Jason, Author at Thumb Culture

30Apr

By JasonNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

X-Morph Defense: European Assault DLC Review – Times Up!

X-Morph Defense by Polish based EXOR studios, who are responsible for the title Zombie Driver, is a tower defence game crossed with a top down shooter where (plot twist) you get to destroy planet Earth. Available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, X-Morph Defense has been in development since 2013 and unlike many games that use the Unreal engine, EXOR have created their own called Schmetterling which when translated isn't an alcoholic beverage for an elf but infact means "butterfly". Taking to the PS4 controller I was intrigued to see how this twin stick hybrid concoction would turn out! Gameplay The opening visuals are pretty cool as your alien race decide upon which planet in the universe is best suited for their needs. Through a robotic sequence of events, Earth gets chosen and the har...

23Apr

By JasonNo Comments

Features

EGX Rezzed 2018 Review

Wow what a busy weekend I had the other day! I had the great delight of checking out the latest indie offerings at EGX Rezzed in London where there was so much to see and play! With just under 200 games on display set across two floors of Tobacco Dock beside the river Thames, I was in gaming heaven. Showcases by SEGA, Nintendo and Xbox were equally matched by the talents on display within the large Indie rooms that housed the majority of up and coming titles. Here is my pick of up and coming games that you should look out for! Another Sight by Italian developers Lunar Great Wall Studios tells the tale of a young girl called Kit who suffers the misfortune of a tunnel collapsing while out exploring. The accident results in her losing her sight, creating a surreal world around he...

Double Kick Heroes Preview – Proper Death Metal

6Apr

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Double Kick Heroes Preview – Proper Death Metal

Double Kick Heroes by French based developer Headbang Club who reside in a "dark garage filled with guitars, drums and beer corpses" located in "Hell's 6th circle" is a side scrolling zombie splattering game where Rock music is your key to your escape. Inspired by the dramatic worlds of Tarantino, King and Rodriguez, it is up to you to lead your dysfunctional band of rock musicians on a nightmarish roadtrip across the map while dismembering hordes of zombies that chase after your exclusively modded car, the Gundillac. Gameplay My initial thoughts when I first saw Double Kick Heroes was "Noooooo, not another pixel based game!" Having seen the strange popularity of the low-res graphic genre rise and rise since the introduction of Minecraft, many devs have adopted the blocky imagery wh...

Surviving Mars Review – Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying!

22Mar

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews

Surviving Mars Review – Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying!

Surviving Mars by independent game developer Haemimont Games (Victor Vran, Tropico 3, 4 and 5) and global publisher Paradox Interactive (Cities:Skylines, Hearts of Iron IV) is a real time survival simulation where, you've probably already guessed it from the title, you have to survive on planet Mars! It has been spoken about greatly on the news as to when we will colonize Mars. Elon Musk has set an aspirational goal to launch a cargo mission to Mars in 2022 on a voyage of discovery meanwhile Arnie found out the eyeball popping truth of the planet in the iconic movie "Total Recall" (The original not the dodgy remake!) If you enjoy settlement builder style strategy games and love all things sci-fi then keep reading as you may be in for a treat with Surviving Mars! Gameplay Start b...

Pure Farming 2018 Review – Udderly Fantastic?

16Mar

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews

Pure Farming 2018 Review – Udderly Fantastic?

Pure Farming 2018 by new developer Ice Flames is their first gaming title release and is published by Techland (Torment: Tides of Numenera). Available on PC, Xbox 1 and PS4, Pure Farming 2018 is unsurprisingly a farming simulator game that boasts playable farms set around the world and game modes that are suitable for newcomers as well as veterans of the genre. With Giant's Farming Simulator in my opinion being the leader in the farming sim field (sorry dad joke) and having played Soedesco's Real Farm last year I was really hoping for something magical in terms of gameplay, graphics and sound. What I found with Pure Farming 2018 was something refreshing and far from...Deja Moo. Gameplay "My First Farm", "Free farming" and "Farming Challenges" are the three game modes that lay in...

