The Community Spotlight 2025.03.22

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 last week.After a slight delay, there's finally a thread up with all of the information about Giant Bomb's current streaming schedule, which is known as the "Power Block". If you have any thoughts or concerns about the current programming, feel free to drop a comment and I will try to send your feedback to the appropriate channels.Also, the complete uninterrupted VODs for the POW Block streams are going to be coming out a lot more reliably in the future, but there is a special note about the Friday show. As the staff often leave at the end of streaming duties to start their weekend, the Friday show usually goes up on Monday. Nonetheless, here's what I think is everything that aired on Giant Bomb and GameSpot this week in one handy list:Weekly List of Programming & StreamsMetroid Prime 4 Could Potentially Have a Large Presence at Switch 2 DirectAll of Pangea Software's Games | GB KidzViva Pinata, Star of Providence, and Glover | Ryckert's RouletteAssassin's Creed Shadows Impressions | Giant Bombcast 882: Wu-Tong GroupAssassin's Creed Shadows | Giant Bomb PlaysIndustry-Wide Union Launched by Game DevelopersE.T. (Atari 2600) | Blightning Round33 Immortals | Giant Bomb PlaysMicrosoft Is Committed To More Xbox TV Shows And Movies | GameBreaking News 03/20/25Voicemail Dump Truck 153 | Funeral Merch.mp3FBC: Firebreak Launching this Summer | GameBreaking News 03/21/25POWER BLOCK 3/17/25 | GameBreaking News, GB Kidz, VIVA PINATA Ryckert's Roulette - COMPLETE POW BLOCK VODPOWER BLOCK 3/18/25 | Giant Bombcast, Assassin's Creed Shadows GAMEPLAY - COMPLETE POW BLOCK VODPOWER BLOCK 3/19/25 | GameBreaking News, 33 Immortals, Blightning Round: E.T. - COMPLETE POW BLOCK VODPOWER BLOCK 3/20/25 | Half-Life 2 RTX, Assassin's Creed Shadows & Xenoblade Chronicles X Reviews - COMPLETE POW BLOCK VODGameSpot - Our Assassin's Creed Shadows Conspiracy Theory | GameSpot After Dark #262GameSpot - Assassin's Creed Shadows & Xenoblade Chronicles X | The GameSpot ShowGameSpot - Why Xenoblade Chronicles X Is ImportantGameSpot - Why We Gave Assassin's Creed Shadows An 8GameSpot - How STALKER 2 survived a warIn terms of other site-related news, this week marks the official start of activities for The Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run, the spring-time community-led charity fundraiser! If any of you are available to stream from April the 4th through Sunday April 6th, please consider joining the GBCER team! We are desperately looking for a few more warm bodies and welcome anyone that is streaming during that weekend, even if it is just a few hours, to join the group and help us raise money towards charity. The charity this year is for Pencils of Promise, an educational charity that builds schools, trains teachers, and develops clean water sources in Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos!GBCER Team Page - Please Join If You Are Streaming from April the 4th to the 6th!Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run Announcement Thread - get the details and a handy schedule of the event's streaming programming.thatpinguino Donation Page - The GBCER's Team LeaderRioStarwind's Donation Page - A Giant Bomb moderator with a donation goal of $250borgmaster's Donation Page - A Giant Bomb weekly blogger with a donation goal of $100ZombiePie's Donation Page - It's me! If you enjoy the Community Spotlight or my activities on social media, please consider sending a donation of anything you can spare.Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/picklegiraffe.bsky.social/post/3lkpdxgl55c26 https://bsky.app/profile/jearum.bsky.social/post/3lkqbtuqpsc2r https://bsky.app/profile/conradical.bsky.social/post/3lku7wkon222v https://bsky.app/profile/ben.labelleetlegamer.com/post/3lku5aafjws23Art3 AM Boys License Plate (By: @jearum)You may have noticed that new banner and podcast has been hitting the site in light of the new Power Block programming. Jearum has been sharing some fan-art and teasers for official commissions for the site on their Bluesky account, which all of you reading this should follow if you haven't already.Build Your Favorite Duder Content Lineup With $15 (By: @mynameisfatmike)Over on the Giant Bomb Discord (the link above is an invite if you still have not joined), MyNameIsFatMike welcomed the GameSpot account joining the server with this meme image in which they and others build the best possible "block" of Giant Bomb programming using a budget of $15. How would you spend your money? Share away in the comments!VideoGOOD WHIP, BAD GUN - (Season 7 Episode 5) - An Animated Giant Bomb Blight Club Series (By: Pickle Giraffe)Another instant classic from Pickle_Giraffe!There was a slight delay, but don't mind that because Pickle_Giraffe is back with a new animated rendition of Blight Club. Mike's time with Fester's Quest was a brief on

Mar 22, 2025 - 21:48

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 last week.

After a slight delay, there's finally a thread up with all of the information about Giant Bomb's current streaming schedule, which is known as the "Power Block". If you have any thoughts or concerns about the current programming, feel free to drop a comment and I will try to send your feedback to the appropriate channels.

