The Community Spotlight 2023.11.25

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 creations from the previous week. It's weird to think, but Giant Bomb's flurry of GOTY content is right around the corner. While the site's staff will be doing a "Eurovision-like" GOTY live in Los Angeles on December 9th, that week will see the staff doing the expected GOTY roundtable categories and Bombcasts. The live show is NOT going to replace the usual GOTY podcasts.

Speaking of the live performance, the venue for the LIVE GOTY panel on December 9th has changed. To allow for more tickets, Bakalar has switched the venue to the Teragram Ballroom at 1234 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017. There are still general admission tickets available at $30.00 per person. Please be aware that the Teragram Ballroom is a standing room only venue and if you plan to attend the event, should check out the location's advice on how to secure parking or use public transportation to get there.

Thanks to all of you that tuned in and donated during Giant Bomb's Extra Life coverage last week with Dan, Mike, an ill Grubb, Windbag, and several guests from MinnMax! Dan's stream was able to raise $23,401, which put him well past his goal of raising $10,000! For those of you streaming this weekend or some time after that, be aware that Extra Life does not reset its donation pages until the first day of 2024! You can still send in your donations or host charity streams until the final day of 2023!

Also positive news is the fact that there is a LOT of new merchandise in the Giant Bomb store! Before I list off all of the things available, be aware that the Holofoil prints are now SOLD OUT! If a new batch becomes available, I will try to keep you posted. Here's what is still up on the store and keep in mind that international shipping rate will apply to orders outside of North America:

• Giant Bomb x Cotopaxi Fanny Pack (1 Color Option Available) - $50
• Giant Bomb Sweats/Joggers (15 Color Options Available) - $55
• New Era Giant Bomb Logo Dad Hat (1 Color Option Available; Adjustable) - $30
• Giant Bomb x JustAJar Woodcut Poster (Standard Edition Only) - $30

Also, if you are reading this during the weekend, if you spend $200 you get 10% off automatically. And yes, this is combinable with your premium discount code. The auto-discount will work through Monday.

Tweets

Activities

Cocoon Is The 25th Selection Of The UUGPGC. Finish By December 4. Mark All Spoilers! +

Jusant Is The 24th Selection Of Year 2 Of The Giant Bomb Game Pass Game Club! SPOILERS OPEN (By: @bigsocrates)

Cocoon, a 2023 puzzle adventure game from Geometric Interactive, is the LATEST PICK for the Giant Bomb Community Game Pass Game Club! Do you have any early impressions of the game's style, structure, and gameplay?

Also, don't forget that the Giant Bomb Game Pass Game Club has now opened its discussion for Don't Nod's Jusant to SPOILERS! Did you like the story and ending? What are your final impressions of its gameplay and Don't Nod doing something different?

Blogs

Finishing Final Fantasy III [Part 1]: Seriously, Why Is This Considered A "Bad One?" (By: @zombiepie)

Moderator ZombiePie is back to their old tricks with a new Final Fantasy retrospective blog series and this one looks at Final Fantasy III! Read why they think its reputation as one of the hardest and worst entries is unfair.

Indie Game of the Week 347: River City Girls +

64 In 64: Episode 36 (By: @mento)

Mento has a new edition of their "Indie Game of the Week" feature and this one looks at River City Girls by WayForward Technologies! Is this reimagining of a venerable brawling classic worth playing? Click the first link to find out!

Additionally, Charlie Blast's Territory and Last Last Legion UX are the topics of Mento's latest "64 in 64" feature wherein they attempt to play every single N64, but only in a 64 minute session! Never heard of these two games? Read up on them and see why they are both very "special" games.

10 Years Later The Xbox One Should Be Seen As One Of The Great Console Turnarounds In Video Game History +

Amico Home Is Out And The Whole Thing Has Gotten So Pathetic It's Not Even Funny To Me Anymore +

This Year Has So Many Terrible Games That I Eventually Want To Try For Cheap Or Nothing (By: @bigsocrates)

It's been something they have been thinking about for a while now, but bigsocrates is wondering when the Xbox One is going to get its credit for pulling off one of the greatest gaming turnarounds in the history of the industry.

