Giant Bomb

Parker MacMillan IIIII is the current commissioner of blaseball. He is doing a great job.

may i have your attention. this is internet league blaseball intern-interim commissioner Parker MacMillan IIIII. you are now participating in a list of my 10 favorite games

1. When Black Hole swallowed the Moon

2. The Grand Unslam game

3. When Thomas Dracaena hit a ground out to Edric Tosser / When Pitching Machine siphoned blood / Crowvertime (tie)

4. When I hit a home run in the Coffee Cup

5. Maximum Blaseball!

6. When Sandie Turner found the Blagonball

7. Bugsnax, Gloria

8. When the Hall Stars played the Pods

Jeff Bakalar is an Editor at Large at CBS Interactive and one of CNET's youngest and brightest YouTube stars. He's currently featured as a permanent rotating chair guest-host on The Giant Beastcast. Follow him on Twitter if you want to keep abreast of which pinball machines he's currently spending his child's college funds on.

I know, I know. You came here expecting to read about my top 10 video games of the year and you’re getting some fantasy pinball list instead. Alex asked me if I’d do another list this year and I agreed and then proceeded to do something totally different than what we discussed. Life’s not very fair, is it?

But fuck, that’s just the kind of year it’s been, right? OK, fine. You want some games? I really liked The Last of Us Part II, Hades, and Paper Mario: The Origami King. Happy? Great.

Bruno Dias is a video game writer and designer. He’s currently a narrative designer at Failbetter Games, writing for Fallen London and working on an unannounced project. Previously, he’s been a Giant Bomb and Vice contributor, the narrative designer on Neo Cab, and a writer on several games including Pathologic 2.

2020 was not a year for enjoying things. It was a year where finding and evaluating new games was harder than normal, like literally everything else, and where I found myself gravitating even more than usual towards old gaming comforts.

In a year of diminished joys and expectations it was hard to cobble together a top 10 list. Usually there’s a gap somewhere between the true standouts and the games that were merely good; this year, it didn’t feel realistic to even put them in the same category.

Leon Chang is a New York-based musician. His most recent album, Return to Bird World, released in 2020. He's @leyawn on Twitter.

I spent 99% of my time this year inside, and 99% of that time playing video games. There wasn’t any special reason for that or anything, I just like staying inside and playing video games.

Rich Gallup is Executive Producer at OtherSide Entertainment and knows more Whats than there are Legos in his entire house. Find him working in his makeshift basement office surrounded by wood paneling, or on Twitter.

Hello everybody!

For many this year was stressful, sad, and lonely. I feel incredibly fortunate to have spent 2020 in relative safety and seclusion, waiting, listening, learning, and trying to keep my kids entertained in this Groundhog Day loop of laundry, dishes, and remote schooling. Big thanks to Battlebots, Jelle’s Marble Runs, and Word Girl, among others.

Felix Kramer is a producer for numerous indie games. Follow them at @legobutts on Twitter.

Video games! Games of the video graphics variety. There were certainly some video games this year! Is it videogames or video games? Who cares! Not me, 2020 has stripped me of caring, as I’m sure it has you. Now we have bigger things on our minds, like which character in Hades we want to cradle us in their strong, confident arms. I didn’t include Hades in my list this year, but I want everyone to know I know it’s good. It might be Supergiant’s best game? Which, listen, I might have said that about several Supergiant games, but this time it’s also true. Anyway. My list, in almost no particular order:

In 2020, Mike Mahardy left his role as a producer at GameSpot (and occasional guest appearances with the fine folks here at Giant Bomb) to make a daily show for Polygon. You can follow him on Twitter at @mmahardy.

—

I’ll spare you the gory details about my personal 2020. We all have our stories by now, and you don’t need to hear mine. Suffice it to say, 2020 was a year in which I not only found refuge in games, but also “returned” to them, so to speak, and took the chance to interrogate my relationship with them entirely.

In some cases, I reconfirmed my love for certain genres. In others, I found dissatisfaction where I once found comfort. And in one select instance, I was drawn strongly to a game that runs counter to everything the past versions of me enjoyed. In an arbitrary chunk of months when I had so much more time to think, I guess it’s fitting--and fortunate--that games helped me know a little bit more about myself.

10. XCOM: Chimera Squad

“Where do they go from here?”

