ZombiePie

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I, ZombiePie, am once again honored to be your host this week as we look back on the best user-created offerings from the previous week. As Game of the Year and Christmas loom closer and closer, the Giant Bomb community had an awesome but calm week. The offerings this week feature a little bit of everything, with works of art and discussion threads entertaining users far and wide. With that in mind, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping!

• Jan celebrated the two-year anniversary of being hired by Giant Bomb/CBSi.
• The GBEast Extra Life archives are up on the site and the mod's tracker has all those important time stamps worth referencing. If you missed the ending, you missed an all-time great GB moment.
• Giant Bomb made a big dent on its individual and team Extra Life fundraising goals. The Team Extra Life Goal is at $225,712; the staff account is at $89,003! As always, donations are open until DECEMBER 31st!

Giant Bomb Galleria

Four Shyguys and a Dizzy Goomba (By: JEA_RUM)

jea_rum is back with another creative and hilarious interpretation of a recent Giant Bomb East moment. This time they imagine the Giant Bomb East studios as Goombas and Shy Guys constantly bickering at each other.

Tweets Of The Week

Community Activities

Giant Bomb GotY 2019 Fantasy League +

Giant Bomb GotY 2019 Fantasy League Discussions (By: FOBWASHED)

It's that time of the year again! What time? Time for the Giant Bomb 2019 GotY Fantasy League! Predict which FIVE games you think will top Giant Bomb's official GotY list. And don't forget, there are wonderful prizes for those who nail it!

Unofficial Discord Extra Life Livestream (By: ???)

Hey everyone, Giant Bomb's Unofficial Discord is hosting a 69 hour Extra Life stream for the charity and Team Giant Bomb! If you have any free time, check out the stream and donate if you can!

Need for Speed Heat Xbox Crew (By: DARKJOHNNY47)

If any of you are playing Need for Speed Heat on the Xbox One, here's a link to the Giant Bomb community online crew for the game! Use the link below to learn how to join!

Clips Of The Week

Every Time They Spin The Wheel in Giant Bomb's Burgle My Bananas (By: JediFan421)

Did you want a compilation video of every time they spin the wheel during Burgle My Bananas? Well, BAM, thanks to YouTube user, JediFan421, here you go!

Warframe (Kuva Lich) - With the Giant Bomb Community +

PC Alliance Link (By: RAPID)

The Giant Bomb PC alliance for Warframe recently played around with a Kuva Lich encounter thanks to Warframe's new Nemesis system! Give it a watch and join the alliance.

Best Of Blogs

Get Back: The Beatles: Rock Band and the Group's History (By: GAMER_152)

Giant Bomb Moderator Gamer_152 uses the 50th anniversary of Abbey Road to look back at The Beatles: Rock Band. In it they look back at the game's portrayal of the band and explain how the group became cultural icons.

Bucketlog October: Arc the Lad +

Indie Game of the Week 146: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (By: MENTO)

First, Mento always meant to get around to Arc the Lad. Give their latest blog a read to discover if they think the game has stood the test of time! Finally, Mento joined Vinny for their latest "Indie Game of the Week" blog by looking at Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night! Give it a read and see if they recommend the highly nostalgic game!

The Good, The Bad, And The Weird For Being OP In Games (By: STANTONGROUSE)

Giant Bomb user stantongrouse wrote an incredibly interesting piece about games and balance and examined three case studies where being OP is both good, bad, and weird.

Join The Discussion

Pokémon Sword/Shield Starters Discussion Thread And Poll (By: CHAZ934)

Calling all Pokémon Sword/Shield players! Which Pokémon did you pick for your starter? The current batch of votes show a close race with the Giant Bomb community!

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Discussion Thread (By: ZURV)

Now that some time has passed, do any of you have impressions or feelings about Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order? Whether they are positive or negative, feel free to share them with the community using the link above!

GOTY Special: Giant Bomb's Worst Christmas Song (By: MOODYTUNIC)

Inspired by Giant Bomb's new "The Worst Songs of the '80s" podcast series, here's a link to our community discussion related to the "Worst Christmas Song." If it ever becomes a podcast special, surely this thread will be used as a reference.

Games In 2019 That You Feel Were Incredibly Underrated (By: MOCBUCKET62)

Are there any games released in 2019 you worry will not come up at all during GotY discussion, but deserve to? Share and discuss the best "underrated" games from the year.

Best Current Generation Trilogies (By: NUTTER)

Here's a fun discussion thread on the Giant Bomb forums: what's the "best" trilogy of the current generation of consoles? Current front runners include: Yakuza, Life is Strange, and Assassin’s Creed!

Which Games Make Your Palms A Sweaty Mess? (By: LIQUIDDRAGON)

Here's a fun, but slight gross discussion thread: which games make your hands or palms sweaty the most? Can you think of any games that shredded you palms or hands while you played it?

Inside XBOX - X019 Discussion Thread (By: MONKEYKING1969)

What do you make of the recent Inside Xbox - X019 event? A lot of Giant Bomb community members seem to be excited for the new games set to launch on Game Pass, but was there anything else during the event that caught your attention?

Is Google Stadia Worth It At Launch? (By: PCMUSICER)

With the launch titles laid out for all to see, do you think the Google Stadia is worth the price at launch? Share your feelings after checking out the launch lineup with the rest of the community.

