Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I, ZombiePie, am once again honored to be your host as we look back at the important site and staff happenings as well as the best user-created works from the previous week!
First, we have some exciting news for all of you that consume Giant Bomb's content primarily on YouTube! Giant Bomb Premium YouTube Memberships are here! They are still a work in progress, but the skeleton of what to expect is there and you should check out Chuck's announcement article for all of the details on what is there right now and what to expect in the future. For now, the idea is for a YouTube Membership to give you all the site perks with this membership also unlocking Premium features like Marry Me Tomodachi on YouTube. Also, YouTube Memberships are priced at $15, because the staff want it to be an equivalent membership and YouTube takes a 30% cut. Read the article if you are still curious on what are the "best" avenues to support the Giant Bomb staff in their creative endeavors.
Announced during the 939th episode of The Giant Bombcast, but the site will be working with GameSpot and Giant Bomb OGs Matt Rorie and Stan Kwon's company Beta Hat. Beta Gat is a company that collects feedback from game players and gaming communities. If you want to help or participate in this partnership, you can head over to the Giant Bomb Discord and react to the Beta Hat role in the # opt-in-roles in the "Giant Bomb Insiders" channel with a top hat emoji OR you can go to https://giantbomb.com/betahat and make sure to check "Giant Bomb" when registering. Beta Hat is mostly focused on Discord at the moment, but if any site threads pop up, I will be happy to direct Rorie to them to answer questions. Also, if you get selected, all opportunities are paid for market research sessions, mostly for people in the U.S. and can take place in-person or online. If you are on the Giant Bomb Discord, you can also ask Rorie questions in the "# beta-hat-chat" channel.
Now, when it comes to site updates, Chuck recently did a big update to the site's general search page. If you have any feedback, feel free to share it on the Suggestions & Bug Box board or in the site-tech-issues channel of the Discord.
The site has also been having weird formatting and ad issues with Safari and iOS. Some people have said they will have ads, even though the site shows they are logged in as a premium member and others shared they were having issues with text not quite fitting on the screen when reading articles on an iPhone. Chuck has been working on these issues and if you continue to see or experience them, feel free to drop in the "site-tech-issues" channel on the Discord. You can also send an email to [email protected] or create a thread on the Suggestions & Bug Box forums.
And finally, we have BREAKING NEWS from Marino who tells me "preparations have begun..."
Fan Art
Giant Bomb Staff & Friends In Tomadachi Life - Part 1 +
Giant Bomb Staff & Friends In Tomadachi Life - Part 2 (By: grantnp)
Some incredible things have been coming out of Tomodachi Life from the people that seem to know the ins and outs of the game's creation suite. However, grantnp over on Bsky ended up making some INCREDIBLE renditions of the Giant Bomb staff and supporting family that are downright awe-inspiring.
Like... look at how well they nailed Mike!
Metal Maze | Space Ace SNES OST - Video (By: dot.darkness/Colin Hemphill)
Space Ace continues to be the bane of Dan's existence, so Colin Hemphill of Blight Club Unauthorized fame has decided to record and publish a metal version of the Space Ace theme.
Speaking of Blight Club Unauthorized, Colin added a community section on Blight Club Unauthorized to highlight fan art, music, etc. No way I can seed every previous blight but feel free to tag me whenever something comes up.
Community Articles
Indie Game of the Week 466: Cat Quest II (By: Mento)
Mento has another wonderful edition of their "Indie Game of the Week" feature on the site, and this time they played Cat Quest II! How long are the legs/paws on this open-world 2D action RPG? Read their article to find out!
Twelve Bi-pedal Cats, Two Four-fingered Kings And One Battle-bot Going Against Their Programming (By: infantpipoc)
After imagining prime time voice acting casting for a self-imagined metal gear Solid anime adaptation, infantpipoc decided to apply the same logic to Nine Sols, but with the game as a Marvel Cinematic Universe animated feature.
No, I'm Not Going To Stop Using "Parryslop" As A Derisive Catchall. You Can't Stop Me. (By: ZombiePie)
Many people are growing tired and hostile towards the use of the term "parryslop" and "slop" as a negative label on games. This week ZombiePie shares why the use of the term and its clones continues to be helpful to them as they continue to struggle with the inundation of new game releases.
What's the Greatest Video Game: Ninja Baseball Bat Man (By: imunbeatable801)
Ninja Baseball Bat Man is widely considered one of Irem's buried arcade game treasures, so, imunbeatable801 decided to see for themselves if the game was any good or if its cult status was overrated. See what they discovered in the write-up linked above!
