The Community Spotlight 2024.10.19

Giant Bomb News 3 Comments

by Marino – Brad Lynch on October 19, 2024Much to think about.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight! As always, I (@zombiepie) am glad to be your host this week as we look back at the site-related news and best of the community’s creations!

By DigitalLogJamWell, I wonder if you like hotdogs as much as Jan does! If you enjoyed this week’s hilarious coverage of Super Mario Party Jamboree, then we have some great news for you! Similar to what the site did with Metal Gear Scanlon a while back, a playlist with every episode of Mario Party Party (including the spinoffs, you Fusion Frenzy Frenzy fans) all in one video is now available to watch on YouTube! Shawn opted NOT to do a supercut because that would likely have caused his computer to explode.

Speaking of Super Mario Party Jamboree, Dan ended up doing GameSpot’s review for the game. You can read why he was somewhat disappointed with the game by giving that a read. Fun fact, a few of Nintendo’s most ardent defenders have accused Dan of not being a true Mario Party fan.

Finally, there’s the news about what’s happening with X/Twitter to discuss. For those unaware, Musk is changing the social media platform’s TOS to require all lawsuits against it be sent to a judge that has shares in Tesla and seems to side with them in rulings. He’s also changing the Block feature by allowing blocked users to see posts of people who have blocked them even if they cannot interact with them. Additionally, X is mandating that all posts including artwork are to be used in their AI program, Grok. Obviously, this has led many to leave the platform and for Giant Bomb and I to reconsider their reliance on X. Nonetheless, while both still use the platform now seems like a great opportunity to remind you of the alternatives that are on the table.

Giant Bomb

BlueskyMastodonTikTokInstagramThreadsDan

ThreadsBlueskyInstagramJan

ThreadsBlueskyInstagramJeff Bakalar

BlueskyInstagramThreadsJeff Grubb

BlueskyCommunity Accounts/Me

BlueskyExtra Life 2024It’s time to do some good for the kids! So, we are indeed nearing the start of Extra Life 2024! Giant Bomb’s plans are still in the works, but that doesn’t change the fact that there will be staff AND community members streaming on Game Day to raise money for charity! Also, Game Day will be November 2nd this year. Currently, Dan is already hinting about hosting another fun event at his place and Matt Rorie is planning to stream as well!

For now, please consider joining the group even if all you can spare are a few hours of your time. Likewise, if you enjoy this Spotlight feature, consider donating to my 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!Dan Ryckert Donation Page – Donation Goal of $5,000!ZombiePie’s Donation Page – Donation Goal of $1,000!TweetsGalleryHotdog Jan (By: Pickle Giraffe)

Some things happened this week involving the Giant Bomb staff and Super Mario Party Jamboree. One of those things involves Jan consuming an inordinate amount of hotdogs and beer. So, as Pickle_Giraffe imagines below, what if Jan became a hotdog?

Mike Pondering A Fire (By: @DigitalLogjam)

Mike’s brother A.J., whom many of you became familiar with during the Astro Bot Invitational this week, took a photo of Mike in front of a fire pondering things deeply. Digital Logjam and other had some fun with that and if you think you can as well, feel free to showcase your photoshop skills!

VideosBest Of Giant Bomb 212.5 – Fan-made Series Of Mid To Late-2021 Highlights (By: @gbgapbridger)

It’s time to get excited about compilation videos again! Like many, gbgapbridger has been enjoying Giant Bomb as of late. They decided to take a note from the “Best of Giant Bomb” videos from yesteryear by TurboMan/Derek Stone and Sebmal to show off what they think are the best moments of this recent deluge of Giant Bomb hilarity.

ActivitiesAstro Bot Speedrun Friends – Leaderboard Thread (By: @chiefbeef123)

No shade at getting second. 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!

Unsanctioned Unofficial Game Pass Game Club Voting Thread For Cycle Starting October 21 2024 +

Evil West Is The 21st Game Of UUGPGC Year 3! Finish By October 21! (By: @bigsocrates)

The next round of voting for the Game Pass Game Club is up and there are some heavy-hitters this time! Anyone up for some Resident Evil 2 (2019) action during the leadup to Halloween?

Also, don’t forget that the current game pick is Evil West! If any of you have played this game or are planning to play it this month, consider dropping by the Game Pass Game Club’s thread to share your thoughts about it!

