The Community Spotlight 2025.03.29

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.It's been a mostly positive week for Giant Bomb with a bevy of new streams and programming, but we do need to start the Spotlight off on a slight downer. Some people on the Giant Bomb Discord have indicated that they can't seem to click play on videos on the site anymore, even after enabling performance cookies. As you know, this issue was worked on for a long time and was largely resolved a few months back. If the issue has cropped back up, feel free to drop a comment here or in the State of the Site article I linked to and share your issue. Trust me, @dtoast is not happy to hear that the black screen issue may have returned.Moving on to more positive things, don't forget that next weekend is 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 have since been able to recruit a few people from the Giant Bomb Discord, but any additional warm bodies, even if it is for just a few hours, would be great! 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 LeaderFord_Dent's Donation Page - A Giant Bomb Discord member joins the fray! See if you can help them reach their goal of $150!PersonZ's Donation Page - PersonZ has a donation incentive where they will do a push-up for every dollar donated to their page.RioStarwind'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.Finally, before we look at the slate of programming that hit the site and streaming platforms, we have a special note from Jan. The video and production team is still working out some kinks in with the workflow for the POW Block VODs. They know some archives have not been going up on a timely manner and promise to get more organized in the future, but the team overall is still small, though moving to change that. Your patience is greatly appreciated.Weekly List of Programming & StreamsBam Margera is Getting Added to THPS 3+4Star Fox: Assault | GB KidzXBLA Classics: Giant Bomb PlaysHow does Mother 3 Hold Up in 2025? | Giant Bombcast 883: ET Championship Edition DXMike Drucker and His New Book "Good Game, No Rematch" | Giant Bombcast 882: RevengeanceTam & Lucy In Japan | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Dev Chats, Shuhei Yoshida Interview & More!Game Informer Returns! | GameBreaking News 03/26/25OverGrubb | 01 | BLIGHT CLUBA NEW Tomodachi Life Game Announced | GameBreaking News 03/27/25Voicemail Dump Truck 154 | Apple Stank.mp3 ft. Samoa JoeSwitch 2 Pre Orders Pop Up in CanadaFavorite Memories with the Nintendo Switch | 883: REVENGEANCEGiant Bomb Talks Over: Nintendo Direct 3.27.2025POWER BLOCK 3/24/25 COMPLETE VOD | GameBreaking News, Star Fox Assault, Classic XBLA Games, AtomfallPOWER BLOCK 3/26/25 COMPLETE VOD | GameBreaking News, NEW Blight Club, The First Berserker: KhazanPOWER BLOCK 3/27/25 COMPLETE VOD | Atomfall & First Berserker Reviews, Voicemail Dump Truck w/ Samoa Joe, & MORE!POWER BLOCK 3/28/25 COMPLETE VOD | GameBreaking News, Bombcast Revengeance, Schedule I, and GameSpot After Dark GameSpot ProgrammingGameSpot - Revenge Of The Savage - 20 Minutes Of Gameplay With The DevsGameSpot - Phantom Blade Zero Devs Explain Why It Isn't a Souls-Like OR Hack n SlashGameSpot - Ben Starr REALLY Wanted This Voice Role | The First Berserker: KhazanGameSpot - Phantom Blade Zero Devs Explain Why It Isn't a Souls-Like OR Hack n SlashGameSpot - This Arcade Psychedelic First-Person Shooter Is Inspired By SpiritualismGameSpot - Phasmophobia Devs Look Back on 5 Years of SuccessGameSpot - Dev Explains How TMNT: Tactical Takedown is an Adult take on the TurtlesGameSpot - Atomfall Might Be The Biggest Surprise of 2025GameSpot - Look At Those RTX Butt Cheeks In Half-Life 2 RTXGameSpot - The First Berserker Khazan Is More Than Another SoulslikeGameSpot - Disco Elysium dev breaks down their new game (Project C4)GameSpot - Lies of P Overture Director explains how the DLC will create a complete experienceWhy Are We Talking About The Sopranos Video Game? | GameSpot After Dark #263Blueskyhttps://bsky.app/profile/creakylegs.lol/post/3lldoscqjzs2s

Mar 29, 2025 - 20:36

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.

