The Community Spotlight 2022.12.10

Welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight! I, @zombiepie, am honored to be your host as we look back at the biggest news and best community-created works from the previous week.

Before we get into the news, I will likely break out the GOTY spirit for the Spotlight next week. For those unfamiliar, I tend to have fun categories for GOTY content when the site and staff pivot to that time of the year. Also, expect a thread on the site soon where you can post and send me your GOTY list or blog for inclusion on the next Community Spotlight. With that out of the way, let's review some NEWS!

News

Let's talk about GOTY plans. For now, the only thing we know for certain is that starting this Monday, the staff will be doing three days livestreams themed to GOTY starting at 12 PM PST. These streams will go longer than your usual Giant Bomb livestream and the theme for each is a mystery. Likewise, Rorie has confirmed in different channels that community voting will take place at some point next week or the week after. The same form and system from previous years will be used.

As many of you already know, because Tam, Lucy, Dan, and Bakalar were out attending The Game Awards, certain videos and features took a break this week. For example, you can't make Grubbsy without Dan.

Also, Jeff Bakalar was on an episode of Nextlander's Never Been a Better Podcast and was joined by Abby! Remember, this premium tier podcast requires a $10 subscription on Nextlander's Patreon.

Finally, we have an update on the alternate social media platforms you can follow the Giant Bomb staff on. After several reports emerged that Hive had and still to a degree to this day has security concerns, the staff and site have dropped it. The current list of active Twitter alternatives remains:

• Cohost (https://cohost.org/giantbomb)
• Mastodon (https://mastodon.social/@therealgiantbomb…)
• Tiktok (https://tiktok.com/@therealgiantbomb…)
• Instagram (https://instagram.com/giantbombdotcom)

Tweets

Activities

GB Community Game Night (By: @looterjennings)

This seems to be getting more traction after last week, but is there anyone out there that are interested in starting a monthly "Community Game Night" program going?

Norco Is The 23rd Selection Of The UUGPGC! Completion Date Is 12/12/2022 (By: @bigsocrates)

Norco is the latest pick for the Community Game Pass Game Club! If you have any NON-SPOILER impressions of this retro-styled point-and-click adventure game, feel free to share them in the thread linked above.

The GB Album Club 018 - A/B by Kaleo (By: @unclejam23)

The latest edition of the Album Club is for A/B by Kaleo! If you have any thoughts about this group or specific album, click the link above to share them. Also, get the details on how to join the fun in the future!

Galleria

Mike & Geoff & Giant Bomb Reunion +1 & Keegan Michael Key Is A Black Vinny (By: @kone)

Thanks to The Game Awards, Kone was on a bit of a hot streak last week with his photoshop wizardry. If you are wondering about the context of the third image, Jess posited "Keegan Michael Key is a black Vinny Caravella" during the site's Game Awards stream and Kone made that become a reality.

Blogs

All Saturn Games In Order: Special - The Hydlide Problem (By: @borgmaster)

I'm not joking when I say this, borgmaster's latest blog on Giant Bomb about the history of The Tower of Druaga and Hydlide is one of the best things you will read this year. Seriously, click the link below and be AMAZED at their research!

AtheistPreacher's Top 10 Games of 2022 (sort of) (By: @atheistpreacher)

AtheistPreacher takes to Giant Bomb to discuss their favorite games from 2022! Give it a read to see the diverse group of games that defined their last year of gaming! Also, don't forget to consider making a blog or list of your own!

A Legend of Galactic Voices (By: @infantpipoc)

What if Mass Effect got the same treatment Cyberpunk got with Edgerunners? What would the voice cast look like in a "perfect" anime adaptation of the Mass Effect series? infantpipoc tackles that very topic on the site.

Finishing Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII [Part 1] - Honestly, This Game Isn't As Bad As The Internet Says! (By: @zombiepie)

Before they drown in GOTY content, moderator ZombiePie is starting a new Final Fantasy retrospective and this one is for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII! Learn about how Justin Timberlake and Valkyrie Profile helped shape the game! This blog, like the game, is a trip.

Go! Go! GOTY! 2022: Tinykin + Signalis + Tunic +

Indie Game of the Week 299: Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (By: @mento)

You can always count on Mento to do something over-the-top in time for GOTY season. Like last year, they are looking at a number of games in their backlog they have been meaning to play and judge if they deserve to be in the GOTY mix. This week saw them playing Tinykin, Signalis, and Tunic. Even then, they still took the time to publish a new edition of their "Indie Game of the Week" feature on the site! This time they checked out Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth-!