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 last week. Goodness, I hope first impressions are not everything, because already I am starting to have my doubts about 2021. As many of you already are aware, Ben has announced Friday January 22nd will be his last week working at Giant Bomb. Below, you will find a link to an appreciation thread where you can thank Ben for all he has done on the site and the many memories he has provided. However, as is the case whenever a staff member leaves the site, please keep all of your comments civil and respectful. This is not the time to share your disagreements or grievances with Ben nor is it a time for rampant speculation. This includes commenting who you would like to see be hired in Ben's position. With all of that in mind, let's jump into the site related housekeeping.

2020: It had games! It's time to vote on your favorites! You can do so via this form, or you can read on for more information!

If you're curious to revisit the days of yore, have a link to our our 2019 GOTY, 2018 GOTY, 2017 GOTY, our 2016 GOTY, or our 2015 GOTY lists!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I, @zombiepie, am honored to be your host as we look back at the best community generated offerings from the last week.

It would be entirely regressive to introduce this week's Community Spotlight without first recognizing the events from the prior week. As most of you already know, the United States Capitol was stormed by a violent insurrection. Let it be known, as my previous comment might suggest, Giant Bomb views the events of January 6th, 2021 as a violent and illegal attempt to undermine the democratic process of the United States. As Brad has stated on Twitter, attempts to excuse the event with "both sides..." rhetoric will not be tolerated nor will outright support of the insurrection attempt be tolerated. If you discover any comments that are in violation of this, flag or report them to the Moderation Team.

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight as well as the year, 2021! At this point, I feel as if you've heard the same piece about 2020 being a shit show of a year and that we should be grateful that we were able to make it to 2021. So, I'll spare you of the usual histrionics and simply thank you all for following this series and the support you have shown it despite the "roughness" of the past year. The site has had some highs and lows as a result of the pandemic, just as we have, and the fact things kept going is a testament to the resolve of the staff and this community. Let's try to keep that positive momentum going as we start a new and hopefully better year. With that in mind, we have the site-related housekeeping.

Well, it seems odd to air an edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight the day after Christmas, but as a wise man once said "That's the way the cookie crumbles." No matter, I hope all of you found a way to celebrate the holiday, if you celebrate, it a manner that was safe and fun for you and those you love. A little happiness and cheer goes a long way; I know that all to well. This week, the Spotlight is opening the floodgates and is welcoming ALL USERS to share their GOTY lists and blogs for inclusion. If I missed your blog or list, just drop a comment and I will promise to include them next time! I traditionally continue hosting user-made GOTY content until two weeks AFTER the staff content has subsided! So, with that in mind, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping!

Let's cut to the chase: here's how to get 30 days of Giant Bomb Premium absolutely free if you are not a current subscriber!

How Do I Sign Up For This Wonderful Deal?

If you don't currently have an account on the site, here's what you do!

1. Go to www.giantbomb.com/login-signup
2. Sign up for a new account with an Account Type of Basic - Free
3. Head to www.giantbomb.com/billing and select “Gift Card” as your Payment Type.
4. Enter WINTER20 into the "Gift Card Number" field, throw in your payment details, and submit!

If you DO already have an account on the site AND are not a current subscriber, just go to step three and proceed from there.

Why Do You Need My Payment Stuff? I Thought This Wonderful Deal Was Free!

Our current payment processor requires payment details before a trial starts! You can cancel anytime before the thirty days are up and you will not be charged.

How Long Will This Wonderful Deal Last?

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight! Well, I know I have a bit of a reputation for sounding like a broken record, but my work got the better of me I was not able to get to compiling the community created GOTY content on the site. I mean it when I say I will get to it during the week of Christmas. Nonetheless, last week was certainly "interesting," what with CD Projekt Red and Cyberpunk 2077 being on the news around the clock. As to be expected there are TONS of discussion threads and blogs related to Cyberpunk and its launch debacle. However, it's not all doom and gloom on the site, and with that in mind, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping!

Folks, Draculas are a right nuisance, always getting snobby when you offer them non-virgin blood and complaining about the dampness of your castle's tapestries. Well, it's time to show them by pre-ordering this wonderful Vinnyvania T-shirt, available in men's and women's and tall sizes! Thanks to @fobwashed for the art!

It’s every new home buyer’s worst nightmare: you finally find your dream castle in Central Europe and are ready to finally settle down with your buxom young partner. It’s a little damp, and some of the embrasures are too narrow to fire your crossbow through, but the foundation is solid and the moat is cool and refreshing year-round. You sign the documents and move in, a new life on the horizon.

