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 site and staff-related news and best user-created works from the previous week!
Chuck recently posted a Site Update video on the Giant Bomb YouTube account that you can watch to learn more about the new improvements that have been deployed as well as the priorities moving forward. The notes are: 1) gift subscriptions when you select "Community" are working and do send gift subs to random users but the gifted users are getting invoices even if they are not the ones getting billed, 2) secretrob worked with the API and was able to find a seamless way to surface user reviews on wiki pages, so, huge props to them, 3) Postman Dan is continuing to scout bug reports and is responding to them and is happy to process and organize threads about missing content or content suggestions, 4) Chuck has 4,424 unit tests for the website, 5) deployments have been automated, and 6) subscriptions that are set to NOT auto-renew, but have time left, are now accurately communicated on the website.
However, YouTube Memberships are the biggie. YouTube Memberships are not designed to be premium; they allow you to support a specific YouTube Channel. However, Chuck has created a system that verifies that you are the owner of a YouTube account with a Giant Bomb YouTube Membership by linking your YouTube account to your YouTube account, or vice versa. Chuck is working on an OAuth after jumping through a bunch of Google's hoops to make this happen but it's not 100% complete. Nonetheless, if you link your YouTube account to your Giant Bomb site account and you pick up a YouTube membership, you should have premium access on the site.
Last week I shared how the Giant Bomb TV Android app hit the Google Play Store, and this week there's a new version of Bomb Cyclone, the iOS Giant Bomb app, now available on the App Store! If you want a new way to enjoy Giant Bomb content on iOS, this is the app for you! Get the details and feel free to report any bugs or issues in the thread!
Rorie and the team at Beta Hat have an upcoming opportunity in Dallas, Texas. The focus group is mostly centered around MOBAs and will take place on Tuesday the 26th and Wednesday the 27th. Anyone that gets through will be paid $175 for their time and the survey link is right here.
And SGF 2026 is less than a month away which means Marino has a wonderfully helpful Not-E3 2026 Time Zone Chart! This time they added a phone-friendly vertical version in the tabs at the bottom of the sheet!
Fan Art
PC ('96-'01) vs. N64 (By: Joyze)
Dan sure has started a fire storm and if you're confused about this week's banner, Dan published a response form affirming why he thinks the N64's library is better than the entirety of PC gaming from '96 to '01.
You too can have fun filling out this form but as Chuck always says "Don't eat the onion."
Community Articles
Indie Game of the Week 468: Arcade Paradise +
May no Monogatari Mou: Part Two (PlayStation & Super Famicom & Nintendo DS) (By: Mento)
Once again, Mento is back with a new edition of their "Indie Game of the Week" feature and this time they checked out Arcade Paradise! In their review, they share why it's not just a nostalgic trip down memory lane, but also a fun comedy management game.
They also got around to publishing the second part of their fan translation feature and this time they wrapped up their King's Field review as well as shared their impressions of the fan translations for Xak: The Art of Visual Stage and Ripened Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love!
Where is That Damn Dragon? (By: ford_dent)
The reverse-engineered PC port of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Dusklight, got a lot of buzz when it first dropped and if you're interested in learning more about what it is and what it entails, give ford_dent's review of it a read!
What's The Greatest Video Game: Steamworld Heist (By: imunbeatable801)
For this edition of their "What's the Greatest Video Game" feature on the site, imunbeatable801 decided to give Steamworld Heist a review! Did they enjoy it as much as other games in the series or did they think it added too much unneeded complication to the Steam World formula?
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!
General Discussion
Bungie Is Ending Active Content Development Of Destiny 2 (By: bigsocrates)
Bungie is ending active development and content for Destiny 2 and there are rumblings of layoffs at the studio. Catch up on the news and share your thoughts about what you think happened and why.
If Asked To Bring Something To A Party Outside/ BBQ - What Do You Bring Most Often? (By: monkeyking1969)
Here's a discussion thread on the Giant Bomb forums I think we can all get behind: You've been asked to bring a side dish to a BBQ or cookout. What are you brining? Share away in the thread linked above!
It's Fantastic That Giant Bomb Is Regularly Doing Written Reviews Again (By: bigsocrates)
Are you enjoying the glorious return of full game reviews on Giant Bomb? Whether you agree or disagree with the scores, are you happy to see reviews make a comeback? Also, have any of you picked up reviewing games as a result?
