Last week I informed everyone about Drew's yearly charity effort for National MS Society! Drew managed to raise $68,248 of his goal of $75,000 and beat out teams led by Google! Regardless, here's a link to the video archive of their charity stream, and don't forget, you can continue to donate to their page to help them get to their goal! Donate what you can and if you cannot; spread the word!
In case you missed it, Jeff will be off the site for a while as his wife recently gave birth to their second child! If you have not done so already, please congratulate them on Twitter! However, I do want to commend @voidburger as she was a great addition to this week's UPF panel.
Speaking of UPF, here's the round-up of premium programs in case you missed something:
- Unprofessional Fridays: 09/17/2021
- Bak 2 Skool 6: Our Oceans
- GrubbSnax Ep. 12: KOTOR Remake, Making Stocks Drop, and Bidets
- ALBUMMER! 07: Judas Priests' "Juggulator"
- Armed and Rangerous 04
Likewise, Rorie is planning on starting a new FREE video series on Giant Bomb where they run through Magic: The Gathering: Innistrad: Midnight Hunt in Magic: The Gathering Arena! The first episode had some audio wonkiness, but it is the start of something pretty cool. With all of that in mind, let's jump into the Spotlight!
Extra Life Announcements!
Giant Bomb's Extra Life Page (By: @marino)
Alright everyone, we have all been through a lot the past year, the site included. However, it's officially time to get excited about Extra Life 2021! You can feel free to join Giant Bomb's team or donate! If you can't donate, please spread the word to people who can! The team goal is to raise $223,566 so Giant Bomb can crest $2,000,000 raised for Extra Life!
Marino is the current team captain for Giant Bomb's Extra Life team and if anything is "off" with the page, please let him know! That said, we currently only have 5 team members and definitely want to get that up before the end of next week!
Tweets
I’m so grateful for everything that Giant Bomb has done for the culture.
— Stop Skeletons From Fighting | ➕🔥🔥 (@stopskeletons) September 17, 2021
(Also congrats to @jeffgerstmann!) pic.twitter.com/cgcFhtMUMl
Just dawned on me that I'm now making stuff for @GameSpot, @giantbomb, and @KindaFunnyVids, companies and teams that I've loved for as long as I can remember. And video games made it happen. Wild.
— Tamoor Hussain (@tamoorh) September 16, 2021
Gamers - get your fill of industry news, gaming insights and reviews in this collection of podcasts. 🎮 https://t.co/YvqCbNMuSu pic.twitter.com/VzowXrlmzc
— Apple Podcasts (@ApplePodcasts) September 15, 2021
Hi Internet! I'm Drew and THIS IS MY FACE.
— Drew Scanlon (@drewscanlon) September 15, 2021
If this GIF has ever brought you joy in the past, I humbly ask you to consider making a donation to the National MS Society. It would mean a lot to me and to those I know affected by the disease!
Donate at https://t.co/JkdnTG7DCO pic.twitter.com/E0ChZ9brNL
Holy Shit!!! I've been trying to remember a game since I was like 8... All I could remember was that you fought robots and were able to replace your parts with theirs... Thanks to @giantbomb I now have the name of it!!! Cyborg Justice!!!
— Stephen (@RiarioTheBard) September 15, 2021
I joined @frailgesture for some Innistrad: Midnight Hunt on @giantbomb. It's all wins this time baby! https://t.co/sFsQY93Ric
— Gino Grieco (@ThatPinguino) September 18, 2021
going back through giant bomb extra life for some background noise while i work and 2012 drew has called up in my brain the extremely specific description of "background character in Freaked (1993) by Alex Winter". couldn't tell you why pic.twitter.com/4SAgEPdPbO
— Colin Spacetwinks (@spacetwinks) September 15, 2021
It's early, but the Extra Life @giantbomb Team page is now live if you wanna join our squad. Over the last 11 years combined, we've raised over $1.77 million #ForTheKids, so we're gonna try to break $2,000,000.https://t.co/SYdLpBMprI pic.twitter.com/xn7W0fhoco
— Brad Lynch (@MarinoV1) September 15, 2021
Video
Activision Rewarding GameStop Employees For Pre-orders. [Grubbsnax Selects, Episode 11]
Hey everyone, there have been a few comments on Giant Bomb proper asking where the "Select" version of some of the premium shows can be found. Your best bet is to subscribe to Giant Bomb's YouTube account. For example, here's the "Select" version of episode 11 of Grubbsnax.
Blogs
The Differences In Between Sim Racing And Simcade (Updated) (By: @gtxforza)
GTxForza has updated their reference guide on the difference between "Sim Racers" and "Simcade" games. It's a massive post worth checking out even if you do not care about car-based games.
Indie Game of the Week 237: Brigador (By: @mento)
Moderator Mento talks about Brigador on their latest "Indie Game of the Week" blog and you can read why they found it to be the type of game best suited for "shorter intermittent sessions."
