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 site-related news and best community creations from the previous week!
Obviously, this is the Spotlight that airs the weekend before the deluge of staff and community streams for Extra Life! Shortly, you'll be able to enjoy hundreds of streaming hours of endless hilarity, which are being done to raise money towards Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Down below, you'll find several handy links for those that want to know the site's plans as well as ways in which you can tune in or even stream alongside the Giant Bomb Staff!
Now onto the other news! If you noticed that the latest Premium Bombcast feed wasn't up alongside the ad-driven one, the issue has been fixed. The good news there is that TurboShawn now has a protocol or procedure addressing this issue that generally can resolve this problem in about a day or less.
Likewise, if you noticed that responses to your bug reports or tickets was slow for this month, it's because DToast, the person in charge of community relations and safety, was getting married and enjoying their honeymoon! They are back, but if you can, feel free to send him your regards when you can!
Extra Life 2024
Extra Life 2024 is LESS THAN ONE WEEK AWAY! With that date looming, we finally have detailed plans on what the Giant Bomb staff hope to stream and do during Extra Life's Game Day, which is set for Saturday, November 2nd. Dan will be hosting a whole assortment of games and guests at his house like last year with Mike, Grubb, and Shawn all confirmed to be appearing during his event.
Jan on the other hand... I'm worried about him. Jan is going to be streaming The Quiet Man for 12 hours! To make matters worse, he's added a few gimmicks that might cause him further misery. For one thing, he is going to be playing the game in silence and will be forced to reset every time he (or anything) breaks a certain decibel level. Second, every donation over $69 will force him to reset his progress as well. Will there be other shenanigans? Oh, you bet!
Additionally, there's a sign-up sheet for those of you that are a part of the team and want a guaranteed slot to be in the Giant Bomb site chat alongside the staff streams!
Please consider joining the group even if all you can spare are a few hours of your time. Also, if you enjoy this Spotlight feature, consider donating to my personal Extra Life page which is linked below.
- Giant Bomb Extra Life Team Page - Please join NOW! Even if you can't stream on the main Game Day, your membership and participation is greatly appreciated.
- Giant Bomb's Individual Donation Page - Donate here when Giant Bomb hosts its own streaming content for Extra Life!
- Giant Bomb Extra Life Community Stream Registration 2024 - If you plan to stream and be a part of the Giant Bomb team, click this link and fill out this form. Try to complete it by October 30th at the latest.
- Dan Ryckert Donation Page - Donation Goal of $5,000!
- ZombiePie's Donation Page - Donation Goal of $1,000!
Tweets
The “Ride to Hell: Retribution” Quick Look is Greatest Giant Bomb Quick Look of All Time https://t.co/DWIZmLSN8T pic.twitter.com/7pktlkamR4
— kate bush's husband (@airbagged) October 25, 2024
This week's meeting started with a jantervention about my Extra Life plans with Dan yelling,
— Jan Ochoa (@_janjerome) October 23, 2024
"HE'S GOING TO SAVE LIVES THANKS TO THE QUIET MAN" pic.twitter.com/z2HOZYEWGV
— Good Faces (@good_faces_bot) October 22, 2024
If you see me at EGX/Comic-Con today say hi.
— lex luddy (kiryu's roommate) (@BasicalliLexi) October 26, 2024
I will mainly be hiding out in the press office for my own sanity but if you catch a glimpse of a Giant Bomb hat ask me, "What's a Metaphor." https://t.co/EtAsEJuQul pic.twitter.com/CWDDq3Bfm9
— 🎃Creakylegs.bsky.social🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 (@CreakyLegs) October 22, 2024
Gallery
Nobody Wins Jan Racoon (By: redicnomad.bsky.social)
So... Jan has eaten quite a few hotdogs. Like... a lot, and it seems like he's absolutely committed to continuing this glizzy guzzling routine until something changes.
Blight Island: The Rise of Lucy! +
"Mike Beating Dan at Atrobot" c.2024 +
"Jan Devouring his Glizzy" c.2024 (By: @jearum)
Well... it was a busy week for jearum to say the least! Not only did they make a modified version of their blight Club Superfriends banner now with Lucy dressed as Donkey Kong, but they also did an artistic series for those of you that want to see Giant Bomb be mixed with a little history. Definitely check out their AMAZING works in which they re-envision Giant Bomb staff into classical or even medieval portraits.
Videos
ABILITEASE CHIMPANZEES - (Season 5 PREMIERE) - An Animated Giant Bomb Blight Club Series (By: @Pickle_Giraffe)
Pickle_Giraffe is back with another animated recollection of last week's Blight Club and in this case, it involves Lucy's continual adventures struggling with Skull Island: Rise of Kong! If you're like me and you need a pick me up, this is perfect!
