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-related news along with the best user-created works from the previous week!
If you had issues trying to log in, it was an issue with Cloudflare and it seems like the issue has been resolved. If you are unable to log in to the site, feel free to drop a comment in the "site-tech-issues section of the Giant Bomb Discord or to send an email to [email protected].
Some phone users have been reporting issues with using the site to watch videos or listen to podcasts. In one case, a user that was attempting to go full screen noticed that most of the time all they see is a large black screen with the video controls on the top of the screen. When the video does play and the sound works, the controls are at the bottom.
As Chuck indicated on the Discord, he and the staff don't control the implementation of the video player to completely resolve the issue as it is a player by JW. he can file a bug report to them about this issue but is interested in getting more input or comments from other users that have been experiencing this problem whether it be in the Giant Bomb Discord or in an email to [email protected], indicate your device model/type and the browser and OS you use. Likewise, as they indicated, "if it requires a full phone restart or cache clear, that speaks more to a device/browser problem than something specific to the video player."
However, another user that experienced this issue shared they a workaround they discovered is by clicking "download" and then streaming the video that way since it doesn't actually download on mobile.
In case you were unaware, August 1st was site-founder, Jeff Gerstmann's birthday. I apologize for missing this occasion when it happened, but I hope you can join me in wishing him a happy birthday! This site would not exist without him and we are all eternally grateful for his many years of dedication on Giant Bomb. Jeff, many blessings to you and your family.
Likewise, August 2nd was the anniversary of Overblood's release! As the game provided many classic moments on Blight Club, I hope you can join me in thanking the wonderful people who made the game. Pippo, RIP!
Once again, if you missed the Discord Townhall with Giant Bomb Premium members, a recording of the event has been posted for premium users to give a listen. If you want to get a rundown of programming plans for the future as well as a handy review of the state of the site and staff, this is definitely worth a listen if you haven't already given it a listen already.
And finally, Dan has been made a moderator of speedrun.com's page for Space Ace. Does this mean Dan will be taking a note from Mike's playbook and become a professional-grade speedrunner for the game? Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain. Because of how time-consuming Cyberdillo has been, Grubb is centimeters away from surpassing Dan as the person that have played games for the longest on Blight Club. Once again, many thanks to Colin Hemphill for making Blight Club Unauthorized, which makes tracking stats like that super easy!
Fan Art
Boat Owner Bakalar (By: osshi, The Fox, Paolo, VYZNDR, and Niklas Karlsson)
Some INCREDIBLE things are happening on the Giant Bomb Discord (invite included) in light of accusations that Bakalar may be a possible boat owner! In response, Bakalar has even issued a statement on bsky, but that hasn't stopped the community from making these creations!
Quick note, I know for a fact I missed about half of the Bakalar sailor/boater photoshops on the Discord. However, I am having a real bitch of a time tracking them down. If there are any I missed, please submit them in the comments and I would greatly appreciate it. Self-promotion is encouraged, and I promise to have your work or your submission on the next edition of the Community Spotlight.
Videos
Mike's Chicken Scream vs. Mario's Lava Noise In Sunshine (By: firehair12000)
Someone during a Blight Club stream pointed out to Dan that a specific scream that Mike has been making perfectly matches the sound Mario makes when he lands in lava in Super Mario Sunshine. To test this theory firehair12000 decided to synch it with Shawn playing Sunshine recently on Twitch.
The result is UNCANNY to say the least!
Mike Presents A Special Message (By: jamesswiftday)
A while back while playing Rascal, Mike did a fun fake ad read for Giant Bomb premium. This week, jamesswiftday shared on bsky an edited version of Mike's sales pitch in the form of a funny 90s-era informercial.
Giant Bomb Clip of the Week
Grubb Loves WHAT?! (Clipped By: firehair12000)
Grubb: No, I'm having a great time!
Mike: He's been whiny from the start this time. He's getting no simpy from me.
Grubb: I'm not gonna... I am... smiles! All smiles! I LOVE ICE!
[pause]
Grubb: No, SHIT! GOD DAMN IT, NO! SON OF A BITCH!
Dan: Well well well...
