The Community Spotlight 2025.06.21

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!

The single biggest piece of site-related news stems from Giant Bomb needing to change how payment processing works. As explained over here, as part of becoming independent, the staff needed to form a new LLC (Jeffinitely) to accept payments that go directly to them. Unfortunately, some banks are rejecting payments to this LLC. So, any of you that have a premium auto-renewal coming up might need to be more vigilant if things go through alright. If not, send an email to support@giantbomb.com or head on over to #site-tech-issues on the Giant Bomb Discord and ping Chuck or Rorie for help.

Other site issues that have cropped up include those with premium getting a warning that says "Based on your subscription level, this content is unavailable" for an episode for an older show like Metal Gear Scanlon or Beast in the East, but not new programming like Game Mess Mornings. If you see that, please immediately ping or DM Chuck with your account details.

Likewise, Chuck did attempt to send an update to fix Jeff Jeff premium not having artwork in the premium feed. For reasons still not entirely understood, the fix did not take for everyone.

In less than great news, there's a scammer on Discord that is DM'ing people about Giant Bomb "deals" and collaboration offers as well as solicitations for more support to keep the site up and running. Simply put, spread the word and report this account and do not under any circumstances interact with them. Unfortunately, Discord does not have a reporting form online and lacks a way to report scams like this without a direct interaction with the scammer.

Returning to more positive things, and I forgot to promote this when we were in the full swing of SGF, but Bakalar is working on a web comic that is based on a story they have been working on for a while. It's almost ready for a full release and if you are interested in following their creative endeavors outside of Giant Bomb, here's a link.

Similarly, Rorie has soft launched a Patreon wherein he started a podcast with his wife, Yolanda, titled "Why Does This Make Me Cry?" While he is still looking for permanent employment, Rorie hopes that starting a Patreon pushes him back into writing more often. Also, please consider sending him any support you can afford after all of their years making Giant Bomb a fun and safe place.

Finally, as you can hopefully see in the Bluesky section of the Spotlight (only works if you use the Article version and might be browser-dependent) the new Giant Bomb merch from a few weeks back has started shipping! If your order hasn't shipped or is in limbo when you try to track your order, send an email to support@giantbomb.com, but overall it seems like people are really enjoying this batch of shirts.

Art

Monday Evenings Gaming at Mike's at Night + Mug Man + Space Boss (By: @jearum)

Once again, jearum was on a roll this week with TWO Mega Man-themed artworks in honor of Mike, the first imagining Mike's very cool rascal attire donning the game box for the first Mega Man and the second imagining the boss of his nightmares, Mug Man.

Finally, with the announcement of Spaceballs 2, they had some fun combining their Aqua Teen Hunger Force fanart of Bakalar and imagining it as Darth Helmet in the upcoming sequel.

Gallery

Panoramic View Of A Summer's Game Festival, 2025 (By: pickle_giraffe)

It's crazy to think that it has already been over a week since Giant Bomb's coverage of Not-E3 2025, but this panoramic recreation of Giant Bomb's antics in LA is likely to transport you back to when all the magic was happening live.

Giant Brutalism - Demo Derby Edition (By: TompTomp)

Over on Bluesky, TompTomp is working on a new artwork project related to Giant Bomb: brutalist album covers for Giant Bomb's current and most beloved shows! This week they had a go at making a Demo Derby cover that bleeds VIBES! Don't forget to follow them on Bluesky to see what they make next!

General Disappointment (By: NickToilet)

NickToilet continues to share fun fanarts of Giant Bomb staff and this one is a playful general design of Bakalar! And as always, they have a timelapse showing everyone how they made the magic happen which also includes a hint on how they could make this into a t-shirt!

Cool Baby's Become A Real Rascal (By: @csl316)

After watching one of the more recent Blight Clubs featuring Rascal, csl316 couldn't help but think that Mike' get-up reminded them of a different Giant Bomb moment, COOL BABY! As you can see, the resemblance is simply uncanny.