Ten After Ten: 8/30/21-9/09/21 (By: @brg)
I somehow missed this last week, but similar to previous posts, BRG looks at what they think are the ten biggest video game news items and asks you to share what you think are the main "takeaways."
Discussion Threads
Deathloop - Reviews & Discussion (By: @glots)
The Giant Bomb community is still BUZZING about Deathloop and all of the positive reviews coming out for the game! Are you excited to play the game? Did you leave the game as positive as some of the people who reviewed the game? What are your major takeaways from the reviews thus far?
Deltarune: Chapter 2 Discussion Thread (By: @glots)
Deltarune: Chapter 2 is OUT! Here's a link to our community discussion thread for the game! Share your positive or negative impressions of the game using the link above!
Tales of Arise Impressions Sharing Thread (By: @mindbullet)
How many Giant Bomb users out there have given Tales of Arise a shot? If you are one of them, here's a link to our community discussion thread for the game! Where do your impressions of the game stand?
Happy 20th Anniversary To The GameCube! (By: @gtxforza)
In case you missed it, the GameCube celebrated its 20th anniversary! Use the link above to share with the Giant Bomb your favorite memories on the platform and which games from its catalog you remember the best.
Norm MacDonald Dies At 61 (By: @monkeyking1969)
The Giant Bomb community mourns the death of Norm MacDonald in the thread provided below. Talk about your memories of the comedic titan and share your favorite gags or jokes of theirs with the rest of the community.
What Sort Of Cell Shaded Games You Love To See In The Near Future? (By: @gtxforza)
With Guilty Gear and Tales of Arise showing cel-shaded graphics still have a place in next gen tech, what sorts of cel shaded games do you want to see next? Is it time for a new cel-shaded car racer like Auto Modellista?
If You Like Deathloop's Setting, I'd Really Suggest You Read The Comic Casanova (And Other Suggestions) (By: @ali_d)
Do you have any suggestions to people who fell in love with Deathloop's story and characters? As the thread title suggest, the OP strongly recommends the comic book Casanova, but can you think of any movies or TV shows that tackle similar themes to Deathloop?
Reproduction Carts vs Real Carts Discussion Thread (By: @oceaneve)
To all of you in the "retro" gaming community, what is your advice about reproduction carts? Is it a good way to save money instead of shelling out tons of cash for "real" carts?
PC Monitors + Xbox Series X Suggestions (By: @skuski)
Are there any Xbox Series X|S owners that have monitor suggestions for people who want to use the console on a PC monitor rather than a TV screen? Share your tips and recommendations with the rest of the community using the link!
Has Anyone Tried The PS5 3D Audio Update Option Through Their TV Speakers? (By: @brian_)
Speaking of next-gen hardware, are there any users out there that have checked out the new 3D audio update option on PlayStation 5? For those that have tried it, how does it compare to the 3D sound support on the Xbox Series X?
A New Twisted Metal In The Works (By: @gtxforza)
A new Twisted Metal is reportedly in the works. Does this news excite you? Do any of you have nostalgia for the prior Twisted Metal games? How would you modernize the franchise's gameplay or story?
Does Anyone Find The GTA Radio Chatterbox Stuff Funny Or Fun To Listen To While They Play? (By: @topcyclist)
Here's a poll and discussion thread on the forums that seems to be creating some discord.... Do you actually enjoy the radio chatter, bits, ads, and radio gags in GTA games ACTUALLY FUNNY? Or, do you skip them?
Lists
20 Years Later, A Cube Top 20 (By: @majormitch)
MajorMitch celebrates the 20th anniversary of the GameCube (holy shit) with a list on Giant Bomb looking at their favorite games on the platform! See which games topped their list and think about making your own version!
Wise Pokémon With Facial Hair (By: @mooseymcman)
MooseyMcMan looked over Pokémon designs both new and old and came to a shocking realization.... Almost all of the "wise" or "smart" Pokémon have facial hair. If you have anything to add, here's the link to their list.
Warcraft Series I've Finished (By: @hellscream)
Hellscream has played their share of games that had the words "Warcraft" in their title. Use the link above to see which games from the franchise they have enjoyed playing the most
(spoilers: World of Warcraft is only #3)
Successors + Politicians (By: @scottyhawkeye)
ScottyHawkeye has TWO list projects on Giant Bomb and the first hopes to list ever video game character who has taken a mantle or position upon that absence or death of a certain character. The second list attempts to list of every video game character that was a politician, served as a head-of-state, or held an elected position. Here's what they have so far, and feel free to share any other examples they may have missed!
My Sealed Games (By: @fisk0)
Moderator fisk0 has an embarrassing number of sealed copies of games. Here's a list of their "pile of shame," but don't forget to consider making a list of your own on Giant Bomb just like them!
User Reviews
- @greenmonstah quickly reviewed Dishonored: Death of the Outsider and details why they enjoyed the game, but couldn't stop themselves from thinking about Prey (2017) while they played it.
- @yyninja takes to Giant Bomb to review Echo, the sci-fi tactical stealth game from Ultra Ultra. Use the link to discover why they found it to be an incredibly uneven experience.