Also, the Amico Home is officially out and that means the internet's busiest Amico reporter, bigsocrates, is back on the site with a write-up discussing the news and ensuing fiasco! If you have questions about the Amico they're the person to ask!

Finally, bigsocrates looks at the glorious return of bad movie/TV/literature game tie-ins and why 2023 has a treasure trove of modern-era Blight Club material.

How to Hate Magic: The Gathering II: Randomisation (By: @gamer_152)

Continuing with their series on the state of Magic: The Gathering and if its is doing enough to welcome new players, moderator Gamer_152 looks at the merits of the game's current use of randomization and its many pros and cons.

Discussion Threads

What Are You Thankful For Regarding Gaming And Giant Bomb In 2023? (By: @bigsocrates)

Whether it's the GMM streams with Grubb, Jan being a video maestro, Dan Ryckert with the new ideas, Bakalar with the new merch, or Mike with... stuff, what are the 2023 gaming and Giant Bomb things you are grateful for?

Keeping Up With The Crew (By: @skuski)

So, what Patreon shows or productions of former staff do you recommend? Are there any staff with live streams or YouTube shows you go out of your way to watch? Whether it is the Nextlander crews, Gerstmann, Abby, Jason, or Jess, what are your favorite things former staff are doing these days?

Jet Force Gemini Is Coming To NSO. Will Diddy Kong Racing And DK64 Ever Show Up? (By: @bigsocrates)

Hey, Jet Force Gemini is coming out for the Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Switch Online program! Are any of you excited by this news? Are there any other "classic" Rare games you would like to see on the Switch?

Duders In The Know, Should I Get Diablo IV Or Final Fantasy XVI? (By: @av_gamer)

Don't ask why, but in their quest to play some of the bigger titles of 2023, AV_Gamer is letting YOU VOTE on whether they play Final Fantasy XVI OR Diablo IV before they make their 2023 GOTY list!

In Stars and Time Discussion Thread & GOTY Contender Debate (By: @bigsocrates)

As if 2023 wasn't already a solid year for RPGs, In Stars and Time is getting some last-minute GOTY buzz! bigsocrates gave it a try and penned a quick essay on why they hope the game doesn't get completely overlooked but have any of you checked out the game? Join their discussion if you have!

Mick Schumacher Is Announced To Race For The Alpine Endurance Team In FIA World Endurance Championship 2024 Season! (By: @gtxforza)

Hey, Formula 1 fans! GTxForza has a thread for you after the Vegas Grand Prix! With Mick Schumacher switching to endurance racing, do you think that is a viable option as we all come to terms that Red Bull racing has the next two seasons locked thanks to having the best racing aerodynamics expert?

Lists

Game of the Year 2023 (By: @elyk247)

As you can clearly see to the right, elyk247 went out of their way to write a couple of essays for their 2023 GOTY list! You can tell from what they wrote for Alan Wake II that they put a lot of thought in this list.

Game of the Year 2023 (By: @aodhhinsai)

aodhhinsai is claiming that it is still a "work in progress", but their 2023 GOTY list is already MASSIVE with long and descriptive explanations of why each game made the cut! Give it a read and don't forget to keep me posted if you make your own list!

Best FMV Musical Sequence in a AAA Video Game (By: @drrichardshay)

It's 100% a "joke list", but this annotation of "Best FMV Musical Sequences in a AAA Video Game" only has one entry and if you know, you know. It's still worth a good chuckle.

Wiki Of The Week

Fighting Multiplayer Modes in Non-Fighting Games

Last year, @marino and I saw this video game concept proposal in the Wiki Queue and approved it. The idea seemed perfectly in-line with the goofier but educational concept pages you only ever see on Giant Bomb. Thanks to Sirkinsella98 and BlueJay, the "Fighting Multiplayer Modes in Non-Fighting Games" concept page has seen some new titles attached to it, but there are still probably more examples out there!

Also, if you could do us all a favor, consider submitting some text to the page that describes or explains examples of this concept in action!