Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I ZombiePie, am very patriotically happy to be your host as we look back at the staff and site-related news and best user-created works from the previous week!
Due to the 4th of July, the staff took some much-needed time off on Friday leading to a shorter week of programming. Nonetheless, things were still exciting and we have a lot to report on with this edition of the Spotlight. In fact, some of you may be asking why this edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight is airing a whole day later than when it normally goes up on the site. Well, there's not secret about that! I just decided to belated partake in Giant Bomb's Fishing Week on the 4th.
If tried to submit things to the wiki or attempted to edit a list or tier list on the 2nd, you may have noticed that the wiki was down. The issue should be resolved and in the future don't forget to report any issues to the Suggestions & Bug Box forums, the Giant Bomb Discord in the "site-tech-issues" channel, or via email to [email protected].
Obviously, due to the 4th of July weekend/holiday, your patience with any bug reports would be greatly appreciated. Nonetheless, the Discord had another user point out that The Bomb 12's horizontal scroll is still difficult to use and sometimes the site only displays the Top Five games. This issue is known and you can click and drag horizontally to see more. Likewise, other users have reported that the latest Sewer Shark video did not show up in the "All Videos" RSS feed.
The last note about bugs and account issues is that if you ever get blocked from use the site by Cloudflare and see a notification to contact the Giant Bomb site or site admin, that's a help request to send via [email protected].
Over on the Discord, a user pointed out that the web version of Click Click Bomb was no longer working. Chuck shared that it went down at some point and they have to pay to host it and have not gone back to work on it. Nonetheless, the Steam version of the application/game still is up and running and in a lot of ways is better than the web version at this point.
We shift now to some fun announcements from the staff! Voting for Giant Bomb's Premium Blight Club for Bakalar is still up and you can send in your vote over here if you have GB Premium and still haven't voted. Additionally, if you ordered any of the Fishing Week merch, it seems like the first wave of orders is being fulfilled! Here's one such example I found on bsky!
And in case you still needed the links to all of the Fishing Week merch one more time, here you go:
- Fishing Week Tank Top - $30+S.H.
- Giant Bomb Fishing Shirt - $28+S.H.
- Giant Bomb Long Sleeve Fishing Shirt - $36+S.H.
- Giant Bomb Fishing Bucket Hat - $31+S.H.
- Fishing Week Trucker Hat - $31+S.H.
Finally, July 3rd marked the 13th anniversary of Ryan Davis' passing. Though the long-standing thread on the site mourning the loss of Ryan is gone, and Giant Bomb itself has evolved greatly since Ryan last graced this site, his legacy carries strong even today. So, as is tradition on these parts, even if we are well-past the 4th of July, it's never too late to enjoy some Summer Jams Ryan once compiled on what he once claimed was the "ultimate" Summer Jams playlist:
good day to blast THE REALEST SUMMERJAMS all day.
Fan Art
Grubber +
Blightning Round (By: jea_rum)
As you can hopefully tell from the banner, we have TWO incredible works of art from jea_rum. The first imagines Grubb and Mike as characters in the Disney "classic" Flubber, but I do have to point out something.... During the end of the filme, Flubber goes down the mouth of the evil rival scientist and out of his butt while he cries for his mother. That's a real scene in Flubber and now jea_rum has grafted that onto the people in this art.
Second, jea_rum did an INCREDIBLE tribute post for Dan to celebrate their defeat of Space Ace and they mixed Space Ace with Prince's Purple Rain album. I think we can all come together to agree this is straight up amazing stuff from them.
Don't forget that jea_rum accepts commissions over on ko-fi and if you have ever wanted to re-imagine a Giant Bomb moment or have a DnD character you'd like to see drawn as you always imagined them, jea come heavily recommended!
Videos
Giant Bomb x Low Rider (By: Giant Bomb)
These boys are up to no good and over on the Giant Bomb bluesky account they posted a video that I will not spoil and just recommend you all watch when you have the time if you haven't seen it yourself yet.
Community Articles
Sony Does Not Present an Attractive Digital Future, May Cause PlayStation Owners to Consider PC (By: geezy)
Sony discontinuing the production of physical media has certainly put many in this community on the edge, but something that has cropped up is the claim that the digital future has its share of advantages over physical media. geezy lays out why, even if that were the case, Sony's notion of a digital gaming future is not attractive to consumers at all.
Indie Game of the Week 474: Skald: Against the Black Priory +
Mento's Month: June '26 (By: Mento)
It's time for some CRPG goodness with Mento's latest "Indie Game of the Week" feature as they played Skald: Against the Black Priory! For people with not a lot of crystalized nostalgia for the classic Ultima games or eldritch horror, is there anything in the game worth check out? Read their findings to find out!
Likewise, with it being the end of another month, Mento is back with a new write-up listing out all of their gaming and anime-viewing highlights and lowlights! Whether you want retro game recommendations or Summer anime suggestions, their second blog.
What's the Greatest Video Game: The Devil in Me (By: imunbeatable801)
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me is one of the lesser well-regarded Dark Pictures games and imunbeatable801 wanted to get to the bottom of why that's the case. What makes this entry in the series so universally reviled?
