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 on top of the best user-created works from the previous week!
Chuck provided a nice road map about the site's game tracker and shared that the feature is going to be a tool for all users, and not just Premium users, in the coming future, after they can nail a few more things with its current implementation. Hopefully you noticed the neat "From The Community" feed on the front page which helps to surface community articles, user reviews, and lists. For those of you that are a bit fast and furious with your user reviews, just be aware you're limited to one per day. Nonetheless, if you still haven't checked out the new lists landing page, give it a gander! Also, the biggest site improvement regarding community created content is the addition of a search tool that allows you to keyword search lists, reviews, and articles. Also, if you are a fan of any user-created content on the site, don't forget to like it as it makes it far easier to sort and search for things.
As they shared on the "Site-Updates" channel on the Giant Bomb Discord, Chuck's next projects include working on follows and adding a notification system that lets you know when people you follow publish stuff on the site. The ETA is still in flux, but they hope to get it in place mid-October or possibly slightly later.
For those of you that are on the Giant Bomb Discord, you may have seen the podcast detective work the community and Chuck did to relocate the 01/14/2014 episode of the Giant Bombcast. It's up now in both premium and free versions, but this serves as a friendly reminder to use the "Site-Tech-Issues" section of the Discord if you ever notice missing legacy content on the site or in your RSS Feed.
Finally, Pinball Week might be over, but don't forget that Pinball Week merch is still up on the store for you to buy!
- Giant Bomb Pinball Shirt - $28.00
- Giant Bomb Pinball Hat - $28.00
- Giant Bomb Pinball Front and Back Shirt - $28.00
If any of this merch tickles your fancy don't hesitate to take the plunge! Likewise, if you enjoy the design for all of the Pinball Week merch, give a big THANKS to jearum for making the design! Don't forget that you can commission your own art from jearum on their ko-fi and you can also check out their INCREDIBLE portfolio page as well!
Art
Recent Blight Club Episode Be Like... (By: jearum)
The Cyberdillo Blight Club is getting increasingly dire. I know Grubbb has repeatedly said he doesn't plan to throw in the towel, but I don't know... this game seems to be a whole different type of bullshit compared to anything else played on Blight Club. jearum decided to take Grubb's recent mental exhaustion with Cyberdillo and mix it with their Simpsons style.
Grubb Already Beat Cyberdillo (By: djgov83)
djgov83/Dan Gervasi took the Metroid Ravenous logo and font editor and used it to give Grubb and handy shot of confidence with a motivation poster design. If any of you decide to use that editor to make funny Giant Bomb references, feel free to keep me in the loop!
A Dillo Dead (By: PaganBacon)
Over on the Giant Bomb Discord, which I have included an invite to in the link above, PaganBacon decided to mix classic art with Grubb during one of his lowest Blight Club moments, super-imposed into it.
Video/Clip of the Week
Dan The Floor Green Screen Meme Template +
Dan Attacking Kingdom Hearts +
Dan Attacking Don Bluth (By: firehair12000)
firehair12000/Christian Marsham took a recent scene from The Floor involving Dan and grafted it onto a green screen background so even more Giant Bomb users can have their way with it! The first two applications they shared feature Dan attacking Kingdom Hearts and then his arch-nemesis: Don Bluth.
Community Articles
A shocking amount of Kojima-related content from the community this week.
Hideo Kojima And Crew’s Three Decades With PlayStation Reviewed And Ranked (By: infantpipoc)
As they put it on their article, Kojima Productions moved their digital sock puppet shop to Microsoft, and with that, infantpipoc decided to look back at the highs and lows of Kojima's strategic relationship with Sony and reviews why it was absolutely a win-win for both parties despite the messy breakup at the end.
64 in 64: Episode 55—Plats All, Folks! Part Seven +
Indie Game of the Week 485: Piczle Cross Adventure (By: Mento)
Mento returns this week with two new articles worth checking out with the first being a continuation of their always fun "64 in 64" series where they play and review N64 games based on only playing them for exactly 64 minutes! The games they checked out this time were Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers and Chameleon Twist 2! Have either games stood the test of time? Read to find out!
