The Community Spotlight - 04/29/2017

If you have yet to watch GBeast's video series on Tender Loving Care, boy are you missing out!

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I, @zombiepie, am once again honored to be your host this week. With the Summer months right around the corner and E3 2017 beckoning, the Giant Bomb community continues to turn out some amazing things worth talking about! The Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run has one week to go, and there are some great videos to watch this week. With that, let's go over the site related housekeeping for posterity sake.

• Are you having issues using Edge on Giant Bomb when watching videos or posting comments? Let out a yelp over here, and the engineers will try to get to the bottom of it.
• Giant Bomb user David dubbed Jeff's voice over the Hot Dance '98 version of Block Rockin' Beats. Be warned, it's still bad.
• Don't forget that the site is currently having a Premium Membership sale! Learn how you can extend your membership, or join for the first time, for the low cost of $35!

Clips Of The Week

Is. This. The. Run?? (By: @rmanthorp)

The "true" clip of the week comes from moderator Rmanthorp:

Is. This. The. Run??

This Is the Run: Soulcalibur - Part 10 https://t.co/fau1NFRluE @VinnyCaravella @DanRyckert @GBDudersFeed pic.twitter.com/YEAfOGXnAT

— RossM (@rmanthorp) April 28, 2017

Giant Bomb Logo Animation (B: Luke D)

Over on YouTube, Luke D created this AMAZING Giant Bomb logo animation!

Giant Bomb Plays Squad Except The Camera Zooms In Whenever "Squad" Is Said (By: Zach)

Also on YouTube, someone took a clip of the GB staff playing Squad, except the camera zooms in whenever "SQUAD" is said.

Community Activities

It can only get better with MORE Giant Bomb users!

Unofficial Giant Bomb PUBG Group (By: @squidc00kie)

squiDc00kiE created an unofficial Giant Bomb Playerunknown's Battlegrounds community group you can join NOW!

Battlefield 1 PS4 Platoon: Giant Bomb Squad (By: @natetodamax)

Platoons have just been added to Battlefield 1! Learn how you can join our PS4 squad as we speak!

Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run VII (By: @thatpinguino)

The Giant Bomb Community Endurance Run is ONE WEEK AWAY! This year it is trying to raise money for Pencils of Promise's WASH Program!

Best Of Blogs

I have heard zombies hate fast food.

My Interview with Dan Ryckert on Giant Bomb East, Creating New Content, and Taco Bell Weddings (By: @lionheart377)

Lionheart377 had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Dan Ryckert and talked to him about a number of issues and current events, most of all, how much Dan appreciates the Giant Bomb Community.

My Experience With Call of Duty Zombies (By: @themist997)

TheMist997 shares his love for Call of Duty Zombies, and why he looks forward to it whenever a new Call of Duty __game comes out.

Rock Band 5 - The Impossible Dream (By: @kamikawa4)

Pokemon and charity go together like peanut butter and jelly!

kamikawa4 dreams an impossible dream in theorizing how Rock Band 5 could work in today's market, and why he wants it so much on his latest blog.

Playing Pokémon for Pencils of Promise (By: @danielkempster)

Giant Bomb user danielkempster is playing Pokémon Gold/Silver for Pencils of Promise! Help him raise money for charity and discover what a "Randomizer Nuzlocke Challenge" is.

Enuma Elish: An Analysis of ABZÛ (By: @gamer_152)

Check out moderator Gamer_152's exhaustive look at Abzû, and read how it uses "implicit storytelling" and beautiful art design to its benefit.

All-New Saturday Summaries 2017-04-29 (By: @mento)

On moderator Mento's chopping block this week: his mild disappointment with Dishonored 2, his oft-insane May blogging plans, more deep dives on Telltale's Tales from the Borderlands, and another edition of the PS2-focused The Top Shelf.

A Bunch Of Videos For Beast In The East - Yakuza 0 (By: @worksgondo)

WorksGONDO even gives you more about "Mr.Libido"

WorksGONDO has another helpful instructional video/blog for Beast in the East's Yakuza 0 series. Check it out if you have been enjoying the series, or are interested in playing the Yakuza games yourself!

Join The Discussion

Please tell me you didn't yell into your computer screen.

Outlast 2: Early Impressions Sharing Thread (By: @do_the_manta_ray)

What are your early impressions of Outlast 2? Hopefully less dramatic than your average YouTube personality. Feel free to share them with the rest of the Giant Bomb community.

What Remains of Edith Finch Discussion Thread (By: @glots)

How have you been finding Giant Sparrow's latest outing? Whether it be the PS4 or PC version of the game, share your impressions and interpretation of the game's story.

Best Persona 5 Builds (By: @alistercat)

Hopefully, Edith Finch is all in one piece.

What do you think are the best and most powerful builds in Persona 5? Share and defend your favorite character set-ups over here.

Prime Eras For Different Video __game Genres? (By: @viking_funeral)

Can you think of distinct eras for different game genres? Join our community in nailing down when Adventure, RTS, and JRPGs had their respective "Golden Ages."