HuCARTography I: The Opening Salvo (By: @jeffrud)

The first episode of jeffrud's retrospective on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 on the site starts off with an explanation of the Wonder Boy franchise and a look at the history of the Shanghai variant of Mahjong!

SparkyB's Marvel Snap Favorite Decks (By: @sparky_buzzsaw)

sparky_buzzsaw returns to Giant Bomb to pen a blog detailing their favorite decks in Marvel Snap by "pure fun factor." Give it a read and think about and share your favorite fun decks that the online meta hates!

I Love What Final Fantasy VII Remake Had To Say About Fandom (By: @pauljeremiah)

pauljeremiah finally got around to playing Final Fantasy VII Remake and articulates on their latest blog on why they absolutely LOVE what it has to say about fandom and how games should treat their fans.

Logging the Backlog: It's Time To Play 500 Games (By: @brian_)

brian_ looked at the backlog of games they have been keeping track of and they realized it just topped 500 games total. Today, they talk about removing eleven games from that list on and if they enjoyed any of them!

The Working Out: A Brief Introduction to Puzzle Design (By: @gamer_152)

It is time to talk about the long and complicated history of puzzle design in video games with moderator Gamer_152's latest blog on the site. What schools of thought have risen and fallen in the long and storied history of puzzles?

Discussion Threads

What Upcoming Games From TGA Piqued Your Interest? (By: @atheistpreacher)

Now that everyone has had time to mull over all of the new games announced or shown at The Game Awards 2022, which upcoming games are you most excited to get your hands on?

What's Your End Of The Year Elden Ring Play Time? (By: @cyrusraven)

Many undoubtedly plan to name Elden Ring as their #1 game on their 2022 GOTY list or blog. That's cool. But, as this thread points out, what was your end of the year playtime for the game? Did you cross 100 hours like Tamoor?

Single Hand Phone Games for New Dads (By: @jhayward)

As the title suggests, Jhayward recently just celebrated his first child and is primarily stuck with just his phone while he cares for his son. Are there any mobile games you recommend they check out?

How Often Do You Keep Up With Downloading The Free Games Offered From A Service You Have? (By: @topcyclist)

Be honest. How many of you are still keeping track of all the free games you get from paid subscriptions or online accounts? Is it an impossible task for you to know which games are coming out on Xbox Live, PSN+, Epic, Humble Monthly etc.?

Forspoken Demo Discussion Thread (By: @spacemanspiff00)

How many of y'all have checked out the demo for Forspoken? Some like it while others are far more mixed about the vertical slice of the game that Square Enix has shared.

Hottest Mess 2022 - Pre-Poll Call for Candidates (By: @allthedinos)

If "Hottest Mess" was to return as a GOTY award/demerit during Giant Bomb's GOTY coverage, who or what would you have pinned as the winner? Here's a list of nominees the community has thought of and you can join the discussion!

Toejam & Earl Movie In The Works (By: @dooz)

New details have emerged about a ToeJam & Earl movie currently in the works! In fact, the details that have surfaced are pretty specific about what it will entail and contain. Read all about it and let us know if it will be any good!

Who Is The Best Game Director? (By: @topcyclist)

Here's a fun discussion thread on the forums! Who are your favorite creative leads or directors in the video game industry? Is there anyone in the industry that once you find out they worked on it, you know you're playing it?

Lists

Best of 2022 (By: @lazyaza)

Lazyaza found 2022 to be a "great year" for video games! However, because they played a mix of new and old games, their GOTY list on the site casts a wide net! Give it a read and don't forget to write your own list when you have the time!

Favorite Game of Each Year +

Top 10 All-Time Favorite Games (By: @odysseyrpg)

OdysseyRPG took the maelstrom of GOTY talk to relay every single game they would have put at the top of their GOTY list charting all the way back to 1993! They also reviewed their "Favorite Games of All-Time" list and updated it.

Every Game From The Game Awards 2022 RANKED (By: @daavpuke)

daavpuke was glued to their computer screen during The Game Awards, but they were more interested in the game trailers and world premiers than anything else. Check out their best-to-worst ranking of every game at the event!

Wiki Of The Week

Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line

The game isn't out until February, but @marino spent time over the past week building the wiki page for the game, which will feature over 500 songs and over 100 characters from across the 35-year history of Final Fantasy (plus some other Square Enix franchises).

The wiki page fully breaks down all of the returning and new features to the Theatrhythm franchise as well as providing a full list of every song in the game listed based on the 40+ games (and movies/albums) from which they originated. You'll also be able to clearly see what songs are included in the base game and which ones are either bonuses in the Digital Deluxe Editions or included in the multiple planned Season Passes.