The Community Spotlight - 12/22/2018

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 as we begin to wrap up the year that was 2018! For those unaware, Game of the Year content will begin on 12/24, and the staff will be on a well-earned break until the dawn of the new year. CBSi's winter break ends on 1/2/2019, but you can expect a delay on livestreams and video content until the week after. Finally, I just want to take the time to thank all of you for your continual support! I know things were not easy for many of you, and I want each and every one to know that I hope you have a safe and enjoyable next two weeks. No matter what happens, know that you are all wonderful people whose support I greatly appreciate especially as things continue to evolve on Giant Bomb. The Spotlight is a resource for all of you, and with that in mind, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping!

• As you may have noticed, Giant Bomb has become "Wiggler Crazy" since Giant Bomb returned to Mario Maker. If you want to give their recently created level a shot, the code for it is: 487E-0000-03CC-49E6
• Alex was a guest on the WRESTLEPLANIA Podcast! Give it a listen if you want to learn more about Alex's impressions of the current state of wrestling.

User-Made GOTY Content

Author's Note: I know I didn't get every 2018 GOTY blog or list this week, so feel free to drop a comment with a link to your stuff and I promise to include it in next week's Spotlight! Don't fret! This feature will be available until the conclusion of the 2018 GOTY voting!

Blogs

Games of This Year, 2018 (By: @mccash4gold)

MCCash4Gold played around with video games both new and old, and shares their favorite gaming memories from the year in their 2018 GotY blog! Give it a read when you can!

Uncle Lapti's 2018 End Of The Year Games Thing! (By: @bonbolapti)

bonbolapti is back with another exhaustive, but incredibly hilarious, examination of their favorite gaming experiences from the year! If you give it a read, I promise you'll be entertained!

My Favorite Video Game Music of 2018 (By: @majormitch)

MajorMitch welcomes you to discuss the best video game music from 2018! Check out which games they thought had the best ear worms, and feel free to share your own personal highlights!

Top Ten Games of 2018 + Best Of Top Ten Games of 2018 + Best Feel of 2018 + Best Of 2018 (By: @turboman)

Clear effort and craft was put into TurboMan's 2018 GotY blog, and they even welcome you to tell them how wrong they are about the games they included! How can you NOT take them up on their offer!

2018 Games Of The Yeeeeezus (By: @justinhall)

justinhall doesn't have any fancy visuals or banners for their 2018 GotY list. It's just a fun discussion about the games they most enjoyed this year, and what stood out from the year overall.

Lists

• Best of 2018 (By: @marino)
• My 2018 GOTY (By: @valorianendymion)
• Brentoland's Official 2018 Game Of The Year List (Games I Played This Year May Have Come Out Last Year) (By: @brentoland)
• GOTY 2018 (By: @mento)
• Weasel's Games of the Year 2018 (By: @nweasel)
• My Top 5 Games Of 2018 And 5 Games That Took Up A Lot Of My Time In 2018 (By: @joe423)
• My Top Ten(ish) Games From 2018 (More Or Less) (By: @scabs1452)
• GOTY 2018 (By: @d_w)
• The Heroes and Villains of 2018 (GOTY) (By: @briarpack)
• My Top Ten Games Of 2018 (By: @drachmalius)
• Top 5 Games I Played In 2018 (By: @adzpearson)
• Top 10 Games Of 2018 (By: @kaos_cracker)
• GOTY 2018 (By: @rmanthorp)
• GOTY 2018 (By: @wemibelle)
• GOTY 2018 (By: @thunderkleize)

Tweets Of The Week

Giant Bomb Galleria

Banner - 2018 Holiday Spectacular Banner (By: @danauer)

Site engineer Dan is back with another sleek and wonderful banner this week! Hopefully it gets you into the mood for Game of the Year!

The Quiet Man's T-Shirt Idea (By: @sub_o)

sub_o was thinking about a t-shirt design inspired by Giant Bomb's attempts to play The Quiet Man. How do you think they did? Hopefully Jan approves.

Gallery

3D Giant Bomb Logo (By: @Karspankey)

Over on Twitter, Karspankey used the Giant Bomb logo as an opportunity to improve upon their 3D design talents! This wonderful work of art is their first solo project using Blender!

Giant Bomb MtG Card (By: @oxyrain)

oxyrain is a Giant Bomb user AND Magic the Gathering fan, therefore they took one of their cards and painted over it with the Giant Bomb logo! Check it out!

Clips Of The Week

Best of Giant Bomb's Shenmue Endurance Run--4, The Finale (By: @clagnaught)

After an extended hiatus, clagnaught finished their "Best of Giant Bomb's Shenmue Endurance Run" video series! I remember the series like it was yesterday. Here's the final episode for your enjoyment!

Giant Bomb Make (Another) Level (By: Karf)

Over on YouTube, Karf spent TWO HOURS STRAIGHT trying to complete Giant Bomb's latest Super Mario Maker level! See how they did it, and learn their tips and tricks for making it happen yourself!

Community Activities

7th Annual GB AOTY Poll: "That's My Jam!" Edition (By: @dochaus)

Calling all Giant Bomb users! The annual Giant Bomb "Anime of the Year" voting is OFFICIALLY OPEN! Learn how you can help crown a community "ANIME OF THE YEAR" using the link below! Don't forget, the anime here is UNLIMITED!

