The Community Spotlight 2024.06.01

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!

Alright, last week I mentioned that I did not have an update about the improvements to the video player and this week I have some news. An attempt to update and "fix" the video player was made, but the fix revealed that the issue is more complicated than first thought. That said, Dylan/dtoast is set to have a meeting with the product manager for all of Fandom and promised that they would have an update by Monday.

Likewise, Dylan/dtoast confirmed to me that forum and search in general has been re-prioritized as a top priority. I don't have a perfect timetable for you about fixes to forum and site search, but someone will be looking at it after Summer Game Fest.

Speaking of which, it is FINAL CALL for you to buy your ticket to attend Giant Bomb's @ Nite 2024 in-person! Get them now and get them quick! What if I told you a one, Brad Shoemaker, was confirmed to be a guest?

Tamoor started a fundraiser for Medical Aid for Palestinians on Instagram. It is an organization Tam has partnered with in the past and they are doing important work, often putting themselves in harm’s way to help others. Donate if you can and in any amount that is not a financial burden to you.

Humorously, or maybe not, it sounds like Grubb actually destroyed his sinuses for your entertainment thanks in-part to Game Scent. This was the reason for the cancellation of Game Mess Mornings on Friday and his absence during UPF. Grubb was in chat during UPF and confirmed he had been diagnosed with a sinus infection.

Finally, I had a meeting with representatives from Fandom and they wanted me to present an idea to you all reading this. Fandom in general is interested in having content from the formerly CBS sites cross-posted or cross-linked on their network in order to drive traffic to sites like Giant Bomb. If you have any ideas or thoughts about what parts of the site you'd like to see get a fun nudge or extra spotlight, drop a comment. This is all in the early stages, which is the second time I have said that. So, sorry, but if you have any thoughts, feel free to share them!

Giant Bomb's Not-E3 2024 Information

E3 is dead and buried, but that doesn't mean that the ol' E3 Couch™ is also dead. In fact, this year Giant Bomb may have the most ambitious June streaming plans it has ever had, which you can learn all about here!

• 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. The chart has been updated to include a few new streams like Dames-4-Games's streaming showcase.
• Giant Bomb @ Nite LIVE! - A few hours after Xbox's presentation 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.
• Confirmed Guests Thus Far (MORE STILL COMING): Elyse Willems, Merry Kish, BRAD SHOEMAKER, Jason Schreier, Alanah Pearce, Parris Lilly, Patrick Klepek, and... Mike Minotti? Many more will be on the couch throughout the weekend.

Tweets

Video

Giant Bomb Lockdown: Video Simulator (By: Calum McCall)

To get everyone in the mood for Giant Bomb's onslaught of not E3 2024 coverage, here's a one hour loop of everyone's favorite wait song: Lockdown! Is this an illegal use of Lockdown? Sure. Why don't you lock me up and throw away the key?

Galleria

Grubb Vindicated (By: @airbagged)

What else needs to be said about the internet "tough guys" that thought they could doubt Grubb? This very funny work of photoshop by airbagged probably is all that does need to be said.

Sony State of Play x Giant Bomb @ Nite Banner (By: @kone)

Similar to the poster above, Kone worked their photoshop skills to modify Sony's banner for its State of Play streaming event to make it all about Giant Bomb's upcoming @ Nite panel!

Giant Bomb @ Nite GBA Promo Poster (By: @PurplesnickNick)

Over on Twitter/X, PurplesnickNick decided to test their graphic design chops while thinking about recent stuff about Giant Bomb. This promotional poster for Giant Bomb @ Nite 2024 was the result.

Mike Minotti x Marge Simpson (By: @ogto)

[groans]

Community Activities

Little Kitty, Big City Is The 11th Game Of UUGPGC Year 3! Finish By June 3. Mark All Spoilers! +

Unsanctioned Unofficial Game Pass Game Club Voting Thread For Cycle Starting June 3 2024 (By: @bigsocrates)

Little Kitty, Big City is the latest pick for the Giant Bomb Community Game Pass Game Club! Share your thoughts about the game and its adorable world and cast of characters in the first thread linked above.

Additionally, the Game Pass Game Club is taking votes for for its next game pick! The list of nominees is absolutely STACKED and remember, you can vote for two games that jump out to you as fun titles to play.

Blogs

What's the Greatest Video Game: No Straight Roads (By: @imunbeatable80)

No Straight Roads is the topic of imunbeatable80's latest "What's the Greatest Video Game" feature Did they have a blast with this music-based action-adventure title from Metronomik? Find out NOW!

May Mightiness +

Mento's Month: May '24 +

Indie Game of the Week 372: Pumpkin Jack (By: @mento)

The latest edition of mod Mento's "Indie Game of the Week" feature looks at Pumpkin Jack! Did this MediEvil meets Ghost Rider game do anything for them? Read their blog to find out!

What were some of moderator Mento's gaming highlights in May? Check out their latest blog to read all about their big and small gaming highs and why it took them until now to play Adr1ft or The Deadly Tower of Monsters!

