The Community Spotlight 2021.04.03

Hello and 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 user-created offerings from the last week! Well, I am now fully vaccinated. As a member of the teaching profession I was able to get both doses and while there may have been bumps along the way, I am eternally grateful to those in the medical profession that both helped in creating the vaccine and in distributing it. I say all of this as a reminder of everyone's personal duty to get vaccinated whenever possible and with the support of their medical practitioner. Yes, getting the vaccine does not entitle you to no longer invest in social distancing or face mask mandates. However, this pandemic highlights a grave need for everyone to fight against vaccine hesitancy and stand in support of science. Certainly, more can be done to distribute the vaccine equitably and it is a travesty that communities that most need it are struggling to get it. Yet, by working together there is hope and it is through that collective effort that I end my introduction as we transition to the site-related housekeeping.

• Women's shirts and sizes are now available for Print on Demand shirts! New designs are being assessed and recommended every day, and if there are any shirt designs you'd like to see make a comeback, you can suggest them over here!
• Alex will be appearing as a guest on the Cinema Oblivia podcast on 04/29 to talk about the film "Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia!" Subscribe to the podcast now so you don't miss an update!
• Giant Bomb updated its email settings to allow users to get updates about deals, sales, new merchandise, and many other things!

Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run

Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run XI Announcement Thread (By: @thatpinguino)

Giant Bomb Team Donation Page

ZombiePie's Donation Page

It's that time of the year again! It is time to get excited about the Giant Bomb spring-time community charity effort, the Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run! This year, the event is returning to its previous charity, Pencils of Promise! Pencils of Promise is an educational charity that works to promote literacy and access to clean water in Ghana, Guatemala, Laos and Nicaragua. You can read more about the event and how you can join or donate using the link above! Also, I'm going to link to my donation page as well.

If you have enjoyed the Community Spotlight feature, please consider donating to help me reach my fundraising goal!

Tweets

Galleria

Jeff Gerstamnn x JC Denton (By: @Mystic_Mile)

What else can I say to this image other than I'd like to see a Steam Workshop mod that allows me to play Deus Ex with this picture superimposed on JC Denton's face. I need it and I think we all need it.

Videos

Jeff's Garage: Quick Look (By: @dr_mel)

Many thanks to Giant Bomb user Dr_Mel for re-editing Jeff's video showcasing their garage into the form of a ten-minute Quick Look! Give the results of their hard work a watch!

Activities

Monster Hunter Rise Friend Code Sharing Thread (By: @zurv)

How many users out there that are playing Monster Hunter Rise on Switch? If you are, here's a link to the community friend code sharing thread! Post your Friend Code to hook up with other users in the game!

Dedicated Valheim Community Server (By: @orlandodoom)

A handful of users have set up a dedicated server for Valheim! If you are interested in joining the fun, feel free to use the link below to get all of the details on how you can join

Blogs

Monster Hunter Saved Me From Depression (By: @dobedobedo)

In light of the release of Monster Hunter Rise, user dobedobedo writes about how Monster Hunter has helped them get through a lot of rough patches in their life. Warning, this blog contains discussion about anxiety and depression.

Cyberpunk 2077: A Candle in Sunshine [SPOILERS!] (By: @lapsariangiraff)

LapsarianGiraff finally finished Cyberpunk 2077 and wrote an exhaustive 6,000+ word missive on on why they were not at all impressed by the game's story, and especially did not enjoy internet favorite, Johnny Silverhand.

The PlayStation Store Closures Are Not As Bad As I Feared, But They Are Still Pretty Awful! (By: @zombiepie)

Moderator ZombiePie takes to Giant Bomb to talk about the closure of the PS3, PSP, and Vita online stores and comments about the path forward and lack of options for consumers in an industry becoming more and more digital.

I Hate Hate Hate That Outriders Is Always Online +

Nothing Anyone Can Say Can Keep Me From Wanting To Play Balan Wonderworld +

Ys: Origin Holds Up As A Fun, Satisfying, Action RPG, Even 15 Years Later (By: @bigsocrates)

bigsocrates understands that Balan Wonderworld isn't a great game, and even agrees with the general sentiment that it is a "bad game." However, that isn't stopping them from playing it. Read why they can't stop themselves from checking it out! bigsocrates has been enjoying their time with Outriders but takes to the site to share why they actively dislike it being always online on their latest blog. Finally, bigsocrates continues their retrospective of the Ys series on with an exhaustive look at Ys: Origins! Use the link below to read why they found it to be both fun and satisfying despite its growing age!

The Wheel of Dubious RPGs Episode 31-32: Suikoden IV and Tales of Zestiria (By: @arbitrarywater)

ArbitraryWater has a new episode of their "Wheel of Dubious RPGs" series on the site! This week, they checked out Suikoden IV and Tales of Zestiria and you can read all about how one of these games bored them to tears!

What's the Greatest Video Game: X-COM 2 (War of the Chosen) (By: @imunbeatable80)

imunbeatable80 uses their latest blog on Giant Bomb to talk about X-COM 2 (War of the Chosen) and why they think the game adds unique narrative hooks to the formula Firaxis pioneered in the previous reboot game.

