The Community Spotlight 2023.09.16

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 previous week and all of the great works from the community. Hopefully, you all are not wasting the tender and juicy shrimp meat found on the tail of shrimp because you don't support food waste.

Ads are still coming in to some subscribed to the Bombcast and other podcast feeds (i.e., Jeff Jeff's and Game Mess Mornings). As mentioned last week, the site switched its ad partner and this might be causing issue. However, Bakalar is working with higher-ups to address the problem quickly. Just remember that if you try to report the problem on the site to ping @dtoast so he can file a ticket with the correct priority.

Speaking of the site's former ad partner, Kast Media, Grubb and others have gone public that this change is due to Kast's continual failure to pay the site on time or at all. Kast Media has been in headlines for this problem, so GB was not alone with its struggles with Kast.

On a more positive note, friends of the site both current and old were feeling especially charitable last week. Drew Scanlon's yearly charity drive for Bike MS has been going well and has raised $12,238 of his $15,000 goal. Eyepatch Wolf hosted a stream for the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) and here's the link to their donation page if you missed it.

Finally, MinnMax will be doing a trivia event with Mike Minotti on Tuesday, the 19th at 6pm Central. The last person standing gets $1,000, but feel free to just revel in the fun if you are not that good with trivia.

Tweets

Activities

Goat Simulator Is The 20th Selection Of Year 2 Of The UUGPGC! Finish By September 25, 2023! Mark All Spoilers! +

Planet of Lana Is The 19th Selection Year 2 Of The UUGPGC! Finish By September 12, 2023! Spoilers OPEN! (By: @bigsocrates)

The 20th selection of year 2 of the Giant Bomb Game Pass Game Club is Goat Simulator? What does everyone think of one of the most well-known streamer meme games? Is the game's legacy a positive or negative one?

Also, don't forget that the community Game Pass Game Club has opened up its discussion for Planet of Lana to SPOILERS! What did you think of the game's story and ending and what should developer Wishfully do next?

The GB Album Club 040 - Samurai Sessions Vol. 3: Worlds Collide by MIYAVI (By: @unclejam23)

This edition of the Giant Bomb Community Album Club is for Samurai Sessions Vol. 3: Worlds Collide by MIYAVI! Do you have any thoughts or impressions of the Japanese finger-slapping guitarist? If so, click the link below to join the fun!

Art

Bombie (By: @kone)

What if the Giant Bomb staff found themselves in the world of Barbie? Well, that's what artist Kone imagined this week and I think we can agree that they properly cast them for their respective roles in the film.

Mike Minotti x Doctor Manhattan (By: @Sir5000)

If there is one thing everyone on this site can agree on, it is the concept that Mike is a thinking man. So, why not super-impose his face to the ultimate thinking man of comic books!

Blog

I Replayed Persona 3 FES To Remind Myself Why The Answer Might Be One Of The Worst Things In The Persona Series (By: @zombiepie)

Persona 3 Reload has Persona fans excited about the future of the series. Nonetheless, moderator ZombiePie decided to dust off their Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES disc to see if The Answer deserves the hate it gets from most Persona fans. (Hint: Yes, it does)

Indie Game of the Week 337: Evergate +

Game OVA Season 2: Episode 5 — Appleseed (By: @mento)

Moderator Mento wrote a new "Indie Game of the Week" blog, and this one is for Evergate by Stone Lantern Games! Read why they largely enjoyed its gorgeous visuals and enchanting design even as its gameplay demands ramped up.

Likewise, it's time for another blog that looks at the crossover between anime and video games throughout history with Mento! This week they want to talk to you about Appleseed and specifically Appleseed: Prometheus no Shintaku!

HuCARTography VIII: Hardly Sporting (By: @jeffrud)

jeffrud is back with another tour of the games that released on the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine! This time, they tackle Pro Yakyuu World Stadium and World Class Baseball/Power League! Did you know baseball was popular in Japan?!

What's The Greatest Video Game: Shantae and the Seven Sirens (By: @imunbeatable80)

The latest edition of imunbeatable80's What's The Greatest Video Game feature on Giant Bomb is for Shantae and the Seven Sirens! How does the fifth entry in the Shantae series compare to the earlier games. Click the link to join their debate!

All 3DO Games (Kinda) In Order: 1994 (Part 04) (By: @borgmaster)

Hey, do you want to read a blog about every single 3DO games that came out in 1994? What if I promised it had the FMV video game adaptation of Demolition Man, a personal favorite film of the Giant Bomb crew?

