Stuart, Author at Thumb Culture

Drop Point Preview With Tiny Indie Studio

30May

By StuartNo Comments

Drop Point Preview With Tiny Indie Studio

Recently, I received a very interesting email. It was purely titled Days Gone Meets Rust. This piqued my interested as these are both games that I absolutely love. Fast-forward a few days, and I'm getting an invite to a special, exclusive showing of Drop Point. The brainchild of Tiny Indie Studio. A small studio from Hamilton, New Zealand. Could you read this before I Drop my Point? Jumping onto a video call, they had an awesome presentation ready to go. I honestly felt the excitement from the start of the call. It also helped that both Mike (Project Manager) and Piripi (Art Lead) from Tiny Indie Studio were absolutely awesome guys to talk to! Gameplay Drop Point is a base-building, base raiding, harvesting, crafting, and combat survival game. The game is set on an island where a large...

29May

By StuartNo Comments

VR Reviews

Golden Gloves – Quest 3 Review

Golden Gloves may have been out for a few years, but is this boxing game by Engine Room VR LLC worth picking up now? Having first released in 2022, the game was created to mirror the real-life skills you might learn in boxing. However, with it being a video game, there needed to be some element of fun there as well. Let's hope that it delivers a haymaker then. Time To Box Clever If you've played any of the boxing games on the Quest, you will know essentially what to expect. So let's dive straight into the review. Gameplay Being the official game for the Golden Gloves of America, this game has a certain expectation to live up to. Aiming to deliver a game that lives up to 100 years of history, Engine Room VR LLC had a challenge on their hands. Thankfully, they have delivered a game that ...

VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1500 Power Station Review

27May

By Stuart3 Comments

Hardware & Tech

VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1500 Power Station Review

Have you ever been in a situation where you have a power cut? Or worse, you are stranded in the middle of nowhere and have no way to even boil a kettle. Now I know all that is not an everyday occurrence, and really if you are in that predicament you probably wont be lugging around a power station, but just hear me out. I present to you the VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1500 Power Station. This absolute power house of...power. And it might be the solution you are after. More Speed, More Power This is probably the biggest and most challenging piece of hardware that I've ever received. Thankfully with having kids in the house, there was plenty of opportunity to test the power station in various situations. Massive thanks to VTOMAN for sending us one of these units! If you want to get your hands on one ...

26May

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Fantech Tanto S Mouse Review

I'm going to start this review with this: yes, we got hold of a pink mouse. The great people over at Fantech got back in touch and offered us their new mouse, the Fantech Tanto S. Another day, but not just another mouse! With new peripherals like this come new responsibilities. That's the line, isn't it? Until recently, we hadn't heard much about the Fantech product line, but I am glad they dropped into our inbox. They are a brand that brings affordable, but decent-quality peripherals to you. So, just what does that mean for this new mouse? Shall we move on and find out? Design You could be mistaken in thinking that this is just another generic mouse. Whilst it may look like that, with its ambidextrous design, it really isn't generic. Featuring a standard button layout, with two button...

21May

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

THRUSTMASTER HEART Controller Review

It's never a dull moment at TCHQ, and when we were asked to check out the new Thrustmaster HEART Controller, we jumped at the chance. Released back in November 2024, it brings some new technology into a smaller factor. Well, not only smaller, but cheaper as well. Retailing at around £90, depending on where you get it from, you get a decent bit of kit for your money. I'm going to dissect it and try to give you a bit more understanding on just what all these acronyms mean. H.E.A.R.T and Soul With a lot of experience in controllers and bringing new tech to the market. Thrustmaster keeps banging out great pieces of hardware, so let's hope this one follows the same vein... Design Ok, I'm going to address the elephant in the room. What exactly is H.E.A.R.T? No, it isn't the latest pop single...

20May

By StuartNo Comments

PC Reviews, Retro Reviews

Farming Simulator 16-Bit – PC Review

Now we all know that Farming Simulator games have been around for a long time. Now it's time for a new entry to the franchise, and whilst you've already guessed, just pretend you didn't know. We have gone old school, with Farming Simulator 16-bit Edition! Giants Software has released an absolutely iconic-looking game for new and old hardware. Featuring a limited run of a physical Sega Mega Drive cartridge, which, unfortunately, at the time of writing, was sold out. As well as the PC download if you want to give it a little play through on your computer. Farming, but not as we know it! I'm a big fan of the franchise and have spent many hours playing the fully fledged versions of the game both with friends and on my lonesome. Would the 16bit retro version keep me as occupied? It's time to ...

19May

By StuartNo Comments

PC Reviews

RoadCraft – PC Review

Ok, I'm going to lay it out straight away. Saber Interactive have done it again! They have created another absolute corker. Now if you think I've gone a little bit crazy, I can promise you I haven't. Saber Interactive, the wonderful people behind Mudrunner, Snowrunner and a whole host of other great video games. Bring to the world RoadCraft. Now, if you haven't seen the latest trailer, I'm going to do things slightly differently in this article. So watch the trailer and then I'll get on with the rest of this review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxMrSU9Czcc Chills right? You tell me that you have never played with a construction vehicle before, wishing it were real. Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself, we really should get back to the normal flow of our articles... Now what's next...

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – PS5 Review

16May

By StuartNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – PS5 Review

Released back in December last year on the Xbox and the PC, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has made its way to the PlayStation. Developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda, we join Indy somewhere between the Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. It's Whip-Cracking Time So, without further ado, let's head out into a brand new adventure for the intrepid explorer. Gameplay Picture the scene, the year is 1937, and a sinister force is searching the globe trying to find the secret to an ancient power. It's all linked to the Great Circle, as you might have guessed from the title of the game. The game is played out for the most part in first-person, however, there are a few instances where you get a third-person view. Proving that Indiana is well-represented at all times. ...

15May

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Edifier QD35 Speaker Review

When the PR for Edifier reached out and asked if we wanted to check out the QD35. I thought to myself, why would we want to check out a desktop speaker that was released back in 2023. That was until I checked it out on their website. I was left awestruck, a beauty of engineering, with a pretty decent spec sheet to boot. So I said yes, and within a few days, I was banging out tunes using the Edifier QD35 Speaker. The Lights Are On... Design As you can see, the design of the Edifier QD35 is certainly unique, with its futuristic-looking inlay, featuring a 3" mid-bass driver and a 1" tweeter. It looks the part on any desk, table, or even the floor. Flip the speaker around, and you are greeted with a number of ports. The standard charging port is there, however you also have an Aux port...

14May

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Teevolution Terra Gaming Mouse Review

Recently, we got contacted by a new company, Teevolution, asking if we wanted to check out their new ergonomic gaming mouse. Obviously, as we are all fans of new tech here at Thumb Culture, we jumped at the opportunity. Fast forward a short period of time and we got our hands on the Teevolution Terra. A brand new gaming mouse, combining an ergonomic design, lightweight feel and cutting-edge precision. Or at least that's what all the buzzwords said. Here Comes A New Challenger! So, before we dive into the new mouse and what it brings to the market, let's take a little look at just who Teevolution are. Initially they launched a few years ago under Fantech, however, there were issues with the branding and the identity. They admitted their failures and went back to the drawing board. They ma...