All That Glitters: Currency in Video Games (By: @gamer_152)

What is the role of currency in games? Where is it superior to other forms of rewarding the player? Why are we killing all these crabs? These are the sorts of questions you can expect in Gamer_152's latest blog on the site!

The Dredge of Seventeen: March +

Indie Game of the Week 213: Golf Peaks (By: @mento)

First, Mento shares why they think 2017 is a criminally underrated year for video games. As such, they continue their blog series in which they play 2017 backlog games!. Additionally, Mento has a new episode of their "Indie Game of the Week" up for your enjoyment and this episode is all about Golf Peaks! Use the link below to read if they were impressed by the golf-based puzzler from developer Afterburn!

Discussion Threads

How Has The 1.2 Update of Cyberpunk 2077 Been Treating You? (By: @sahalarious)

To everyone currently playing Cyberpunk 2077, what are your impressions of the 1.2 update? Which platform are you playing it on? Share your thoughts about the update with the rest of the community!

MLB The Show 21 Coming To Game Pass Day One (By: @cubbielover)

The Giant Bomb community is still in shock about the news of MLB The Show 21 coming to Game Pass on day one! What do you make of the revelation? Does this signal a real "end" of the console wars? Join the discussion using the link!

Do You Ever Get Anxious Or Scared Of Heights In Video Games (Including VR) (By: @topcyclist)

Here's a fun discussion thread and poll for everyone in the community to join! Do you ever get anxious or scared of heights in video games? If you include VR, does that change things?

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut Is Out On Playstation... And It Doesn't Feel Great (By: @nodima)

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut is out on PlayStation and it sounds like some community members are NOT impressed at the quality of the port. Read about the issues and join the community discussion as soon as you can!

Narita Boy Discussion Thread (By: @nateandrews)

Are there any community members that have picked up Narita Boy? What do you make of its art style as well as its mix of puzzles and hack’n slash gameplay? Join the discussion using the link above!

Fantasian Discussion Thread (By: @j_unit2008)

Fantasian is finally out and community members want to talk about it! If you have any impressions of the game and Final Fantasy creator Sakaguchi's return to gaming, here's the link to our community discussion!

Which Game Franchise/IP Do You Miss The Most? (By: @gtxforza)

Inspired by the announced shutdown of the PS3, PSP, and Vita stores, what are some franchises or exclusives from that era of consoles and handhelds that you miss the most? Current community picks include Motorstorm and Lumines!

Lists

Games Where You Turn Demons Into Diamonds +

Video Games That Have Made Jeff Gerstmann Say, "Look At That Corn!" (By: @mooseymcman)

Friend of the site, MooseyMcMan whipped some new lists on the site that are bound to make you laugh. The first one annotates games in which you "turn demons into diamonds." Likewise, MooseyMcMan also made another highly humorous list that chronicles every video game that has caused Jeff to say "Look at that corn!"

The 3DS Games I Loved The Most (By: @bowl-of-lentils)

The 3DS is near the top of Bowl-of-Lentils' list of all-time favorite handheld consoles. As such, they took the time to annotate all of their favorite releases on the platform with this user-created list!

Mascot Species From Worst To Best (By: @franzlska)

FRANZlSKA looks at fictional video game species that became "mascots" and ranks them from worst to best! Use the link above to go to their list and see where you favorites rank!

Chill Games To Play While Listening To Music (By: @xymox)

Here's a list I think we can all relate to: chill games that are great to play while listening to music! User xymox was able to think of six titles, but if you can think of more, feel free to make your own list!

User Reviews

• @doomocrat's Yakuza 6: The Song of Life review give you an update on their progress with the series as well as their reasons for viewing the sixth game as one of the more "awkward" entries in the franchise.

Wiki

Do you know about the Bandai Design Master Denshi Mangajuku? I sure as hell didn't until a few days ago. But, we now have a wiki page for it and all 4 of its games, which include DBZ, Sailor Moon, and Mega Man X.

I remember those cards I think I may have one or two on an old hard drive somewhere

Oh, I recently just played through the entire Motorstorm trilogy. That's certainly one interesting franchise. I did see a Casio Loopy pop up a week or two ago, but never heard of this Bandai thing. Good stuff, as always!

Thanks for spotlighting my video! And juuuust in in case it's not immediately clear, this isn't supposed to be a literal quick look. Keep watching lol hopefully you find it funny.

"Where do you stand regarding Narita Boy's divisive art style?"

Why does he keep shrugging?

Cool Baby's rookie card?!

You're set for LIFE!!

Third review that's made the spotlight! Third intro to it that has nothing to do with the review :D

ZombiePie has a knack for that.

Jeff needs to Marie Kondo his life.

Haha that Ryan Monster hunter bit

lol glad they've at least somewhat come around on the "monster hunter has terrible controls" thing... Unless that rant was referring to the original PS2 MH. Then yeah those are terrible.

I read these mainly for Zombiepie's amazing use of commas.

I gave up trying to fix them a long time ago.

Those cards are outstanding!

I especially like Alex's...

i try