The Community Spotlight 2025.04.05

Welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight! I, @zombiepie, am once again honored to be your host as we look back at the site-related news and best community creations from the previous week.While there have been some changes here and there to that first sentence, I want you to guess how long I have been saying that to all of you. I pose that thought exercise because this week marks the 10th anniversary of the Community Spotlight becoming a front page article. This week also marks 15 years since @marino and I became moderators. While things have definitely changed in those ten years, and the scope and sequence of the Spotlight has morphed in response to the shifting priorities of the site and staff, it is still here gracing you every Saturday morning.It's hard for me to think of everyone who deserves a hardy thanks with this anniversary. First, I want to thank @rorie for being the first person to propose making the Community Spotlight an officially sanctioned feature. I also want to thank @marino for editing this and @mento for his help making this during the early days. To every staff member or guest that rolled into the comments the past ten years, whether it be Dave Snider, Mike Minotti, Jeff Grubb, Abby, Jess, Lexi, and many more, I want to thank you as well. That you took the time to give this feature a read, even in passing, meant the world to me. To all of you that have been reading this feature, whether it be every blue moon or every week the minute it goes up; you too have made this journey completely worth it. I started doing the Community Spotlight as a stickied thread during the early days of Giant Bomb before shifting it to my personal blog on Giant Bomb after years of tinkering. There are so many community members that helped me make this feature better during those experimental days that are unlikely to see this post, but if somehow you do, I want you to know how important you were. I can count on maybe one hand those of you who can remember the likes of @claude, @hamz, @sweep, @systech, @kush, and @mb, but they too played major roles in keeping me motivated to get up in the morning to make the Spotlight. We might be getting older and our passions in life may or may not be changing, but that doesn't change the fact that we had fun and we all helped each other become the people we are today.Alright, onto some more technical news. Last week, many of you reported that you were not able to use the video player on the site and @dtoast has relayed to me and the Giant Bomb Discord that a fix was indeed deployed and the video player is working on his end as well as for all of the engineers. However, a handful of people are saying that things aren't working for them, even after they enable their Performance Cookies and change browsers. Given that the staff aren't able to replicate the issues some users are having, if you are still having issues with the video player, please @ Dtoast in this thread and he will try to investigate your issues individually. If you are Discord, he is open to people DMing him with their specific issues.Video publishing on the site and on the podcast RSS feeds was slightly delayed due to Jan and company being out for the Nintendo event. I know it's not the most convenient, but everything from yesterday and the rest of the week going up Friday morning is the best everyone could do and your understanding is appreciated. If you feel like something is still missing, feel free to head to the Giant Bomb Discord and report the missing program or podcast in the Site-Tech-Issues channel.In more positive news, in response to everyone having Nintendo on their mind, Giant Bomb has decided to "unlock" ALL of Steal My Sunshine on YouTube! If you want to re-live PEAK Dan and Giant Bomb East, click the link to find the handy playlist with every single episode in chronological order, and without the need for a Giant Bomb premium subscription.Weekly List of Programming & StreamsGiant Bomb Power Block ProgrammingTomodachi Life Setting Records for Nintendo's Social Media | GameBreaking News 03/31/25BAZR: Super Mario 64 but it's Balatro | GB KidzOverGrubb | 02 | Blight ClubGiant Bombcast 884: Yassified VillainsGiant Bomb Talks Over Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 – 4.2.2025 Everything Announced at the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct | GameBreaking News 04/02/25Giant Bomb Breaks Down All the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct NewsinZOI | Giant Bomb PlaysNintendo Switch 2’s $450 Price Likely Influenced By Tariffs, Experts Say | GameBreaking News 4/02/25The 2025 Giant Bomb Community Endurance RunVoicemail Dump Truck 155 | Shiba In You.mp3Switch 2 Price Likely To Increase As Nintendo Pulls US Preorders | GameBreaking News 04/04/25Switch 2 Event Report | Giant Bombcast 884: REVENGEANCEPOWER BLOCK 3/31/25 COMPLETE VOD | GameBreaking News, GBKidz, and MONDAY BLIGHT CLUB!POWER BLOCK 4/01/25 COMPLETE VOD| Giant Bombcast 884POWER BLOCK 4/02/25 COMPLETE VOD | GameBreaking News, Nintendo Switch 2

Apr 5, 2025 - 21:05

Welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight! I, @zombiepie, am once again honored to be your host as we look back at the site-related news and best community creations from the previous week.

While there have been some changes here and there to that first sentence, I want you to guess how long I have been saying that to all of you. I pose that thought exercise because this week marks the 10th anniversary of the Community Spotlight becoming a front page article. This week also marks 15 years since @marino and I became moderators. While things have definitely changed in those ten years, and the scope and sequence of the Spotlight has morphed in response to the shifting priorities of the site and staff, it is still here gracing you every Saturday morning.