The New 2DS XL Discussion Thread (By: @re_player1)

It came out of nowhere, but what do you think of the 2DS XL? Feel free to share your "gut reactions" to Nintendo's latest handheld folly.

Little Nightmares Impression Sharing Thread (By: @glots)

Sylvain Chomet called, and he wants his artstyle back.

Have you checked out the platformer, Little Nightmares? If so, share your impressions of it on our community discussion thread.

Worst Companions (By: @acidbrandon18)

What is your least favorite video game companion? Share and discuss the sidekick which drove you crazy the quickest. I am caught between Resident Evil 4 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Horror Stories Of Lost Saves (By: @nicksmi56)

What is your worst experience in losing a save file? Share your lost save horror stories over here. For me, a certain SOMEONE played half of Final Fantasy VIII after I lost my save file for the game.

Lovable Lists

A Perfect World's SNES Classic Game List (If Everyone Was DevourerOfTime) (By: @devoureroftime)

DevourerOfTime drafted a list of games he most would want to see in the SNES Classic, but this time just for his own benefit.

Useful User Reviews

• @devise22's 10 Second NinjaX for review discusses why it is the ideal Vita experience for anyone who owns the platform.

Wonderful Wikis

If only....

Prey

The new Prey game is set to release next week, but why not take the time to look back on the game which "technically" started the franchise. Our wiki page for the first shooting game to bear the name "Prey" is massive and worth examining.

Prey 2

Now it is time for a depressing exercise in "what could have been." If you check out our wiki page for Prey 2, you will learn all about its troubled history and ultimate demise.

Filed under:

Soulcalibur

Squad

Playerunknown's Battlegrounds

Battlefield 1

Rock Band

Pokémon Gold/Silver

Abzû

Dishonored 2

Tales from the Borderlands

Yakuza 0

Outlast 2

What Remains of Edith Finch

Persona 5

Little Nightmares

Final Fantasy VIII

10 Second Ninja X

Prey

Prey 2

Read More

Jagex Account Guardian Deactivates Soon

After 15th May, the Jagex Account Guardian (JAG) will be retired, and will no longer operate on any account for which it is still activated.

The RuneScape Authenticator is - and will remain - the best way to protect your RuneScape account. If you haven�t already, it�s easy to get the Authenticator up and running.

Get the Authenticator today and be ready for the change. Need help? Visit the support centre.

The RuneScape Team

Read More

The Community Spotlight - 02/04/2017

Many Thanks to Humanity for the Banner This Week!

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight! Once again I, @zombiepie, am absolutely honored to be your host this week as we look back on the best the Giant Bomb Community has to offer. In tradition of last week the community was active in expressing their creative side. From making games to compilation videos we have a ton of great community works to marvel over this week. With that, let's get on with the Community Spotlight!

• ATTENTION! The old Giant Bomb API is being deprecated in favor of a new one! If you have been using the old API get the details now!

Community Activities

Giant ROM 4 - The Giant Bomb __game Jam Encore (By: @zandravandra)

The Giant Bomb Game Jam, Giant ROM 4, is underway! If you are not aware, community leader ZandraVandra organizes a Giant Bomb user led Game Jam every year for the past four years. The themes for this year are "East Versus West" and "One Big Chomp." Even if you do not plan on participating feel free to check out the wonderful things the community has created. Speaking of which...

Fire Emblem Heroes Friend Code Exchange (By: @peachesrcool)

If you have been playing Fire Emblem Heroes feel free to post your friend code on our community exchange for the game.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands Beta Sharing Thread (By: @cleric22)

Whether you want one or have a couple of spares to share, feel free to partake in our Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands beta sharing thread.

Clips Of The Week

I Wrote A Song For This Is The Run (By: @jgray)

jgray created an 80s action movie styled theme song for Vinny and Dan's "This Is The Run" video series. If you have yet to see it, you are missing out.

Best of Giant Bomb's Deadly Premonition Endurance Run--01 (By: @clagnaught)

From one Endurance Run to the next, clagnaught has created his first highlight video for Giant Bomb's Deadly Premonition Endurance Run. Don't worry, the video series features both Endurance Run teams!

Giant Bomb: This is the Run - Contra Edition (By: RetroHelix)

Over on YouTube RetroHelix compiled the beginnings and ends to every episode of "This Is The Run." As you may expect, the hubris is at an all time high.

This Is Not the Run: A Contra Death Montage (By: Brandt Hughes)

Speaking of "This Is The Run," here's another hot YouTube exclusive related to the series. Here's a hilarious death montage for the highly entertaining video series.

Giant Bomb Galleria

Banner - This Is The Run (By: @humanity)

Natural artist Humanity thoroughly enjoyed Dan and Vinny's multiple attempts to finish Contra. In lieu of that Humanity created this AMAZING banner in tribute to the video. Here's an earlier mock-up of the final draft:

Best Of Blogs

Underrated or overrated? I'll let you decide!