It's been a mostly positive week for Giant Bomb with a bevy of new streams and programming, but we do need to start the Spotlight off on a slight downer. Some people on the Giant Bomb Discord have indicated that they can't seem to click play on videos on the site anymore, even after enabling performance cookies. As you know, this issue was worked on for a long time and was largely resolved a few months back. If the issue has cropped back up, feel free to drop a comment here or in the State of the Site article I linked to and share your issue. Trust me, @dtoast is not happy to hear that the black screen issue may have returned.

Moving on to more positive things, don't forget that next weekend is 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 have since been able to recruit a few people from the Giant Bomb Discord, but any additional warm bodies, even if it is for just a few hours, would be great! 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
Ford_Dent's Donation Page - A Giant Bomb Discord member joins the fray! See if you can help them reach their goal of $150!
PersonZ's Donation Page - PersonZ has a donation incentive where they will do a push-up for every dollar donated to their page.
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.

Finally, before we look at the slate of programming that hit the site and streaming platforms, we have a special note from Jan. The video and production team is still working out some kinks in with the workflow for the POW Block VODs. They know some archives have not been going up on a timely manner and promise to get more organized in the future, but the team overall is still small, though moving to change that. Your patience is greatly appreciated.

Weekly List of Programming & Streams

GameSpot Programming

Bluesky

https://bsky.app/profile/creakylegs.lol/post/3lldoscqjzs2s

Art

Super Blight Bros. (By: @segaskele.bsky.social‬)

Have you been enjoying Blight Club's journey into some of the worst games in history? Well, ian/segaskele on Bluesky has been having a ton of fun and decided to make a fun work of art to honor Dan, Grubb, and Mike with the last games they have played for the series.

Blightning Round x OverGrubb (By:@jearum)

Giant Bomb has been expanding the scope of Blight Club with its fair share of spin-off programs. In light of that, jearum decided to have some fun with their Wonder Friends designs for Grubb, Dan, and Mike with a new poster.

Wu-Tang Group (By: @fobwashed)

Fowashed was inspired by a recent comment from the Giant Bomb staff to make this banner. Wu-Tang Clan is for the children, and that's all that needs to be said.

Video

DAN OF THE 99 MACHINES - (COMPLETE Season 6) - An Animated Giant Bomb Blight Club Series +

E.T. PHONE HOLE - (Season 7 FINALE) - An Animated Giant Bomb Blight Club Series (By: Pickle Giraffe)

Another fantastic work from Pickle_Giraffe!

This week, Pickle_Giraffe has not one but TWO animated gifts for you to enjoy! The first is a video that compiles all of their episodes related to Dan's struggles with Drake of the 99 Dragons into a single video and the second provides the riveting "finale" of Blight Club's examination of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Give both a watch and don't forget to thank Pickle_Giraffe for all of their hard work.

Activities

UUGPGC Voting Thread For Cycle Starting April 1 2025

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

Alright Balatro perverts. NOW is your time to shine!

It is also time to send in your votes for the next edition of the Giant Bomb Game Pass Game Club! This round of voting has new entries like Balatro and Mullet Mad Jack. Do either of those games or one of the other nominees peak your interest? Vote for two!

And this is the final call to get in on the Game Pass Game Club's discussion about Avowed before spoilers are allowed. What are your final impressions of the game's gameplay and levels? Do you find the cities to be "empty" like some have contended?

The GB Album Club 083 - Symphony No. 9 by Gustav Mahler (By: @unclejam23)

This week, the Giant Bomb Album of the Week Club is tackling something completely different! This time it is giving Symphony No. 9 by Gustav Mahler a shot and we have to address the thorny issue of a beloved classical music symphony having more than one interpretation!

Blogs

A Pirate (Yakuza)'s Life For Me. (By: @mooseymcman)

Have any of you tried this game out? Share away in MooseyMcMan's blog if you have.

MooseyMcMan has an extensive write-up detailing their experiences with and thoughts about Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. They had a blastwith the game, but is it an entirely necessary side-story in the grand scheme of things? Read what they think.