Community Articles
How Much Will You Pay For One Extended Joke? (By: ZombiePie)
With the releases of Bubsy 4D, Forbidden Solitaire, Truck-kun is Supporting Me from Another World?!, and Fuck's Quest II, ZombiePie notes the rise of games that bank on extending a single joke across an entire game. What's the "right" asking price for these games and how should they be intellectually approached? Hear what they think in the article above.
Game OVA Reversal: Episode 4—Ninja Gaiden +
Indie Game of the Week 479: Clash: Artifacts of Chaos (By: mento)
Mento has a new edition of their "Game OVA Reversal" feature on the site and this time they review the Ninja Gaiden OVA and the game it was meant to promote. The Ninja Gaiden anime is a blast, but is it as good as something like Ninja Scroll? Read to find out!
Likewise, Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is the game at the heart of this week's edition of Mento's "Indie Game of the Week" feature. Do they think it strikes a nice balance between its fighting game mechanics and its souslike trappings? You can learn what they think by clicking the link above!
What's the Greatest Video Game: Crash Bandicoot (By: imunbeatable801)
This edition of imunbeatable801's What's the Greatest Video Game feature on Giant Bomb examines and reviews OG Crash Bandicoot. The game is undoubtably important, but is it still fun to play in the year of our Lord, 2026?
Forum Posts Worth Checking Out
Wiki
Big Changes (Positive) To The Wiki! (By: Chuck)
As mentioned earlier, Chuck deployed a major update to the wiki recently. This update hopefully has fixed some of the formatting and display issues on older wiki pages and should set things up for a smoother future. If you want to read all about what has been done and how you can help, give the following post a read.
General Discussion
Arcade Challenge Game Club: I'm Sorry (By: imunbeatable801)
The next edition of the Giant Bomb Arcade Challenge Game Club is for I'm Sorry! Even if you've never heard of this Japanese title, give it a shot and get the details on how to post a high score! Also, if you have any tips or tricks with playing this game, feel free to share them as well!
Are Modern Game Mechanics Over-Designed? (By: csl316)
Do you think modern game mechanics are over-designed to a fault? That's the debate that is raging HARD on the Giant Bomb forums this week and the discussion is still going which means you can share your thoughts and expect someone to reply!
Do YOU Regularly Buy Annualized Sports Games? Or Know People Who Do? (By: atheistpreacher)
In this economy, how many of you are still buying annualized sports games every year? Have some of you that like sports moved to every two or three years? Do you know of anyone in your family or workplace that buys Madden or NBA 2K every time a new game comes out?
What Are You Playing/Finishing/Abandoning This Week (August 2, 2026 Edition)? (By: )
We all just survived the first FULL week of August! How did you kick off the month in terms of gaming? Did you wrap up a game or possibly add something into your rotation? Have any of you given A Big Walk a try?
Suggestions & Bug Box
Reporting Missing Videos on Site (By: trace17)
Just a friendly reminder that if you notice any missing videos or VODs on the site, whether it be a random missing video in a "classic" Giant Bomb program or a recent livestream that never got posted, drop a comment in the thread linked above and try to be as specific as possible about the feature or stream name and the episode number if it is part of a series. Chuck or someone else will try to be on the case as quick as possible.
Watchlist? (By: bardalien)
Do you have any ideas or proposals on how to make the site Watchlist feature better? Are there functions or features you would like to see added? Is the Watchlist not working as you'd like? Feel free to share your input in this thread.
Lists/Tier Lists
R.I.P.E.A. (By: Mento)
To lament the recent news of EA's buyout, moderator mento made a tier list on the site ranking the IPs under EA's control they will most miss playing from now on as they don't think they will be playing anything associated with EA for a while.
Ace Combats (That I've Played) (By: onimushroom)
onimushroom decided to make a tier list for the Ace Combat franchise on Giant Bomb! Here's how they ranked the games series and if you have Premium, don't forget that you can make a copy of their tier list and then do your own rankings!
User Reviews
Thanks to some behind-the-scenes wizardry, Ryan Davis's FIVE STAR USER REVIEW for Rayman 2 is back on Giant Bomb! As you can see above, the man, the myth, and the legend had a way with words!
linksocarina has been going back and restoring old reviews they published on Giant Bomb back on the old site. The reviews they restored last week that are a real blast from the past are:
- Star Fox 64
- Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned
- The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery
- Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers
If any of you reading this decides to do the same, keep me posted as I am more than happy to include you in a future edition of the Community Spotlight.