Noise Pollution: Lamenting Midna's Lament (By: @generic_username)

Generic_username extrapolates why the soundtrack to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is an underappreciated classic, much like the __game itself.

My Conflicting Feelings With Deus Ex: Mankind Divided In Regards To Theft (By: @dragontern)

Dragontern shares his discordant feelings with Deus Ex: Mankind Divided in regards to the game's use of theft as an in-game necessity.

Games are Learning to Focus Again (By: @sonatar)

sonatar details why he thinks games in the last couple of years have learned how to "focus" their gameplay and stories more than ever.

The Backlogbook - Week Four & Pokémon Sun Nuzlocke Challenge - Chapter Six (By: @danielkempster)

Read all about danielkempster's continual progress with Grandia, and final impressions of Oxenfree. Also, the latest chapter of danielkempster's Pokémon Sun/Moon Nuzlocke Challenge is about Route 8 and Lush Jungle

In preparation for Andromeda meteora3255 and Shivoa played Mass Effect games from the past.

Revisiting Mass Effect: Part 4 (By: @meteora3255)

As part of his retrospective blog on the first Mass Effect game, meteora3255 re-examines the Feros and Thorian questline.

I've Joined The Brave And The Few (Upgraded My PC) (By: @humanity)

Humanity recently upgraded his PC! Read all about the long journey he subjected himself to for the sake of having the gaming computer of his dreams.

Playing Mass Effect 2 Today (By: @shivoa)

Shivoa replayed Mass Effect 2 and comments on why he still finds the main game, and its myriad of DLC, fun to play.

Jackbox Party Pack 3 Is Coming To Switch And That's Dope As Hell (By: @kaptainkobe)

Learn about the indelible mark RE 4 left on the industry on Colonel_Pockets's blog.

kaptainkobe isn't just excited about the announcement of The Jackbox Party Pack 3 coming to the Nintendo Switch, instead he argues why the game could a showcase the prowess of the console.

I Just Finished One Of The Greatest Games Ever Made (By: @colonel_pockets)

Colonel_Pockets articulates why Resident Evil 4 isn't just an important game, but also one of the greatest to have graced the industry with a legacy that can still be felt.

My Gaming Fear Engine (By: @dinoracha)

Dinoracha shares a major contrivance he has with horror games in general, and how they structure their gameplay and scares.

Gaming Genres You Try To Like But Just Can't (By: @d-man123)

Even Mento managed to play a relatively "recent" game from his backlog in the form of Abzu!

D-Man123 wlecomes you to join his commentary on the game genres he has attempted to love, but simply cannot, on his latest blog.

Indie Game of the Week 05: Abzu & The Top Shelf: Case Files 021-025: "The World Needs Laughter" (By: @mento)

Mento completed Abzû this week, and you can discover why he has conflicted final impressions of the game which are not entirely positive. Meanwhile, Mento also examined another batch of PlayStation 2 games for inclusion in his library ranging from Final Fantasy X to Stretch Panic.

Join The Discussion

Hopefully you are a better professor than Mario.

What Games Would You Put In A Video Games 101 Course For Non-Gamers? (By: @saddlebrown)

If you taught a "Video Games 101" history course for non-gamers, which games would you cover? Share and discuss the picks you think provide an important educational purpose.

Those Games Where A Difficulty Spike Made You Rage Quit (By: @jam13)

Has a difficulty spike ever caused you to "Rage Quit" a game? Share and discuss your rage inducing examples with the Giant Bomb community.

Favorite 2007 Game - Poll And Discussion Thread (By: @beachthunder)

Please tell me there are some of you who know what this image means.

2007 was a great year for games, and while it causes me to shutter to say this, it was ten years ago! Think back ten years ago and vote for your favorite game.

The Hot and Heavy Days of Renting Games (By: @dr_monocle)

Inspired by a recent episode of The Beastcast join our community memory sharing thread related to video game renting. Don't worry, most of the users on this thread remember what Blockbuster was.

Lovable Lists

Those were the days my friends.

PlayStation Long Boxes (By: @marino)

Fellow moderator Marino is on a quest to obtain a copy of every game on the original PlayStation before they switched to regular jewel cases. Read all about his slow quest for long boxes.

Game of the Year 2016 (By: @isomeri)

All the Games I've Beaten in 2016 + Personal GOTY Countdown (By: ISTURBO1984)

Game of the Year 2016 (By: MOONLIGHTMOTH)

Finally, we have some late comers to the 2016 GOTY game. As they say, better late than never.

Useful User Reviews

• MORECOWBELL24's review for Dark Cloud assesses why he thinks the game stretches a few good ideas and mechanics too thin.

Filed under:

Fire Emblem Heroes

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands

Contra

Deadly Premonition

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Grandia

Oxenfree

Pokémon Sun/Moon

Mass Effect

Mass Effect 2

The Jackbox Party Pack 3

Nintendo Switch

Resident Evil 4

Abzû

Final Fantasy X

Stretch Panic

Dark Cloud

PlayStation

Read More

Community Spotlight - 01/28/2017

Vinny is the hero we deserve AND need!