Also, the complete uninterrupted VODs for the POW Block streams are going to be coming out a lot more reliably in the future, but there is a special note about the Friday show. As the staff often leave at the end of streaming duties to start their weekend, the Friday show usually goes up on Monday. Nonetheless, here's what I think is everything that aired on Giant Bomb and GameSpot this week in one handy list:

Weekly List of Programming & Streams

In terms of other site-related news, this week marks the official start of activities for The Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run, the spring-time community-led charity fundraiser! If any of you are available to stream from April the 4th through Sunday April 6th, please consider joining the GBCER team! We are desperately looking for a few more warm bodies and welcome anyone that is streaming during that weekend, even if it is just a few hours, to join the group and help us raise money towards charity. The charity this year is for Pencils of Promise, an educational charity that builds schools, trains teachers, and develops clean water sources in Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos!

GBCER Team Page - Please Join If You Are Streaming from April the 4th to the 6th!
Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run Announcement Thread - get the details and a handy schedule of the event's streaming programming.
thatpinguino Donation Page - The GBCER's Team Leader
RioStarwind's Donation Page - A Giant Bomb moderator with a donation goal of $250
borgmaster's Donation Page - A Giant Bomb weekly blogger with a donation goal of $100
ZombiePie's Donation Page - It's me! If you enjoy the Community Spotlight or my activities on social media, please consider sending a donation of anything you can spare.

Bluesky

https://bsky.app/profile/picklegiraffe.bsky.social/post/3lkpdxgl55c26

https://bsky.app/profile/jearum.bsky.social/post/3lkqbtuqpsc2r

https://bsky.app/profile/conradical.bsky.social/post/3lku7wkon222v

https://bsky.app/profile/ben.labelleetlegamer.com/post/3lku5aafjws23

Art

3 AM Boys License Plate (By: @jearum)

You may have noticed that new banner and podcast has been hitting the site in light of the new Power Block programming. Jearum has been sharing some fan-art and teasers for official commissions for the site on their Bluesky account, which all of you reading this should follow if you haven't already.

Build Your Favorite Duder Content Lineup With $15 (By: @mynameisfatmike)

Over on the Giant Bomb Discord (the link above is an invite if you still have not joined), MyNameIsFatMike welcomed the GameSpot account joining the server with this meme image in which they and others build the best possible "block" of Giant Bomb programming using a budget of $15. How would you spend your money? Share away in the comments!

Video

GOOD WHIP, BAD GUN - (Season 7 Episode 5) - An Animated Giant Bomb Blight Club Series (By: Pickle Giraffe)

Another instant classic from Pickle_Giraffe!

There was a slight delay, but don't mind that because Pickle_Giraffe is back with a new animated rendition of Blight Club. Mike's time with Fester's Quest was a brief one, but Pickle_Giraffe found a way to cram in as many fun jokes and references as possible nonetheless.

Activities

The GB Album Club 082 - 19 MASTERS by Saya Gray (By: @unclejam23)

We have a real interesting album to discuss this week!

The latest pick for the Giant Bomb Album of the Week Club is 19 MASTERS by Saya Gray! Are any of you familiar with Saya Gray? She's been called by Pitchfork as a Japanese-Canadian "magpie art pop" musician, but you can join our discussion about their debut album here!

Avowed Is The Third Game Of UUGPGC Year 4! Finish By April 1! Mark All Spoilers (By: @bigsocrates)

Well, unsurprisingly, a lot of you have thoughts about Avowed. Some of you love the game and others seem slightly disappointed that it didn't entirely live up to your expectation of it being an Elder Scrolls-like game with sky-high ambitions. Regardless of where you might stand, share away your thoughts in this thread hosted by the Game Pass Game Club!

Blogs

Monster Hunter... Milds? (By: @mooseymcman)

Anyone a defender of the story stuff in this game?

MooseyMcMan penned a massive essay on their conflicted feelings about Monster Hunter Wilds. Read why they join most how have played the game in disliking the story stuff while largely enjoying the gameplay. Whether you agree or disagree, join their discussion by clicking the link above!

SIGIL II is Harder than SIGIL (By: @ford_dent)

Ford_Dent has been celebrating 30th anniversary of the original Doom for a while, but this week they decided to look at SIGIL II and get to the bottom of what makes it both a love-letter to fans of the Doom WAD scene and also a jump in difficulty compared to the original SIGIL.

Let's Review Demos From The February 2025 Steam Next Fest - Part 2 [I Have So Many Games That Are Clones It's Not Funny] (By: @zombiepie)

Should SIGIL be hard? That's the question at the heart of Ford_Dent's latest blog.

ZombiePie wraps up their retrospective on the major game demos they played during the February 2025 Steam Next Fest event and this time they decided to review all of the "viral" games as well as games that feel derivative of bigger works. There were some good games and some bad ones and you can read all about it.