Peer Pressure (By: @infantpipoc)

infantpipoc wrote a review for Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon's NG+ and debates its merits and necessity to get the "whole" AC6 experience. How do you feel about the extra hours it adds to the game?

Cheating Vs Skipping Ahead For Achievements +

Thoughts On The Diablo Iv Seasonal Model +

PS5 Versions Of (Older) Games That Run Perfectly On PS4. What's The Point? (By: @bigsocrates)

bigsocrates has been playing Mega Man Legacy Collection and has written an essay about the game's rewind feature and if it raises a conundrum of "cheating versus skipping ahead for achievements."

It has been a while since the launch of Diablo IV and bigsocrates is shocked about how quickly the game petered out. What has and hasn't happened to the game per its seasonal update model?

Finally, the jump between console generations has significantly blurred this time around and bigsocrates questions the need to play or buy PS5 versions of older games that already run well on PS4. Can you even tell the difference?

I Was Just Exposed To The Scale Of Outsourcing In AAA Game Development (By: @cikame)

cikame was playing a AAA game and upon reaching credits, they realized how much of the game's development relied on out-sourcing. How aware of this are you and why do you think this wasn't a bigger talking point?

Discussion Threads

Mortal Kombat 1 Can't Conceive of Restraint (Impressions Thread) (By: @nodima)

Mortal Kombat 1 reviews and overall coverage are hitting the internet all over the place. How do you think the game looks? Does it seem more or less unhinged or extreme than previous games?

Mario vs. Donkey Kong Remake Graphics And Look Discussion Thread (By: @bigsocrates)

What does everyone think about the look of the new Mario vs. Donkey Kong? Do you like it or hate it? Do you mind the flat lit look of modern games trying to emulate older polygon games?

The F-Zero Franchise Is Finally Back And What Are Your Thoughts On This? (By: @gtxforza)

F-Zero 99 seems to be dividing people in the gaming community, but where do you stand? Is this a fun re-imagining of the original game, or a brutal disappointment? Have any of you given it a shot?

Hottest Mess 2023: September Update (By: @allthedinos)

So... Unity Engine sure seems to be a mess, but is its implosion this week the "Hottest Gaming Mess of 2023?" Back by popular demand, the Giant Bomb community discussion thread for the popular GOTY category is back and updated! Join the fun!

Sea of Stars Discussion (By: @glots)

How many of y'all have checked out Sea of Stars? If you have, has the game lived up to the hype? Can you think of anything in it you wished was done different? Join the community discussion by clicking the link!

The Official Forza Motorsport Soft Reboot Gameplay Trailer Of The Initial Races Is Here (By: @gtxforza)

An official gameplay trailer and press release dropped for the upcoming reboot of Forza Motorsport! Have you read about the game's planned structure and format for its story mode? Learn all about it by checking out the thread above!

I Need A Radio In Starfield Or I Am Going To Go (Space) Crazy (By: @mrangryface)

Some people playing Starfield are wondering if the game should have in-game radio stations like GTA and Fallout 3 & 4. What do you think? Would thematic radio stations add to the game's universe?

Lists

The Zelda Top 10 (By: @marino)

Moderator and site MVP Marino took the time to make a top 10 list for The Legend of Zelda franchise! Buckle up for some hot takes and maybe some truth bombs by checking it out and consider making your own list on the site!

PlayStation 2 Throwback Games (By: @xtian0104)

When xtian0104 wants a "throwback" PlayStation 2 experience, what do they play? They have been thinking about that question for a while and it led to the creation of this list of their favorite "throwback" PS2 games!

Hall of Fame: First Person Shooters (By: @melodicvirus)

MelodicVirus went through and thought about which FPS games they would include in their Hall of Fame if they were in charge of such a program. If you have ideas, consider making your own version of this list.

User Reviews

@pauljeremiah's reviews this week include Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition and Folklore! His Sleeping Dogs review articulates why he think the game still stands as a fantastic tour of the highest of highs of Hong Kong action movies.

His Folklore review defends the game as a creative and mesmerizing experience even if it can be annoying to play at times.

Wiki Of The Week

F-Zero GX

Some people are still very pissed at the announcement of F-Zero 99. To hopefully take off the edge of that anger, our Wiki Page of the Week is for F-Zero GX, the game some people were hoping would get the remaster treatment! Nonetheless, give the page a read as it has almost everything there is to know about the game!