The Sonic The Hedgehog Movie Has Revealed The Redesigned Sonic (By: ALIAS)

The Sonic The Hedgehog Movie has revealed its updated Sonic character design and most people seem to like it. Share where you stand on the re-design and if the new trailer has you excited to watch the movie.

Planet Zoo Discussion Thread (By: BIG_DENIM)

A lot of users and reviewers have sung praises for Planet Zoo from Frontier Developments, creators of Planet Coaster. If that's one of you, use the link below and share what makes the game so special.

Shovel Knight: King of Cards Community Resource Thread (By: FORCEN)

Are any of you excited for Shovel Knight: King of the Cards? Does it excite you enough to return to Shovel Knight? Use the link below to learn more about what it is and how it's different from the original!

Who's Funkier? Toe-Jam Or Earl? (By: SOMBRE)

This sure is a community discussion that would've made Drew Scanlon proud: Who's funkier: Toe-Jam or Earl?

Lovable Lists

My Favorite Games Of The 2010's (By: FLUITKETEL)

fluitketel tried their hand at listing and annotating their favorite games from the 2010s. Check which games topped their list by using the link and think about creating a list of your own!

Puzzle Games w/ Story (By: VINCENTBROOKS)

VincentBrooks is trying to compile a complete list of puzzle games with a story. Here are some examples and if you can think of a game not already on their list, feel free to drop a comment!

My Ranking of Fire Emblems (By: MAJORMITCH)

MajorMitch has played a decent amount of Fire Emblem games and tries their hand at ranking the games from the franchise they have played from best to worst.

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I, ZombiePie, am once again honored to be your host this week as we look back on the best creative offerings from the community. Obviously, last weekend marked the "peak hours" of Giant Bomb's participation in Extra Life 2019. Through the sometimes drunk-laden madness, the Giant Bomb account alone was able to raise over $88K, and the team as a whole raised over $213K! Giant Bomb's Extra Life account still has a ways to go to its individual fundraising goal of $100,000, but you can expect more "impromptu" streams in the future. For example, Mr. Rorie has stated he plans to host a more "formal" stream sometime latter in the month. Additionally, don't forget, Extra Life 2019 does not end until December 31st! If you were unable to stream or donate, you still have plenty of time! Speaking of which, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping as much of it has to do with Extra Life!

• First, it's the elephant in the room when it comes to Extra Life 2019, some new information has come out about the DDoS attack that impacted Extra Life on November 2nd. If you donated while the site was attacked, you should check your bank account to make sure you were not double-charged for the same donation. Likewise, donations made during the attack will remain anonymous and are only now being applied to Extra Life donation pages.
• If you encountered an error stating you have reached download limit on the site, it may be the result of your download manager.
• Jeff created a Spotify playlist of every song ranked during their first "Worst/Best Songs of the 1980s" stream.

Extra Life 2019

As mentioned earlier, you have until DECEMBER 31st to donate to any accounts on Giant Bomb's Extra Life team! If you recall last week, I'm challenging the Giant Bomb community to guarantee every user on the team has at least one donation! Come on everyone, let's spread some $1 joy!

• Giant Bomb's Individual Donation Page
• Dave Lang's Donation Page
• Will Smith's Donation Page
• Danny O'Dwyer's Donation Page
• Matt Pascual's Donation Page
• The Giant Bomb Team Page
• Giant Bomb's Extra Life 2019 Donation Tracker

Giant Bomb Galleria

Santa Bomb and Bomb Fieri (By: @SeriuzBiznus)

Over on Twitter, SeriuzBiznus made a couple of chat emotes for the Unofficial Giant Bomb Discord. One of these bombs has a Santa hat and the other is an abomination straight from the pits of Hell.

Burgle My Bananas Sketch(By: MOREHANDCLAPS)

By far, Burgle My Bananas continues to be the most drawn and sketched video series from 2019. This week, morehandclaps tried to capture the child-like whimsy of Dan with the soul-crushing exasperation of Abby.

Midnight, the Stars and You - Burgle My Bananas Edition (By: @tole_cover)

Twitter user tole_cover felt like combining their favorite Stanley Kubrick movie with Burgle My Bananas using Photoshop, and I think we can all agree the result is a success by a wide margin!

Tweets Of The Week

Community Activities

Death Stranding Asynchronous Co-op Thread (By: SCOTTG13)

So, it appears Death Stranding has some form of an asynchronous co-op feature and this is the thread to use if you'd like another Giant Bomb user to join you in checking it out.

Clips Of The Week

Let's Open Up... THE FUNKY SHOP!! (By: JEREMYM)

jeremym is back and this week has a video that proves how "professional" an operation Dan is running when hosting episodes of the Burgle My Bananas video series. Truly, Dan's production and hosting skills would make Gene Rayburn proud.

Best Of Blogs

Death Schadenfreude-ing (By: NOTNERT427)

Giant Bomb user notnert427 wrote a blog discussing why they found it virtually impossible to objectively review Death Stranding, especially when it came to giving the game an associated score.

Indie Game Of The Week 145: Gato Roboto +

Mento's Month: October (By: MENTO)

As to be predicted, moderator Mento is back this week with a couple of blogs worth reading. First, they looked at Gato Roboto for the latest episode of their "Indie Game of the Week" series! Give their blog a read discover how they felt about the minimalist Metroidvania action-adventure game. Second, they annotated the highs and lows of their October in terms of video games.