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I, ZombiePie, am once again honored to be your host this week. As the first month of the already chaotic year we call 2017 comes to a close, a number of you managed to start the year off with a bang. Many of you fastidiously tackled your gaming backlogs, and others are participating in community events which tap into your creative skills. If anything, this all warms the heart of this respective cantankerous moderator rather personally. With this heart-to-heart complete, let's move on to the site related housekeeping:

• Friend of the site Dave Lang has been having a blast running through the Giant Bomb community contracts in Hitman. Unfortunately, he's close to running out of new ones and has let out an all call to the entire community to create more.

Community Activities

Giant ROM 4 - The Giant Bomb __game Jam Encore (By: ZandraVandra)

The Giant Bomb Game Jam, Giant ROM 4, is the "true" highlight this week. If you are not aware, community leader ZandraVandra organizes a Giant Bomb user led Game Jam every year for the past four years. The themes for this year are "East Versus West" and "One Big Chomp." Support and participate in the community effort NOW!

It's time to slam in this __game jam!

The Giant Bomb unOFFICIAL Classic Wing (By: embryo69)

Are you still having fun with Elite: Dangerous? Learn how to join the Giant Bomb Community (un)Official Private Group for Elite: Dangerous by clicking the link above!

Now picture this image with ten or so Giant Bomb users faffing about!

Clips Of The Week

HITMAN - Featured Contract - The Caravella Conundrum (By: Forthe Seven)

We will talk more about the "Caravella Conundrum" later, but right now I wanted to showcase how this Hitman "expert" managed to speedrun the contract in around four minutes. That is a level of savagery Shiek Zanzibar could respect!

Giant Bomb Galleria

Banner - Today's This Is the Run (By: ZandraVandra)

The most recent batch of episodes for "This Is the Run" have certainly proven Vinny's boldness in fighting the alien menace. As such, ZandraVandra felt inspired to illustrate this FACT!

Nintendo's Stinky Brick (By: Mathey)

Giant Bomb user Mathey had fun illustrating Jeff's "Stinky Brick Console" conversation from the 01.17.2017 Bombcast.

Best Of Blogs

Skullgirls helping out in making positive life choices? Read more about it on PerfidiousSinn's blog!

I Suck At Fighting Games: Skullgirls 2nd Encore+ (By: PerfidiousSinn)

PerfidiousSinn shares how he built his patience and confidence playing Skullgirls, and how enriching it was in his overall life.

An Impossible Start to the New Year (January Progress Report) (By: morecowbell24)

In the first month of 2017, morecowbell24 managed to complete seventeen games. Learn what they were and what he thought of them!

Beautiful Apocalypse: Thoughts on Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture (By: Darth_Navster)

Darth_Navster comments on his disappointment with game developer The Chinese Room’s Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, especially as a follow up to Dear Esther.

Read more about Darth_Navsters anemic reaction to Everybody's Gone to Rapture

I Dislike The Emphasis On 1080p And 60FPS & The Voice Actor Strike. How Do You Feel About It? (By: D-Man123)

D-Man123's latest blogging offerings tackle two enormous dragons facing the gaming industry. First, he question's the industry's emphasis of higher resolution graphics rather than other pressing issues. Second, he looks at the continuation of the voice actors strike.

Playing The Witcher Again After Reading The Books (Spoilers) (By: ll_Exile_ll)

ll_Exile_ll recently replayed The Witcher after reading the books the game is based on. Check out his blog to see where the book and game compliment and clash.

Looks like Psylocke is "Top Tier" in Marvel Heroes!

An Overview Of Marvel Heroes' "Biggest Update Ever" (By: Wemibelle)

If you enjoy playing Marvel Heroes 2016 check out Wemibelle's post on the myriad of changes that hit the game last week, and what they mean for players.

The Backlogbook - Week Three & Pokémon Sun Nuzlocke Challenge - Chapter Five (By: danielkempster)

danielkempster continues to chip away at his gaming backlog with the likes of Grandia and Borderlands this week. Read all about his progress with his gaming backlog this month. danielkempster also published the latest chapter of his Pokémon Sun/Moon Nuzlocke Challenge blog series for your viewing pleasure!

I had honestly never heard of King's Field until now! Many thanks to JasonR86 for that!

My Favorite Games! 8: King's Field II (By: JasonR86)

JasonR86 defends King's Field II as one of his all-time favorite video games, and spends a fair amount of time detailing why the game is still emotionally resonant to him to this day.

All-New Saturday Summaries 2017-01-28 (By: MENTO)

Mento's weekly round-up includes links to regular installments of the PS2-focused "The Top Shelf" and backlog-clearing "Indie Game of the Week". He also elaborates on Xenoblade Chronicles X's assortment of sapient alien races.

Join The Discussion

Sometimes there aren't any words to properly describe your excitement.

