlog Games And Clear Them Off Your List? (By: @hugador)
Has the pandemic helped you make a dent on your video game backlog, or not? Do you have any reasonable hope of every being fully caught with your backlog? Share your thoughts about this topic using the link above!
Are You Price Sensitive When It Comes To Games? (By: @luminaryghost)
During the pandemic, have you become more or less sensitive to the price of video games? Do you only buy games when they are on sale? What are the sorts of games you will pay full price?
User Reviews
- @moonlightmoth uses their review of Project Wingman on Giant Bomb and shares why it scratches enough of the same itch that the Ace Combat games once itched to make it worth recommending.
- @moonlightmoth's Outriders review on the site shares why they found the game to be utterly silly but engrossing at the same time.
- @yyninja's Night in the Woods review shares their impression of the game's story and cast as well as why they are not as enthused by the game as most people.
Wikis
To all of you Nier fans enjoying the re-release of Replicant, don't forget to check out Giant Bomb's MASSIVE wiki page for the original game! It has every mechanic and story point!
Speaking of which, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... is NOT getting its own wiki page. Instead, please detail any version differences between it and the original PS3 NieR Replicant on our current wiki page.