What Are You Playing/Finishing/Abandoning This Week (May 17, 2026 Edition)? (By: laughingman)
How did your gaming plans from last week shape up? Were you able to pick up Forza Horizon 6 or another big AAA game? Maybe you added a fun indie game to your game playing rotation. Well, share what those games were with the rest of the community!
I'll Never Get Over How Many JRPGs Pull The "The True Threat Is... SOME GUY YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF" Thing After You Defeat The Apparent Main Baddie (By: bigsocrates)
Is the sudden reveal that the villain you thought was the main antagonist all along wasn't the true "bad guy" actually bother you in RPGs or JRPGs? Is a trope that hurts a game you're trying to take seriously or do you think it's fine or workable in different contexts?
Introducing Tacoma Joe's Golf Page (By: electricviking)
Partially inspired by Mike and the "Golf Week" theme week from a while back, a user has created a NeoCities site where people can post their best golf game scores! Whether you have a good score in a classic HotShots or PGA Tour or maybe something more recent, drop a comment in the thread to learn more!
Premium-Only
9 Lives Appreciation Thread (By: figmentspace)
For those of you with Giant Bomb Premium, we have an appreciation thread for Chuck's "9 Lives of Mister Mistofelees" feature on the site! If you are a fan of their feature and the tomfoolery they have been up to on Skyrim, drop a comment over here!
Premium Content Suggestions (By: adamthephantump)
Now that premium features really seem to be hitting their stride, what is your "dream feature?" Is there a game you think is a perfect fit for the Giant Bomb staff you'd like to see them do a deep dive into? If so, share away in this discussion thread!
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!
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! However, as Chuck points out, Giant Bomb can't facilitate site premium giving people YouTube memberships.
Suggestions & Bug Box
Forbidden Solitaire Missing From Quick Looks RSS [Resolved & Locked] (By: mafuchi)
While this thread has been resolved and locked it serves as a perfect case study on what to do if you notice a new or old video not on the site. Create a thread on the Suggestions & Bug Box forum with the name of the missing feature or episode number if it is part of a long-running series, and Postman Dan will get back to you as soon as possible. They have been able to resolve missing videos or VODs rather quickly.
Low Res Blight Club In RSS [Response & Workaround Posted] (By: mafuchi)
Postman Dan got word from Chuck that any Blight Clubs that were previously only watchable in a low resolution should be fixed. The RSS feed has been reset, but if you still are seeing low res videos, try adding the feed to your app again.
Tier Lists
Rating 90s N64 Games And PC Games For No Particular Reason (By: tampy)
Instead of fully throwing their lot in with this PC vs N64 debate that Dan Ryckert has erupted on Giant Bomb and social media, tampy has decided to tier list rank every game that is up for debate on that form.
Rare N64 Games (By: jeffgrubb)
As decided and discussed during Blight Club, Jeff Grubb has made a tier list on the site ranking the "Rare N64 Games." Here's how things shaped up and if you disagree with any of the placements, feel free to go wild with their template!
Ranking Of Star Wolf Themes (By: xolotl)
With all of the talk surrounding the new Star Fox game project, user xolotl decided to have a go at ranking every version of the Star Wolf theme! Click the link to see which ones they think are BANGERS and the which ones are wet farts!
MajorMitch's Final Fantasy Tier List (By: MajorMitch)
MajorMitch has an updated version of their Final Fantasy tier list! How does your favorite game in the franchise rank? Click the link above and don't forget that if you have Premium, you can use their template to make your own list!
Final Fantasy Tier List (By: danfiasco)
Speaking of which, danfiasco took MajorMitch on their offer and had go at making a tier list of every single "mainline" Final Fantasy game! See??? It's not that hard to play around with someone else's template!
List
My Top 10 Games of 2019 Revisited (By: mocbucket62)
mocbucket62 recently tackled a good chunk of the games on their backlog and that led them to re-assessing their 2019 GOTY list. Which games got added to the list and which ones dropped down? Read to find out and consider doing the same if you too have played games from the year recently.
User Reviews
undeadpool decided to publish a review for Terminator 2D: No Fate on Giant Bomb and shares in it why they think you can definitely have a blast with the game if you approach it with the right mindset.
rowsofcaststeel rolled credits on Saros and ended up completely agreeing with Jeff Grubb's review. They too found its mix of Returnal and roguelite DNA at times awkward, even if the world itself was gorgeous and interesting