The Caravella Conundrum Discussion Thread (By: Yabico)

Right then, let's unpack the "Caravella Conundrum!" It is a community creation which the fine men and women at IO Interactive decided to showcase for all the world to see. Speaking of which, how did you fare in your attempt to tackle the Caravella Conundrum "Featured Contract" in Hitman? Whether it went as smoothly as a knife through butter, or so difficult that you have an axe to grind, be sure to tell the community how you did.

Professional Difficulty Level And Jan 31st Hitman Update Discussion Thread (By: w00master)

Are you excited for the "Professional Difficulty" in Hitman? Join our discussion for the Jan. 31st update with the rest of our wetwork enthusiast sub-community.

Any early impressions from the online beta?

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Crowdfunding Campaign Discussion Thread (By: EchoEcho)

What are your two-cents related to the Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire crowdfunding campaign? Whether it be positive or negative feel free to share it over here.

Injustice 2 Online Beta Impressions and Feedback Thread (By: inevpatoria)

Do you have any major takeaways related to the online beta for Injustice 2? Feel free to articulate what you think the future looks like for NetherRealm Studios's latest fighting game offering.

How has the latest Resident Evil been treating you?

Resident Evil 7 Impressions (By: IVDAMKE)

Do any of you have early impressions related to Resident Evil 7 biohazard? Is the most recent entry in the series a franchise savior, or a step in the wrong direction?

Lovable Lists

Most Anticipated Games of 2017 (By: Siphillis)

User Siphillis lists and annotates the games he is most looking forward to playing, and they run the gamut when it comes to platforms and genres.

Useful User Reviews

• redbullet685's Resident Evil 7 biohazard review details how it manages to capably breathe life back into the series.

Wonderful Wiki

I'm just going to post this image without context.

Kingdom Hearts HD II.8: Final Chapter Prologue

There's a lot to "unpack" in Kingdom Hearts HD II.8: Final Chapter Prologue. Our wiki page is a major help for any of you "heartless" types.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

It has been re-released on the 3DS recently, so check out our MASSIVE wiki page for Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King to learn everything there is to know about the game.

Read More

The Month Ahead � May 2017

Our video team are hard at work on a range of projects, which means that BTS is text-only this month.

Please accept our apologies for this, and read on to find out what May has in store.

---

Shattered Worlds

Shattered Worlds is our major update this month: a huge new single player combat minigame with fantastic new rewards.

Centuries of teleportation magics have created punctures in the Abyss, causing the fabric between shards and their locations to grow weaker. Twisted by the mutations and growths within the Abyss, environments, spirits and creatures from familiar places are pulled together, creating strange new worlds.

A new chivalrous order � the Abyssal Knights � have formed to defend us from this new threat in the swamps south of Lumbridge, but they need adventurers like you to take the fight into the Abyss, meeting its dangers head on. In Shattered worlds, you�ll fight gallantly through these worlds, stacking up mutators as you play. Each mutator can affect the gameplay in the next world, granting you and the creatures unique effects that change the flow of the battle. It�s mad, chaotic, and a whole ton of fun.

Shattered Worlds also includes weekly challenges set for various levels of player, earning you more points to spend on unique rewards.

And the gear on offer is pretty awesome, including sigils that occupy a brand-new equipment slot, giving effects like Slayer XP boosting and forcing creatures to be aggressive, which are no doubt a welcome addition to any combatant�s arsenal. There are new abilities too: one for dual-wielding melee, and one for ranged - along with an update to an ability you'll already be familiar with.

There�s also a new pet with 9 evolution stages, cosmetic outfits, XP, unique slayer contracts�and that�s just a handful of the things on offer.

While there�s no hard level requirement, we recommend adventurers have a minimum of level 40 in their chosen combat style. As you progress through the worlds, the difficulty increases, so you�ll need max levels and the best gear to take on the most challenging worlds.

Shattered Worlds is really worth checking out � I look forward to seeing you splatted across the Abyss.

---

Mental Health Awareness Week

This year Jagex are partnering with three charities to raise awareness of mental health issues and help to combat the stigmas associated with them. We will be adding NPCs from each charity to the __game to learn more about the challenges that people with mental health issues face, and encouraging you to get involved through in-game activities.

Collect tokens to unlock some new cosmetic items, or alternatively, buy them in the store. All proceeds from this event go straight to the charities!

---

Achievement System

Work continues the Achievement system, with phase 2 well on its way. We�ve been compiling all your feedback on the system and ideas for new achievements, and we�re busy looking into which features we can implement to build on the foundations we added last month. It�s looking great - thanks for your feedback and help so far.

---

Double XP Weekend & Time to Train

From midday on the 19th of May through to the 22nd, we will be running another Double XP Weekend for you to get everything sorted before the gates of Menaphos open on the 5th of June. Expect your favourite XP related items to be present in Treasure Hunter running up to the weekend, so make sure your logging in for your free Keys!

A shiny new website dedicated to all things Menaphos is live right now - go there, watch the trailer and sign up for even more info in the future!