All 3DO Games (Kinda) In Order: 1994 (Part 13) (By: @borgmaster)

borgmaster has a new blog that looks at a smattering of 3DO games in chronological release order. This week you can read why they consider Who Shot Johnny Rock? as one of the worst games ever and why World Cup Golf: Professional Edition might stand as one of the most bizarrely designed golf games in history.

Might and Mento: March-Date of Heaven: Part Two +

Indie Game of the Week 412: Minishoot' Adventures (By: @mento)

We really are never going to be free from 80s nostalgia, aren't we?

Mento has a new episode of their blog feature on the forums where they play Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven as Homestar Runner's Teen Girl Squad! I know there are still a few Homestar Runner fans out there reading this, but this blog is for you.

Mento also has a new entry in their "Indie Game of the Week" feature and this one looks at Minishoot' Adventures from last year! Some of the guest lists had the game on their 2024 GOTY lists, but what do they think about this genre-blending indie game?

Help I'm Trapped In Mid-Budget Action-JRPG Heck (02): "Vita Means Stank" (By: @arbitrarywater)

Any of you have strong feelings about the voice acting in this game, especially Charlotte.

ArbitraryWater is back with a blog about B-tier JRPGs! Today they want to talk to you about "Vita STANK" as they review Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed and Trials of Mana. Can you think of any RPGs or other games that embody the spirit of the Vita?

Viking Strike 02 +

NamCompendium 17: The Tower of Druaga (By: @electricviking)

ElectricViking has another blog where they review all of the games they have played recently! For example, they share why they finished Assassin's Creed Odyssey this month despite maintaining that they do not have a ton of free time these days.

Likewise, for this edition of their "NamCompendium" feature, ElectricViking penned an essay on The Tower of Druaga, its unmistakable legacy especially regarding FromSoftware, and its many home console ports including a very weird PC Engine port.

Automata: The Storytelling of Detroit: Become Human (By: @gamer_152)

To say From owes a lot to Tower of Druaga is an understatement.

Moderator Gamer_152 has an essay looking at the incredibly notorious interactive drama, Detroit: Become Human. Is the game's heart in the right place? Is it still a cringey and over-wrought narrative work from David Cage? Read what they thought

Discussion Threads

Assassin's Creed Shadows! Fans Of Assassin's Creed, How Do You Feel About The Game, Just Game Wise And A Little About Its Ensuing Controversy? (By: @topcyclist)

So, Assassin's Creed Shadows finally came out. What are your thoughts about its overhauled gameplay, its dual protagonists, and the controversies that seemed to follow it at every turn? Also, do you think the game is "enough" to spare Ubisoft from losing its independence?

Solar Ash Game Pass Game Club Discussion Thread (By: @bigsocrates)

Solar Ash left Game Pass recently, so the Giant Bomb Game Pass Game Club welcomes you to share your thoughts about it one last time as many bid farewell to it. Is it a worthy intermediate game for fan of Hyper Light Drifter? Share away in this thread.

Do You Actually Notice Frames Per Second (FPS) In Games? (By: @topcyclist)

F1 is back! Which means it is time to make fun of Ferrari for screwing up a strategy!

It's a topic that seems to draw battlelines on internet forums, but do you actually notice when a game is outputting above 60 FPS? With the rise of better but more expensive GPUs and demanding graphical features like raytracing, how low are you willing to go for better graphics?

Cause Of Yellowing Game Cases? (By: @trevor1114)

Are any of you noticing game case yellowing with more recent game cases? Have any of you tried the "hacks" to reverse UV damage on plastic game carts or cases? Or, have any of you looked into buying replacement cases for damaged ones?

Formula 1 Discussion Thread (By: @hassan918)

Last weekend marked the official start of the F1 season! The first race in Australia was a bit chaotic but people are already speculating about mid-season driver changes and who is going to be crowned champion and which team will take the Constructor's Championship. If you want to join the discussion, this thread is for you.

Lists

Final Fantasy Ranked (By: @doctordonkey)

This is definitely a spicy ranking of Final Fantasy games.

doctordonkey had a go at ranking all of the Final Fantasy games they have played by best to worst. As someone who has played their fair share of Final Fantasy games, there are some surprises in this list but it's hard to disagree with the spirit of this list. Nonetheless, if you have strong opinions about this series, feel free to make your own list!

Reviews

@pauljeremiah's review of Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions relays why they consider this to be the definitive version of Final Fantasy Tactics and why they wished there were more ways to play this specific version of the game.

@pauljeremiah also has a review for Stunt Race FX and in their review they talk about why the game has maintained its charm and remains a technical achievement, but the gameplay has aged like milk.

@pauljeremiah capped their video game reviewing tour with a loot at the incredibly notorious Haze on the PS3. Memes aside, what actually makes this game so bad and immediately repulsive? Read their review to find out.

Wiki Of The Week

God of War

Crazy to think this game is now one year away from being able to drink in the United States.

It's hard to imagine, but the first God of War game turns twenty years old today! Learn all about the game that kicked off one of Sony's premier franchises and what makes the game tick. Our wiki page for the classic even has a fun section about some of the game's oft-forgotten secrets and Easter Eggs.