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. Now this week, June 4th to be exact, marked what should have been Ryan Davis’s birthday. While Ryan is no longer with us, his impact on the culture and community of Giant Bomb cannot be expressed in words. For many of us not a day goes by where we do not miss the always preeminent Ryan, but we are here together because of his contributions and legacy. With this bit of downer news aside let’s review the bits of housekeeping worth mentioning.
- With E3 2016 just around the corner here’s your friendly reminder that our 8th Annual E3 Banner Contest has started!
- Kinda Funny Games recently had Jeff as a guest on their show! Topics covered included everyone’s excitement for E3 as well as the status of the games press and the origins of Giant Bomb.
- Some users have reported that recent forum activity on the main page has not been updating consistently. If you have noticed this issue please report it on our Bug Reporting thread about the issue.
Clip(s) of the Week
The Giant Bombcast Animated (Kinda) (By: @samcb)
Samcb animated the Bombcast conversation about terrible video game advertisements! The end product is hilarious and he is interested in receiving advice from all of you on how to make his animated videos better!
Best of Giant Bomb’s Persona 4 Endurance Run–08 (Parts 088 to 094) (By: @clagnaught)
Clagnaught’s latest compilation video of the best moments from Giant Bomb’s Persona 4 Endurance Run is up and available for your visual enjoyment!
Giant Bomb HD Remix – Endurance Run: Persona 4 – Part 11 & Giant Bomb Abridged – Extra Life 2015: Best of The West (By: @stordoff)
Part eleven of stordoff’s efforts to create an HD video version of the Persona 4 Endurance Run continues! stordoff also compiled the best and funniest moments from the Western portion of Giant Bomb during Extra Life.
Giant Bomb Galleria
BANNER –Beautiful Jeff Gerstmann (By: @lokilaufey)
lokilaufey created this work of art titled “Beautiful Jeff Gerstmann.” I think that we can all agree that the flowers are a nice touch.
Jeff Sketches (By: grittysugar)
grittysugar on Tumblr created these cool sketches of Jeff that are worth checking out!
Community Activities
Pocket Card Jockey Horse Sharing Thread! (By: @bisonhero)
We now have a community Pocket Card Jockey horse sharing thread! Feel free to post your ponies over here!
Best of Blogs
My History with Forza (inc F6:Apex Review) (By: @shivoa)
Shivoa shares his long lasting relationship with the Forza Motorsport franchise on his EXHAUSTIVE retrospective on the series which chronicles the smooth and bumpy moments of the franchise.
I Suck At Fighting Games: Combo Breaker 2016 (By: @perfidioussinn)
PerfidiousSinn placed top eight at Combo Breaker 2016! Read all about it on his blog detailing his experience at the event, as well as his monumental accomplishment!
Sunset Overdrive and Short-Time Gaming & An Interview with DOOM (By: @darth_navster)
Darth_Navster extrapolates how Sunset Overdrive is a perfect example of “short term gaming” done right, and what that term means to him, on his latest blog. Darth_Navster also had the pleasure of “interviewing” Doom (2016) in person…please enjoy the hilarity of this bit of journalistic “role-playing.”
Critiquing Fun & Sunday Summaries 05/29/2016 & May Mastery Days 28-31 (By: @mento)
Mento published a myriad of blogs this week and they are all worth checking out. The first is a response to a handful of comments from freelance writer Jonathan McIntosh pertaining to games criticism. The second one summarizes the various games that Mento played last week as well as his wonderful activities that he engaged in on our wiki. The last features a round-up of his final entries in the May Mastery series, which include impressions of Super Motherload, The Marvellous Miss Take, and Ys: The Oath in Felghana.
A Personal Video Game (Giant Bomb?!) Retrospective (1986-2015) 2009 (By: @riostarwind)
RioStarwind continues his journey to play every physical game that he owns! The year that he targeted this week was 2009, and you should read all about his nostalgic quest!
Laying Thine Souls To Rest (By: @majormitch)
MajorMitch discusses why Dark Souls III needs to remain the conclusion to the franchise that From Software originally envisioned on this write-up on the game.