Likewise, they have a new entry in their "Indie Game of the Week" feature and the game they reviewed for this one is Piczle Cross Adventure. As a self-avowed "Picross Freak," what did Mento make of this game's delivery of picross and nonogram puzzles? You'll just have to click the link above to learn more.
Summer Of Sting - Part 2: Riviera: The Promised Land (By: ZombiePie)
After an extended hiatus, ZombiePie is back with a new entry in their "Summer of Sting" feature and this one examines Riviera: The Promised Land and shares why they think it represents the "platonic ideal" of an experimental Sting RPG.
Summer might be ending, but ZombiePie's Summer of Sting feature isn't quite over!
They're Taking Over #02 - More Than A Little Unsettling (By: allthedinos)
allthedinos is back and is continuing with their quest to listen to every single Kidz Bop album. How did the 2001 edition of the series fare? Well, this is the edition that has "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain and "'Oops! ... I Did It Again" by Britney Spears, so what's the worst that could happen?
Hint: a lot!
A Game About Grief That Refuses to Reverse Death +
Snatcher and the Birth of Hideo Kojima (By: pauljeremiah)
pauljeremiah published two articles on Giant Bomb with the first being about Final Fantasy VI and its depiction of death and grief. The second write-up shares why they think Snatcher continues to be the "peak" of Hideo Kojima's creativity prowess. If you've ever been interested in a deep dive of either game, feel free to give their posts a read.
What's The Greatest Video Game: Super Mario Land Series (By: imunbeatable801)
The latest entry in imunbeatable801's What's the Greatest Video Game feature on Giant Bomb provides a special retrospective on the Super Mario Land series! How well has Mario's first portable adventure aged? Unsurprisingly, well if you ask them!
Forum Posts Worth Checking Out
Announcements
Cool stuff continues to be coming to giantbomb.com and it's all thanks to Chuck's incredible work!
If You Have Giant Bomb Premium, You Can Now Test The Giant Bomb Video Game Tracker (By: chucktowski)
Once again, if you have Giant Bomb Premium, give the site's new Game Tracker a shot and play around with categorizing games and even giving them reviews! If you encounter any bugs, feel free to drop a comment in the thread and Chuck will try to get to you as soon as possible.
General Discussion
Are you ready to get into some weird sports arcade game hijinks this week?
Voicemail Dumptruck (Forum Edition)? Better Name Forthcoming? (By: doubledaddydan)
Sometimes the most UNHINGED Giant Bomb moments happen during the Voicemail Dumptruck. To help users process the MANY Dan-isms we have a new Voicemail Dumptruck discussion and appreciation thread!
Ever Wanted To Be Good At A Fighting Game But Thought It Was Beyond You? It's Not! Let's Make This Thread A Workshop For Getting Good. (By: gamelord12)
We're going OLD SCHOOL with this thread on Giant Bomb! Have you ever wanted to get tips or advice on how to play a fighting game but were put-off by needing to join a Discord? The Giant Bomb FGC now has you covered and is interested in help YOU improve your online game with the fighting game you're playing right now.
Arcade Challenge Game Club: Numan Athletics (By: imunbeatable801)
The Giant Bomb Arcade Challenge Game Club is BACK BAYBEE and the game this time is Numan Athletics! Are any of you familiar with this Namco sports arcade game? Regardless, learn how you can post high scores and win in the thread!
I'm not exactly a fan of Wikipedia's "console generations" but I'm also not exactly going to dispute them.
In Your Opinion, What Was the Greatest Console Generation in Gaming History? (By: papa_shin)
In your opinion, what generation of consoles was the most enjoyable or the outright "best?" Is it a recent generation or something that falls into the "retro" category? What games made that generation so memorable to you?