Soon after, though, odd events start occurring. A sheep is found, desanguinated. The cross in the courtyard is destroyed. You start to notice a sharp smell of iron in the wine cellar. Uh oh! You’ve got Draculas.

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I, @zombiepie, am once again honored to be your host! Alright, right off the bat, I want to share a bit of a disclaimer. Last week, I promised I would start compiling user-created blogs and lists separately from the rest of the Spotlight. Well, that's unfortunately not the case and I'm sorry about that one. Next week, I hope to create a thread where users can post and discuss their GOTY lists in a single thread, but I wasn't able to get around to doing that soon. Again, sorry about that, but do not let my occasionally busy schedule discourage you from making a 2020 GOTY list, blog, or video! With that concession in mind, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping!

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 on the best user-created offerings from the last week. Well, I think I speak for the rest of the community when I say "Thank You, Abby!" After four years, Abby has moved on from the site and will be pursuing other endeavors. The "Best of Giant Bomb" tribute Derek (aka @turboman) created is "must see" video content and you should definitely keep on the lookout for the final Giant Bomb newsletter authored by Abby. The newsletter in particular is incredibly sweet and even an online curmudgeon like myself cannot deny feeling a bit emotional reading over the final draft. If you wish to continue following Abby, and why wouldn't you, links to her Twitch and Twitter accounts will be provided below. With that in mind, let's jump into the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight!

Hey, we know that you're a fan of Funko Pops. Your shelves strain under the weight of the 30th Conan O'Brien figurine you obtained this year. The Child will eat those Fish Lady eggs in perpetuity under your watchful eye. The people you bring to your house are frightened by the volume of the "BAZINGAS!" you shout at the Sheldons (both Young and Old) that have pride of place above your mantel. You have problems, frankly, and we're here to help by giving you a wide array of non-Pop items to adorn yourself (and your holiday greenery!) with.

Wow, 2020, huh? It’s been a heck of a year for a lot of reasons, including the fact that Giant Bomb is no longer part of CBS, America’s Most-Watched Network™ and is now under the umbrella of Red Ventures (jokes yet to be determined). I know people have a lot of questions about all this, and the answer is yes: Giant Bomb Premium remains the best source for your gaming dollar, as determined by professionals (me).

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 best user-created offerings from the week. Giant Bomb's Extra Life content ended two weeks ago, but there are still community members streaming for the site's team! Keep on the lookout for the Giant Bomb chat over the weekend as well as staff "surprise" streams for the site's Extra Life account! We have a lot to talk about this week, so, let's jump right into it!

Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight! I, @zombiepie, am once again honored to be your host as we look back at the best creative offerings from the community! That said, we do need to talk about Extra Life 2020 as the event was a massive success! Despite the current pandemic, the community as a whole raised over $200,000 for various charities and there is still more to come! If you follow me on Twitter, @GBDudersFeed, then hopefully you enjoyed the deluge of Tweets I published reminding everyone to support all of our non-staff Extra Life team members! But, be aware! Dozens of users and staff members plan to host their Extra Life streams in the weeks following Extra Life's big "Game Day" so be on the prowl for more content in the coming weeks and months!

However, there's no denying that the big talking points this week involved the launch of the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X|S. Various members of the community have put both consoles through their paces and shared their experiences with either on the forums. If you bought either console, or possibly both, feel free to join the rest of the community in sharing your impressions! With that in mind, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping!

Alright everyone, I'm going to be brief this week as I wrote this edition of the Community Spotlight while promoting the site's Extra Life 2020 efforts this weekend. Just be aware, for those of you reading this AFTER Extra Life is over that you can still donate to the site's and community member's Extra Life pages until the end of the year, December 31st. Likewise, be aware that a lot of staff members and users will not be able to stream during November 7th and 8th and will need YOUR SUPPORT during the weeks after Extra Life ends! Finally, at the time of this writing, there were still 47 members of Giant Bomb's Extra Life team that still had not received their first donation and were still sitting at $0 raised! Please, from the bottom of my heart, consider donating $1 to $5 to these accounts.

Happy Halloween everyone! And, if you are reading this after Halloween, then much merriment and good wishes to whatever you are doing. That said, we have a lot to talk about this week! First, Giant Bomb has published an article announcing its plans for Extra Life 2020. You will find a link to the announcement article below. Be aware, the Extra Life team is open for people to join RIGHT NOW! The team captain position is in the process of being switched, and I will keep you posted when the transition happens. Also, in terms of the Spotlight this week, HOLY SHIT, we have a TON of artwork to review and share! So, with that in mind, let's jump into it!

