Hello everyone 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 alongside the best user-created works from the previous week!
As most of you are aware of, the week of October 12th through the 18th will be largely defined by The Giant Bombathon! This will take place from October 15th and 16th from noon to midnight Eastern, on each day. The Bombathon is a sub/Premium raising stream that drums up support for the site and its staff and usually has donation incentives that commit the staff into new features and Premium-only programming. What's sorts of hilarious mishaps will the staff get into this time? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain, on the 16th of October, Merry Kish has already been confirmed as a guest.
Are you ready for some Giant Bomb in-person fun? You better be, because the Giant Bomb staff have some crazy things up their sleeves!
In light of the staff getting ready for The Giant Bombathon, October 13th edition of The Giant Bombcast will be a questions-oriented one! The staff will be pulling from the Premium q-and-a-questions channel on the Premium section of the Giant Bomb Discord, the Grubbsnax Forum Thread, and emails! If you have a burning question you'd like the Giant Bomb staff to discuss, this night be your best bet until the end of the year podcast where they also tend to do a Q&A podcast!
Don't forget that alongside the pinball week merch, there's a new Giant Bomb Video Hoodie as well as a Giant Bomb Video Halloween Shirt! Many thanks to Jearum for making the design for these and don't forget that they are open to commissions on their ko-fi page! Nonetheless, here are the links to the new merch for those that are interested:
In terms of site improvements and big fixes, be aware that Chuck will be a live in-person participant in The Giant Bombathon and that means most big reports will be on hold until the dust settles regarding the event. Nonetheless, earlier this month they were able to pin down the source of lag on the site to a memory leak issue which should no longer be an issue and the 404 error that some people were encountering when trying to access the show page for Final Jantasy.
Likewise, if you experienced issues trying to log into the site last week and saw a "An unexpected error occurred. Please try again" message, you might be rate limited. As Chuck indicated to a user on the Giant Bomb Discord that was having that issue, bots have been trying to hit the log in endpoints and firebase Firebase sometimes tightens up that area in response. If you have a bunch of errors blocking site functionality, feel free to let them know in the "site-tech-issues" section of the Giant Bomb Discord or via [email protected].
Finally, Colin Hemphill of Blight Club Unauthorized fame has made the executive decision, against Mike Minotti's wishes, to catalog Mike's Sewer Shark series as a Blight Club season. If you want to check out the basic facts about Mike's MANY attempts to beat the game, feel free to give it a view over here.
Are you on Mike's side in protesting his Sewer Shark series being called "Blight Club Like?"
Video/Clip of the Week
Have you enjoyed the meme-ification of Biddy Blas on the internet? Has it felt earned or warranted?
Giant Bomb x Biddy Blas (By: xhp.ca)
Biddy Blas from Galactic Racer has become a bit of a meme on the internet, so it felt inevitable before at least one Giant Bomb user mashed one of his appearances with Giant Bomb and the first to take up that challenge is bsky user xhp! Their clip is endlessly hilarious if you haven't already seen it and if any of you reading this decide to make a similar mashup, feel free to share a link to it in the comments of this article!
Art
Cyberdillo Celebration Fan Art (By: Gargledmesh)
It seems like just yesterday Grubb was toiling away in Hell in Cyberdillo, but that long torturous nightmare is now OVER! To celebrate and congratulate Grubb on a job well done, Gargledmesh decided to share these two works inspired by the series!
Community Articles
Can you think of a better or more notable game demo from 2026 than Final Fantasy Resonance's? If so, share it in ZombiePie's community article.
2026's Demo of The Year: Final Fantasy Resonance (By: ZombiePie)
The year isn't over, but Giant Bomb moderator ZombiePie feels like it's safe to call the demo for Final Fantasy Resonance the "Demo of the Year" and you can read why as well as what they're excited about and concerned about regarding the game's full release in the coming weeks.
Indie Game of the Week 488: Loddlenaut +
RetroPiece Theater: Super Mario Galaxy (By: Mento)
Mento is back with two new community articles on the site with the first being a new entry in their "Indie Game of the Week" which this time around looks at Loddlenaut. As a fan of PowerWash Simulator, did this interstellar cleaning game tickle their fancy? Read to find out!
Likewise, Super Mario Galaxy's RetroAchievements recently dropped and they absolutely kicked their ass! Which ones proved especially frustrating for them? Check out their post and feel free if there were any toughies for you!
What's the Greatest Video Game: Cocoon & Numan Athletics (By: imunbeatable801)
imunbeatable801 has two very different games for this entry in their "What's the Greatest Video Game" feature on Giant Bomb: Cocoon and Numan Athletics. If you want to read what they think, click the link above!
SuperHarman’s September Journal (By: SuperHarman)
Mortal Shell II and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy are just a few of the highlights of user SuperHarman’s September! Learn all about what they played and watched on their latest article on the site!
Forum Posts Worth Checking Out
Announcements
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
Have any of you taken the plunge on Galactic Racer? Do you think it presents the Star Wars lore as well as critics say?
Star Wars Galactic Racer Discussion (By: doubledaddydan)
Have any of you taken the plunge on Star Wars: Galactic Racer? Did you enjoy how it structured its story and provided Star Wars lore drops? Is the core racing enjoyable? Are there any specific race tracks or challenges that have you pulling our hair out?
The GB Album Club 127 - Symphony No. 7 by Anton Bruckner (By: unclejam23)
The Giant Bomb Album of the Week is doing something "different" this time around as they are listening to Symphony No. 7 by Anton Bruckner! It's Bruckner's most well-known work, but also one of his most difficult to perform live! Also, drop a comment if you want to pick an album for the future.
