Welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight! I, @zombiepie, am once again honored to be your host as we look back at the best community-created content from the previous week!
As most of you know, Jeff Grubb has returned from their vacation. Moving forward, the site's programming schedule will return to normal.
Also, some people have been asking about Niki Grayson. Their contract starts this month. Currently, they are attending the Women's World Cup in person in Australia.
It was previously announced that the professional wrestler Jeff Jarrett would be attending last week's Voicemail Dump Truck. Unfortunately, a sudden scheduling change prevented him from doing so, but you can rest assured that Jarrett will be attending the podcast in the future.
Also, here's another friendly reminder I'm working on a list of the Twitter alternatives the staff are using to keep everyone updated on their activities and possible site-related announcements. If you know of any accounts that are missing from my list, please drop a comment.
Finally, I created Tumblr, cohost, and Bluesky alternatives to the Giant Bomb Community Twitter account. I wish to thank the dozens of you that have already subscribed to one of these accounts and liked the posts I have shared with each of them. This helps me gauge which platforms are worth investing in moving forward.
Tweets
The first time I was aware of Larian Studios was the first year I worked for Giant Bomb doing E3 trailers in 2011.
— Brad Lynch (@MarinoV1) August 3, 2023
Sure, they announced Divinity Original Sin, but the memorable thing here is that they had (have?) a Killer Instinct arcade cabinet. pic.twitter.com/0jakxNKFBq
The Dark Blight (2008) - Interrogation Scene (@JeffGrubb) pic.twitter.com/vXi8SxG5JA
— Kone (@KoneBomb) August 2, 2023
We've all been there Mitch. pic.twitter.com/FJmJMGo6Lk
— 🏳️⚧️ Creaky Legs 🏳️🌈 (@CreakyLegs) August 1, 2023
— Giant Bomb Out of Context (@GBombOOC) August 2, 2023
Hey @giantbomb community! Did you know today is the 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF "Video Thing: It's A Website?"
— GB Duders Feed (@GBDudersFeed) July 29, 2023
Well, it's true! You're getting old, but thank you all for still sticking around for all those years!
Video: https://t.co/TSmebQYZNC
Editor's Note from Marino: Apparently you can't embed a censored tweet, so here's the link where you can do what you will with this last Tweet of the Week.
https://twitter.com/DuctSauce/status/1686881737643573249
Activities
Ravenlok Is The 15th Selection Of Year 2 Of The UUGPGC! Finish By July 31, 2023! Spoilers OPEN!(By:@bigsocrates)
Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer (i.e., Slayers X) has been selected as the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Game Pass Game Club! Join the discussion using the first link! If you are wondering about the title referencing my username, the developers saw this thread and while excited wanted to inform everyone that the Game Pass version has a glitch where if you attempt to break the vents in Map 4, the game can soft lock and prevent you from completing it.
Likewise, the Community Game Pass Game Club opened it discussion for Ravenlok to SPOILERS! If you have anything to say about the end of the game and its twists and turns, now is the time!
The GB Album Club 035 - Three of a Perfect Pair by King Crimson (By: @unclejam23)
It's time for the Giant Bomb Album of the Week Club to tackle a classic debate in music fandom. Where do you stand regarding the controversial right side of Three of a Perfect Pair by King Crimson? Join the discussion NOW using the link!
Art
Pikminotti (By: @DuctSauce)
Over on Twitter, DuctSauce had a TON of fun combining Mike with last week's big release, Pikmin 4! Also, the references with the Pikmin people to the side are excellently done.
The Minotti Slot (By: @kone)
As already mentioned, The Giant Bombcast had a big podcast special for the Bombcast's 800th episode! However, Kone noticed that Mike was floating all by himself in the bottom of their Zoom group. As such, they decided to fix that.
BatGrubb vs. Mr. Freeze (By: @GeneFJacket1)
So, Grubb had a troublesome encounter with Mr. Freeze in Batman: Dark Tomorrow and GeneFJacket1 decided to have some fun with that with this hilarious photoshop.
Dan & Podcasts (By: @days_off_gaming)
So, if you have been listening to the Fire Escape podcast and following Dan's recent tiff with Mike, you know that he doesn't listen to podcasts, even the ones he's on. As someone who is on a podcast and has a verbal speech impediment, I actually relate to Dan, but this photoshop by days_off_gaming is definitely hilarious.
Blogs
Game OVA Season 2: Episode 2 - Armored Police Metal Jack +
Indie Game of the Week 331: Ostrich Island (By: @mento)
Moderator Mento watched every OVA and played every game based on Kikou Keisatsu Metal Jack / Armored Police Metal Jack. All of them. Including the Game Boy game. Learn all about their long descent into this forgotten IP on Giant Bomb!
Secondly, the latest edition of their "Indie Game of the Week" feature tackles Ostrich Island: Escape From Paradise! Is there something to the game's eclectic mix of adventure, platformer and RPG sensibilities? Read to find out!
Let's Discuss Take-Two's First FMV Adventure Game: Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller (i.e., I Found The Worst Game Puzzle)! (By: @zombiepie)
Remember when Vinny and Nextlander streamed Ripper? Moderator ZombiePie decided to go back and play Take-Two's very first adventure game, the long-forgotten Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller! Read why they think it was the worst!
