Hello and 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 user-created works for your reading pleasure! And holy CRAP did we all have a lot to talk about this week! Not only did the news keep coming, both positively and negatively with the games industry, but we saw a new Premium show debut! For all of you that have been asking for the return of Abby on the site, check out the first episode of Marry Me Tomodachi where Abby and company reviewed the rules of the show and created all of the contestants! As shared during the video, this first episode will be available for everyone to watch and future episodes will be behind premium for a set amount of time. Nevertheless, join the rest of the community in welcoming Abby back to weekly programming on the site in the comments for Marry Me Tomodachi.
As shared last week, Chuck is busy trying to work through the issue of enormousexplosive.com being shadow block by ISPs. As they shared in the "Site-Updates" section of the Giant Bomb Discord the first step was to "migrate the images that were accessed that way to origin.giantbomb.com instead, and also video.giantbomb.com." They also "fully swapped the enormousexplosive.com domain out for giantbomb.com for CDN purposes." The latter of these changes may result in some of you experiencing temporary DNS issues and of you experience any major site issues, remember to report them in the Suggestions & Bug Box discussion board or to send an email to [email protected]. The good news is that the audio feeds seem like they are fully good to go.
Chuck also shared a new Site Update video on YouTube. In it they review new premium plans, updates in the works for the wiki and even hinted that profile pages might be coming back. Also, check out the new and improved Video RSS Feeds over here!
Nonetheless, if you take the time to watch the Site Update video you'll take note of Chuck mentioning they are in the process of moving and the list of items on his agenda continues to grow. Please be mindful of that and be respectful of his time when reaching out to him with concerns, requests, and bug reports.
Last week many of us, myself included, were absolutely STUNNED by Blight Club: Unauthorized last week and site author Colin Hemphill has some updates to share this week. First, it has more sorting options on the Blights list and you can change the sort direction. They also added global stats to better show episode counts and runtimes, though you need to select the applicable filters to see either. Additionally, the scope of the site has expanded to include Delight Club games which means Jan now has a page on the site! There's a fully customizable runtime chart for all of you that love your Giant Bomb stats! However, the best stat they added recently has to be how much each player has suffered based on total length and episode count.
Finally, congratulations are in store for Friends at the Table, which features former Giant Bomb staffer Austin Walker, and their Marathon for Immigrant Justice charity event for the Women's Foundation of Minnesota! You can catch the VOD of their multi-part charity streaming effort on their Twitch account and don't forget that through the rest of February and all of March, they will be sending ALL of their profits (from all items) on friendsatthetable.shop to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota and they even have an exclusive Icebreaker shirt design that will only be available during that time.
Videos & Art
Virtuoso Keeps Getting Cooler (By: Pickle_Giraffe)
Pickle_Giraffe is getting closer to making a proper episode of Blight Club Animated and if you want a hint of what to expect, check out the bottom two links sharing animations of scenes they pretty much have finished.
Also, just bask in the haunting glory of the Disco Elysium portrait they made for Mike!
Blight Club Super Friends: Mitchtuoso +
Blight Club Super Friends: Grubb-kles +
Blight Club Super Friends: Leisure Suit Minotti (By: jearum)
Someone reached out and pointed out that I seemingly missed three whole revisions of jearum's Blight Club Super Friends and I have no idea how I dropped the ball on that as badly as I did. Regardless, give these three works, especially the one made in honor of Mike's torturous adventure through Virtuoso, a gander and thank them for their efforts. You might even be a fan of the banner they made for Marry Me Tomodachi!
Likewise, jearum recently had their hard drive crash and if you have ever been a fan of their Giant Bomb-themed art, they are taking comissions!
Bundle of Nerves Remix From Virtuoso! (By: csl316/Chris LT)
I can't believe I also missed this earlier, but csl316 made a live remix of Bundle of Nerves and absolutely NAILED the guitar riffs! Give it a listen and rock out to Thai Dyed Suicide's anthem to rock.