A Few Words About Hollow Knight (By: HUMANITY)

Humanity spent a good deal of time playing Hollow Knight and uses their latest blog discussing how the sheer depth of the game's content rubbed them the wrong way.

Hell or High Water: The Storytelling Of Heavy Rain (By: GAMER_152)

Moderator Gamer_152 continues their retrospective on the history of Quantic Dream with a very deep dive on 2010's Heavy Rain. On this blog they look at the developer's notion of "cinematic" games, the worth of QTEs, weaknesses in games criticism, and a lot more.

Not So Outer This World Experience (By: MOOSEYMCMAN)

MooseyMcMan played Outer World and shares why their impressions of the game could be described as "anemic." Use the link below to discover why they think it is not the great Fallout-style game they've been waiting for.

I'm Streaming For Extra Life One Week Late; Here's The Plan, And Why YOU Should Join! (By: ZOMBIEPIE)

Giant Bomb moderator ZombiePie will be streaming for Giant Bomb's Extra Life team all throughout the week and you can read their blog on why they need your help raising money for the hospital that once saved their life.

Join The Discussion

How Do You Pronounce Mario? (By: BILLMCNEAL)

Here's a community poll I never knew I needed until now. Trust, readingthe user response to the poll topic is worth the price of admission alone.

Luigi's Mansion 3 Community Discussion Thread (By: BWHEEELER)

Have any of you checked out Luigi's Mansion 3? If you have, feel free to share your thoughts about the game with the rest of the Giant Bomb community using the link above!

How Do You Feel About Diablo IV? (By: CASEPB)

Following the reveal, what do you make of the changes to Diablo IV? Do you support the game going open world or do you think going that route is a front to the main appeal of the franchise? Is calling the game MMO-lite fair? Share your two cents' worth by clicking the link!

Anyone Playing The Open Beta For Nioh 2? (By: ACURA_MAX)

Have any of you run the Nioh 2 beta through its courses? If you have, what are your early impressions of the game? Do you think it is different enough from or too similar to the original?

Predict 2019's Winner Of Biggest Disappointment at GOTY (By: ALIAS)

This week, a thread debating the presumptive winner of Giant Bomb's 2019 "Biggest Disappointment" divided the community. Feel free to join the fun using the link above!

Which Game Have You Been Most Disappointed By This Year? (By: LIQUIDDRAGON)

which game or games disappointed you the most? Was it an over-hyped indie game that did not meet your expectations, or a AAA title that had launch issues? Or how about a multiplayer-only game that lost its community?

Most Creative Games of 2019? (By: JEREMYF)

As you can see at this point, GOTY discussion threads are starting to crop up on the forums every day. This thread as you to think about and discuss the game that features the greatest amount of "innovation." While a bit nebulous, which game do you think "pushed the envelope" the most?

Which Last Gen Game Would You Most Like To See On The Switch? (By: LIQUIDDRAGON)

While request a game be ported to the Nintendo Switch has become a bit of a "meme," can you think of any games from the previous generation of consoles you think would greatly benefit from being playable on the Switch? Share your game pick and discuss how you would want the port to control with the community!

Lovable Lists

Games of the Decade (2010s) (By: MENTO)

Mento plays a decent number of video games every year, and thus, trying to create a list annotating the best games from a decade is no easy task. However, they managed to do just that for the 2010s!

Useful User Reviews

• VRKOBOLD's review of The Outer Worlds discusses how the game isn't short on "engagement," but is lacking in the "innovation" department.
• D_W's Code Vein review doesn't only defend the game, in it, they explain why they feel calling it "anime Dark Souls" is unfair.

This is the single largest charity drive Giant Bomb as a community commits to every year and having this temporary "inconvenience" results in literal thousands of extra dollars going to sick children in need of emergency medical treatment they otherwise cannot afford.

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I, ZombiePie, am once again honored to be your host as we look back at the best creative offerings from the Giant Bomb Community! In case you've forgotten, This was the week of Giant Bomb's Extra Life charity effort! As such, a helpful directory to everything related to Giant Bomb's 2019 Extra Life effort can be found immediately after the site-related housekeeping. If there is one request I have, it's for everyone to take some time examining the Giant Bomb roster and donating to any accounts that currently are sitting at $0. At the time this Spotlight was published, there were over SIXTY members of Team Giant Bomb sitting at $0! So, if you are feeling charitable, help these users out with their first donation! With that simple request behind us, let's jump into the housekeeping!

• Before anyone asks, the Giant Bomb staff run Extra Life streams will be archived. For Will Smith, Pascual, Lang, or Danny's streams, follow their YouTube or Twitch accounts to watch their archives.
• If you experience issues when donating on Extra Life's website, unfortunately, their site has been targeted by DDoS attacks all throughout its peak hours. Please keep trying and understand this is a truly unfortunate issue.

Extra Life 2019

Alright, let's review the follow links and why they are all important in maximizing your enjoy of Extra Life 2019. The first link is the master thread and FAQ on Giant Bomb's Extra life charity effort. Go there if you want to know how to best support Giant Bomb's efforts to reach its fundraising goal. The second link is to Giant Bomb's schedule and official announcement article. If you are interested in when and where the staff streams start, go there. The next two links are to Giant Bomb's individual donation page and the team donation page respectively. Finally, we have the moderator run Giant Bomb Extra Life show notes and donation tracker.