It's hard for me to think of everyone who deserves a hardy thanks with this anniversary. First, I want to thank @rorie for being the first person to propose making the Community Spotlight an officially sanctioned feature. I also want to thank @marino for editing this and @mento for his help making this during the early days. To every staff member or guest that rolled into the comments the past ten years, whether it be Dave Snider, Mike Minotti, Jeff Grubb, Abby, Jess, Lexi, and many more, I want to thank you as well. That you took the time to give this feature a read, even in passing, meant the world to me. To all of you that have been reading this feature, whether it be every blue moon or every week the minute it goes up; you too have made this journey completely worth it.

I started doing the Community Spotlight as a stickied thread during the early days of Giant Bomb before shifting it to my personal blog on Giant Bomb after years of tinkering. There are so many community members that helped me make this feature better during those experimental days that are unlikely to see this post, but if somehow you do, I want you to know how important you were. I can count on maybe one hand those of you who can remember the likes of @claude, @hamz, @sweep, @systech, @kush, and @mb, but they too played major roles in keeping me motivated to get up in the morning to make the Spotlight. We might be getting older and our passions in life may or may not be changing, but that doesn't change the fact that we had fun and we all helped each other become the people we are today.

Alright, onto some more technical news. Last week, many of you reported that you were not able to use the video player on the site and @dtoast has relayed to me and the Giant Bomb Discord that a fix was indeed deployed and the video player is working on his end as well as for all of the engineers. However, a handful of people are saying that things aren't working for them, even after they enable their Performance Cookies and change browsers. Given that the staff aren't able to replicate the issues some users are having, if you are still having issues with the video player, please @ Dtoast in this thread and he will try to investigate your issues individually. If you are Discord, he is open to people DMing him with their specific issues.

Video publishing on the site and on the podcast RSS feeds was slightly delayed due to Jan and company being out for the Nintendo event. I know it's not the most convenient, but everything from yesterday and the rest of the week going up Friday morning is the best everyone could do and your understanding is appreciated. If you feel like something is still missing, feel free to head to the Giant Bomb Discord and report the missing program or podcast in the Site-Tech-Issues channel.

In more positive news, in response to everyone having Nintendo on their mind, Giant Bomb has decided to "unlock" ALL of Steal My Sunshine on YouTube! If you want to re-live PEAK Dan and Giant Bomb East, click the link to find the handy playlist with every single episode in chronological order, and without the need for a Giant Bomb premium subscription.

Weekly List of Programming & Streams

Giant Bomb Power Block Programming

GameSpot Programming

The 2025 Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run Charity Drive!

Giant Bomb Chat - Please join and watch user stream for charity from April the 4th to the 6th!
Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run Announcement Thread - get the details and a handy schedule of the event's streaming programming.
thatpinguino Donation Page - The GBCER's Team Leader
Ford_Dent's Donation Page - A Giant Bomb Discord member joins the fray! See if you can help them reach their goal of $150!
PersonZ's Donation Page - PersonZ has a donation incentive where they will do a push-up for every dollar donated to their page.
RioStarwind's Donation Page - A Giant Bomb moderator with a donation goal of $250
borgmaster's Donation Page - A Giant Bomb weekly blogger with a donation goal of $100
ArbitraryWater's Donation Page - A frequent poster and blogger on Giant Bomb with a donation goal of $500
ZombiePie's Donation Page - It's me! If you enjoy the Community Spotlight or my activities on social media, please consider sending a donation of anything you can spare.

Bluesky

https://bsky.app/profile/picklegiraffe.bsky.social/post/3llr36ar5u22c

https://bsky.app/profile/picklegiraffe.bsky.social/post/3llzfzoqt722f

https://bsky.app/profile/arcademain.bsky.social/post/3lltgrqz4jc2n

https://bsky.app/profile/weatherby.bsky.social/post/3llf754o7ad2x

https://bsky.app/profile/slub.farm/post/3llpgnhskwk2k

https://bsky.app/profile/marinov1.bsky.social/post/3llmrxvs2xs2y

Art

My Neighbor Tolkoto (By: @jearum)

With people emulating Muazaki's art on social media in all the wrong ways, jearum decided to make a Giant Bomb x My Neighbor Totoro movie poster that refreshingly didn't use AI and is immediately more impressive as a result. Don't forget to thank them for their great work when you have time.

Video

DAN OF THE 99 MACHINES - (COMPLETE Season 6) - An Animated Giant Bomb Blight Club Series +

E.T. PHONE HOLE - (Season 7 FINALE) - An Animated Giant Bomb Blight Club Series (By: Pickle Giraffe)

Another fantastic work from Pickle_Giraffe!

So with Blight Club shifting in its scheduled air time, Pickle_Giraffe wasn't able to publish a new episode of their Animated Blight Club series. So, I'll simply encourage everyone to check out the two works they published last week again! The first is a video that compiles all of their episodes related to Dan's struggles with Drake of the 99 Dragons into a single video and the second provides the riveting "finale" of Blight Club's examination of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Give both a watch and don't forget to thank Pickle_Giraffe for all of their hard work.

Activities

Atomfall Is The 4th Game Of UUGPGC Year 4! Finish By May 1! Mark All Spoilers +

Avowed Is The Third Game Of UUGPGC Year 4! Finish By April 1! Spoilers Open! (By: @bigsocrates)

Have you enjoyed the metal detector stuff in this game?

