Stuart, Author at Thumb Culture

29Nov

By StuartNo Comments

Master Leaf Blower – PC Preview

Ever wondered what it was like being a Master Leaf Blower? Well thanks to developers, Frix, now you can live out those dreams. Released on November 25th into Early Access, charge your batteries, grab your rake and get ready for an epic journey across multiple locations. Blow. Harder! Being a game in early access means that as it progresses towards a full 1.0 release the game can change. What we are doing now is taking a snapshot of what the game delivers. And boy does it deliver. Gameplay Master Leaf Blower starts off strong. Jumping into the game you are greeted with an awesome introduction. All delivered in a sweet comic book-style story. The story tells of a leaf blower who hands over the reins to you, an ordinary hobo on the streets. It's time to get your hi-viz, charge your batter...

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster – PS5 Review

28Nov

By StuartNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster – PS5 Review

Some gamers who are reading this will have played the original Dead Rising back when it was released in 2016. Some of you may be checking this out for the first time. Well, the latter are in luck! With the release of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, you get all the great bits about the original. Along with a splattering of added zhuzh! Releasing on Steam, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 we get to see Frank West in stunning detail thanks to a new Re-Engine. Busier than Black Friday If you are a fan of zombies with or without their heads, why not stick around and let us know whether you played the original? Gameplay This first bit of my review is going to be more for newcomers to the series, so feel free to skip ahead little veterans! So, a little bit about Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster ...

Sherlock Holmes: Phantom’s Hour – PC Review

27Nov

By StuartNo Comments

PC Reviews

Sherlock Holmes: Phantom’s Hour – PC Review

After the last review of an online escape room experience from Wolf Escape Games, Hallows Hill, we wanted to see what their newest offering was like. Thankfully the team over there are incredibly friendly and offered us a code for their newest experience. Queue Sherlock Holmes: Phantom's Hour. Elementary...apparently. What happens when a team of wannabe detectives from the TC team all band together? Read on to found out how they got on. Gameplay I won't go into the ins and outs of how a Wolf Escape Game works. Instead, I recommend checking out Jason's review of the Hallows Hill experience here. Right, you're back, now on discovering all about Sherlock Holmes: Phantom's Hour. When a stranger writes to you, the infamous Sherlock Holmes, accused of something they haven't done, you ...

22Nov

By StuartNo Comments

VR Reviews

EXOcars – Quest 3 Review

Developed by Xocus and published by Joy Way. EXOcars allows you to compete against real players in single-player races as well as real-time multiplayer. It is available on the Meta Quest Store now for £15.99. Our main question though, does it give anything new to the VR racing genre? Kiss Hug Cars VR buggies, multiple tracks, leaderboards, customisation. Sounds promising right? Well, let's dive into the gameplay a bit more and see what you think. Gameplay EXOcars has a very simple play loop. Select a track, and race as fast as you can to the finish line. Rinse and repeat. It sounds like this might be a very basic game, but fear not. Under the hood of this game is a detailed racing sim. Racing these buggies is a challenge, but drifting around corners and obstacles soon becomes second na...

22Nov

By StuartNo Comments

VR Reviews

Bounce Arcade – Quest 3 Review

Bounce Arcade channels all things pinball to bring an immersive and exciting experience. Developed by Velan Studios, it is out now on the Meta Quest store. Pinball, but not as we know it Costing £15.99 on the Quest store, will this be worth your pennies, or should you save them for your local arcade? Let's find out! Gameplay Firing up Bounce Arcade you are thrown into the tutorial, showing you the game's basic mechanics. Essentially you hold two big shields to propel the balls into the arena. Aim for all the little nooks and crannies to build up your score and multiplier. For anyone who's ever played a pinball table, you are the flickers. Once you've got through the basic tutorial you then find yourself at the main menu. With each of the levels in front of you to choose from. Th...

21Nov

By Stuart1 Comment

VR Reviews

Wall Town Wonders – Quest 3 Review

Developed by Cyborn, this mixed-reality simulation will turn your living room into a miniature town. So do you want to be a big fish in a little pond—even a big cop in a little village? Wall Town Wonders might be just what you want to play. Releasing this week, the game aims to deliver a fun immersive experience. Does it deliver? Well, read on and find out. Wall to Wall Fun! Does Wall Town Wonders give an experience unlike anything else, or does it just look to replicate other mixed-reality games in the genre? Let's take a look and find out. Gameplay While playing Wall Town Wonders you will just make use of your hands rather than the Quest controllers, to interact and engage with your town. It really is a simplistic control method, but it opens up so many gameplay mechanics that keep t...

19Nov

By StuartNo Comments

VR Reviews

Metro Awakening VR – Quest 3 Review

Rejoice, the Metro franchise returns, but this time with an all-new immersive story. Join us as we dive into the tunnels of Metro Awakening VR! Developed and published by Vertigo Games, along with Deep Silver and Dmitry Glukhovsky we get to grips with the origin story of Khan. KHAAAAAAAAANNNN... If you're a fan of the series then you are going to love this! Designed and written exclusively for VR, this aims to be the most immersive Metro experience yet. How does it deliver? Well let's take a look. Gameplay It's hard to talk about a VR game without giving away too much of what you will experience. Let's be honest: You don't want to have your run-through spoilt by me telling you all about what you are going to do. Instead, I will attempt to be as vague as possible but at the same time gi...

Dumb Ways: Free For All – Quest 3 Review

15Nov

By StuartNo Comments

VR Reviews

Dumb Ways: Free For All – Quest 3 Review

Are you looking for a new party game to dive into? Well Dumb Ways: Free For All might be just what you're looking for! From the wonderful minds at PlaySide Studios comes a game based on the viral Australian public campaign to promote railway safety from 2012. Honestly if you haven't checked out the song, or have no idea what it is, go and check it out here. So it can be stuck in your head, just as it is in mine! Not So Dumb If You Play This Whilst the game's name says Free For All, unfortunately, it isn't free for anyone. At £15.99 on the Meta store, it's a small price to pay for a lot of fun. Wait. I should get you to read the review before I give you my overall thoughts. Gameplay With over 50 mini-games to play over two destinations. Dumb Ways: Free For All has a lot of content to ge...

14Nov

By StuartNo Comments

VR Reviews

DIG VR – Quest 3 Review

The day has come, it's finally here! DIG VR releases today! Developed by Just Add Water and published by Wired Productions this simulation-come-sandbox game aims to accurately recreate sitting in a digger. Don't worry, this review isn't a copy and paste, it's straight from the hands of the person who's been looking forward to this since it got announced. When you are at the bottom, Keep DIGging! A bonus of VR is being able to play wire-free, which also gives you the ability to find your most comfy chair. So, sit back and enjoy playing this joyous game. Can you tell I enjoyed it yet? Gameplay When you first fire up the game and take your first virtual steps, you are greeted with a comprehensive tutorial. This takes you through the controls, how to move the digger, and how to manipulate ...

4Nov

By StuartNo Comments

PC Reviews

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – PC Review

It's that time of year again when the latest Call of Duty game gets released. When all the gamers out there get overly excited and pick it up. This year falls on Treyarch, well actually Treyarch, Raven Software, Beenox, High Moon Studios, Activision Shanghai, Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward, and Demonware. Bringing to life the latest in the Black Ops lineage, with Black Ops 6. Call of Duty is a Spy Thriller? With this, the first Call of Duty game being released on day one via Xbox Game Pass. Meaning there are potentially more eyes on the game than ever before. We need to find out whether this latest version of the world-famous franchise is up to scratch. Gameplay I won't start this section and treat you like you know nothing about the game. Let's face it, if you are unaware of Call o...