The Community Spotlight 2024.05.04

by Marino – Brad Lynch on May 4, 2024Who wore it better?

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 big site-related news and best community creations from the previous week.

Last week, many of you noticed that videos were not being uploaded to the site at all, and this week Jan finally announced that the problem had been fully resolved. General issues with the video player itself still stand and I completely understand those of you that feel burned out when told to follow the usual channels. Please do keep reporting your problems and I can say that the issue is not something that is being actively ignored. Our Fandom reps have been away recently as they just wrapped up their yearly Community Connect event.

Niki Grayson made a fun appearance on the 705th episode of The Game Informer Show! If you want to hear them talk about Funko Fusion, Hades II, Tales of Kenzara: Zau, AND MORE, then give it a listen when you have the chance!

Finally, I want to thank all of you for coming out to say how much you appreciate this feature. Don’t worry, The Community Spotlight is not going away, but sometimes it does feel good to see that it is getting out there and is an important part of your week. When I have more time, I hope to thank each of you that dropped a comment personally.

Giant Bomb’s NOT-E3 2024 InformationE3 2024 is dead and buried, but that doesn’t mean that Giant Bomb @ Nite is also dead. In fact, this year Giant Bomb may have the most ambitious E3/Not E3 plans it has ever had, which you can learn all about here!

GET EXCITED, IT’S A LOCKDOWN BABY! The Not-E3 2024 Time Zone Chart – Many thanks to @marino for once again making a handy timezone chart for all of the big conferences and streaming events during Not-E3 2024. If you would like to suggest an event not on the chart, drop a comment.Giant Bomb @ Nite LIVE! – Right after Summer Game Fest on Sunday June 9th at 8 PM (PDT), Giant Bomb will be doing GB@Nite live in-person at The Bellwether in Los Angeles. Regular tickets are $40.*Special Note For Premium Members! – For those of you with an active Premium Subscription, you have the option to get a “VIP Package.” The benefits of this package include being guaranteed to sit in the first three rows, early entry into the theater, and being able to watch an exclusive Q&A panel. To get the details on how to nab this premium package, head on over to the Giant Bomb Discord and find the “Q-and-A-Questions” section of the Premium field.TweetsEveryone is talking about meeting their “friends” at Summer Game Fest, and I’m out here excited to meet my nemesis. pic.twitter.com/nWdP12eDpp

— lex luddy (kiryu’s roommate) (@BasicalliLexi) April 28, 2024 ActivitiesUnsanctioned Unofficial Game Pass Game Club Voting Thread For Cycle Starting May 6 2024 (By: @bigsocrates)

The Giant Bomb Game Pass Game Club is taking another round of votes for their next pick! Will this be the week for Botany Manor or No More Heroes III? But the list of nominees has changed to include such wonderful titles like Bluey: The Videogame and My Friend Peppa Pig. Feel free to share your suggestions for future nominees!

VideoCrabmasterr LIVE at Thunder Arena – An Animated Giant Bomb Series – (Season 2 Episode 5 – FINALE) (By: Pickle Giraffe)

What lies beyond this door? Watch the video to find out!It is time for the GLORIOUS conclusion of season two of Pickle Giraffe’s Animated Giant Bomb series! If you have enjoyed their great work animating Dan’s follies with Superman 64, then consider clicking the link above and sending them a supportive comment. What will the future hold for Pickle Giraffe next? Only time will tell!

GalleriaUnfinished Giant Bomb Fanart

Blight Club End Stinger (By: @jearum)

Over on Twitter, Jearum shared that they were working on a piece of Giant Bomb fanart to coincide with PAX East and the staff falling in love with birding. They didn’t complete it, but it is still a fantastic work of art! Just look at how cool Bakalar looks!

Also, Jearum makes a good case on why Blight Club should have an ending stinger for every episode. As they suggest, it would do a lot to build up the mythos of the “Blight Club Cinematic Universe” that we are all invested in these days.

They’re The Same Picture – Jan Edition (By: @kone)

Once again, Jan brought attention to the idea that Paddington stole his style and drip, and it’s definitely not the other way around. Kone decided to “challenge” the Giant Bomb community to see if they can point out Jan in a lineup of similar looking suspects.

Grubb Hub (By: @brewpounder)

With the announcement that Giant Bomb will be in-person at the Bellwether in L.A. as part of its yearly Giant Bomb @ Nite streaming and content plans, some fans, like brewpounder on Twitter, decided to wonder how Giant Bomb would get “Rated R” this time.

BlogsThe Not-E3 2024 Time Zone Chart (By: @marino)

Important to note that this is a WORK IN PROGRESS! E3 is DEAD! All hail Not-E3 2024! Thanks to Marino, there’s a handy spreadsheet on Giant Bomb with all of the start times for the major NOT-E3 press conferences and game shows! He will be updating it as more are confirmed.

Source Material: Narrative and Level Design in Half-Life and Black Mesa (By: @gamer_152)

Moderator Gamer_152 has another wonderful write-up about Half-Life and Black Mesa, but when they say “Black Mesa” they are not just talking about the game. Read why they think there’s something “special” about the environment of Black Mesa Research Facility.

