Ar, Author at Thumb Culture

19Nov

By ArNo Comments

Fuser Review – Rhythm Revitalised

If you've been looking for something to fill the hole left by the beloved rhythm game-era of titles like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, you're going to love Fuser. Developed by Harmonix and published by NCSoft, Fuser is a creative musical outlet that makes the art of deejaying available to everyone. This Fuser review is going to take a deep dive into a fun, fresh and vibrant game that's breathing new life into a much-missed genre of gameplay. Fuser Review - What's All The Noise About? I found Fuser to be a lot more enjoyable than I was first expecting. I also found it to be creatively challenging, but I'd love to hear what you think if you've had the chance to play it. Don't forget to let us know your thoughts in the comments below! As always, you can catch up with me and the rest of the Thu...

11Nov

By ArNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Unboxing The Xbox Series S

The next generation of consoles is here at long last! Frankly, it's about time we had something to get excited over this year. The Thumb Culture team are really looking forward to getting stuck into each of the new next-gen consoles. However, with so much information, it can get a bit confusing if you're still undecided about which next-gen console is right for you. As part of our No-Nonsense Guide To Next-Gen, we're bringing you a range of content that's designed to break down the nuts and bolts of next-gen gaming. Today, we're taking a look at the new Xbox Series S Console in a little bit more detail. Unboxing The Series S - What Are Your First Thoughts? While we await our own Xbox Series S/X deliveries, let's take a look at Xbox's official unboxing of the Series S; the most afforda...

10Nov

By ArNo Comments

News & Updates

Xbox Series X/S Launch Event

Last night saw the online launch event for the long-anticipated Xbox Series X/S console across the world. Xbox's official global celebration was streamed live across a range of different timezones - you can check out the footage below. We've been really impressed with the gameplay shown for the Series X/S already and we'll be around to discuss all things first impressions, unboxing and initial gameplay over the coming week. What are your thoughts on the new Xbox consoles? We'd love to hear from you so leave us a comment in the box below and share your reactions to the next-gen of Xbox gaming! YouTube | FaceBook | Twitter | Instagram| Twitch | Discord | Podcast

The Outer Worlds – An Adventure In Hyped-Up Space

4Nov

By ArNo Comments

PC Reviews

The Outer Worlds – An Adventure In Hyped-Up Space

Am I the only person in the known universe not to enjoy The Outer Worlds? It certainly feels that way! On paper, everything about The Outer Worlds should be right up my street. Developed by Obsidian and published by Private Division, this space opera-themed action-adventure RPG was probably one of my most highly-anticipated games to play of 2019. So, what went wrong? In this post, I'm going to be taking a look at The Outer Worlds in a bit more detail and putting it out there as to why it's got a lot more to do for me to fully get on board with The Board and all it's trappings. What's Not To Love About The Outer Worlds? I feel like I should preface all this with the obvious caveat; my take on The Outer Worlds is precisely that - my take. I appreciate that many others will (and do) abso...

Marvel’s Avengers – A Compelling Assembly

25Sep

By ArNo Comments

Xbox Reviews

Marvel’s Avengers – A Compelling Assembly

As somewhat of an MCU novice, I was excited to have the opportunity to review Marvel's Avengers, the superhero-packed action role-playing brawler developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix. I say novice, but what I really mean is a total newcomer. Having only recently started to work my way through the Marvel movies (I've just finished Captain America: The Winter Soldier), I can confidently say I approached this game with an almost entirely blank slate and zero expectations. Whether or not that's a good thing depends on your position as a Marvel stan I guess, but if this game has shown me anything, it's that you don't have to exist in the world of the superhero to actually become one. Prior knowledge of this universe is helpful to some, but certainly not a prerequisite w...

Thumb Culture @ PAX Online x EGX Digital 2020!

20Sep

By ArNo Comments

Features

Thumb Culture @ PAX Online x EGX Digital 2020!

With this year's EGX being cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, events have taken a digital turn this autumn with PAX Online x EGX Digital 2020. In even more exciting news, Thumb Culture has been given the opportunity to present a panel as part of PAX X EGX's digital showcase! We're honoured to have had the chance to present our digital panel on all things cross-platform. As advocates of Gaming For All, we're passionate about encouraging cross-play in the gaming community. We're all about encouraging gamers from a range of backgrounds to get involved in everything games have to offer. As part of our live-streamed digital panel, the Thumb Culture team discussed cross-platform, cross-progression and everything in between. Join us and watch below as they give their opinions o...

31Jul

By ArNo Comments

Xbox Reviews

Demolish & Build – Half Built?

If knocking down buildings and literally starting a construction firm from the ground up is your idea of heaven, you’re going to love Demolish & Build, a console-friendly construction simulator developed by Noble Muffins and published by Ultimate Games. Demolish & Build is available on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch as a console-based update to 2018’s PC version of the game. I jumped into Demolish & Build having never touched a construction sim game before. As a first experience, I have to say I'm kind of on the fence about this game. It ended up leaving me with questions about whether or not dogged perseverance (as is so often required in real-life building) actually translates that well into an enjoyable gaming experience. After a fairly confusing and buggy initial play, ...

17Jun

By ArNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

SADES A6 Gaming Headset Review

As a huge lover of all things tech and peripherals, I was really excited to have the chance to review the SADES A6 PC Gaming Headset. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, so I was immediately intrigued by the bright black and orange styling of the packaging. On unboxing, I was pleased to discover the vibrancy of the outer design reflected well in the actual headset itself. Design and comfort The SADES A6 has a sleek, bold-orange and black style of design with an extremely lightweight feel at only 344g. This is something I instantly liked; a personal gripe about headsets is being able to feel their weight on my head and more specifically, the sensation of pressure I often get around my ears. The SADES A6 PC gaming headset offers a refreshing alternative to this, providing a real...

Shantae And The Seven Sirens Review – Shantae, You Stay

9Jun

By ArNo Comments

Xbox Reviews

Shantae And The Seven Sirens Review – Shantae, You Stay

Don’t you just love it when a game packs a surprisingly fun punch? Personally, I’m always a big fan of getting my preconceived notions smashed to bits, and suffice it to say that WayForward’s Shantae And The Seven Sirens has done exactly that. As a complete newcomer to the Shantae series, I had no idea what to expect. In fact, the opening titles of this instalment left me wondering if I’d accidentally stumbled into an actual anime cartoon at first. However, on jumping into my first playthrough, I found myself more than pleasantly surprised at this single-player platformer’s box of tricks (with a few caveats, but more on that later). Time to release this Half-Genie from the bottle and discover what makes Shantae And The Seven Sirens a refreshingly enjoyable game. Gameplay Shantae ...

Fallout 76: Wastelanders DLC Review – Take Me Home, Down Country Roads

30Apr

By ArNo Comments

Xbox Reviews

Fallout 76: Wastelanders DLC Review – Take Me Home, Down Country Roads

It’s fair to say it's been a bumpy ride, with a lot of turbulence in the eighteen months or so since Fallout 76 was released by Bethesda. I’m not going to dive too deeply into the chequered history of the latest instalment of the Fallout franchise, suffice it to say that until now, it really hasn’t been a hit with the fan base. At launch and during the months beyond, the discernable lack of NPCs and any kind of real storyline in Fallout 76 was perhaps the biggest and most confusing oversight on the part of Bethesda. After all, questing, side-questing, engaging storytelling, snarky dialogue and you know, actual NPC's with some character is at the heart of the entire Fallout franchise. So it’s an actual joy to be able to visit Appalachia now and meet a range of NPCs in the form of the...