Arcade Challenge Game Club: Pooyan (By: imunbeatable801)
Calling the retro gaming community! The current high score for the Giant Bomb Arcade Challenge Club's round for Pooyan is still very doable! Think you can beat it? Check out the thread and drop a screencap of your score in the thread linked above!
Games That Would Also Work As A Blight/Run Hybrids? (By: undeadpool)
Obviously it's not technically a Blight Club game, but can you think of other games that fit the slot Sewer Shark fits in being something you'd like to see the Giant Bomb staff tackle every day? What's the game and why do you think it can fit the same crease that Sewer Shark fills right now?
Don't worry, this thread is a safe place to talk about the deliciousness of apples on Giant Bomb without fear of Mike judging you!
We're In The 4th And Final Quarter Of 2026, Your Thoughts On Video Game Industry Going So Far (By: gtxforza)
So we have reached the final quarter of 2026. When you stop and look at things, is 2026 the worst year for the gaming industry ever? Does 2025 still take the cake as the worst year for the gaming industry? Share your thoughts in the thread linked above.
Apple (Fruit) Appreciation Thread (By: mafuchi)
Against the wishes of Mike, we now have an "Apple (Fruit) Appreciation Thread" on the forums! Do you have a favorite apple varietal? Are there any recipes that use apples you swear by? Share away in the thread and don't worry about Mike getting upset!
The Giant Bombathon Returns LIVE And IN-PERSON October 15th And 16th (By: gasketcase)
How many of you are EXCITED for the glorious return of the Giant Bombathon! Are you ready for some LIVE and IN-PERSON Giant Bomb streaming content? Get the details and discuss away in the forum thread linked above!
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.
Staff Written Reviews [Response Provided/Posted] (By: tehcrow)
Chuck has dropped a reply in this thread about the visibility of staff reviews to share that they are aware they get crowded off the front page during busy weeks like those of recent memory. They have some ideas on what to do to make this issue less of a problem, but your patience is greatly appreciated at this time.
Premium
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!
And remember, if you drop a comment in this thread shortly after this article goes up, there's a chance the staff might pick your question for the Bombcast!
Lists/Tier Lists
Do you want to have a go at ranking every single peripheral-based music/rhythm game from the 2000s/2010s? If so, we have a tier list for you!
Wrestling Games Tier List (By: morbid187)
Here's a tier list Dan, Mike, and Grubbcan get behind: THE ULTIMATE WRESTLING GAME TIER LIST! Original author morbid187 has almost every wrestling game or wrestling adjacent experience included and you can make a copy if you want to join in on the fun.
The Rhythm Game Tier List (By: linksocarina)
After reviewing a TON of peripheral-based music/band games on Giant Bomb, user linksocarina decided to rank every game on a tier list! If you want to have a go at ranking the games on their tier list as well, feel free to make a copy of their list!
2026 GOTY (By: cool_news)
GotY '26, We Are So Back... (By: slax)
Best of 2026 (By: sergotron)
2026 Game of the Year (By: slamvanderhuge)
2026 GOTY (So Far) (By:irishtuxedo)
As the colder month start to kick into gear, that can only mean that some members of the Giant Bomb Community are busy making and publishing their Game of the Year lists! If you feel like there are no more games that are destined to make your GOTY list, feel free to publish your 2026 GOTY on the site when you have the time!
User Reviews
Is this the best indie Metroidvania of 2026 or do you think a different game deserves that title?
thebrownbear felt inspired to review Well Dweller on Giant Bomb and shares why it's an easy recommendation for them for most Metroidvania fans even if they feel it doesn't come across as especially revolutionary with its gameplay.
thebrownbear also shared why they think Onimusha: Way of the Sword is one of the best sword-based soulslike to grace gaming since Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and why it's already a top contender for their 2026 GOTY list.
thenewneon had a BLAST with Star Wars: Galactic Racer even thought they found it to be a bit single-minded in its scope and sequence. What hooked them about its gameplay and why do they think it stumbles a bit near its end? Read their review to find out!
linksocarina revisited Star Wars: Episode I - Racer and mostly had a blast as they share in their review for the game on the site, but they're definitely happy to hear the most recent game has less late-game bullshit than this one.
linksocarina continued their retro gaming reviewing escaped up by writing a review for the original Super Mario Bros. and tries to get to the bottom of why they think the game still has "the juice" that makes it a must play decades after the fact.
All of the talk seems to be for Galactic Racer this week, but is the OG still a good time? Read why linksocarina has to say about that question!
To kick off the SPOOKY SEASON, linksocarina decided to play the original Alone in the Dark game! Read on Giant Bomb why they think the game is still a must-play for horror fans and has aged admirably.
BigKrispy had a blast with Control Resonant and ended up coming around to its main character and slightly modified gameplay. Read all about what sold them on the game after starting out as a skeptic about all of the changes to the Control formula it promised to make.
meepismurder returned to Spelunky 2 recently and penned a review sharing why they think it is a real shame the game didn't experience the acclaim and long-term renown its predecessor did and how it feels like it has become a buried treasure.
scathinghotspur decided to replay Super Metroid with the release of a new Metroid Ravenous set to springboard 2027 in gaming. Read why they think the game is still a gem despite some rough edges they think the game's most vocal defenders ignore.
cherojack wrapped up and rolled credits on Star Wars Zero Company and wrote a review detailing why they loved their time with the game even if a lot of it felt undeniably safe in the grand scheme of things.