---

Have fun, W00ters out!

Mod Mark

Read More

Jagex Charity Initiatives 2017

Jagex is proud of its charitable giving history, with regular internal staff fundraising, as well as record breaking community fundraising for some incredible causes.

This year we'll be working alongside CPSL Mind, The Prince's Trust, and YMCA Right Here on a local, national and international level, with a target of raising �150,000 to support their programmes. Our three chosen charities all work tirelessly to support mental health awareness - something we're very passionate about.

Throughout 2017 we'll be running a series of in-game and real-world events to raise funds for our chosen charities, ensuring that you guys are at the forefront of our fundraising efforts. Through live streams, dedicated in-game events and more, we'll work alongside you to make a real difference.

Included in this is our involvement in the Prince's Trust career introduction programme, Get Started in Games Design, which will see young people participate in __game design workshops, hosted right here at Jagex HQ.

We'll also be actively working, and financially supporting CPSL Mind's 'Stop Suicide' campaign, as well as supporting YMCA's Right Here �Find, Get, Give' initiative. This programme promotes finding and getting help, and giving feedback, on mental health issues for those aged 13-25 years old and will see Jagex assisting in the development of a mental health networking app.

We'll soon be launching a JustGiving page and sharing more details about the various activities and events planned. Together, we can raise much-needed funds for these three vital charities.

The RuneScape Team

Read More

Community Game Of The Year 2016 Voting Results

DOOM was GOOD.

By most accounts, 2016 was a pretty darn good year for games, and that apparently even includes your own account! Late last year we opened up the voting for our Community 2016 Games of the Year, let people vote through early January, then tallied the results and, well...here we are.

This year, 5,795 of our readers submitted a list of up to 10 games. Not everyone put ten games on their list, so the total number of votes totaled up to 48,506 votes on a total of 1,061 different games. Any __game in the database could be submitted, so some of those games were no doubt not actually released in 2016, but most of the games on the lists below do indeed seem to be valid votes. We allowed the inclusion of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, as many of you seemed jazzed by the Blood and Wine expansion pack for the game.

The top of the top results aren't so far off from our editor's results (for reference, you can find those Games of the Year right over here.) The main difference is obviously that DOOM managed to take the first slot in both pure votes and weighted votes, edging out the editors' pick of Hitman in both categories. Of the editors' top 10 games, Superhot, Thumper, and Hyper Light Drifter didn't quite manage to pick up the groundswell of community support needed to get them onto the top 10 community lists, to the benefit of Uncharted 4, Dark Souls III, and Firewatch. Also note that it looks like more than a few voters were confused by a search result for a __game called Inside from 2012, but not to the point where Inside from 2016 would've been bumped up more than a spot or so on the lists.

This first list is a simple count of the times that each game received a single vote:

	Game	Number of Votes
1.	Doom	1891
2.	Overwatch	1431
3.	Hitman	1391
4.	Titanfall 2	801
5.	Uncharted 4: A Thief's End	694
6.	Stardew Valley	682
7.	The Witness	672
8.	Dark Souls III	653
9.	Firewatch	347
10.	Inside	346
11.	Final Fantasy XV	338
12.	Pokémon Sun/Moon	265
13.	The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	231
14.	Dishonored 2	224
15.	Forza Horizon 3	205
16.	Superhot	197
17.	Battlefield 1	190
18.	XCOM 2	183
19.	Sid Meier's Civilization VI	176
20.	Hyper Light Drifter	163
21.	Deus Ex: Mankind Divided	146
22.	The Last Guardian	137
23.	Gears of War 4	121
24.	Darkest Dungeon	116
25.	World of Warcraft: Legion	109
26.	Watch Dogs 2	105
27.	Tom Clancy's The Division	99
27(t).	Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE	99
29.	Ratchet & Clank	97
30.	Stellaris	91
31.	Mafia III	90
32.	Inside	87
33.	Oxenfree	78
34.	Overcooked!	76
35.	Total War: Warhammer	72
35(t).	Thumper	72
37.	Fire Emblem Fates	68
38.	Street Fighter V	61
38(t).	Picross 3D: Round 2	61
38(t).	Let It Die	61
41.	No Man's Sky	57
42.	Rise of the Tomb Raider	55
43.	Enter the Gungeon	53
44.	Abzû	51
45.	Furi	49
45(t).	Factorio	49
45(t).	Devil Daggers	49
45(t).	Salt and Sanctuary	49
49.	Pokémon Go	47
50.	Planet Coaster	47

The second list here is weighted. Games that were ranked in the first slot of a Top Ten list would be weighted much more heavily than games in the #10 spot, for example. The numbers might not make sense when compared to the vote totals above, but I'm told they're based on fractions instead of whole numbers! Hope that makes sense! Math!