Community Articles
ZombiePie's Multimedia Mondays - Part 3: Orly's Draw-A-Story & A Day with the Wiggles (By: ZombiePie)
In case you missed it, ZombiePie's Multimedia Mondays feature on Giant Bomb continues with a fun and nightmarish look at Orly's Draw-A-Story and A Day with the Wiggles. One of these is a handcrafted kids edutainment title filled with love and the other is a cheap tie-in to The Wiggles.
Indie Game of the Week 455: Blasphemous II +
RetroPiece Theater: Chibi-Robo! (By: Mento)
Mento has a new edition of their "Indie Game of the Week" feature and this one tackles Blasphemous II! Read why they think it is a step above its predecessor in almost every way!
Mento also looked at Chibi-Robo! It's a game that has a cult following, but with the game getting RetroAchievements, is it as challenging to play and complete as some people have suggested in the past? Read their findings NOW!
HITMAN World of Assassination Cross-Progression is Live, and You Should Set It Up (By: mynameisfatmike)
After announcing it a while back, Hitman World of Assassination cross-progression is live! However, mynameisfatmike takes a relaxed and thorough look at how to make it work and what makes it truly special for old Hitman players and newbies alike.
What's The Greatest Video Game: End Of 2025 Catch Up (By: imunbeatable801)
imunbeatable801 made a glorious return to writing on Giant Bomb last week and this week they provide an in-depth look at all of the retro and modern gaming they have done that didn't result in a write-up on the site.
Forum Posts Worth Checking Out
Announcements
Site Update 03 (By: chucktowski)
As mentioned earlier, Chuck published another unlisted Giant Bomb Site Update and after watching the video you can share your thoughts and input in the thread they created using the link above. Do you have any impressions about the roadmap for the wiki and forums? Does the return of site profiles excite you? Share away!
Let's Test The Video RSS Feed For Grubbsnax Premium! (By: chucktowski)
As shared last week, Chuck wants YOUR HELP in testing the new Video RSS Feed for Grubbsnax Premium to make sure the premium RSS Feeds are working as designed! If this is an issue that has plagued you before, drop a comment in this thread.
In fact, don't forget to check out the Video RSS Feed over here!
General Discussion
Phil Spencer Retiring And Sarah Bond Resigning; New CEO For Microsoft Gaming Comes From Their CoreAI Division (By: ZombiePie)
It's the news everyone is talking about going into the weekend, but as most of you now know, Phil Spencer is retiring and Sarah Bond is resigning. Is this the "end" for Xbox? Was a change in leadership needed?
Schreier Says Sony Is Shutting Down Bluepoint (By: bigsocrates)
The news with Bluepoint sucks. The studio was very good at making remasters and remakes and their closure seems completely unfair. But what's your reaction and is 2026 actually looking to be on par with 2025 in terms of bad vibes in the games industry?
Desert Island Consoles (By: jordha)
During UPF this week, Mike Minotti posed this question: You are stuck on a desert island and can only have 3 consoles for the rest of your life, what would they be?
So, obviously, Giant Bomb users have taken to the forums to share the games they think would best address the question at hand! Do you have any thoughts? If so, feel free to share them here!
Introduce Yourself! (By: laughingman)
Some users realized that the new forums and site didn't have a proper "Introduce Yourself" thread, so, here you go! Click the link above to properly welcome yourself to the new and improved.
RTS Completes Move To Fully Own EVO, Marks Total Ownership Of EVO By Saudi Arabian Qiddiya City (By: ZombiePie)
RTS, which is owned by the Saudi Arabian government, has completed its takeover of EVO and all EVO branded fighting game events. How do you wrestle wanting to follow EVO and Saudi Arabia's sportswashing?
The GB Album Club 106 - Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 by Shakira (By: unclejam23)
The latest edition of the Giant Bomb Album of the Week Club is back and this time it's listening to Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 by Shakira! It's widely considered the album that made Shakira, Shakira, but is it really a timeless classic?