• Extra Life - November 2, 2019 - Join The Giant Bomb Team! (By: @matt)
• Giant Bomb's Extra Life Schedule and Write-up
• Giant Bomb's Donation Page
• The Giant Bomb Team Page
• Giant Bomb's Extra Life 2019 Donation Tracker

Giant Bomb Galleria

Giant Beast Crew :- Burgle Edition :D (Part 2) +

Giant Beast Crew :- Burgle Edition :D (Part 3) (By: FZCREATIONS)

fzcreations made a couple of sketches once again inspired by Burgle My Bananas. The first depicts an enthusiastic Dan Ryckert, and the second, combines Mike Mahardy with everyone's favorite spooky clown!

Death Scanlon (By: ODD_PARTICLE)

It will never happen, but Giant Bomb user Odd_particle envisioned a return of Metal Gear Scanlon, but this time, the series would tackle Death Stranding.

Tweets Of The Week

Community Activities

Giant Bomb Community Modern Warfare Discord (By: STACHESTASH)

We now have a community-run Discord for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)! Learn how you can join it using the link and feel free to ask for tips and tricks on being successful online!

Clips Of The Week

Hallowed Flame Tactical Alert - Warframe with the Giant Bomb Community (By: RAPID)

Giant Bomb's community PC alliance in Warframe recently gave the new Halloween themed Tactical Alert: Hallowed Flame a shot. Watch the archive, and don't forget to join the fun using the links below!

Best Of Blogs

A Season Of Kombat (By: MOOSEYMCMAN)

MooseyMcMan played their fair share of Mortal Kombat 11 and used their latest blog to exhaustively look at the game's story, gameplay balance, Krypt, and DLC characters!

Extra Life Thoughts With Hades (By: MAJORMITCH)

MajorMitch already hosted their stream for Giant Bomb's Extra Life 2019 event! They played Supergiant Games’ latest, Hades, for 16+ hours straight! Read what they learned from the stream, and how you can support them using the link above!

Mega Archive: Part XV: From Buck Rogers to Valis +

Indie Game of the Week 144: Reveal the Deep (By: MENTO)

To be expected, Mento is back with a smattering of blogs. First, they continue their retrospective on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive with an annotated look at the games that released on the platform during December 1991! Use the link below to enjoy their nostalgic tour! Second, they played Reveal the Deep as part of their "Indie Game of the Week" blog series! Give their post a read and discover how the game does a lot with very little!

Join The Discussion

What Side Of The Death Stranding Spectrum Do You Think You'll Fall On: Love It Or Hate It? (By: NTM)

Death Stranding might go down as the most polarizing game of 2019, and even the most polarizing game in recent memory. As reviewers continue to struggle to express their feelings about the game, where do you think you will land?

EA Games Coming Back To Steam (By: HAYT)

It might be old news, but the community is still talking about the return of EA titles on Steam! Join our conversation debating what led to this decision and what it means for Origin long-term using the link above!

Death Stranding Launch Trailer Discussion Thread (By: GLOTS)

Do you have any reactions to the Death Stranding launch trailer? What are your thoughts about the early reviews for the game? Have you listened to Giant Bomb's video content for the game?

Most Overlooked Game in GotY Discussions 2019 (By: REDCREAM)

This the season, so, what are some games you worry may get overlooked during Game of the Year discussions? Share and discuss the game or games you enjoyed you worry will not get the recognition they deserve!

Best Horror Games To Play With Your Partner? (By: JRODRZ)

Hallowwen might be over, but what are some good horror games to play with your significant other or partner? Would you go with an interactive game like Until Dawn or a more traditional scary game like Dead Space or Resident Evil? Share your thoughts NOW!

What Has Been The Best Call Of Duty Campaign This Gen? (By: LIQUIDDRAGON)

In lieu of the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, here's a link to the Giant Bomb community poll and discussion thread debating the "best Call of Duty campaign this generation!"

Warframe Update 26: The Old Blood - Warframe Gets A Nemesis System (By: RAPID)

Giant Bomb's Warframe community is as active as ever and its PC clan wants you to join its discussion about the game's latest update "The Old Blood" and if its attempt to emulate the Nemesis System was successful.

Manifold Garden Discussion Thread (By: QUANTUMCAT)

Manifold Garden (formerly known as Relativity) is an Escher-inspired exploration open-world game that some users seem to have fallen in love with. If that's you, or you want to know more about the game, then use the link above!

Is Renegade Shepard In Mass Effect Actually Evil? (By: NUTTER)

Here's an interesting debate topic inspired by a recent episode of the Beastcast. Is Commander Shepard actually "evil" when you play the Mass Effect games as a renegade? Share your two cents; worth with the Giant Bomb Community!

Lovable Lists

Conceptualized: The 100 Best Concept Wiki Pages (By: MARINO)

Last week, moderator Marino combed through 8,000+ wiki pages on Giant Bomb and compiled a definitive list of the Top 100 Concept Pages. From Abilitease to Nobilitease. From Invincible Pants to Pantless Characters with Shirts. From Ordering Food to Games Based on Food. Learn why Giant Bomb's wiki is ten times better than Wikipedia!

Year Of Fire Emblem (By: TOBBROBB)

TobbRobb considers themselves a casual fan of the Fire Emblem franchise, but that did not stop them from ranking the mainline entries in the series from best to worst!