Sanrio's Dump Truck Dan (By: Synthminded)

Over on Bluesky, Synthminded combined their love for Giant Bomb with their love of Sanrio with this mock Dump Truck podcast banner imagining the Dump Truck as a Sanrio-inspired version of Dan! I wouldn't want anyone under the age of 69 watching the Dump Truck, but that's a different issue entirely.

Bluesky

https://bsky.app/profile/marinov1.bsky.social/post/3lrw6ivf2r22j

https://bsky.app/profile/dongvile.biz/post/3lrv7tj2qfc2h

https://bsky.app/profile/nicktoilet.bsky.social/post/3lrr7wjjxuk2l

https://bsky.app/profile/oldmanchros.bsky.social/post/3lrsfpxwpq22y

https://bsky.app/profile/ajguy.bsky.social/post/3lrqx7ysbf22d

https://bsky.app/profile/picklegiraffe.bsky.social/post/3lrnpaw4of22k

Videos

PIPO - An OverBlood Love Story - (COMPLETE Season 8) - Animated Giant Bomb Blight Club Series (By: PICKLE_GIRAFFE)

It's a tale as old as time, Jeff Grubb wakes up in a cryo-chamber and finds himself in an incredibly tight blue jumpsuit and without any of his memories. But at the very least, he has a good robot companion, Pipo. Many thanks to Pickle_Giraffe for making

GiantBomb‬ Reacting to Cool Moves from the TIP TEAM (By: @turboman)

TurboMan rewatched Giant Bomb's old "Demo Derby" feature and made a fun compilation video of every time the staff reacted to the TIP TEAM! If you want a good laugh, look no further than this video! Remember, say no to dope and GET THOSE FIRST!

Giant Bomb Does Fallout 3 (By: @kone)

If you still haven't seen this gem then I strongly recommend you watch this video from Kone RIGHT NOW! Trust me, the ending is INCREDIBLE.

Activities

The GB Album Club 086 - Laughing Stock by Talk Talk (By: @unclejam23)

The next edition of the Giant Bomb community Album of the Week Club is here and the pick is Laughing Stock by Talk Talk! Have any thoughts about this post-rock album and its highly-venerated status among music reviewers?

Monster Train 2 Is The 6th Game Of UUGPGC Year 4! Finish By July 1! Mark All Spoilers!(By: @bigsocrates)

Are you in the mood for some card-based ACTION?! Because the next game pick for the Giant Bomb Game of the Month Club is Monster Train 2! Do you have any deck strategies and do you have any advice on how to beat some of the bosses?

Blogs

FBC: Firebreak - The Good - The Bad- The Ugly (By: @av_gamer)

The Giant Bomb staff recently played it during an Unprofessional Fridays, but AV_Gamer felt like sharing their thoughts about the rocky launch of Remedy Entertainment's latest game, FBC: Firebreak. As they explain in this blog, they think the game has a long way to go before it becomes something they feel comfortable recommending.

Kobayashi Mario World + Indie Game of the Week 424: Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery (By: @mento)

Moderator Mento is taking a note from Dan Ryckert and is trying to get all of the Retro Achievements for Super Mario World! How did the first part of their effort go? Were there any tricky achievements that had them pulling out their hair? Read to find out!

Also, are you ready for some puzzle-solving action for this edition of Mento's "Indie Game of the Week" because they just published a blog for Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery! Read to find out why they think the game "deals in microdoses of dopamine!"

I Knew This Would Happen, But Microsoft's Communication On Xbox Hardware And Multiplatform Releases Is Already Terrible (By: @zombiepie)

They knew this was going to happen, but mod ZombiePie can't help but feel a bit disappointed that Microsoft's post-SGF communication is already a huge mess about streaming and hardware. Whether it be the marketing for the ROG Xbox Ally being called a "handheld Xbox" to their mess of a streaming program, things are already a mess.

Not E3 2025: Day of the Devs (By: @gamer_152)

Moderator Gamer_152's retrospective on Not-E3 2025 continues with a review of this year's edition of Day of the Devs! How does it compare to some of the bigger showcases this year and is this the conference for the cool kids?