BlogsWhat’s the Greatest Video Game: Power Wash Simulator (By: @imunbeatable80)

Do you find this game annoying or relaxing? For this edition of “What’s the Greatest Video Game,” imunbeatable80 decided to check out the always viral PowerWash Simulator! Is there more to this game than the memes? Read their blog to find out where they stand!

Rome in a Day: Civilization VI and the One More Turn Effect (By: @gamer_152)

Let’s talk about the victory conditions in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI on moderator Gamer_152 ‘s latest blog and how different victory conditions play into short and long term thinking. Read all about their core thesis and other surrounding points about this topic.

Anyway, Here’s WonderSwan (Part Nine) +

Indie Game of the Week 392: Arietta of Spirits (By: @mento)

Final Fantasy appreciation is always welcomed here. Mento has a new entry of their retrospective on the WonderSwan for your reading pleasure! What are the WonderSwan ports of Final Fantasy IV, Puzzle Bobble, or Mr. Driller like? Read about it!

Likewise, Mento has another edition of their “Indie Game of the Week” feature and this one is all about Arietta of Spirits! Did they enjoy this Zelda-like indie title, especially after having played so many good ones for this very feature? Read to find out!

Discussion ThreadsWhat’s The Worst Version/Port Of A Great Game You’ve Played? (By: @fallen189)

Any thoughts about this series? Ports. They have a mixed track record to say the least. However, we have all had positive and negative run-ins with them and this thread asks that you think about the worst ports of great games or games you love. Can you think of any bad ports that felt like betrayals?

Which Far Cry Do You Like The Most? (By: @topcyclist)

The series is in a weird spot and so is Ubisoft. What is your favorite Far Cry game? Where do you stand in the Vaas Montenegro vs Pagan Min debate? When do you think the series “peaked” and which mechanics from the past do you miss?

Hades II Olympic Update Discussion Thread (By: @atheistpreacher)

Hades II recently got its Olympic update! Have any of you checked it out and if so what do you think? Anything you still want to see changed about the game before its full release? Are there any of you like me that are still avoiding playing the Early Access version and are waiting for the full release?

What Are The Top iPad Games These Days? (By: @fallen189)

Having fun returning to Hades II? What’s the state of gaming on the iPad these days? Do any of you have experience with Apple Arcade and if so is it any good? Share your thoughts about iPad gaming in the thread linked above!

Thoughts On Dredge? How About Its DLC? (By: @skuski)

Dredge has been out for about a year and it is still getting updates and new content. Have you checked out any of the game’s DLC? Are any of the post-release DLCs worth buying? If you ask me, all of the post-release DLC should be avoided like the plague.

What Is The Game You Played The Most On Steam This Year? (By: @xiaojay)

Or do you think I’m wrong about Dredge’s DLC? It sure seems like a good amount of the biggest titles from 2024 were giant time sinks. So, which of those games was your most played title on Steam? What were your most played games on Game Pass or PlayStation? Was it Balatro, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, or something else?

The Ferrari F80 (LaFerrari’s successor) Is Revealed! (By: @gtxforza)

New cars be dropping. What do you think of these new car drops?

ListsFavorite Metroidvania Games (By: @pndadoko26)

Castlevania is one way to get into the spirit of Halloween. Metroidvanias sure are plugging along these days, but what are the best ones for you? How does the indie revivalist movement with the genre compare to the titans of the past? That’s what pndadoko26 tried to balance with their list and you should see how thing work out on yours!

Top 10 Fighting Games (By: @kamikaiz3)

Kamikaiz3 has been loving the last handful of years with fighting games but they still enjoy the classics. As such, it was tough trying to find a balance between nostalgia and appreciating modern innovations on their list of their ten favorite fighting games.

ReviewsIt was a strong week for Castlevanias this week on the Spotlight. @ford_dent’s review of Silent Hill 2 (2024) shares why they still think the game is “unnecessary,” and that the original game doesn’t need a remake even if this title is ultimately a good game overall from Bloober.@pauljeremiah finally got around to playing Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and uses their latest review to share why they think it is a masterful revival of Castlevania, despite a few gameplay and technical hiccups here and there.Wiki Of The WeekHalloween

Let’s help the wiki better get spooky before the start of Halloween! This is another call to action Wiki of the Week entry. Our current Halloween page only has 60 games that have depicted Halloween or had Halloween events in them attached to it when I think we all know there are more than that in the history of video games. So, give the page a gander and see if you can think of games its lacking. Also, more recent examples on the page would be appreciated!