Tron Lines / Vector Graphics / Wireframe / Neon Light Tracks (By: KABLAMMO)

Giant Bomb user kablammo is working to create a complete list of every game that features or uses vector graphics or a wireframe art style. Help them with their admirable undertaking using the link above!

Soulcalibur Bonus Characters Who Should Be Promoted To Full Mainline Status In The Future (By: JESSEMB27)

jessemb27 loves them some Soulcalibur and thinks the characters on this list should be give permanent character slots instead of one-off character appearances!

Useful User Reviews

• TREETRUNK's The Beast Inside review briefly explains how the game's narrative-driven approach to horror does an admirable job!
• DOOFCAKE used Wolfenstein: The Old Blood to get into the spirit of Halloween, and reviews how it mostly worked for them.
• RIOSTARWIND also played a spooky game for Halloween, but for them it was the creepy, indie adventure game My Big Sister.

Alright, let's tackle another batch of comments all of you were so kind to provide on this blog. Apologies for the belated input on my part, but better late than never!

During the podcast version of this series, we had Rorie on as a guest. Even he, a former guide editor, found the design of Final Final Fantasy XII inscrutable. I have to say, some of the hunts are just downright unfair. Simply making the monster spawn can require a four to five step process the actual job posting do not prompt you about! Also, as you point out, the rewards for completing Final Fantasy XII's side content is questionable at best. If there are rewards worth getting, like Green Magic spells, they are dolled out by the first two acts.

On the matter of FFX-2, I have actually warmed up to the game after playing Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2. I maintain my primary complaint that the game's interstitial moments are less in support of its novel dressphere system, and more in service of shitty one-off minigames. Some of which are simply terrible. Likewise, I find its retconning of Final Fantasy X's ending totally blasphemous. Nonetheless, that game has a lot of heart and at the very least does not overstay its welcome.

You know, at least Basch, Balthier, and Ashe look their ages. I think that's part of the reason why I desperately wanted Basch to be the protagonist. A burly grizzled war veteran being the protagonist of a Final Fantasy game would have been a refreshing formula break.

But then they went with Vaan and his ugly-ass abs.

Oh, trust me, I made several other mistakes that will make the next blog series very "special."

Oh, the level get WORSE if you choose to return to it after your first go! Here's a map of the level AFTER you complete the story sequence that forces you there:

To a certain degree, I at least understand the leveling system. What I don't get are the nigh dozen sub-systems that dictate how much your stats level up or grow. The fact you can spend hours in a dungeon and have NOTHING to show for it, boggles my mind. Also, the inventory system in FF2 is dogshit terrible. And the magic system... the magic system is soooooo bad!

Alright everyone, it's that time for me to address some of the input you all have provided on this blog! For those unaware, I try to respond to any and all comments posted on my Final Fantasy blogs within the first two weeks of its publish date. So, without further ado, let's jump into it!

Basch is such a great character that the game should have just committed to him being the player's character. His relationship-arc with his brother should have been a focal point during the middle of the game, because of how little storytelling the game does in its first to second act. And while Gabranth is a great character, he doesn't flesh out until the last two or three set pieces.

And I'm glad you mentioned the Foebreaker class, because I read a guide saying it was the strongest class, but MAN does FF12 do JACK SHIT to guide you on how to spec your characters. It's unconscionable how little the game does to clue you into what its classes are designed to do. I STILL don't entirely understand what the Uhlan or Time Battlemage are supposed to do in that game! What a load of nonsense!

Quick question, which version of OG Final Fantasy 2 did you play? @thatpinguino played the PS1 version and I have heard the GBA version is good as well. Nonetheless, I played a fan-translation of the Famicom game, and absolutely hated myself for it. That version is baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad! However, I'm starting to think maybe I did the game dirty by playing that version.

Any input would be appreciated.

The Great Crystal might well be my least favorite individual level in a Final Fantasy game ever. Gran Pulse probably is my #1 pick on account of how freaking boring it is, and how spread out all of the mission objective are from one another. On the other hand, The Great Crystal is downright incomprehensible.

I think I can only name two other Final Fantasy levels where I legitimately did not think I could solve them without a guide. Those being Final Fantasy VII's Temple of the Ancients and Final Fantasy X-2's piano puzzle before the final boss.

I don't even know why Final Fantasy XII has a New Game+ outside of that's the best way to beat Yiazmat, but the Hell with that! I ain't doing that shit! But the funny thing with FF12 is it has two new game plus options. The Zodiac version has tNew Game+, where all characters begin at level 90, and New Game-, where all characters start at Level 1 and do not gain any experience.

It's wild and further proof crazy people made this game.

Sure, and again I'm not going to use these blogs to take away from your love of this game. I will re-iterate, the base game is slow and has an incredible learning curve for anyone who has never played it before. This was a "blind playthrough" and I think I grappled half of the game's mechanics. For anyone who has already played the game two or three times, I can imagine the Zodiac Age edition is the version of the game you've always wanted. Nonetheless, for me at least, it was a rough experience that overstayed its welcome. Not only did I need to learn about the Gambit System, but I also had to wrap my mind around its incredibly complicated job system. That was a hard ask, and it's an even harder ask when the game doesn't have a single tutorial worth a damn.