Some Thoughts On Code Vein I (With Spoilers) And Code Vein II (By: @valorianendymion)

ValorianEndymion couldn't help but get a little excited when they saw the announcement of Code Vein II during Summer Game Fest so they decided to boot up the first game to remind themselves why they still love its world and gameplay.

The Early Evolution of Sound and Music in Video Games: 1986 (By: @alianger)

alianger takes you through another tour of the evolution of video game music and this week they look at the importance of the year, 1986. Give it a read over here and get ready to get nostalgic about some classic jams!

Help I'm Trapped In Mid-Budget Action JRPG Heck 04: Haha Whoops I Guess I'm Still Writing Stuff Here (By: @arbitrarywater)

ArbitraryWater makes a return to blogging and this time graces us with another look at mid-budget action JRPGs! This one reviews Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and Star Ocean: The Second Story R and shares why both are perfect examples of JRPGs that get a lot out of a little.

Une RPG Extraordinaire. (By: @mooseymcman)

MooseyMcMan takes to the site to pen another one of their massive essays but this time turn their attention at Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and why they were deeply moved by its story and why the world needs games like this.

Discussion Threads

WOOOOOOOOOOOF... Bungie Has Delayed Marathon Indefinitely (By: @zombiepie)

It was maybe the biggest news item of the week, but what is everyone's reaction to the indefinite delay of Marathon? Between the rocky Alpha test and well-documented examples of stolen art, do you have any optimism? Likewise, can you imagine a future for Bungie after Marathon?

Black Ops 7 - I Don't Have The Will Power To Care Anymore (By: @loloy0101)

Ending their Summer Showcase with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was certainly a CHOICE by Microsoft, but are you feeling Black Ops exhaustion like some have said in this thread? In fact, do you think the Call of Duty franchise has given up doing something new or different for a while?

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Will Have No New Music, Missions, Or War of the Lions Content (By: @zombiepie)

The director behind Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles has recently revealed the game will NOT be using the War of the Lions version, and that last point seems to be a major sticking point for some. Is this a major misstep or are fans overreacting?

The Best Modern WW2 Campaign? (By: @isomeri)

World War II games certainly have been coming out less frequently than they once did, but what is the "best" WW2 campaign? Any new or modern campaigns worth reporting about? Share your picks with the rest of the community using the thread above!

Donkey Kong Bananza Direct! (By: @fishlion)

Now that you wrapped up watching the Donkey Kong Bananza Direct with Jeff Grubb and company how would you rank the event? Also, are you down for more game-specific streaming events led by Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft?

The Outer Worlds 2 Being Xbox/Microsoft's Personal Test Of The $80 Price Point Feels Bad, Man.... (By: @zombiepie)

The Outer Worlds 2 will be the first game from Microsoft internal to have a $80 price tag at launch and some have shared how that feels bad. What are your thoughts? Do you think the game can justify its price tag?

Nintendo Can And Will Brick Your Switch 2 (By: @av_gamer)

Recent events have definitely changed the conversation about Nintendo's ability to brick Switch 2s engaged in activities against their Terms of Service and you can give this thread from a while back to get a quick summary on why. However, has your opinion about the matter actually changed?

Hades II Early Access Discussion (By: @atheistpreacher)

The Early Access version of Hades II just got one more update and balance patch before its official release date! Do you have any final thoughts about how the game plays and feels before 1.0 drops? Share away in this discussion thread.

Lists

Best Of 2024 (By: @langdonx)

langdonx has now officially played ten games form 2024 so why not use that as an excuse to make and publish a 2024 GOTY list! Which ten games did they play and how did they rank? Give their list a read and don't forget, it's never too late to make one!

PlayStation All-Stars 2 (By: @kidmonster)

There's always hope for another PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, riiiiiiight? Don't tell KidMonster about the odds because they decided to make a list musing about the best current era Sony characters that would warrant an appearance in a new entry in the series.

Wiki Of The Week

Deus Ex

The game that practically pioneered the "immersive sim," Deus Ex, is nearing its 25th anniversary! What makes Dues Ex such a celebrated cyberpunk adventure? Give the Giant Bomb wiki page for the game a read if you want a hint!