Lastly, they summarize the blogging storm they went on last month with their "Mento's Month: May '24"

All PS1 Games In Order: Part 028 (By: BORGMASTER)

Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels, Gunship, SimCity 2000, and Bogey: Dead 6 are all the topics of borgmaster's latest tour through every game released on the PS1 in chronological NA release date order! Get nostalgic!

Rage Against The Beasts Part 1 or 2 Dinner Must Be Prepared! +

Rage Against The Beasts Part 2 or 2 Tech Warrior Ripley (By: @infantpipoc)

Ridley Scott's 1979 classic, Alien, and its sequel had an undeniable impact on sci-fi film, games, and media. infantpipoc looks at that influence from a worldwide perspective and tries to get to the bottom of what makes it so timeless.

Hey, Look, Diablo 4 Is Better Now (By: @atheistpreacher)

AtheistPreacher has been a fan and defender of Diablo IV and this week they published a written piece on why they think all of the changes that have been made to the game post-launch have massively improved the playing experience.

Chicory: A Colorful Tale Is A Unique Game With A Strong Focus On Message. It Ultimately Wasn't For Me, But That's Okay.

Voice Of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars Shows Why Square Enix Is Leaving The Small Game Business. (By: @bigsocrates)

bigsocrates finally got around to playing Chicory: A Colorful Tale and penned an essay about why while they respect the game's message, it just wasn't for them and that's okay!

Square Enix is in a weird spot, so bigsocrates checked out one of their smaller enterprises, Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars. Read why they think the Voice of Cards series might mark the end of their small game footprint.

Guard Duty: An Analysis of Half-Life: Blue Shift (By: @gamer_152)

Gamer_152 continues their retrospective on the original Half-Life with a deep look at Half-Life: Blue Shift. Why is this game viewed to be the lesser of the Gearbox games? Check out their latest blog to read what they think.

Overdue Thoughts On The Shenmue Saga (By: @mooseymcman)

MooseyMcMan takes a look back at the Shenmue franchise, where the story stands with the release of Shenmue III, and what they think of every single Shenmue game.

Discussion Threads

This Twitter Thread By A Former Square Enix Exec Is One Of The Best Explanations For AAA Woes I've Seen (By: @bigsocrates)

With Xbox Game Studios, Embracer Group, and Square Enix being the most prominent recent examples of AAA game development falling into a slight rut, what do you make of the struggles of AAA studios and game makers?

Microsoft Finally Pulls The Trigger: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Will Be On Game Pass Day One (By: @zombiepie)

Microsoft is bringing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to Xbox Game Pass on Day One! Is this the biggest gaming Hail Mary we have seen in years? Will this move the needle regarding Xbox's hardware fortunes?

It Looks Like New Emulated PS2 Classics Are Finally Coming To PS4/5 (By: @bigsocrates)

Sony's Days of Play celebration is bringing a handful of PS2 classics to the PS4 & PS5! Read the list of games that are coming and discuss if you think this is a sign Sony might actually care about their classic titles.

WB Reported Suicide Squad As A $200 Million Hit To Revenue; Latest Joker Season Hovers Below 1,000 Concurrent Players (By: @zombiepie)

WB Games cited Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League as a reason why it took a $200 million revenue hit and the latest episode of the Joker Season is hovering around ~500 concurrent players. How optimistic you are you about its future?

Why Are Most Generic Anime Arena Fighters Not As Fun As Power Stone 1/2? (By: @topcyclist)

Topcyclist replayed Power Stone 1 & 2 and had a blast, but it made them think. Why is it that Power Stone feels "timeless" but most anime arena fighters barely stay in the public consciousness for three months?

The Whole Dead Internet Thing Makes Virtual Places Where You Can Have Good Discussions (Like Here) Even More Valuable (By: @bigsocrates)

Hey, let's talk about threads, forums, and blogs in an age where it feels like they are going away. Are you still nostalgic about making a digital footprint on a website over things like Discord?

Lists

Forgotten PlayStation Characters That Should Be Astro Botted (By: @marino)

Astro's Playroom was the single greatest homage and tribute to long and storied history of PlayStation. With the announcement of Astro Bot, Marino decided to think about the more obscure PlayStation IPs whose characters deserve to be acknowledged.

2023 Game Of The Year (By: @csl316)

A few weeks back I mentioned that I am always happy to take GOTY lists for last year as long as you publish them on the site. csl316 is another who took me up on that offer with a belated, but still appreciated, GOTY 2023 list!

Reviews

@pauljeremiah's Deus Ex: Mankind Divided review assesses its merits as an improvement over Deus Ex: Human Revolution as well as a standalone game. Read why they think it MOSTLY succeeds on both fronts!

@pauljeremiah's Gone Home review looks at the well-loved indie game through a current day lens. Does the large multi-story house in the game still have all of its narrative weight?

Wiki Of The Week

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

With all of the buzz this week surrounding Microsoft's decision to announce Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 as a Game Pass Day One title, let's throw things back to a time when Call of Duty ruled the world. Modern Warfare 2 not only captured massive multiplayer communities but also those that enjoyed Infinity Ward's stellar production values and interest in telling single-player stories.