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and as always, I, ZombiePie, am honored to be your host this week as we look back at the best user-created offerings! This week the community wrote up a storm with a massive influx of long-form blogs and reviews! As always, give them a read if possible, and don't forget to thank the authors in question for sharing their thoughts to the community. However, the bigger piece of news definitely has to be about Extra Life 2019! First, GameSpot hosted its Extra Life 2019 charity drive and you can learn all about it by checking out the housekeeping items. Also, in case you missed the announcement last week, Danny O'Dwyer will be joining Giant Bomb's Extra Life team to stream some hot F1 action! So, without further ado, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping!

• Due to technical difficulties, Giant Bomb lost the recording of the most recent "Get on my Level." Luckily, people who submitted levels that we could not beat will still receive their prizes. However, the show is going on a short break and will return better than ever.
• You all have noticed the design team changed colors on Giant Bomb, GameSpot, and Comic Vine recently. Design lead, Dan Auer took to Twitter to explain why this change is a really positive sign of changes to come to the site.
• Finally, as many of your are aware, GameSpot hosted their Extra Life 2019 streams this weekend! The Giant Bomb chat was up for the event, and if you missed it keep on the lookout for the Project Diva and Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers archives as they featured Jan and Rorie respectively! And please use the link to help the nice fellows at GameSpot to reach their Extra Life fundraising goal!

Giant Bomb Community Activities

Giant Bomb Extra Life 2019 Donation Page +

Giant Bomb Extra Life 2019 Team Page +

Extra Life - November 2, 2019 - Join The Giant Bomb Team! (By: @matt)

Giant Bomb's personal Extra Life 2019 page has raised $8,500! The Giant Bomb team has raised $27,741 and currently has 139 MEMBERS! Donate and/or join the fun using the links above!

Giant Bomb Galleria

Giant Beast Crew :- Burgle Edition :D (By: FZCREATIONS)

Giant Bomb user fzcreations has been really enjoying Burgle My Bananas. So much so, they felt inspired to create this doodle of Abby!

Tweets Of The Week

Clips Of The Week

Something About Beastcast Songs (By: JDP83)

Giant Bomb user JDP83 made a suggestion from Dan a reality! They made a Giant Bomb Beastcast email song inspired by Billy Squier's "The Stroke."

Extra Life Transition for OBS/Streamlabs (By: RAGEGUMMY)

To anyone who plans to host a livestream during Giant Bomb's Extra Life 2019 event, RageGummy did you a solid and made a cheeky transition for you to use so you look like a professional streamer! Use the link to learn how you can embed it to your stream and how they made this happen!

Best Of Blogs

Fighting Final Fantasy XII - Part 6: I Don't Like This Game, And It Breaks My Damn Heart! (By: ZOMBIEPIE)

ZombiePie finally finished Final Fantasy XII! Give their nigh 9,000-word blog on Giant Bomb a read to discover why they didn't like the game, despite loving its cast and story! Also, there's a "Special Announcement" about their next series!

Sonic Forces Is A Shoddy, Cheap Feeling, Game Whose Best Aspect Is That It Is Short And Easy+

2.5 Years After Release, Removed From Expectations, Yooka-Laylee Is A Fun 3-D Platformer Throwback Worth Playing Through (By: BIGSOCRATES)

BigSocrates got around to playing Sonic Forces and writes about why they feel the game never had a chance to be good especially with it living under the shadow of Sonic Mania. BigSocrates also played Yooka-Laylee and shares why their tempered expectations assisted them enjoying the throwback platformer

Expectations and Discovery in Outer Wilds (By: MOOSEYMCMAN)

MooseyMcMan gave Outer Wilds a shot after hearing several friends and reviewers praise the game. Nonetheless, on their latest blog they detail why the game's story and sense of discovery left a lot to be desired in their book.

2007's The Darkness Is Showing Its Age And Isn't That Fun To Play Anymore (By: BIGSOCRATES)

Giant Bomb user BigSocrates remembers a time when 2007's The Darkness was a "fun game." However, this week they used their latest blog to explain why that is no longer the case today.

Indie Game of the Week 143: Mr. Robot +

Mega Archive: Part XIV: From Pit-Fighter to Mario Lemieux Hockey (By: MENTO)

First, Mento's latest "Indie Game of the Week" blog is all about Moonpod's puzzle/RPG Mr. Robot! Give it a read and learn why they think this game isn't more than meets the eyes. Second, Mento continues their retrospective on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive! This week, their write-up runs the gamut of good and bad releases from the end of 1991!

Currently Playing Cold Steel III (By: BOWL-OF-LENTILS)

Bowl-of-Lentils is currently playing Trails of Cold Steel III and shares their early impressions of the game on their latest blog. Give them a read, and feel free to share your experiences with the game as well!

Frost Shock: Activision-Blizzard and How We Discuss Game Companies (By: GAMER_152)

Moderator Gamer_152 comments on the recent controversy surrounding Activision Blizzard, Inc., and how Activision-Blizzard's actions earlier this month were an unconscionable attack on democratic speech. Nonetheless, they discuss how the confusion about the problem prevents us from discussing it effectively.

Join The Discussion

The Outer Worlds Discussion Thread (By: SAVUTANO)

It's the big game release of the week, and everyone is talking about it, but what are your early impressions of The Outer Worlds? Does the game live up to the hype? Have you encountered any game breaking bugs?

Hottest Mess Waiting Room 2019 [UPDATED!] (By: DUDEGLOVE)

The community "Hottest Mess" prediction thread has been updated to include some "recent events." Check out the new nominees, and feel free to share what you think will take the award this year!

