Stuart, Author at Thumb Culture

Maestro Secret Sorcery Pack – Quest 3 Review

17Dec

By StuartNo Comments

Maestro Secret Sorcery Pack – Quest 3 Review

Regular Thumb Culture readers and VR gamers may well remember that back in October I reviewed a little VR a rhythm game called Maestro. Which you can handily read here. Well the developers Double Jack are back with the Maestro Secret Sorcery Pack. An add on pack for Maestro with five new spell bounding orchestral pieces for you to conduct. The Maestro Secret Sorcery Pack is now available on the Meta Horizon Store for £6.99. Handel With Care Before you can play this pack you'll need to pick up the base Maestro game. And good news for you it is currently discounted to £15.99. Or pick up the Bundle for £19.99. But hurry, these offers are only available until 7th January, 2025. Now onto the review! Gameplay The Maestro Secret Sorcery Pack is the first add on pack from Double Jack. The ...

10Dec

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K Mouse Review

We love hardware here at Thumb Culture. We also really enjoy everything that Razer releases. Back at the start of November, we were gifted the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35k. To start, what a name, not something that rolls off the tongue but wow. This mouse represents something great from the Razer team, a combination of technology from some of the best-selling mice available. What does that really mean though? Shall we go and take a look? Razer-ing the Bar! I have only been using this mouse for just under a month now, but it's overtaken the previous mouse that had pride of place on my desk. Why is it such a great mouse though? There is so much to say about this one, so let's dive right in. Design The design follows the traditional shape of the Razer Basilisk range, with a slight lip where ...

WCML: Preston to Carlisle – TSW5 Add-On PC Review

6Dec

By StuartNo Comments

PC Reviews

WCML: Preston to Carlisle – TSW5 Add-On PC Review

Hot on the heels of our news coverage of this latest update, we were offered the opportunity to go hands-on ourselves. So here we are, this is our review of the West Coast Main Line: Preston to Carlisle DLC for Train Sim World 5. To give it its full title. A long trek to Shap Summit If you want to check out our review of the main game, head over here. Gameplay I've laid this DLC review out in the same was as our standard reviews. However, one difference will be that we will focus on purely what is entailed in the DLC. For the full review, head over to the link above. The WCML: Preston to Carlisle DLC will give you access to almost 100 miles of railway. All are based in the northwest of England, and you will be sent back in time to experience the best of the British Rail days. It fea...

29Nov

By StuartNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

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...