Folks, 2020 has hurt in a lot of ways to a lot of people. Financially, emotionally, physically, temporally: it's been no bueno. But you know who has been hurting the most? THE CHILDREN, and I'm here to tell you how you can help them out (with a sizable cash donation).

Just call me Sally Struthers/
because if I had my druthers/
we would all care more for others/
especially the kids at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital for whom we are raising funds this year!

That's it; that's the rap. The official rap of Extra Life 2020.

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 some of the best user-created works from around the web. First, I want to thank all of your who heard out the personal request from the staff and moderation team regarding the recent news surrounding Abby leaving the site. If you missed it, yes, Abby will be leaving Giant Bomb at the end of November, but please avoid rampant speculation about possible hires and additional lay-offs or site leavings. As I said last week, these are stressful and confusing times and you can avoid adding to that stress by keeping all of what I have written about in mind. With that out of the way, it is worth noting we have a ton of positive news about the future! In fact, let's jump into it right now!

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 best user-created offerings from the community! Well, 2020 keeps on keeping on. As many of you already know, Abby will be leaving Giant Bomb at the end of November. As is the case with any staff leaving, please share your best wishes and gratitude for their time on the site. However, much like my warning last week about the CNET layoffs, all users are requested and expected to avoid speculation on this matter. As explained during Episode 282 of the Beastcast, Abby was not fired and instead elected to not renew their contract with the site's changing of ownership. The rules prohibiting speculation also include mass speculation about potential new hires. These are stressful and confusing times and you can avoid adding to that stress by keeping all of what I have written about in mind. With that out of the way, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping.

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 best creative endeavors from the Giant Bomb community! This week was certainly "interesting." For a variety of reasons, we have a record breaking number of discussion threads for you to scan over and partake in if you have not already. Major talking points include the PlayStation 5, especially the teardown video, and Genshin Impact. Though, Baldur's Gate 3 soft-launch and Crucible's shit-canning have also spurned massive speculation and discussions from the community. However, I do wish to mention something that has come up. As I will share in a little bit, some former CBSi sites have been hit by layoffs. As is the case whenever the topic of layoffs arise, please be respectful of those who have been impacted. Likewise, speculation on hiring's and possible "pick ups" by Giant Bomb are both unhelpful and not appreciated. It goes without saying this year has been rough for all staff members and this is one small thing we can all do to avoid making things worse. With that aside, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping.

Hello an 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 best creative endeavors from the community! As was the case last week, I again wish to thank all of you for the influx of comments and support! Again, rest assured this feature is not going away. Likewise, it does appear the spambots are back and you see any just remember to flag them for deletion and do not actually respond to them. This applies here and everywhere on the site. With that in mind, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping!

Hello an 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 best creative endeavors from the community! Well, I have to say, I am truly touched by the outpour of support you all showed in the previous edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight. I do wish to assure all of you that my comment last week asking for you all to share your support for this feature was made partially in jest after noticing the Spotlight two weeks ago was hit hard by spambots. This feature is NOT under threat of being terminated or cancelled, and I am sorry if any of you got that impression from last week's edition. In fact, there was a time when I even suspected no one read the introduction to the Spotlight. Again, lesson learned! Oh, and one more thing before we jump into the housekeeping, EVERYONE MUST WATCH JEARUM'S VIDEO IN THE TWEETS SECTION! It is genuinely one of the best things from the whole week.

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 best creative offerings form the Giant Bomb Community! Alright, so, the CNET sale news certainly has a lot of people "on the edge," but please be aware, as the staff have said time and time again, they are still waiting on further clarification from their higher-ups on what this means. Down below in the housekeeping section you will find links to a handful of helpful resources on what Jeff and other news outlets are saying. Luckily, Spelunky 2 came out and the expected hijinks have graced the site. If you have not seen it already, check out the end of the site's Quick Look for the game because it is AMAZING! Also, and this is a bit of a request to those of you who enjoy reading this feature but do not comment, please comment with your support. The past handful of weeks a majority of the people commenting on the Spotlights have been spambots, so, let's come together to fix that! Anyways, let's jump into the site

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 best community offerings from the previous week. First, to any of you being impacted by the United States west coast fires, please stay safe and healthy. Also, be aware some members of the staff have been impacted by this event as well. On a lighter note, the community is still BUZZING about the Xbox Series X/S news! Everyone is still mulling over the two SKUs and if Microsoft's "leasing" program holds any appeal to them. The staff, Jeff in particular, continue to explore streaming games during "off-hours" in hopes of reaching out to different timezones. Unfortunately, these streams very often go unannounced as they are spur of the moment decisions, but be aware they are something to be aware of in the future. However, with all of that in mind, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping!