Trailer For The New Persona 5 Game On Switch/PS4 (By: GERRID)

A new trailer has hit for Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers! Share your impressions of what was shown, concerns about the game being a Switch title, and your level of hype for the game's release.

The Last of Us Part II - Delayed to May 29th (By: GLOTS)

What is YOUR reaction to the delay for The Last of Us Part II? Are there any games this year which scratch a similar itch? Feel free to speculate what may have caused this delay, with the rest of the Giant Bomb community

Would You Be Cool If Persona 6 Was "Just Another One Of Those?" (By: LIQUIDDRAGON)

Here's an interesting discussion topic for all of you Persona fans on the site. Would you be okay with Persona 6 if it was just another "Persona-ass-Persona-game?" Is drastic change part of the franchise's appeal? Vote and discuss your feelings about this topic!

Lonely Mountains: Downhill Discussion Thread (By: SKYLINE7284)

Have any of you played Lonely Mountains: Downhill? Some Giant Bomb users are calling it " Trials meets DiRT!" Join our discussion and share if this indie game has impressed you or not!

Star Citizen CitizenCon 2949 Discussion Thread (By: SPACEGG)

Calling all Star Citizen fans! Are you excited for CitizenCon 2949? Read up on the upcoming panels and talks, and feel free to share your excitement for the event using the link above!

Medievil Remaster/Remake (PS4) Discussion Thread (By: MATTGIERSONI)

The remaster for MediEvil came out last week and the game seems as hard as it was at the time of its original launch! Do you consider this to be a good or bad thing? Likewise, what do you make of the game's "updated" artstyle?

Lovable Lists

For One Reason Or Another.... (By: BIGMEANCHIEF)

There are a handful of games Giant Bomb user BIGMEANCHIEF gave up on at or near the final level. Read what they are and consider making your own list based on the same idea!

Useful User Reviews

• TACTICALGIRAFFE reviewed the first-person horror game from Rock Pocket Games, Moons of Madness, today! Give their review a read and discover why they think it's the best sci-fi horror game of the year!
• MRCASEYJONES played a decent amount of Dreams this month. So much so, they wrote a glowing review on why more people should play Dreams.
• DUDEWANTSHISRUG reviewed the Digital Ultimate Edition of Gears 5. Read their review if they recommend that version or the game at all.
• MORECOWBELL24 decided to play a "classic" game this week in Star Wars: Dark Forces, and uses their review to discuss why it is one of the better "Doom Clones" you can play.
• MOONLIGHTMOTH played Code Vein to completion and in their review, assess why they think the game quickly loses steam by hour six to seven.
• BIGMEANCHIEF finally got around to playing Ruiner from developer Reikon Games, Read their review to discover why they regret waiting this long to play the game!
• IMPULSE87 got their hands on the Gothic action-platformer, Blasphemous, and uses their review of the game to discuss why they think it is "on the verge of being a great game."
• RIOSTARWIND's review of The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince shares how it is a so-so puzzle game that ends up being a enjoyable ride thanks to the presentation & story.

This song is on like Donkey Kong!

Also, if you enjoyed this blog, then here's a podcast where I discuss Final Fantasy XII's final two acts and ending with @thatpinguino and @rorie!

Hello and welcome to another spooky edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight! Once again, I, ZombiePie, am honored to be your host this week as we look back on the best creative offerings from the Giant Bomb Community. It was a real interesting week this week. The Halloween theming continues with a new take on the Giant Bomb logo which you can learn more about down in the Galleria section of this Spotlight. Additionally, Giant Bomb's Extra Life effort continues stronger than ever! The team has gained even more team members at the total money raised continues to grow! However, with that out of the way, let's jump into the housekeeping!

• If you missed the pre-order for the Giant Bomb Skateboard Deck, a new batch are available in the store to purchase right now!
• Dan Auer recently took to Twitter to talk about some of the recent stresses they have experienced related working alongside Giant Bomb. Please, check out their Twitter thread and send them your best wishes and thanks for their hard work.
• Be careful about using side-aligned images! The formatting is wonky, especially if you attempt to add a caption to the image! That's why there are no side-aligned images on this edition of the Spotlight!
• Finally, don't forget about the two new shirts available to pre-order in the Giant Bomb Emporium!First we have the Giant Bomb Halloween 2019 T-Shirt design, and then the Giant Bomb Abby T-Shirt design! Pre-orders will close on October 31st, and the shirts should ship on November 14th.

Giant Bomb Galleria

Giant Bomb Spooky Logo +

New Quick Look Logo (By: DANAUER)

Giant Bomb/GameSpot design lead, Dan Auer, as tried their hand at making a "spooky" version of the Giant Bomb logo. Additionally, they have taken up the monumental task of designing a new Quick Look logo. Check them both out and feel free to use either of the above links to thank Dan for his hard work!

Jan Can Cook (By: @pancho4077)

Over on Twitter, pancho4077 joined the "Inktober" movement and had one of their sketches be a humorous take on Ben and Jan's cooking show.

(Feast) (By: jea_rum)

As they say, old habits die hard. After getting a designed approved as an official T-Shirt design, jea_rum continues their Giant Bomb x Junji Ito series with a crossover between the legendary mangaka and Dave Lang.

Tweets Of The Week

Clips Of The Week

Giant Bombcast Clips

Giant Beastcast Clips

Alright, so this might be one of the coolest news items this week that not a lot of people realized. There are now two OFFICIAL podcast clip accounts on YouTube. One for the Bombcast, and the other for the Beastcast. If you are looking to just enjoy a specific moment from a podcast, then feel free to subscribe to either account.