Activities
Resident Evil 2 REmake Is The 22nd Game Of UUGPGC Year 3! Finish By November 4! Mark Spoilers +
Evil West Is The 21st Game Of UUGPGC Year 3! Finish By October 21! SPOILERS OPEN (By: @bigsocrates)
Resident Evil 2 REmake is the next pick for the Giant Bomb Game Pass Game Club! Whether you are new to the game or put it on your GOTY list back in 2019, click the link below to join the fun and discuss if this stands as the best RE game!
Also, the previous Game Pass Game Club pick, Evil West, has opened its discussion for spoilers! What did you think of the game's final act and ending? Do you have any hopes for its dev team in the future? What are the niggling issues that still held the game back? Share away when you can!
Astro Bot Speedrun Friends - Leaderboard Thread (By: @chiefbeef123)
Thanks to Jeff Grubb and company, we now have a new Astro Bot leaderboard thread! If you want compete against others for leaderboard times on the free Astro Bot DLC speedrun levels, post your PSN and/or profile QR code here!
Blogs
PlayStation Pastime 002: Baroque, Incredible Crisis, King's Field (US), King's Field II (US), Wipeout 2097 (By: @amlabella)
amlabella recently returned to blogging and they want to welcome you to a discussion on the PS1 games they have played recently! For any retro gamers that are itching to talk about Baroque or King's Field, this is for you!
Indie Game of the Week 393: Shantae and the Seven Sirens (By: @mento)
Moderator Mento has a new edition of their "64 in 64" series and this one looks at Killer Instinct Gold and Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside! How did either game shape up and feel in slightly over sixty minutes? Read to find out
Jason Rubin Wanted Games To Be More Like Hollywood. The Opposite Has Happened. (By: @long21)
20 years ago Jason Rubin made a speech about wanting to see improvement in the treatment of developers in the industry at D.I.C.E. The community is re-watching that speech and discussing why progress is still so far away.
Discussion Threads
It's Been 1 Year Since Microsoft Completed Its Purchase of Activision; CEO Nadella Just Took A $30 Million Pay Raise (By: @zombiepie)
it's wild to consider, but it has been 12 months since Microsoft spent almost $70 billion to buy Activision Blizzard, Inc.. When you look at how things stand today, it's hard not to get pessimistic about the topic. On top of that, Microsoft's CEO just got a $30 million pay raise. Welcome to 2024; can I take your order?
Idle Game Recommendations Wanted (By: @tsuyuri57)
What is the state of idle games in 2024? Are new idle games still being made that interest you or are things slowing down? Is an idle game in your rotation right now?
Despite Making A Good Game, The Lost Crown Team Has Been Reportedly Disbanded; Ubisoft Facing Striking Workers (By: @zombiepie)
It has now been confirmed that the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team has been "disbanded" and all employees have been relocated to other divisions at Ubisoft. Get a summary of what has been said and share how you feel about it and the state of Ubisoft.
What Matters To You More In A Game: Gameplay, Story, Length, Etc.? (By: @topcyclist)
Over time, how have your gaming preferences shifted along the gameplay, story, and length continuum? What other game design aspects have become important to you that weren't when you were younger?
My Interpretation Of "Why Does A Wolf Have 24 Copper And An Axe" (By: @fallen189)
How do you interpret animals dropping loot that seems illogical these days? Would you rather loot drops be realistic, or is it something you accept as a gameplay necessity? When a dire wolf drops an axe, do you flinch?
[Editor's Note from Marino: We have a wiki page for this. - Inappropriate Loot]
Best Fighting Game Opening Theme In Your Opinion? (As Of October 25th, 2024) (By: @gtxforza)
Fighting games hare standing strong with the rise of Street Fighter 6 and the continual dominance of Guilty Gear -Strive-, and with that has come more great fighting game music! However what is your favorite fighting game opening?
Lists
Cancelled Games That Looked Interesting +
Need To Be English Patched (By: @thecollectorx)
thecollectorx recently whipped up TWO lists with one about the cancelled video games they still wished came out and the other being about games they desperately wish got an official English translation. Give either a read and feel free to make your own lists about similar topics or themes!
Reviews
@sbc515 decided to check out Tom Clancy's EndWar, as part of an effort to recall a time when not all Tom Clancy games were season-based online multiplayer shooters, however as they share in their review, maybe it's good that stopped.
Wiki Of The Week
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
Dumb title be damned, with Lucy absolutely miserable playing Skull Island: Rise of Kong, let's look back at a good game that used the King Kong IP. I would even argue this game is more enjoyable and better than the movie it is based on, but that's because I think Peter Jackson's King Kong is a bloated and overrated mess of a film. Nonetheless, Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie is an absolute BANGER with fun survival crafting mechanics combined with moody and atmospheric levels. Check out our wiki page for the game to get a better sense of why this movie tie-in is so well-liked!