PersonZ's 10th Rotation Around The Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run (By: @personz)

PersonZ will be participating during the Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run to raise money for Pencils of Promise! Read all about their plans, which includes push-ups, horror games, and Mario Party on their latest blog!

Might and Mento: The March-Date of Heaven: Part Three +

Indie Game of the Week 413: Trifox (By: @mento)

Things have been going swimmingly for Mento in Might and Magic VI.

Moderator Mento has a new entry in their blog series wherein they roleplay and complete Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven as Homestar Runner's Teen Girl Squad! how are some of the mid-game dungeons treating their cadre of meme girls? Read to find out!

Also, they have a new entry in their "Indie Game of the Week" series and this one looks at Trifox by developer Glowfish Interactive. Read on their blog why they don't think it stood out in the crowded field of indie Zelda-likes.

Viking Strike 03 (By: @electricviking)

A real shame that the drug-induced nightmare scenes control the way they do.

ElectricViking has a new blog about everything they played last week and this time they talk about buckling down and finishing the first Max Payne and continuing their progress in Avowed! read why they think the first Max Payne primes Remedy Entertainment Ltd. for the great games they have recently made even if it plays like crap at times.

Discussion Threads

Okay Ubisoft, Assassin's Creed Shadows Made Money; Now What? What's Your Next Move? (By: @zombiepie)

What does the future hold for Ubisoft? Your guess is as good as mine.

You could argue the thread is a bit out of date after only a few days after it was published, but some are still using it to discuss the recent state of affairs at Ubisoft Entertainment regardless. So, now that Assassin's Creed Shadows has done well enough for itself, where do you see Ubisoft going from this point forward?

Here's Yves Guillemot's Company-Wide Memo Promising "Visibility" Following The Tencent Deal (By: @zombiepie)

And with Ubisoft commanding the headlines this week, here's a thread that directly discusses the company's new deal with Tencent and debates CEO Yves Guillemot's handling of Ubisoft as a company. Do you have any hope that spinning off most of Ubisoft's most valuable IPs into a new unit will work?

Formula 1 2025 Video Game Reveal Trailer Is Here (By: @gtxforza)

This is uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... actually happening, huh?

Calling all racing fans! The first trailer for F1 25 just dropped and people are already talking about it on. For those of you that have played the previous games, are any of you worried this game might be more of the same? Is EA's engine for the F1 series in need of a re-tunning?

Goddamn Cristiano Ronaldo Is Coming To Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves As A Playable Character (By: @zombiepie)

After teasing it for a bit, SNK finally confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo is coming to Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves! This is real! It's not a joke! He's a stance character! All that aside, what do you think of that as well as the likely backroom politics that probably got him in the game?

Dordogne Developer And Studio Have Closed (By: @bigsocrates)

Any of you give this game a shot before its studio went under?

Dordogne was a game pick for Giant Bomb's Game Pass Game Club a while back but it was recently revealed that the studio behind it has gone bankrupt. The creator has assured people their next project is fine, but what does it say about the sustainability of indie games on Game Pass?

Lists

How is your Most Anticipated list from the start of the year holding up?

Most Anticipated/What to Play Next (By: @villhaver)

With a quarter almost done VILLHAVER decided to "update" their most anticipated games of 2025 list that they made at the start of the year! Give it a read and use this as opportunity to think about how your list from the start of the year holding up.

3 Ups And 3 Downs Of Twenty-Eleven (By: @infantpipoc)

infantpipoc realized that they have been playing a ton of games from 2011 recently and that inspired them to re-rank their GOTY 2011 list! Give their list a read and think about how your 2011 GOTY list is holding up as well.

Reviews

Are you surprised to hear Bulletstorm isn't a great Steam Deck experience?

@infantpipoc booted up Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition on a Steam Deck and their review shares why its combo-based shooting gameplay don't feel that great and why some of the game's humor does not translate all that well in general.

Wiki Of The Week

Mega Man 7

Still a classic Mega Man game worth playing?

Crazy how time flies, but Mega Man 7 is over thirty-years-old. The game celebrated its 30th anniversary and you can check out our fairly detailed wiki page for the game. Is this a high point in the series or when Capcom needed to shake things up?