12Mar

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews

Cold Iron Review – Tumbleweed or Triumph?

I always wondered what Jamiroquai were going on about when they sang about the return of the Space Cowboy (I’m showing my age) and now I may finally have my answer! New to PSVR comes Developer’s Catch & Release’s genre bending ‘Cold Iron’ billed as the world’s first puzzle shooter. The game invites you to don your VR headset and channel your inner cowboy to shoot it out against a host of weird and wonderful opponents from the Wild West and beyond. Gameplay The game starts off as a classic western, with even the central game hub being set in an old time saloon. The titular Cold Iron turns out to be your father’s trusty magnum which ends up in your hands when he is gunned down by a posse of outlaws. You start the game looking to avenge your father’s death by duelling his three ki...

5Mar

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews

De Blob 2 Review – Unleash The Rainbow

Painting its way onto PS4 and Xbox One, de Blob 2 by THQ Nordic is the second instalment in the de Blob platformer series and brings with it a new action packed colour adventure. The evil Comrade Black has returned once more to wage his war on all things colour! Currently unchallenged, he is hell bent on letting his brainwashed new cult take over Prisma City and remove all colour from the world...that is until de Blob arrives on the scene bringing with him the colour revolution to try and thwart Comrade Black's despicable plans. Gameplay From first impressions on loadup, de Blob 2 opens as a bright and colourful game and its cartoon graphics will certainly appeal to the younger audience as well as to your inner child. My children were quick to ask me if I was watching a Pixar mo...

RiftStar Raiders Review – Loot Your Way To Greatness

26Feb

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews

RiftStar Raiders Review – Loot Your Way To Greatness

Space shoot-em ups were pretty much the first style of computer game I ever played as a kid and wow they have certainly come a long way from the days of Asteroids on the Atari ST! RiftStar Raiders by independent developer Climax Studios based in sunny Portsmouth alongside Vision Games Publishing is a top down space shooter that brings the genre to the modern era with 2.5D graphics. Gameplay The story behind RiftStar Raiders is that an alien AI known as Warswarm have waged war on humanity and are attacking the Federation. It is up to you and your team of Raiders to basically shoot all the Warswarm baddies while scavenging and collecting loot to better your weapons, shields and engines. Based on the orbital sin city of Arcadia in the centre of the Far Reachspace, it is down to you ...

13Feb

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews

Dynasty Warriors 9 Review – Big Trouble in Little China

Fancy playing a massive open-world hack n slash game set in China? Well you're in luck as publisher Koei Tecmo along with developer Omega Force has produced Dynasty Warriors 9, the latest instalment, and largest, of the Dynasty Warriors series. Available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Pc, I have been fortunate enough to don my best samurai outfit and wield the largest sword I can find to bring you my findings young Daniel Son. What are Dynasty Warriors I hear you ask? Well, the award-winning gaming series is a spin-off from the 1985 turn-based strategy "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" by Koei and is loosely settled around the Chinese historical text "Records of the Three Kingdoms" depicting the events of the late Eastern Han dynasty 184-220AD and the Three Kingdoms period 220-280AD. ...

Sociable Soccer Review – The Beautiful Game?

12Feb

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews

Sociable Soccer Review – The Beautiful Game?

For gamers of a certain age there will be fond memories of playing a simple but awesome football game called Sensible Soccer back in the 90s. For me it was THE number one game to play with my friends on our Atari ST. Fast forward to now and Jon Hare who was the designer behind my favourite game back then has reappeared on the gaming scene with Sociable Soccer. Made by Tower Studios and Combo-Breaker, Sociable Soccer is currently available on Steam Early Access for £14.99. With my misspent youth seemingly like a distant past I was more than happy to get my boots back on and take to the pitch! Was Sociable Soccer going to win a trophy or go for an early bath? Gameplay Sociable Soccer has a simple, easy to navigate menu currently displaying as "Boss mode", "Trophies", "Options" an...