We Have to Talk About Rogue Galaxy (By: undeadpool)
undeadpool has been a user on Giant Bomb for a while and they recent played Rogue Galaxy after everyone called it an "underrated gem." In this essay, they want to talk to people who told them to play it.
The "Pressure" Of The Backlog And Progression Vs Just Being Able To Play In The Moment Or Focus On One Game (By: bigsocrates)
bigsocrates penned a short but interesting essay about the "pressure" to tackle their backlog and the art of letting a game they haven't played "go." Give it a read and feel free to share how YOU are processing the weight of your backlog!
Forum Posts Worth Checking Out
Announcements
Giant Bomb Premium YouTube Memberships... Are Here (By: Chuck)
As mentioned earlier, YouTube Memberships are here and you can get the early details on what is locked behind them and how they can enhance your Giant Bomb experience. As Chuck lays out in the article, if you already have Giant Bomb Premium and are enjoying Premium features on the site, this might not be for you, but for those of you that have been asking for a YouTube Membership option, read all about it!
Let's Test The Video RSS Feed For Grubbsnax Premium! (By: chucktowski)
As shared in previous weeks, 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
Switch 2 Prices Are Increasing (By: bigsocrates)
Nintendo have announced a price increase for the Switch 2 starting on September 1st. They also revealed other price increases. What are your thoughts?
Star Fox 64 Remake Direct Is Out And It Looks Amazing (By: laughingman)
So, how do you all feel about the new Star Fox game? Are you excited or disappointed it's a remake of Star Fox 64? What do you think of the art style?
Titanium Court (Thoughts So Far) (By: dxxpwave)
Have any of you given Titanium Court a shot? Do you find it overwhelming or deep? Any tips or advice for newcomers? Share away in our discussion thread for the game.
Pragmata Spoiler Thread (By: bigsocrates)
It's been out for a while, but do any of you want to talk story spoilers about Pragmata? Whether it be the game's ending or other events, feel free to join the discussion in this thread.
All Things Steam Controller (By: jjweatherman)
The Steam Controller is sold out and already being sold by scalper for exorbitant prices. Are you surprised to see this happen with the controller? Is this just bound to happen with the Steam Machine?
The Past Generations Of Games That You're Wishing Them To Be Ported And Remastered For Modern Consoles And PC? (As Of May 4th, 2026) (By: gtxforza)
What are the classic console games that you'd most like to see crop up on Steam or GOG? Is it a forgotten PS1 or N64 classic or something more recent? Share and defend your picks over here!
What Even Is An Endurance Run Anymore? (By: sunie)
Here's a fun one: newer Giant Bomb users are a bit flummoxed on the term "Endurance Run" and how it differs from the standard Let's Play. If you are an older Giant Bomb user and feel up for the challenge of explaining what that is, drop a comment in the thread linked above.
Premium-Only
YouTube Premium and Giant Bomb Subscription (By: lsh0y0t)
Do you have any comments or concerns about the YouTube Memberships as a Premium user? Well, feel free to use this thread to post them! Input is always appreciated when it is relayed in a constructive and ifnromative manner.
Cat Stats (By: mafuchi)
We have Giant Bomb users creating Magic the Gathering cards for their cats inspired by Chuck's 9 Lives of Mister Mistofelees feature on the site! If you have Giant Bomb Premium, check it out and join the fun!
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!
Suggestions & Bug Box
Bug: Video File Cannot Be Played [RESOLVED] (By: paul_tillich)
Last week on the Spotlight I mentioned there was a widely-reported issue with videos on the site that were connected to the site's CDN. Shortly after publishing that, Chuck tracked the issue and announced it had been resolved. If you're still seeing it pop up, feel free to drop a comment here, but it sounds like this has been resolved.
Bug - Video Player Not Resuming Last Played Position [RESPONSE POSTED] (By: liquidirish)
After multiple users chimed in that the video player wasn't resuming their pause positions, Chuck discovered the issue is highly local. If you want help, use the thread above and post your operating system / browser / even specific video and Chuck will try to help you out, but be aware they are incredibly busy right now.
Tier Lists
Ranking Of 80’s And 90’s Licensed Beat 'Em Ups (By: osu16bit)
osu16bit decided to have some fun with their latest tier list on Giant Bomb which ranks "80’s and 90’s licensed beat em ups!" Here it is and if you have Giant Bomb Premium you can use their template to make your own list!
User Reviews
infantpipoc shares in their review on Giant Bomb why they fell in love with Echo Point Nova and what they think makes the game's open-world FPS action so addictive!