Best Of Blogs

The Disease Of More, Or, The Best Bad Video Game Ever Made (By: @nodima)

Nodima uses their latest blog to talk about how Red Dead Redemption 2 sabotages its story and characters with "too much game." Learn what they mean by clicking the link!

Celebrating 10 Years Of The Indie Revolution (By: @morecowbell24)

morecowbell24 commemorates the tenth anniversary of the Xbox Live Arcade program with a look at its legacy and impact on the availability of indie games on consoles.

I Spent Several Hours Crying Over Commander Shepard (By: @willherox)

Alex's Mass Effect video series inspired Giant Bomb user WillHeroX to give the entire franchise another go. Read why the games and its motley crew still resonate with them to this day!

Archaic, Inelegant Movement And Accessibility In Fighting Games (By: @shivermetimbers)

shivermetimbers uses Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a case study on the need for fighting games to have more fluid movement. Learn what they mean, and why Smash could learn from other fighting games, in their blog.

Rakugabombs (By: @kone)

After watching last week's Ranking of Fighters, Giant Bomb user kone adapted Jeff into an animated character from Rakugakids! I don't know about you, but I think they really outdid themselves!

Interview: Ian Dallas, Creative Director of What Remains of Edith Finch (By: @gamer_152)

Moderator Gamer_152 had the pleasure of interviewing the creative director of What Remains of Edith Finch, Ian Dallas! Give it a read if you want to learn more about the game!

Saturday Summaries 2018-12-22: The Predicities Edition (By: @mento)

Mento's penultimate Summaries blog of the year wraps up the year-long SNES Classic Mk. II feature, has even more Jazztronauts antics, gives some pre-emptive awards to games not yet played, and lauds Valkyria Chronicles 4's rich post-game content.

Final Fantasy Lore: Square-Enix Teased Final Fantasy X-3 Again. Let's Talk About Why That's A Terrible Idea! (By: @zombiepie)

Giant Bomb moderator ZombiePie ended their 2018 the only way they knew how, that is, by playing questionable Final Fantasy games! This time they played FOUR of Square-Enix's GODAWFULFinal Fantasy X expanded universe games/audio dramas! Seriously, they're the worst things Square has ever made.

Join The Discussion

Elusive Targets - New Target December 21st - 31st (By: @glots)

Calling all Hitman 2 fans! How did you fare with the new Elusive Target, Vicente Murillo? Were you successful? Do you have any tips or tricks for anyone about to attempt the mission?

How Do You Define "Underrated?" Can A Game Stop Being Underrated? If So, Which Ones? (By: @liquiddragon)

The word "underrated" is often flippantly used in the video game industry, but what does the word mean to you? Can a game go from being underrated to the opposite? What are the characteristics of an underrated video game? Join our discussion NOW!

Star Citizen Releases Financials For 2012 - 2017 Plus New SQ42 Dev Roadmap (By: @selbie)

Star Citizen recently shared its financials from 2012 - 2017 as well as an SQ42 developer roadmap today! Do either impact your current perception of the game and its direction?

Let's Talk About The Hero Of Santa-Fortuna Challenge (By: @personandstuff)

Hey, Hitman 2 fans! How has the recent "Hero of Santa Fortuna" challenge been treating you? Share your experiences with it, and tips and tricks using the link below!

So A Thing Happened In Destiny This Week (Spoiler Warning!) (By: @uppercaseccc)

Some HUGE story revelations have hit Destiny 2! If you want to join our SPOILER discussion about these changes and pipe bombs, feel free to do so by using the link above!

Which Wii U Game Would Like To See Ported To The Switch The Most At This Point? (By: @liquiddragon)

Are there any Wii U games that you still have your fingers crossed are ported to the Switch? Where's the "PutGameOnSwitch" Twitter account when you need it? Regardless, share your pick in our poll and discussion thread.

GRIS Community Discussion Thread (By: @nick)

Have any of you checked out the narrative adventure game, GRIS? If you have, feel free to join our community discussion about Nomada Studio's visually stunning game debut!

Lovable Lists

Weasel's Most Played Old Games In 2018 (By: @nweasel)

nweasel compiled a list of the ten games that were not released in 2018 that they spent the most time playing! Give the list a review and think about which games would grace your own list!

NamCompendium: Atari 7800 Ports RANKED (By: @jeffrud)

Giant Bomb user jeffrud is up to their old tricks with a "scientific" ranking of the best Atari 7800 ports of Namco arcade games! Give it a read and see how science ranks all four games!

Indie Game of the Week: The First Hundred (By: @mento)

Let's give Giant Bomb moderator Mento a round of applause for reaching episode #100 of their "Indie Game of the Week" blog series! Here's a list they created with convenient links to every entry in the series!

Useful User Reviews

• @guip1408 played developer Sabotage's retro ninja platformer, The Messenger, and reviews how it's the Ninja Gaiden game they didn't know they needed but are happy to have regardless!
• @selphie1999 gave My Hero One's Justice a shot and used their review to highlight how it is a limited game perfectly designed for dedicated fans of the anime.

• @bhlaab enjoyed the 2D action platforming in Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight quite a bit, and you can read why in their detailed review!