Giant Bomb Heavy Inc presents - Zealoid Prelate Assassination (By: RAPID)

Giant Bomb's community Warframe clan recently attempted the Zealoid Prelate Assassination mission during Nightwave season 2! Above you will find a link to the clan and below there's a video archive of the clan's fun time!

Best Of Blogs

Taking/Playing Control/The Game (By: MOOSEYMCMAN)

MooseyMcMan recently got around to playing Control and uses their latest blog to discuss why they think the game has some of the best tone and atmosphere they have seen in a while.

Mega Archive: Part XIII: From ToeJam & Earl to Marble Madness +

Indie Game of the Week 142: Hue (By: MENTO)

First, Mento's retrospective on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive continues! This week they look at the games that released on the console during Autumn of 1991, and there are some heavy hitters! Finally, Mento continues their "Indie Game of the Week" with a look at the colorful platformer, Hue! Read why they consider its game design "elegant professionalism!"

Rediscovering The Mysteries Beyond The Sea (By: NATEANDREWS)

nateandrews decided to go back and play the original Bioshock and write a blog about it. Here's a link to their post and find out why they think it's a masterclass in storytelling, level design, and gameplay.

Destiny 2 Information and Leveling Guide: Updated (By: HESTILLLIVES19)

Calling all Destiny 2 players! Our community General Information and Leveling Guide has been updated in lieu of the Shadowkeep DLC. Give it a read and learn how to become an expert at the game!

Join The Discussion

Disco Elysium Discussion Thread (By: SAHALARIOUS)

Disco Elysium seems to be a big talking point on the Giant Bomb forums and you can join the zeitgeist by clicking the link above and sharing your impressions of the game on our community discussion thread. Is the story-driven role-playing game worth the hype?

Humble Bundle Replaces Humble Monthly For Humble Choice (By: ACURA_MAX)

Humble Bundle is rebranding Humble Monthly and some subscribers seem to be upset. As it stands, the games you get from the service are no longer hidden, but the consequence is the service is more expensive. Feel free to share where you stand regarding the change!

Red Dead Redemption II PC Trailer Discussion Thread (By: RORIE)

A trailer for the PC port of Red Dead Redemption II recently hit the internet, and many users cannot stop talking about it! Feel free to join the internet scuttlebutt about the trailer by using the link above!

Indivisible's Platforming (By: MRANGRYFACE)

We currently have a community debate going on regarding Indivisible's platforming and if it adds or takes away from the game. If you love or hate the way the platforming controls, use the link to join the discussion!

What Stories or Moments to Finish Before GOTY Discussions? (By: DHUTCH)

This topic always seems to pop up when we get closer to the GOTY season. Nonetheless, it's still worth talking about because it seems like a handful of games get forgotten because people forget to play them to completion. So, which games do you think are the most critical to complete before settling on a GOTY list?

I Don't Get The Purpose Of Boss Run-Ups In Modern Games (By: HUMANITY)

Here's an interesting debate on the forums: Should modern-era Boss Rushes have checkpoints? Is forcing the player to start a boss rush from the beginning, following a death, a design choice from a bygone era?

Do You Keep Up With Games Before Their Release? (By: FINALDASA)

Here's an interesting poll that might hit home the changing landscape of video game journalism. Do you keep up with games before their release? How often do big games release and you didn't even know about it?

The Lengths One Goes To Play Their Favorite Video Game (By: BERFUNKLE)

What is the most extreme length you have gone to in order to play a video game? How long did you travel or how much did you pay? Feel free to share your stories, but, as you can see to the right, Giant Bomb user berfunkle might have everyone beat!

Concrete Genie Discussion Thread (By: GERRID)

Have any of you checked out Concrete Genie, the VR action/adventure game developed by Pixelopus for PS4? If so, feel free to share your impressions of the game with the rest of the community!

Your Favorite Overpowered Ability, Gear, Item, Weapon, Unit, Etc.? (By: LIQUIDDRAGON)

What's your favorite overpowered ability, gear, item, weapon, unit, etc.? Current community picks include the pistol in Halo: CE, the Calculator class in FF Tactics, and Half-Life 2's gravity gun.

Do You Consider Watching Game Playthroughs The Same As Beating The Game? (By: DEVISE22)

Do you consider watching a Let's Play or online play-through of a game the same as beating it? If you are going to argue "no" then why is it so common to watch a Let's Play series and then never play the game from the series?

Lovable Lists

Games That Use A "Gibberish" Language (By: ANDYSORYU)

Giant Bomb user AndySoryu is trying to create a complete list of "games that use a 'gibberish' language." Give it a read and see if you can think of any games they may have missed!

Games That Need To Happen! (By: ALFRED_VINCENT_SVENT)

Alfred_Vincent_Svent made a list of games they most want to see get the HD Remaster treatment. Give their list a read and think about making one of your own. Admittedly, their #1 pick might prove controversial.

Useful User Reviews

• MRGARCIA uses their review of Mother Russia Bleeds to share why they ended up enjoying the game despite its messy gameplay and overly violent nature.
• MRGARCIA also gave John Wick Hex a shot and shares their "mixed" opinions on why they think the game struggles to deliver on the silky-smooth action from the movies!