	Game	Number of Votes (Weighted)
1.	Doom	3653
2.	Hitman	2956
3.	Overwatch	2941
4.	Titanfall 2	2338
5.	Uncharted 4: A Thief's End	1842
6.	Dark Souls III	1837
7.	Stardew Valley	1782
8.	The Witness	1691
9.	Firewatch	1409
10.	Inside	1245
11.	Final Fantasy XV	1041
12.	Superhot	933
13.	Pokémon Sun/Moon	896
14.	Battlefield 1	797
15.	Dishonored 2	783
16.	Forza Horizon 3	732
17.	Sid Meier's Civilization VI	713
18.	Deus Ex: Mankind Divided	685
19.	XCOM 2	681
20.	Hyper Light Drifter	596
21.	Gears of War 4	574
22.	The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	530
23.	Watch Dogs 2	514
24.	Ratchet & Clank	482
25.	Darkest Dungeon	480
26.	Tom Clancy's The Division	459
27.	Mafia III	443
28.	The Last Guardian	428
29.	Stellaris	372
30.	Overcooked!	368
31.	Oxenfree	360
32.	World of Warcraft: Legion	351
33.	Thumper	326
34.	Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE	325
35.	No Man's Sky	317
36.	Inside	305
37.	Abzû	293
38.	Fire Emblem Fates	275
39.	Let It Die	249
40.	Enter the Gungeon	247
41.	Street Fighter V	243
42.	Pokémon Go	241
43.	Devil Daggers	224
44.	Rise of the Tomb Raider	224
45.	Total War: Warhammer	222
46.	Picross 3D: Round 2	216
47.	Furi	216
48.	Salt and Sanctuary	202
49.	Dragon Quest Builders	193
50.	Planet Coaster	185

If you read this far, you deserve this!

Filed under:

Doom

Hitman

Overwatch

Read More

Guest Column: Let's Hear It for the Game Givers

Here's to you, the __game givers.

In 1989, my grandma gave me my first __game Boy.

Last week, my grandma died.

By the time this goes up, I'm sure it'll have been a couple weeks. Maybe a month or two? There's a point where you look back at an event and suddenly remember it happened, even if the happening of that event affects you every day.

She was a loving mother to my father. A loving surrogate mother to my mother, who lost hers at a pretty young age. She was brilliant at Scrabble and terrible at golf and loved playing both. She read true crime novels in a day. She had endless friends at her funeral.

Her giving me a Game Boy for Christmas in 1989 (slowly accepting that her Jewish son's kids were being raised Catholic) was nowhere near the top of her goodness. I doubt anyone else in the family still remembers it. She did far more and lived far more than that.

Also gave me Golf because she, well, loved golf.

But this is a video game site about video games with video game reviews, so I want to talk about video games. And she's one of the reasons they matter so much to me today.

I was only five at the time and my family didn't have much money. I didn't understand what the concept of mine really meant. Ownership was fluid in my household, with toys often stolen from each other and even more often returned broken.

The Game Boy was mine, though. The Nintendo Entertainment System was property of the whole family, and my sister was both bigger and stronger than me. The computer was a relic by the advanced, future-world standards of 1989. But the Game Boy was mine. It belonged to me. It was a space for me to go on a road trip or when my parents fought or when I felt lonely.

When you're a child, you can convince yourself anything.

My Game Boy became an extension of myself in a way the NES never did. Portable gaming as an adult is convenient. Portable gaming as a child is a lifeline. That Game Boy was battered and covered in stickers and painted and broken and repaired. I convinced myself that Mortal Kombat on the Game Boy was actually good.

We always talk about how games affected our lives, the moments we associate with them. But we rarely get to thank the people who gave us those games. And not just gave, but introduced. Wrote about. Talked about. Made the games seem cool enough to try. Were jerks about games that we did like, making us question our own views.

There's something about games that makes us both blow them out of proportion and minimize them, both at the wrong times. And we all do it. We shout at each other over the success or failures of games we haven't even played yet. We want to see the developers who let us down publicly suffer torments. We plan our schedules for new releases. We constantly update “Best Of” lists in our heads, just in case we're trapped under a car and the police need to know an underrated SNES JRPG to save us.

The answer is E.V.O.

But when life hits, we minimize them. We say they're “just games.” We put them away. We get frustrated for missing real life, as if enjoying ourselves with others isn't tangible enough to count.

But the truth is, especially if you're reading this, games matter a lot to you. And someone introduced you to them. They gave you the environment that you needed to play.

So let's hear it for the grandparents who bought us video games for holidays and birthdays and just because. The people who often got it wrong. The ones who bought you Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge instead of Bonestorm because it looked nicer. My grandma refused to buy me Mortal Kombat on PC (“You already own it on Game Boy!”) and got me Carmen Sandiego. I'm glad she did, even if at the time, I was not glad she did.

Basically what happened when my grandma gave me Golf.

Let's hear it for the parents who overcame their doubts about games. The parents who made excuses to other parents for our hobbies. “There's reading in these games!” or “We played games when we were kids and we're fine.” or even “Look at how happy they are!” The parents whose computers we used to download DOOM Shareware, whether they knew it or not. The parents who know Minecraft is good for their kids.