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 best community offerings from the previous week. It's crazy to think, but we are officially in September! As fall creeps in, high profile video games are starting to come out. The big releases this week, by far, were Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 and Marvel's Avengers and you will find the expected assortment of discussion and online meetup threads for both games. Likewise, the PC community is enjoying the release of Crusader Kings III and all of its expected tomfoolery. With that all aside, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping!

I'll be honest: there's been a block-shaped hole in my life since we capped off our group Minecraft streams a little while back. Not only was it a fun weekly event, having a big group multiplayer show to look forward to as our last thing every Friday, but also, Minecraft is still just a damn good game. Once we went and fought that ender dragon, then enabled cheats and blew a gigantic hole in the side of our beloved home base, I had a feeling the end was nigh for that feature, and sure enough after a little over three months it seems we've wrung as much as we could out of the game... at least for now.

Perhaps in a vain effort to keep the dream alive, in the hearts and minds of you the viewer if not on further streams, I thought I'd open up our humble little world for everyone else to expand on, break, or fiddle around in as you all see fit. You can download the files below and drop them into your game to play around in our world locally, or throw them onto a server and build your own multiplayer world on top of ours.

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! Well, I don't know about you, but this was a doozy of a week. For those unaware, I live in the California Bay Area, much like the rest of the Giant Bomb West team, and getting through last week was certainly draining. As many of you are aware, the forest fires and global pandemic resulted in some programming changes last week. However, the overall plan of transitioning the site from solo streams to Quick Looks and premium content remain unchanged. While there will still be plenty of "free" content for everyone to enjoy, rest assured the staff have big plans for the coming weeks as things start to settle down.

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I, @zombiepie, am honored to be your host this week as we look back on the best user-created offerings from the last week! For many of you, this was a week wherein you enjoyed the fruits of Summer Games Done Quick 2020, and hopefully the event's digital-only format has left you as impressed as its pre-pandemic format. Speaking of which, the site-related housekeeping has a lot of information about the staff and their plans for the site moving forward. In short, there will be fewer solo streams and more premium content from now on. Likewise, the "Lockdown" title is being dropped as the staff and site adjust to what many would call "the new normal." But with that in mind, let's jump into the housekeeping!

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 best creative endeavors from the Giant Bomb community! It was a bit of a quiet week on the site by the community. We only have three blogs to report on, though the number of discussion threads are at an all-time high! That said, please be aware the staff continue to explore their approach on how to continue their coverage during the pandemic. Also, to those of you who will be returning to school or have already done so; good luck. But with that out of the way, let's address the site-related housekeeping!

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 best community-made offerings from the previous week. It was a rather chill week as the staff continue their weekly deluge of live streams for our entertainment. Just as a friendly reminder to those who continue to ask, all signs point to the staff not returning to the office before the end of the year. While that may sound like a bummer, CBSi is taking all of the appropriate pre-cautions to ensure the safety of their employees. Given the circumstances, I think we can at the very least respect their intent. With that in mind, let's jump into the site-related housekeeping!

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 on the best creative endeavors of the Giant Bomb community! Sorry for the delay in what was meant to be a "return to normalcy" for the Community Spotlight, but as they say, shit happens. Anyways, it was a busy news week for the site, and we have a lot to review before jumping into the wonderful things the community has been up to recently. So, let's jump right into it!

• For those users struggling to keep up with all of the streaming content during Lockdown 2020, user TigerDX made a terminal application for grabbing the latest videos on the site!
• The French Abby parody account on Twitter is a complete delight. If you are not following it right now, then you should fix that immediately.
• Moderator @finaldasa celebrated their birthday last week! Feel free to wish they a "Happy Birthday" if you have not already done so.
• Ben started a huge debate on Twitter if the Mario in the Paper Mario franchise is canonically the Mario in the mainline series or some alternate timeline bullshit.

Tweets

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 on the best community creations the past two weeks. It feels odd saying that last bit, but I did indeed find myself unable to publish a Spotlight last week, but that means we have double the content we normally would have for this week! As we have a lot to review this week, let's jump right into it!