How And Why The Dead Or Alive Extreme Series Exist? (By: doubledaddydan)
Team Ninja recently announced that they plan to tone down the fanservice in the next entry in the Dead Or Alive fighting game, but something that still sticks out as a weird aberration are the Dead Or Alive Extreme games. How would you explain these games, and the beach volleyball games, to people who were not there when they first game out?
What Makes A Good Blight Game? (By: csl316)
Cyberdillo sure is doing its business on Grubb, but what do you think makes a good "Blight Club Game?" Is it just the misery of the streamer or is there a type of bad game you enjoy watching more?
What Are You Playing/Finishing/Abandoning This Week (Sep. 13, 2026 Edition)? (By: laughingman)
Hey everyone, what are you all hoping to play or finish this week? Are you picking up something new or finishing something that you've been playing for a while? Is it time to start thinking about which games to cram in before GOTY season?
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.
Premium
90's Game Rental Vibes (By: mafuchi)
So, Giant Bomb recently debuted its new "Weekend Rental Club" feature and that has the community thinking about games they would like to see the staff play as part of the feature in the future. Can you think of any Blockbuster or Hollywood Video rentals that seem destined for this series?
Grubbsnax Question Thread (By: jeffgrub)
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!
Lists/Tier Lists
Remember the halcyon days when we were laughing about horse armor? Man... those were the days.
Ranking of Turn-Based Tactics Games (By: nophilip)
nophilip latest effort to have some fun with the site's tier list feature involves them ranking every single turn-based tactics game they have ever played! As you can see in the image above, they JAMMED a ton of games in the genre on it which gives you all the reason to use their template if you're in the mood to make your own tier list.
Game Ideas That Would Have Been Cool In 2003 But Not Anymore (By: redfoxbennaton)
redfoxbennaton has been gaming on their old game consoles and that got them thinking about things that would have blow the minds of people in 2003, but are considered annoying or bad today.
Kingdom Hearts (By: hunt270)
hunt270/Will made a Kingdom Hearts tier list and if you are in need of a good laugh, give it a read!
Jlewy's Zelda Tier List (By: KQKKLUjR)
User KQKKLUjR finally got some free time and used it to publish their tier list ranking of every single Zelda game they have played. See how they ranked Link's highs and lows, and if you disagree with their rankings consider making your own tier list.
We have an INCREDIBLE shit post tier list from Will this week!
Twisted Metal Tier List (By: shmotz)
shmotz decided to make a tier list for Twisted Metal on the site and here is how they ranked every game in the franchise! If you disagree, remember, you can make a copy of their template to have your own go at it
Top 10 Games Of 2025 (By: airjason)
Best Games of 2025 (By: adrenaline)
After avoiding publishing one for a while, airjason and adrenaline finally got around to publishing their GOTY 2025 lists on the site! There's no such thing as being "too late" to publish a GOTY list and I'm always happy to give them a spot here if you let me know.
Top 25 Games Of All Time (By: airjason)
airjason continues with their list-making fun with a list of their 25 favorite games of all time! If you haven't updated or republished your Games of All Time list since the site re-launch, please consider following in airjason's model and giving it a go when you have time.
Chuck Zimmerheld Ranks the N64 (By: chucktowski)
Finally in between the site revisions and being on plenty of staff content, Chuck went ahead and published their ranking of every single N64 game they have played. If you were not aware, over on Twitch, Chuck has been streaming himself playing retro games regularly and that includes a recent number of N64 games. Give them a follow if you haven't done so already.
User Reviews
Is this a forgotten gem of a JRPG "saved" by the fan translation community? read thedrumkid92's review to find out!
London Seirei Tantei-Dan recently got a fan translation, so user thedrumkid92 decided to give it a shot! The game has the reputation of being an obscure buried treasure, but you can read what they thought of it in their user review!
linksocarina is nearing the finish line with their review retrospective on the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises and this week really pushed them to their limits as it featured the tangible shark jumping points for both franchises as the reviews they published this week were: