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 sweltering week. Regardless of the temperature, it's the week of the EVO Championship Series! As such, you'll find some fighting game involved content sprinkled throughout this edition of the Community Spotlight! Additionally, don't skip the housekeeping items this week as there is a lot of important information about the new advanced search feature on the site. In fact, there's a way for each and every one of you to help make the new search feature even better! So, with that, let's jump into the latest edition of the Community Spotlight!
- Obviously, the big news this week has to due to the recent addition of an "Advanced Search" option on the site. In order to make this feature work as intended, we need YOU to tag videos with appropriate and helpful tags to wiki pages that can help people find the videos they are looking for!
- Be aware, user-suggested video tags are moderated, but not by the forum, wiki, or chat moderation team.
- Many of you may have gotten an unsolicited "test" email from Giant Bomb this week. Here's an explanation of what happened.
- There are three new sets of pins in the store, available for purchase now! As was the case last time, get them while they are here as these sell-out quickly!
Giant Bomb Galleria
Giant Bomb x LEGO BrickHeadz (By: @kone)
This time last year, Giant Bomb user kone graced us with Giant Bomb staff-themed Funko Pops. I thought they were awesome, but most y'all thought they were an abomination. This year, they tried their hand at adapting the staff into LEGO form. The end result is certainly impressive, but I feel bad for Vinny.
Luchadeer Tattoo (By: @F1LTH_)
I know this isn't the first Giant Bomb themed tattoo I have seen, but I am always enamored by them when they show up. This week, F1LTH_ took their love for Giant Bomb to the next level with this incredible hand tattoo! If this is a picture of you, drop a comment, because I was only able to identify your Twitter account.
Clips Of The Week
LURED UP PODCAST 89 with guest Jan Ochoa of Giant Bomb (By: PokemonProfessorNetwork)
Here's a fun one! Do you want to listen to Jan talk about Pokemon for over an hour in the form of a podcast? Well, you're in luck! This week Jan guested on the "Lured Up Podcast," and talked about their love for Pokemon, mad descent into the Pokemon TCG, as well as the new Team GO Rocket campaign!
Community Activities
Dragalia Lost Community Alliance (By: @knuckleberry)
Dragalia Lost just got a new raid event and other forms of new content! As such, here's a link to the Giant Bomb community alliance for the game, in case you are looking for more online friends.
«VinCo» For Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Is Full! (By: @snakelinksonic)
VinCo, our community company for Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is full! If you still want to join, don't worry, here's a link to a thread explaining what you can do!
PC - Giant Bomb Alliance - (2019-08-02) - Warframe Dog Days Event +
The Beastcoast Shlooters - New PS4 Clan (By: @rapid)
The Giant Bomb PC Warframe Community Alliance has an update to coincide with the "Dog Dags" event! Learn all about the event, and how you can join the fun using the link! I'm also going to include a link to the PS4 clan due to it getting recent activity to suggest it is still up and running. No news of the Xbox One clan.
Tweets Of The Week
I animated a real dumb @giantbomb UPF moment feat. @jeffgerstmann @_janjerome @PackBenPack @unastrike @bradshoemaker pic.twitter.com/gQfonS4Xns
— andy (@andyrentz) July 31, 2019
10 years ago today.
— Brad Lynch (@MarinoV1) August 1, 2019
A world ended, and @MattPascual’s rise to superstardom began. pic.twitter.com/YrgtstIQSd
Eleven Years Ago, Today. Thanks for all the good times, @giantbomb @GBDudersFeed https://t.co/1bV0woKrah
— S Ⓐ int Sluggo (@SaintSluggo) July 29, 2019
Giant Bomb Clip of the Year pic.twitter.com/KCIqSVXGBl
— Tony (@Boots_33) August 2, 2019
Best Of Blogs
Switch City, Vol. 9: One Month of Making Mario! (By: @jeremyf)
jeremyf has been making levels in Super Mario Maker 2 non-stop for a month. Read all about what they have created in the game, including their level codes, using the link above!
One Man's Time With No Man's Sky... (By: @notnert427)
notnert427 provides a comprehensive progress report on the state of No Man's Sky in 2019 on their latest blog! Give it a read and learn all about the latest updates to the game.
June And July Vita Lineup And Upcoming Titles (By: @blacklagoon)
Some exciting games have come out for the PlayStation Vita, and Giant Bomb user BlackLagoon wants you to know all about them! Check out their handy list of everything that came out for the platform from June to July!
Bucketlog July: Beyond Oasis +
Indie Game of the Week 131: Rainbow Moon (By: @mento)
First, Mento had some fun exploring their gaming backlog this week, and talks about Beyond Oasis and whether or not you should give the game a shot as it nears its 25th anniversary. Second, their "Indie Game of the Week" series continues with a blog about Rainbow Moon! Read all about their impressions of the classically-style strategic RPG!
