The Community Spotlight 2021.05.08

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 week that once was. Before I share how the recent events have made me feel I wish to emphasize how hard the introduction to this Spotlight was for me to write. I scrutinized over three drafts trying to avoid the usual soundbites and tropes. To call the exits of Alex, Vinny, and Brad an "end of an era" does not do things justice. All of them helped pioneer the identity of what this website stood for over a decade. Many of you are users of this site and members of this community because of them.

As Jeff put it, it fucking sucks that they are leaving, but you have to respect their decision to leave and wish them the best. The countless hours of entertainment they have provided and the in-depth discussions and coverage of this industry and hobby will not go away. That they remained committed to this site for as long as they did, is something we should all be grateful for, and something we should never forget.

Without a doubt, we should and must commend Alex, Vinny, and Brad for everything they have done for this website and this community. However, this site is not being shut down, and the staff members who are still here have many more stories to tell. This community has more to give to the hobby and industry that it seeks to champion. So, with this edition of the Spotlight we will pay tribute to those who are leaving and made an indelible mark on each and every one of us. But, we will still explore and showcase the community voices that deserve an extra "speakerphone." I will and have cried with many of you as the gravity of the recent events finalized. But, as I have said on the site before, I will follow Jeff to the Gates of Mordor. So with that in mind, let's review some "housekeeping" items.

• Here's a link to the official thread announcing Vinny, Brad, and Alex leaving the site. This is generally the thread where users are encouraged to share their feelings and process the news.
• In GameSpot's report of the news, they interviewed Jeff and asked him about what the future holds for Giant Bomb. It's a definite read if you have not checked it out already.
• Brad's technology podcast with Will Smith is worth subscribing to if you still want to keep up with their activities.
• Don't forget that Jeff announced his wife is expecting their second child. If you have yet to congratulate them, please do so.

Tributes Around The Web

Instead of the usual batch of silly Giant Bomb-themed Tweets, I decided to share some of the more touching and artistic tributes to Brad, Vinny, and Alex I was able to find on Twitter. If you think I may have missed a tribute that resonated with you, feel free to post a link in the comments and I will happily share it next week.

Galleria

Giant Bomb, It's Family (By: ItsmeKostja)

I'm not even going to lie to all of you, this might be the most emotional a Fast & Furious meme has made me feel. Many thanks to the author.

Had To Do It (By: @krebstar_2000)

krebstar_2000 saw an opportunity to make a "special" tribute to Vinny using their photoshop skills, and I think we can all agree they NAILED IT! Bonus points to everyone who gets the "reference."

Brad's Leaving With More Hair & Raise A Glass To Vinny (By: @morehandclaps)

morehandclaps sketched up a storm to pay tribute to the Giant Bomb staff leaving. In the Tweets section you can find their Beastcast reunion drawing and here you can find their tributes to Brad and Vinny specifically.

Gallery

Brad Shoemaker Sings "I'm Going to Barkerville" (By: @andreastreeter)

I want to go to Barkerville more than ever. And if you know, you know.

Looks Like My Summer Vacation Is... Over (By: @accolade)

Accolade couldn't help themselves and decided to make this tribute to Vinny and Jan's Kingdom Hearts video series! If you click the link, you can find the source and thank the user for making this.

Videos

Vinny and Brad Join Giant Bomb | Bombcast | 6/03/2008 (By: VinnCo Archive)

The VinnCo Archive YouTube account did some sleuthing on the Bombcast archives and found the exact moment when Vinny and Brad were announced as Giant Bomb staff! Enjoy this trip down memory lane!

Giant Bomb Tribute Lock Down (By: extremejay1)

In case you missed it, over on YouTube, extremejay1 made a compilation video of their favorite Giant Bomb moments over the course of the many years they have been watching content on the site.

Blogs

Giant Bomb And Me (By: @burritocreases)

BurritoCreases join many other community members in writing about what the site has meant to them over the many years the site has been up and producing over a decade of entertainment.

A Series of Words About Giant Bomb (By: @itsmagicneal)

ItsMagicNeal wrote a touching tribute to all of the staff leaving the site with a series of thanks to every person to grace the site as staff or as an on-screen personality.