Hey, everyone! The Game Pass Game Club is keeping it hip and modern with its latest pick as this month it is going to look at Atomfall! Have any of you given Rebellion's latest game a shot? Are you sick and tired of how often you need to use the metal detector? Share away over here!

Also, with the start of a new month, that means the previous Game Pass Game Club pick, Avowed, has opened up its discussion thread to SPOILERS! Where do you stand on how the game ends and if the game overall is a good or bad narrative outing from Obsidian?

The GB Album Club 084 - Low by David Bowie (Cycle Finale) (By: @unclejam23)

How many of you are David Bowie fans? Share away in the Album Club season ender!

The latest season of the Giant Bomb Album Club is ending with a BANGER! This pick is Low by David Bowie! If you have thoughts about this album or want to join the fun, comment here. Also, what is your favorite era of David Bowie or your favorite character of his?

Blogs

Mento's Month: March '25 +

Indie Game of the Week 414: Dredge (By: @mento)

It's the start of a new month so that means moderator Mento has a new blog discussing their favorite games and anime from the last month! Give it a read for some anime and video game recommendations!

Likewise, Mento has another edition of their "Indie Game of the Week" and this one checked out their fairly big hit, Dredge! Were you a fan of the game and its ship-based exploration? Did the game make your GOTy list a few years back? If so, share why on their blog!

The Game That Deserves Nightdive Remaster Treatment (By: @melodicvirus)

Expect some PEAK FMV-based goodness this weekend!

Do online-only or F2P games deserve the remaster/remake treatment? MelodicVirus uses Brink as an example of a multiplayer-focused game of that type that seeks to benefit from the current remaster culture.

Sure, I Guess I Can Play Nothing But Bad & Questionable FMV Games For Charity For More Than Twenty Hours (By: @zombiepie)

ZombiePie, that's ME, has big plans for the Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run Charity Drive! That's right, they're playing nothing but the worst FMV video games from the 90s! If you want to see Jeff Goldblum hamming it up in Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland, read this on when you need to tune in.

This Weekend I Am DOOMed (For The Kids!) (By: @ford_dent)

If there are any Doom fans, do I have a stream for you!

Ford_Dent is also going to be streaming for the Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run! For their charity stream they will be streaming an endless supply of DOOM including a marathon run with SIGIL and SIGIL II! Help them out here!

Discussion Threads

Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 Presentation Discussion Thread (By: @bigsocrates)

My fellow Americans, are you prepared to pay $700 for a Switch 2?

What does everyone think about the Switch 2 now that time has passed since the Nintendo Direct? How about that price? With Nintendo leading the charge about upping the average price of hardware and games, do you worry the hobby is getting too expensive?

Did Anyone Catch A Good April Fool's Joke Today? (2025) (By: @topcyclist)

Did any of you actually catch a fun gag for this April Fool's Day? Where there any fake gaming or gaming-related announcement on this very special day that made you smile? In an era where AI seemingly can pull info from parody and gag articles and present them as factual, is it even responsible to participate in the event?

Nintendo Is Delaying Pre-orders In The Us For Switch 2, Probably Raising Price. (By: @bigsocrates)

Sounds like the GS and GB people had some fun last week (Source: Jesse Vitelli)

So... tariffs. Nintendo has signaled that new tariffs by the Trump administration will impact people's ability to pre-order the Switch 2. However, beyond just the Switch 2 most, if not all, of the gaming industry is likely to be impacted negatively by these tariffs.

What Types Of Driving/Racing Games Would You Like To See On The Playstation 6 And The Next Xbox Console? (By: @gtxforza)

Driving and racing games have always been popular tools to showcase new consoles at launch, so, what are you expecting from the genre when time comes for Sony and Microsoft to showcase their new hardware? Are you expecting mainline Gran Turismo and Forza titles? Are you expecting third-party developers to have racing games for both console ecosystems?

State of the Site: March 2025 (By: @dtoast)

Once again, in case you missed it last week, there's a new "State of the Site" post by Dtoast that shares updates about the state of the video player and bug fixes and site improvements that are planned between now and the end of this month. Almost all of what they have to share this time around is positive news so give it a read and share what else you'd like the site to do in the future.

Lists

15 Of My Favorite Switch Games (By: @bowl-of-lentils)

What are the Switch games on your top 10 or 15 list?

With the console nearing the end of its lifespan, bowloflentils wrote a fun list looking at their fifteen Nintendo Switch games! Which games made the cut? Click the link to find out! Also, consider making your own list when you have time!

Better Half Of A Decade Clubs (By: @infantpipoc)

We might be closer than you think to the major console manufacturers introducing new hardware. So, infantpipoc re-reviewed every game platform that had a lifespan for more than five years.

Wiki Of The Week

Jade Empire

Real OGs remember beating this game using nothing but Paralyzing Palm.

It's kind of the BioWare game that time forgot, but Jade Empire is nearing its 20th anniversary. There are some who will tell you that they would happily support a Jade Empire 2 and you can get a sense of why by checking out our fairly impressive wiki page for the game.