Fighting Final Fantasy VII – Parts 34-64: Chocobos and Insanity…Make It All Stop! (By: @zombiepie)
Here’s a 28 page essay on the final half of the first disc of Final Fantasy VII by a CRAZY PERSON! I don’t recommend that you actually read it because that would mean that you would be supporting the author’s slow descent into madness. Who do you think you are, Alejandro Jodorowsky?
You, Me, and CRPG (Part 1: Introduction and Baldur’s Gate) (By: @arbitrarywater)
ArbitraryWater is starting a new blog series which is all about classic CRPGs! The first entry in this series is all about the original Baldur’s Gate, and examines why it is so highly venerated by fans of the genre.
Persona 5 Launches 2016-September-15 In Japan (By: @stordoff)
stordoff compiled all of the different versions of Persona 5 that Atlus plans on releasing on a single blog for you to examine and mull over.
Join the Discussion
The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine Discussion (By: @busto1299)
Feel free to join our community discussion related to the Blood and Wine DLC for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and share if you feel that it concluded the franchise on the right foot!
Does Overwatch Make Anyone Else Really Angry? (By: @acidbrandon18)
Does playing Overwatch make you angry sometimes? Share the moments in recent memory that have caused your blood to boil while playing the game.
Total War: Warhammer Tactics Discussion Thread (By: @plasmaduck)
What tactics and strategies have you been employing in Total War: Warhammer? Share how you guaranteed your quest for world domination over here.
Do You Think The Doom Guy Is Character Of The Year Material? (By: @chocobodude3)
Is the Doomguy in Doom (2016) a “character” worth praising? Join our community debate on the matter on this discussion thread.
Can Overwatch And Doom “Fix” The Shooter Genre? (By: @baofu)
Are Overwatch and Doom viable solutions to the general malaise that many people have regarding the shooting genre? Are there any possible solutions for this shooter apathy? Share your thoughts over here whichever way you fall on the debate.
The Tomorrow Children Beta Discussion Thread (By: @gratefuldead207)
Join the community discussion regarding the The Tomorrow Children beta over here if you were able to get in it.
Useful User Reviews
- @stordoff comments on why he found Cibele to be a deeply personal story, but a flawed game experience on his review.
- @infinitespark reviews why the PS4 version of The Last Blade 2 is a shameful port that should be avoided at all cost.
- @vert_vermillion extrapolates why Nights of Azure is an exercise in mediocrity on his review for the game.
- @bassman2112 reviewed Pony Island and shares why it is a fun romp that he strongly recommends for anyone seeking a good laugh in their lives.
- @bassman2112 took the time to write down why 100% Orange Juice is a small game that is worth your time on this belated review.
Lovable Lists
Top 10 Best Uncharted Characters Of All Time, Ranked (By: @audiobusting)
I promise that you will get a good solid laugh when you read over audioBusting’s ranked list of “Best Uncharted Characters.”
Persona 4’s Teddie “Un-bear-able” Game Title Puns (By: @monkeyking1969)
Which games feature the absolute worst puns in their title? MonkeyKing1969 believes he’s located the twelve worst examples on this list.
Lost In Translation, Headcanon And The Western Japanese Game Fan (By: @slag)
Slag used this list to annotate the number of times where his perception of video game characters was shattered when further information was provided about the character.
Died in Disgrace (By: @shroudofsorrow)
shroudofsorrow is working on a list of villains that have “Died in Disgrace!” Help him out with more examples
Games I Can Play Once We’ve Shipped 100ft Robot Golf (By: @deliciousbees)
It appears that deliciousbees (a.k.a. Dan Teasdale) created a list on the site titled “Games I Can Play Once We’ve Shipped 100ft Robot Golf.” Oh schadenfreude, you are one of my most favorite human feelings in all existence.
Waiting for Translation – 3DS (By: @ladyhobbit)
There are a smattering of games on the Nintendo 3DS that LadyHobbit would love to play, but unfortunately have yet to be localized into English. Here’s a list of the most notable games that fit that criteria.
Wonderful Wikis
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst
The second major release in the Mirror’s Edge franchise is the big release that everyone is anticipating for this week. Learn more about the game’s troubled development on our wiki page for it.
Cat Girl Without Salad
This is the “surprise” of the week. Never in a hundred years would I have predicted that a game with the words “Cat Girl” and “Salad” would possibly feature a wiki page with over 400 points on it! Many thanks to @riostarwind for making that happen this week!