I Love You GB (By: @meatsofevil)

meatsofevil wrote an incredibly touching blog paying tribute to the staff that are leaving and to Giant Bomb in general for all of the laughs and memories it has provided over the years.

Your Life in Giant Bomb (By: @regmcfly)

regmcfly made a timeline of what they have done in their life while they have been following the works of Alex, Vinny, and Brad as well as Giant Bomb! As the site has changed and evolved so did they, but you can read all about it using the link above.

What Giant Bomb Has Meant To Me +

The Phantom Thieves Strike Again (By: @mooseymcman)

First, MooseyMcMan writes about what Giant Bomb has meant to them in the past and how the staff leaving the site impacted them. Give it a read and don't forget to drop a comment in support. Second, MooseyMcMan has covered Persona 5 extensive on the site and that continues with a massive write-up about Persona 5 Strikers! See where they stand with its story and differentiated gameplay from the mainline game and Royal!

The Wheel of Dubious RPGs Episode 35-36: Arcanum and Blue Dragon (By: @arbitrarywater)

Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura and Blue Dragon were the subjects of ArbitraryWater's latest "Wheel of Dubious RPGs" blog post! See why they think one of these games doesn't warrant being on their wheel!

Forgotton Anne's Gorgeous Art Elevates Its Pedestrian Storytelling, But Clunky Platforming Pulls It Back Down + (By: @bigsocrates)

First, bigsocrates uses their blog about Forgotton Anne to discuss how its impeccable visuals and compelling characters elevate its weaker puzzles and dodgy voice acting.

A Fun Looter Shooter On Game Pass (By: @gla55jaw)

gla55jAw has been playing a lot of Outriders and takes to the forums to talk about why they think the game's slow start and grind does its mechanics and world a disservice. Use the link to read how the slow burn eventually got them.

May Millennials 9: Tales of Graces F (Intro) +

Indie Game of the Week 218: The Witness (By: @mento)

Mento is starting a new retrospective on the site where they run through Tales of Graces F! If you have any fond memories of the game or want to learn more about it, this is a must read! Also, Mento has a new episode of their "Indie Game of the Week" blog series and this week they look at The Witness! Discover why they were not entirely impressed by the game.

Weekly Update #27 - May 2, 2021 (By: @qreedence)

qreedence threw all good judgement to the wayside last week and decided to play Nier: Replicant and Automata back-to-back. Use the link above to see how their opinion of both games has evolved over time.

Bustin': The Design of Luigi's Mansion 3 (By: @gamer_152)

Moderator Gamer_152 missed publishing their Luigi's Mansion 3 blog to coincide with Halloween by over 180 days, but that didn't stop them from looking at how the game uses level design to teach mechanics and gate player progress.

MLB The Show is Second-Rate Baseball (By: @finaldasa)

Finaldasa has been a fan of the sport of baseball for a long while, and with the release of MLB The Show 21 on Xbox platforms, they were hoping this would be a solid year for baseball video games. Unfortunately, that was not the case and you can read all about it on their blog.

A New Appreciation for Pixels (By: @kamui)

As Giant Bomb user Kamui has gotten older, they have come to appreciate pixel-based artwork more. Give their blog on why they have only recently come to love pixels using the link above!

Discussion Threads

Link Me To Your Favorite GB Content(By: @atheistpreacher)

If you are in need of a mood booster, here's a link to the Community Thread where users are posting their favorite videos on the site. Whether it is an obscure pick or a community favorite, share it over there!

You Held Me Down During the Pandemic.... I'm a Paying Subscriber Forever(By: @devron8)

devron8 briefly comments on why Giant Bomb's Pandemic content convinced them to become a subscriber to the site, and why the recent news has not changed their mind. Other users have joined their conversation to express why they think it is important to subscribe to the site. Join the conversation if you can.

Who Cried During Vinny, Alex, And Brad's Goodbye Stream? (By: @rejizzle)

As suggested earlier, however you are expressing or processing the news, feel free to share it on the site. It's okay to cry and it is also okay if you did not cry. Everyone responds to saddening news differently.