Kingdom Hearts Dairy Entry One: To Simple And Clean (By: @uppercaseccc)
After presenting their core feelings regarding their relationship with the Kingdom Hearts franchise, Uppercaseccc has committed to playing all of the games in the series! Check out their thoughts about the game that started it all, Kingdom Hearts!
What's the Greatest Video Game: Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars (By: @imunbeatable80)
imunbeatable80 returns to Giant Bomb to grace everyone with a new post in their "What's the Greatest Video Game" series! This episode tackles Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars and debates if the first entry in the series is worth a play!
Interview: Clockwork Bird, Creator of Silicon Dreams (By: @gamer_152)
Moderator Gamer_152 had the pleasure of interviewing Clockwork Bird (i.e., Jamie Patton and Danny Adams) and you can read it FOR FREE on their blog! If you want to learn about their creative process and what inspires them read away!
Moosey's Return to Hyrule: Part 4 (By: @mooseymcman)
Friend of the site MooseyMcMan finally wraps up their four part series about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom! Read all about the Link they created and their thoughts about the game's final act by clicking the link!
Gunner Witches From Other Dimensions Part 3 of 3 Eat Your Heart Out, “Jack Bauer” (By: @infantpipoc)
infantpipoc wraps up their retrospective on the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha film/movie franchise with a double feature on Reflection and Detonation! Are there any fans of the series that have thoughts on how they ended the series?
My Return To WOTLK Classic Has Been Fraught With Nothing But Chaos (By: @sombre)
sombre decided to return to World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic after and extended hiatus. Unfortunately, things did not go well. You can read all about it and even share advice on what they can do better on their blog!
Discussion Threads
Baldur's Gate 3 Full Release Discussion Thread (By: @allthedinos)
It's BY FAR the biggest launch of the week, so, what is everyone's early impressions of Baldur's Gate 3? What character builds have you explored? Did you start with your own character or one of the pre-made ones?
For Those Of You Playing Baldur's Gate 3, For Your First Run Did Pick An Origin Or Custom Character? (By: @zombiepie)
It's the debate that seems to be drawing some battle lines from people playing Baldur's Gate 3! For your first playthrough, did you pick an Origin Character or did you use your own custom character?
The Entire History of Video Games (By: @pauljeremiah)
How many of you have seen YouTuber NeverKnowsBest's video titled "The Entire History of Video Games?" Have any of you seen all six hours of it or just bits and pieces? Share your impressions with the rest of the community!
Digital Artbooks And Soundtracks On Console Seem More And More Common And Utterly Useless. Does Anyone Like Them? (By: @bigsocrates)
How many of you are still upgrading your version of games to get the deluxe edition? Do you actually care about digital artbooks or downloadable OSTs? Are things better on PC than consoles?
Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem Or Spiderman Into The Spider Verse Which Art Style Would Make A Better Videogame Aesthetic? (By: @topcyclist)
While the first post poses the question if Teenage Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem or Spider-Man Into The Spider Verse would make a better video game, others are debating if it is even possible to capture both films using limited framerate animation in a video game without it being hard to look at or play. What do you think?
Rare SEGA Dreamcast Dev Kit & Prototype Software! (By: @pauljeremiah)
Hey, someone managed to find a Dreamcast Dev Kit that also sports prototype software! Do you think this will have any implications for the emulation community?
Superliminal Vs. Viewfinder Game, Which Does It Best? (By: @topcyclist)
Between Viewfinder, Subliminal, Antichamber, Portal and MORE what are your favorite first-person shooters that play around with perspective as a core mechanic? Join the discussion and possibly vote for your favorite!
What Are The Most Underrated Games From The 2010s Decade? (By: @gtxforza)
Here's a discussion thread where EVERYONE in the Giant Bomb community can participate! What do YOU think are the most UNDERRATED games of the 2010s? To get you thinking, here's an incredible post in the thread already!
Lists
"I'm Not Bad, I Just Play That Way" (By: @captainofthestars)
captainofthestars has started work on a list annotating the most controversial and hated characters in games from a purely gameplay perspective. Can you think of any characters you HATED being matched against?
GOTY Each Year (30 Year Edition) (By: @odysseyrpg)
OdysseyRPG has decided to update their GOTY list where they pick a game for the last thirty years as their personal GOTY for that year. The list goes all the way back to 1994! Consider making your own list on the site!
User Reviews
@sbc515's id Software review series continues with Doom 64, Wolfenstein 3D (XBLA Port), Wolfenstein 3D (SNES Port), and Doom (PlayStation Port)! They are taking the time to check out odd ports of the originals like the incredibly notorious SNES port of Wolfenstein 3D, but I highly recommend their review of Doom 64!
@pauljeremiah'S reviews of Pixeljunk Sidescroller, PixelJunk Eden, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Braid, Fez, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (PlayStation 4) round off an incredibly diverse and eclectic group of games. My favorite has to be their review of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops as it weighs the weird pros and cons that game had on the future of the franchise.
Wiki Of The Week
With everyone hyped about Larian Studios' take on the third main entry in the franchise, this edition of the Giant Bomb Wiki Of The Week is for the original Baldur's Gate! Give the page a read and learn about such interesting topics like THACO and the Infinity Engine!