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
PlayStation Plans To End Physical Game Production As Of 2028 (By: bigsocrates)
So... Sony announcing the end of physical game production is a lot to process. Will this change how you follow and consume games in the future? Even if Sony launches new hardware during our lifetime, will you support them?
They Could Remove The Controller To Cut Cost Of The Next Generation Of Consoles (By: frankiebeanz)
In light of the news about Sony ceasing game disc manufacturing, some incredible stuff is happening on the Giant Bomb forums! Satirically, what other cost-cutting measures would you enact to please the shareholders?
PS3 And Vita Stores Closing, Some Territories This Year, Others July 2027 (Including NA, Apparently) (By: bigsocrates)
The announcement that the PS3 and Vita stores would be closing got slight lost in the mix with the other Sony news, but do you have any reactions? Considering the other console manufacturers have done the same, is it really that surprising?
Mid-Year Check-in: What Games Are You Looking Forward To In The Second Half Of 2026? (By: atheistpreacher)
It's crazy to think, but we are now past the halfway point with 2026! With that in mind, what games in the future are you most excited to play? Is it a small indie title or something from a well-known publisher or studio?
We're Halfway Through The Year. How Do People Feel About 2026 In Games/Giant Bomb So Far? (By: bigsocrates)
So, we have been doing a lot of talking about the state of gaming and game hardware, but how do you feel about Giant Bomb, its community, and the gaming press? That question, and its many connected ones as well, is at the heart of the thread linked above and you can feel free to share your take.
What Tales Games Have You Played Plus What Are You Thoughts (By: chocobodude3)
The announcement of a Tales of Eternia remaster during SGF 2026 took some people by surprise, but it does revive a fun question for everyone on the site: what's your experience with the Tales of... games? Whether you're a newbie or Hideo Baba survivor, share your thoughts and impressions on the state of the franchise!
Let's Talk RetroAchievements! (By: brittonpeele)
How many of you use RetroAchievements? We have a new thread on the site where people can share their profiles, seek advice, and discuss especially tricky achievements! Are you like Mento and there are some "White Whale" RetroAchievements that drive you crazy?
Arcade Challenge Game Club: 1982 Popeye +
Arcade Challenge Game Club: Money Puzzle Exchanger (By: imunbeatable801)
Speaking of retro gaming, don't forget forums we have a community RETRO ARCADE CHALLENGE! The previous game in question is Popeye (1982) and if you are interested in joining the fun, you still have time!
For this week and next week, the game is long-standing site favorite, Money Puzzle Exchanger! How long can you last in this game? Even if your best time ends up being just a handful of minutes post your score so the community knows you want to see more cool activities like this!
FISHING WEEK Is Over. What's The Next One!? (By: adamwparker)
First it was GOLF WEEK and then it was FISHING WEEK! If you had to pick and design a theme week for Giant Bomb, what would it be and which games would they play? Do you want to see the Giant Bomb team play some sports games or maybe do some farming? Share away to your hearts' delight!
What Are You Playing/Finishing/Abandoning This Week (June 28, 2026 Edition) (By: laughingman)
With the Steam Summer Sale inundating all of us with notifications and in full swing, what game or games do you plan to start playing? Are any of you booting up games you got during the Steam Summer Sale?
Premium-Only
PICK YOUR BLIGHT (PREMIUM BLIGHT FOR JERF) (By: chucktowski)
Do you have Giant Bomb Premium? If you're reading this section, you probably do! Well, don't forget to head on over to the Premium forums to vote for the PREMIUM Blight Bakalar will be playing! Right now Catwoman for the GameCube has the edge, but anything is possible!
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!
Suggestions & Bug Box
Unable To Download Giant Bombcast Audio [RESPONSE POST & POSSIBLY RESOLVED] (By: bludgeoner86)
There was a lone report by a user that they couldn't download Giant Bombcast audio, even the free audio. Chuck indicated that the issue was due to a 403 being served from the site's podcast syndicator, spreaker, and that the issue should be resolved. If not, drop a comment in the thread.
DK64 Sub-a-Thon Episode 3 Is Missing [UNRESOLVED] (By: undeadpool)
Premium Only RSS Feed Missing New This is the Run [UNRESOLVED] (By: jarryd)
As mentioned in the introduction, with the short week, your patience with any tickets or bug reports is greatly appreciated. Nonetheless, reporting missing videos or features on the site or the RSS Feeds is still appreciated and when everyone returns next week, these tickets will be processed accordingly.
Tier Lists
64 in 64: The Current Ranking (By: Mento)
If you enjoyed Mento playing a smattering of Nintendo 64 games last month, give this list a read! In it they review and rank every single N64 game they have played throughout the years they have been doing their "64 in 64" feature from best to worst!
Ranking Every Simpsons Game (Ongoing) (By: )
The internet's busiest Simpsons video game expert, honestom23, has played or replayed a handful of Simpsons video games which then led them to re-assess their previous The Simpsons video game tier list on Giant Bomb. For the most up-to-date version of their DEFINITIVE rankings, click the link above!