What a bizarre way to announce that Jeff Gerstmann is leaving. Can't say I'm surprised, since the signs of this coming were pretty obvious, but the PR speak in this post is kind of appalling. I've been following Jeff since the On The Spot days, on my dial-up internet connection. He deserves much more than this.
There is no 2.0. There is just Giant Bomb.
There was a Giant Bomb. Now there's not anymore. I've seen the changes since Vinny, Alex and Brad left, and thanks, but no thanks. Respect for Jan, Jess, Jason and Matt, but this site has completely lost all direction, and is just fumbling into irrelevance. I will cherish the memories, and wish the best for everyone involved.
That was glorious! Thank you guys so much for the memories and for getting the whole gang together for one final Giant Beastcast :) You will be sorely missed.
On the Spot watcher veteran here, just wanted to say thanks so much for all the laughs. It's been a wild run. Whatever Giant Bomb 2.0 will be, it's going to be something different. I hope it's great, and I hope Brad, Vinny and Alex will have the best time of their lives after this. But you are Giant Bomb. GLHB.
I gotta be honest, the last two years of Game of the Year left me feeling like maybe I didn't really have the energy or the interest to listen to these anymore. But you turned it around! This year's content has been really enjoyable, and I have to thank you for that. I, personally, think that ranking anything (movies, books, music, videogames) is a fools errand, and that what we should really strive to do is to celebrate the great things we enjoyed during the year. Bickering about what game should be number 3 or number 5 makes little sense to me, nor do I like the idea of people arguing "my game is better than your game", or worse "my experience was more meaningful than your experience". I think you managed to keep that to a minimum this year, and concentrate on what you enjoyed (or what moved you) about the games you wanted to put in the list, so thanks for that. Here's to a better 2021!
Thanks so much for all the fun times Ben! You'll be sorely missed in the Bombcast, and all the other content that you were part of. Giant Bomb was better with you in it, and I hope you all the best with your future endeavors. Now, go and finish Rogue already! ;)
I really hope this turns into an exploration into the roguelike genre, and that it helps people understand why most games that are called roguelikes today aren't really like Rogue at all, but simply take a couple of mechanics from it (usually random level generation and permadeath). However, I can't help but feel that the angle that Ben chose for this is going to lead to its early demise. Roguelikes, as far as I am concerned, are not meant to be beaten, but experienced and had fun with. You can certainly beat a roguelike, but they are usually extremely hard, and require a great, even intimate understanding of their mechanics to get anywhere. I've played a lot of Angband and Nethack, but never got even remotely close to finishing them (although, maybe I'm just bad at them).
Other people have posted some great tips, but let me reiterate a couple that are essential:
1. You have as much time as you want to make your next move. Rushing through the dungeon is probably the number one case of death on a roguelike. This is the one thing that people that call pretty much anything with permadeath a roguelike don't seem to understand. Roguelikes are not action games. They are much more like classic tabletop games, like chess.
2. Learn to use all the mechanics to your advantage. Yes, lots of things are randomized at the start of the run, so think about the things that don't change, and how to take advantage of them.
3. Combat is 90% about positing. Don't run into the darkness! There are monsters there. Retreat to known terrain, and take advantage of corridors, doors, and other choke points. If the game lets you use diagonals, that means that monsters will also use them, so don't forget about them.
4. Die and learn. You will die, and you are meant to die. Don't try to learn the rules all at once, but try to experiment and poke at the mechanics you don't quite yet understand. Roguelikes are about learning and thinking ahead, not about twitch reaction.
5. Have fun! If you find roguelikes frustrating, that's ok, they are not for everyone.
Sorry for the long post, but, as you can tell, I really like this genre, and I hope this gets more people excited about it :)
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