That Goodbye Stream Was What I Needed (By: @mkennedy)

How did the last stream with Vinny, Alex, and Brad make you feel? As the title says, did it help you process the news? Share your feelings with the rest of the community and network with users that feel the same way.

Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance To Be Re-released Tomorrow May 7 On all Major Consoles For $30 (By: @bigsocrates)

Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance is being re-released on modern consoles for $30! Are you excited to give the game a second shot? Is there a different Forgotten Realms video game that you wish someone would remaster?

Forza Horizon 5 Might Take Place In Mexico (By: @gtxforza)

Turn 10 Studios have "teased" the location of Forza Horizon 5 and all signs point towards Mexico. Does the idea or concept of doing off-roading fun in Mexico appeal to you? Share why or why not using the link above.

Lists

Games That I No Longer Care For (Definition of Boredom) (By: @theseyekocorpse)

TheSeyekoCorpse has been trying to pick away at their video game backlog during the pandemic and a handful of games just did not catch their attention like they would have wanted.

User Reviews

• @yyninja's review of The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia shares why they would not recommend the game even if its visuals might seem appealing on first glance.
• Here's an interesting user review for Rayman 2 on Giant Bomb! Read why @retrog was not at all impressed even when approaching it from a historical perspective.

Thank You Vinny, Alex, And Brad!

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Love em all. Thank you for everything and cheers for the future of Giantbomb!

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"hey bombcast, whats up with vinny" from that first summer is my all time favorite email

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Much Love <3 <3 <3

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Been a lurker for years, but had to take the dust of my acc to say this.

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Giant Bomb has been a big part of my entertainment and, at the risk of getting parasocial about it, my life. Since the debut it's been a key element in helping me determine what games I might want to play. The diverse personalities and unique tastes helped to shine a spotlight on games during a time when the release of titles rapidly began to outpace any single outlet's ability to cover them all. Their stories, funny and touching alike, were inspirational, hilarious, quotable, the list goes on.

To this day there are so many watercooler moments from the history of this site and those it has touched that pass between the lips of me and my family and have done so for a very long time.

And again I can't emphasize enough how many video games I saw Vinny open a Quick Look for and talk about for 10 minutes only for me to immediately close the video and go off to buy it.

(And for the record the last game sold by The Caravella Effect to me was the new Story of Seasons)

The biggest, roughest time of my life ever was balanced on the axis of 2013 and 2014. I vividly recall being at work when the news about Ryan had broken. I was, as many of you all surely were, devastated. It was the first (sadly of many to come) experience I'd had of a beloved entertainment personality suddenly passing away... Then later that year I nearly lost my own life. And the one thing that kept me anchored as I was drifting awash in a tumult of restless sleep, pain killers, surgery, and physical therapy as christmas and new years passed me by... Was Giant Bomb's Game Of The Year episodes. It was a very important part of keeping me going through to the next day. Giving me something positive to look forward to in that miserable time bound inexorably to bed and wheelchair.

It's not often that someone can find a show or a cast of characters that they can consistently watch for over a decade that is worthy of repeat and discussion as well as constantly producing new content to enjoy.

What I'm basically saying is fuck The Simpsons. Give me my Giant Bomb.

I am infinitely excited for the future of these wonderful talents. Vinny, Alex, and Brad? You get that rest. You take that time and do whatever it is you wanna do. After this many years you deserve it. After fuckin 2020 you deserve it double.

And when... If... You all decide to move on to new projects... If they be public-facing I'll deffo be there to sign up day one.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: When Vinny starts up his video podcast about turning chairs together with his lathe I'll be just throwing DOGE at the screen to make that happen.

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I love this community and I have ton of great memories of these guys and gals and this website. Thanks for all the good times, I will always appreciate it.

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<><3 I'm not crying, you're crying.

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Giant Bomb Forever <>

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Well, now I'm crying. Thank you all.

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(Thanks for including me! I also did some art for Vinny and Alex)

just want to share this map we made on the mc server

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Aw man. Great introduction, great Spotlight. Sad. But great. But sad. But also great.

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@zombiepie the link to the techpod just goes back to the GB homepage.

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Thank you for putting my dumb little thing on there aaaa <>

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<> space cowboy...

God damn that F&F meme!

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