Let's hear it for the siblings and cousins whose games we stole and who stole our games. The forced two-player matches with the broken controllers. The mismatched one-on-one games between you and someone who could barely hold a controller. Sure, it wasn't a fair fight, but at least you got to play someone other than the computer for once. The people who broke our controllers in frustration and who we had to apologize to when we broke theirs.

You don't know about the Tomb Raider nude code? Yeah, I know what a naked person looks like. I've seen so many.

Let's hear it for the family members who didn't want us to play games. They made the love for this art even stronger.

Let's hear it for the neighborhood kids and the friends at school who told us about the coolest games. The secrets that weren't real and the ones that were. The friends who made up an uncle at Nintendo to seem impressive. The secret cabal of people around your age who cares as much about the same things as you did. The students who played Unreal Tournament at school and traded Pokémon during lunch. The ones who taught you that King of Fighters is better than Street Fighter.

Let's hear it for the older who told us about the adult games we only dreamed about. The ones a few grades older who seemed infinitely wiser. The ones who knew how the cheat codes to see video game characters naked, but wouldn't tell you because they really didn't know. The ones who felt like they held keys to a deeper level of gaming, even if they didn't.

These used to mean something. These used to be the greatest thing in the world.

Let's hear it for the employees at Toys 'R Us and Best Buy and Blockbuster Video and KB Toys and GameStop and EB Games and Babbages and Amazon and Software Etc and Service Merchandise and Lionel Kiddie City and the dozens of other stores that exist now or stopped existing years ago. Sometimes you knew games, sometimes you didn't. But the moment you pushed a shrink-wrapped, new game at us, you were gods with the power to control worlds.

Let's hear it for the game writers and previewers and reviewers who got us excited and still do. Who sometimes break through the noise and static to say, “No, really, this is worth trying.” The writers who used to have pen names like “Sushi-X” to avoid at-the-time embarrassment. And here's to how cool those secret identities felt. The way we all felt--and still feel--like we get to be in a club. The writers we disagreed with because we knew our games were better than they said (“How dare they let a fighting game fan review a flight simulator?!”). The writers we did agree with because we knew our games had to be good.

You can tell he's unbiased about fighting games because he's a ninja!

Let's hear it for the podcasters and gaming personalities and streamers and speedrunners and YouTubers. The ones who say, “What's up?” and “Keep it locked here!” and “Subscribe!” The ones who make you feel like you've got a friend on your morning commute. The good ones. The bad ones. The ones who make you laugh. The ones who go off into the deep end and remind you that being a gamer doesn't always mean you're a good person.

Let's hear it for the fans who made text document walkthroughs. The people posting secrets on forums. The people faking leaks to get us excited and the people using spoiler tags to keep us in suspense. The fans who respectfully disagree, but really feel like you don't understand what you're talking about. The people who will correct this article with everything I've forgotten.

Let's hear it for the factory workers who make our devices and box our consoles. The people at Amazon running across a floor to get you a game you ordered next day because you couldn't wait. They probably hate us. I would hate us, too.

I'm sorry, sir. No. You're an adult. You can wait. I know you can't wait, but you literally have no choice. Also, this system won't make you a child again.

Let's hear it for the customer service reps who didn't make the game nor shipped it wrong, but still hear our too-old-to-do-this stressed voice because a Nintendo Switch is coming late.

Let's hear it for the partners and roommates who put up with us playing while they watched.

Let's hear it for the partners and roommates who played while we watched.

Let's hear it for the partners and roommates who didn't get annoyed when we tried to tell them what to do while they played and we watched. And the partners and roommates who gave good advice that we ignored because we had to beat this game alone.

Let's hear it for the game developers and designers and artists and writers and social media managers and localizers and translators and audio engineers and actors and animators and programmers and directors and musicians and assistants and interns and marketers and advertisers and board members who make the games possible. The ones who work long hours on games we love. The ones who work long hours on the games we don't love. The ones who stand for 18 hours at a gaming convention to speak with every fan, hoping that they love their new game.

Bless you for putting up with this 50 times a year, game developers.

Let's hear it for the people who want to be developers and designers (and those other things I mentioned). The people who will make something we didn't know how we could live without and then live in a mansion for it.

There's a lot being left out here. The people who return used games with weird fake labels. The fan artists. The fan fiction writers. The forum moderators. The competitive gamers with special chairs that make them look cool but make me feel weird and sad. The intellectuals. The historians. The canon archivists. The people who scan old video game magazines. Everyone.

I know it's strange to have a relative die and think about that moment with the Game Boy. But it's also easy to put away games whenever live gets serious and forget how much the people attached to them mean to us. The simplest, relatively cheap gift changed my life. Am I a better human being for it? Oh, definitely not. I'm awful.

Games aren't perfect. Game developers aren't perfect. Gamers aren't perfect. Families and friends aren't perfect.

But I am still grateful for them.

Thanks, grandma.

Mike Drucker on Google+

Filed under:

Game Boy

Read More