My First Final Fantasy; Or Friendship In The Face Of Darkness (By: @mooseymcman)
MooseyMcMan finally got around to playing their first Final Fantasy game! They went with Final Fantasy XV and talks about how they fell in love with the game's lovable cast of misfits.
Just A Quick Thank You! (By: @basicallyolly)
I know this post doesn't look like much, but it honestly is one of the most inspiring posts on the forums right now. Giant Bomb user basicallyolly recently got an article published on Vice and took the time to thank the Giant Bomb community for supporting them. Give the heart-warming post a read, and wish them well in their future endeavors.
Join The Discussion
EVO 2019 Games Line up & Preview (August 2nd-4th) (By: @flstyle)
EVO 2019 ran all throughout this weekend. What were the highlights of the fighting game tournament? Were there any upsets that had you jumping for joy? Do you think the omission of Smash hurt the event?
What's The First 3D Game To Have Auto Orientating (i.e., Soft Lock On) Melee Combat? (By: @sweetz)
I'm a fan of these community investigations regarding video game mechanics. This week, the community is attempting to identify the first game to utilize "soft lock" auto orienting melee combat. Some say the credit should go to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, while others think there are earlier examples of the mechanic! What do you think?
Devil’s Hunt Switch Announcement And Release Date (By: @boozak)
Devil’s Hunt is described as a "Demon Punching Simulator" and is set to launch on PC September 17th and will eventually be coming to the Switch! Are you excited? Is this the spiritual successor to God Hand we have been waiting for?
Sounds Like Hitman 3 Is Coming Down The Pipe (By: RORIE)
All signs seem to point to Hitman 3 being made in the foreseeable future. Are you excited? What changes or improvements do you hope IO Interactive make in the next installment of the Hitman series?
Defend A Maligned Game (By: @nutter)
Here's a fun discussion thread that recently popped up on the forums! Can you think of a commonly maligned game you will defend to the farthest corner of the universe? I'll give you mine: Mario Party 3 is a top-five N64 game.
Do You Go To Shopping Malls Anymore? (By: @ntm)
They once were a go-to for a lot of people to pick up new video game releases, but when was the last time you went to a shopping mall? Vote in our poll and discuss if online shopping has "replaced" you time in the mall.
Are Your Joy-Cons Drifting & How Long Have You Had Your Switch? (By: @liquiddragon)
It's an issue that seems to be bothering a lot of Switch users, but are your Joy-Cons drifting? If they have, how long have you owned your Switch? Join our community discussion about the possible controller issue.
Best 3rd Party Switch Controller? (By: @philtheee)
Speaking of Nintendo Switch controllers, have any of you bought or tested out the third-party Nintendo Switch controllers? Are there any you recommend? Are there any you feel should be avoided? Share your experiences using the link!
Lovable Lists
Top Spiders In Media (By: @eris)
Are you in need of a good laugh? Giant Bomb user Eris tried their hand at making a list of "Top Spiders in Video Games!" Give it a read and suggest any possible omissions on their list.
The King of Fighters XIV Newcomers Who Should Return For KOFXV (By: @jessemb27)
jessemb27 is most looking forward to King of Fighters XIV, and the possible announcement of XV, at EVO 2019. As such, they made a list of fighters who debuted in KOF XIV that they want to see in the next installment!
Top 50 Games Of All-Time... (By: @notnert427)
After thinking about it long and hard, notnert427 was finally able to narrow every game they have played down to fifty all-time greats! Check it out using the link above!
Useful User Reviews
- @riostarwind gave Shenmue a shot this week and concedes the game that has a certain pace about it. However, something about it made it feel even more dated than other games from this era to me.
- @moonlightmoth played the Templar themed RPG, Dark Devotion, and uses their review to highlight how the game provides a potent mix of dungeon crawler, roguelike, and metroidvania gameplay hooks.
- @indigoblue reviewed A Plague Tale: Innocence, and shares why they think it is a perfect example of a game subverting modern gaming tropes and idioms.
- @inkydigits finally got around to playing Undertale and uses their review to explain why they feel they "missed the boat" in waiting until now to play it.
Wonderful Wikis
It's hard to imagine, but ten-years-ago, The Matrix Online ended and the community was introduced to the wonderful Matt Pascual. Obviously, you should read our wiki page to learn more about the game in question, but for most on this site, this is what they will remember about the game the most.
Also, with Evolution 2019 happening this weekend, let's give some love to our wiki page for the well-regarded video game tournament!