The Hits Keep Coming: Ubisoft Lays Off 40 In Toronto & Jake Solomon's Studio Shutters (By: ZombiePie)
The layoffs at Ubisoft Toronto and Midsummer Studios have been overshadowed by other news items, but are still worth discussing. Get a summary of both news items and discuss what they say about the state of the games industry in 2026 in this thread.
Agent 64: Spies Never Die Is The First Multiplayer Shooter In Almost Two Decades Made For Me (But The Playtest Is Still Buggy) (By: gamelord12)
Are there any Giant Bomb users that have been following Agent 64: Spies Never Die? Any GoldenEye fans that feel like this is right up their alley? Join the hype train in this thread on the Giant Bomb forums!
The Highguard Situation Hits A New Low: Website Goes Down, Discord Link Is Borked, And Tencent Outed As A Secret Financial Backer (By: ZombiePie)
The situation behind Highguard seems bad, as in, really bad. Do any of you think the game has a chance of pulling off a recovery? Or is the current situation too untenable and the game is already past the point of no return?
Hideki Sato, Father Of The Sega Hardware, Died At Age 77. (By: monkeyking1969)
Hideki Sato, the designer behind all of Sega's consoles, has passed away. Join the rest of the Giant Bomb community in appreciating his works by sharing your favorite Sega console memories.
Over 75% of Trump's Tariffs Ruled Illegal By Supreme Court (By: av_gamer)
The Supreme Court ruling Trump's tariffs are unconstitutional is unlikely to bring relief to the tech and gaming sphere anytime soon, but can we still celebrate it as "good news" in a week of nothing but bad news?
Help Me Fill In The Gaps Of My Gaming History (By: laughingman)
Please Help Me Fill In Any Gaming Gaps For Me (By: hyperfocus74)
We have not one, but TWO threads for the edition of the Community Spotlight wherein users have picked up an emulation handheld and are asking users on the forums to send them games from gaming "gaps" that they have and want to fill. Give both threads a read and help out the users in question!
Premium-Only
Grubbsnax Question Thread (By: jeffgrubb)
For those of you with Premium subs, you can head on over to the Premium-Only board and possibly get a question answered during Grubbsnax if you write and post it in this thread. Huge props to Grubb for taking the time to engage with the forums to whip up some community engagement!
Bombcast Hotdog Eatin (By: dugrugnak)
Incredible things are happening in this Premium-only discussion thread on Giant Bomb titled "Bombcast hotdog eatin." If you have any thoughts about dog eating and any matters related to hot dogs and have premium, click the link above!
The Lunch Thread - What Did You Have For Lunch? (By: jordha)
To continue the premium discussion fun, what did you have for lunch? No, seriously, share your sandwiches, meal prep, or full plates for the middle meal in this thread! And don't get stingy about pics!
Suggestions & Bug Box
Community Source Content Tags For Linking To Wiki Articles [Answer/Resolved] (By: blindeagle)
Chuck shadow dropped being able to source content tags for linking to wiki pages! Give it a shot in this thread if you are unsure about how they work and understand that the wiki page doesn't list videos at the moment, but that is planned for the future.
Lists
In-Game Orbital Distance View (By: hek7o)
The site might be new and the list feature still ironing things out, but if there's one fixture about lists that continues to bring me joy it's user-created lists that try to locate highly specific game concepts no one else has thought about! This week from hek70, we have a list trying to locate examples of games where you have a view of a planet or something similar from orbit or an orbital distance.
My Ranking of Mario Karts (By: MajorMitch)
User MajorMitch has made some edits and republished their list ranking every game in the Mario Kart franchise they have played. Check out the rest of their rankings and see where your favorite Mario Kart games rank.
Console Collection (By: chucktowski)
Engineer Chuck has a fairly large catalog of video game consoles and to see how deep that catalog goes, you can check out this list on the site! Also, if you have premium, don't forget to make your own version of this list!
User Reviews
The Jackbox Party Pack 3 review from jordha
jordha returns to reviewing the Jackbox Party Packs with a single-player focus and shares how well TEE KO, Guesspionage, Fakin' It, Quiplash 2, and Trivia Murder Party play with just yourself.