Indie Game of the Week 368: Pseudoregalia +

Mento’s Month: April ’24 (By: @mento)

N64 vibes without the pitfalls? SIGN ME UP!For their latest “Indie Game of the Week” feature, moderator Mento checked out Pseudoregalia by developer rittzler! Read why they think it pulls off evoking the golden age of Nintendo made N64 exploration platformers.

Furthermore, the start of a new month is here and to celebrate the occasion moderator Mento provides a fun review of the new and old games they played during the month of April! Read all about their gaming highs like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

What’s the Greatest Video Game: Lord Winklebottom Investigates (By: @imunbeatable80)

At this point, imunbeatable80 might have covered more point-and-click adventure games than me. It is time to return to the wonderful world of point-and-click adventure games for imunbeatable80’s latest “What’s the Greatest Video Game” feature with a write-up about Lord Winklebottom Investigates!

I Hoped Tales Of Kenzera: Zau Would Be Special. Instead It Was Decent, But Flawed.+

It Doesn’t Feel Good To Be Real Life Cheated, Nickeled, And Dimed In Your Virtual Fantasy Worlds. (By: @bigsocrates)

How are you feeling about Tales of Kenzera Zau? Like many, bigsocrates went into Tales of Kenzera Zau with high expectations. Read on their blog/review of the game why the game met and exceeded their narrative expectations but not their mechanical and gameplay ones.

Consequently, bigsocrates uses the current controversy regarding Helldivers II to discuss why it feels like bigger video game companies are trying to squeeze pennies out of players in virtual worlds these days.

The Dark Pictures Anthology – Little Hope (By: @monkeyking1969)

After falling off of the The Dark Pictures Anthology series and Supermassive Games’ stuff in general, monkeyking1969 gave The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope a shot and shares on their latest blog how it went. Has the game aged well? Read to find out!

Discussion ThreadsAs Of May 6 Helldivers II Will Require A PSN Account To Play For New Players. Current Ones Have Until June 4. (By: @bigsocrates)

So… this seems like a mess. Hottest mess of the year worthy? The recent news regarding Helldivers II’s PSN-PC accounting linking sure has people furious. What do you make of the news? How much sympathy do you feel for the developers? Join the conversation and share if you think it is as big a deal as some are making it out to be.

To Everyone’s Shock, Ubisoft Announces That XDefiant IS NOT DEAD And Instead Will Launch On May 21st (By: @zombiepie)

After being radio silent about the game for what felt like years, Ubisoft finally announced a release date for XDefiant and it’s only about two weeks from now! Do you plan to play the game? Does it even have a chance in this market?

It Looks Like Take Two Is “Restructuring” Private Division (By: @bigsocrates)

BRING BACK THE ORIGINAL HASBRO INTERACTIVE LOGO, YOU COWARDS! Take Two announced this week that they were shutting down Rollerdrome and OlliOlli developer, Roll7 and Kerbal Space Program developer, Intercept Games, as well as “restructuring” Private Division.

Citing The Surprise Success Of Baldur’s Gate 3, Hasbro Is Spending $1 Billion To Re-Enter Games Industry (By: @zombiepie)

Citing the surprise success of Baldur’s Gate 3, Hasbro is getting back into the video game industry and they are spending about $1 billion to make it happen! Does it make sense given the state of the industry?

How Do We Feel About Splitting Up TV Seasons Into Parts? (By: @spacemanspiff00)

Here’s a fun non-gaming discussion on the forums! What are your thoughts about many modern TV shows splitting seasons into two or more parts? Did you mind it with Game of Thrones or Attack on Titan? Share your thoughts!

Limited Run Games Accused Of Sending Out 3DO Games On CD-Rs That Not All 3DOs Can Read (By: @bigsocrates)

The 3DO being in the news was not on my 2024 bingo card. People are talking about the 3DO in the year of our Lord, 2024. Have you been following the controversy about Limited Run Games and the 3DO games they have sent out to customers? Get a news summary in the thread linked above.

Is “Winning The Fight But Then Losing In A Cutscene” The Worst Trope In Gaming History? (By: @sombre)

Does it bug you when you win a boss fight in a game and the cutscene immediately has your character lose the encounter when you don’t have control? Can you think of specific examples that are positive or negative?

Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact Trailer And Reaction Thread (By: @gtxforza)

A new Hunter x Hunter game is coming and it is NOT 3D arena fighter! However, a lot of people feel iffy about the graphics in the trailer. What’s your reaction to Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact?

ReviewsRead why infantpipoc thinks Astral Chain doesn’t live up to its potential. @infantpipoc’s Astral Chain review assesses the Switch version of the game and relays why they can’t help but feel unsatisfied with the game, its story, and promise of being a PlatinumGames joint supervised by Kamiya.

Wiki Of The WeekOrdering Food

/pizzaAs the game and the company that supports it faces growing scrutiny, Roblox has decided its best course of action is to allow players to buy physical goods from Walmart while in-game. This led to Marino immediately updating one of Giant Bomb’s greatest wiki concept pages: Ordering Food! Learn which games have Roblox beat in the regard of ordering stuff while playing.