Brian, Author at Thumb Culture

Medieval RPG The Waylanders Lands on PC in November

28Aug

By BrianNo Comments

Medieval RPG The Waylanders Lands on PC in November

The Waylanders is currently in Early Access with the first act set in the time of the Celts. Here sets the stage for a magical time-travel adventure. Fast forward a thousand years into the future and things are not what they used to be. The spirits that have left the Celtic mortal coil are lingering. Stone fortresses stand in place of what were once villages. The medieval period brings new gameplay, gear, and quests. Now is the time where people worship a god they do not know, and heresy is swiftly punished. Magic hides within forests and mountain caves, away from mortal eyes. Who will you seek to become your companions? RPG fans can look forward to a colorful cast of companions, tactical real-time with pause combat, and a wide variety of classes and abilities to choose from T...

23Aug

By Brian1 Comment

PlayStation Reviews

Observer: System Redux Review

Way back in 2017, hot off the heels of Layers of Fear, developers Bloober Team continued the psychological horror trend with Observer. It would seem they have found their niche because Layers of Fear 2, Blair Witch, and The Medium followed. Observer: System Redux is the base game but with additional story content and improved graphics. The game itself is evidently influenced by things such as the George Orwell book Nineteen Eight-Four, the Cyberpunk 2020 tabletop role-playing game, and the movie Blade Runner. It even stars our favourite replicant, the late Rutger Hauer as Daniel Lazarski, the titular Observer, or neural detective. More on that later. Observer: System Redux - "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain" - Rutger Hauer Observer: System Redux was initiall...

Chains of Fury – A Retro Style FPS to Launch Kickstarter Soon!

20Aug

By BrianNo Comments

News & Updates

Chains of Fury – A Retro Style FPS to Launch Kickstarter Soon!

Metroidvania “boomer shooter” Chains of Fury will launch its Kickstarter campaign later this year. Comic book visual style looks absolutely epic, like if Comix Zone and Duke Nukem had a really violent love child. Of course, it is filled with dark humour and those dodgy one-liners that we all used to. There are going to be loads of guns and split-screen multiplayer. Check out the action in the trailer below. Also, judging by the trailer it's going to have a killer soundtrack as well! If you’re looking for another “save the world and become a hero,” copy-paste story, move along, as there’s nothing to see for you here. Because here, you’ll get the chance to become the meanest b*stard this world has ever seen, whose testosterone can only be measured by the number of bullets you fire at th...

19Aug

By BrianNo Comments

Hardware & Tech, Retrogaming Corner

Evercade Premium Pack Review

It had been 30 years since I last opened a brand new 16-bit system. That system was the Atari 520STE, and I loved it. It arrived in the household a year after the Sega Mega Drive. A lot of the kids at school were talking about a game called The Secret of Monkey Island, which they would be playing on their Amiga 500. I had to play it! Everyone had Amigas, I had the Atari, and to be honest, I was not disappointed. So my heart pumped with nostalgic joy when I was sent the Evercade Premium Pack to review. The Evercade was released in May of 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic. Lots of people were finding video games again and if this release date was part of a late move in the business strategy...Bravo! It's also a risky move considering the Nintendo Switch has a vast library of retro ...

Chasing Static – A Retro Psychological Horror Gets A New Trailer

17Aug

By BrianNo Comments

News & Updates

Chasing Static – A Retro Psychological Horror Gets A New Trailer

Chasing Static is the next game by UK developer Headwear Games and will be published by Ratalaika Games. The game is set in the wilderness of North Wales and using a static-laden device to uncover a government conspiracy. Chasing Static is set to release in Q3 of 2021 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Sonic Exploration - Audio-driven gameplay mechanics have you hunting anomalies with an experimental Frequency Displacement Monitoring Device. Non-Linear Gameplay - Explore the world of Chasing Static at your own pace, uncovering its secrets in any order you please. Bite-sized Terror - A self-contained story with an average playtime of 2 hours. The game uses an audio and visual style that will transport you back t...

Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX+ Review

13Aug

By BrianNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX+ Review

Can you believe that after 34 years Taito is still involved in making (or remaking) Darius games? How have they stood the test of time? What is it about Darius that keeps us coming back for more? Akin to its shmup brethren, R-Type and Raiden who are still going, it boils down to one thing. Replayability! More on that later. Let's talk about where Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX+ came from. Dariusburst was originally a PSP game released in 2009. A year later Dariusburst Another Chronicle was released into arcades with an update the following year called Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX. What we are looking at today is an enhanced port of the latter. What I have always loved about the Darius series, their unique selling point is their arcade cabinets. Just look at the beauty of it! Havin...

Amiga 500 Mini Has Joined the Mini Console Lobby

10Aug

By Brian1 Comment

News & Updates

Amiga 500 Mini Has Joined the Mini Console Lobby

Retro games Ltd, the creator of the C64 mini has just announced the Amiga 500 Mini and is the latest to join the mini console market with Koch Media distributing. What we have is the re-imagining of the much loved and classic 16-bit home computer which comes with 25 games packed in. Only 12 have been announced so far, and they are; Alien Breed 3D Another World ATR: All Terrain Racing Battle Chess Cadaver Kick Off 2 Pinball Dreams Simon The Sorcerer Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe The Chaos Engine Worms: The Director's Cut Zool: Ninja Of The Nth Dimension So out of the box, you get the A500 mini system, an authentic two-button mouse, and a wired eight-button gamepad. You will be able to connect your USB keyboard to it as well. It will also come with a...

10Aug

By BrianNo Comments

News & Updates

Lawn Mowing Simulator is Out TODAY!!

Are you fed up with having to mow the lawn? Fear not! You can now do it on your Xbox or PC instead from today. Lawn Mowing Simulator lets you ride a series of genuine real-world licensed mowers around the Great British countryside while managing your own mowing business. No one nagging at you to get it done, just mow at your own leisure. David Harper, Co-founder of Skyhook Games said: “Lawn Mowing Simulator is lawn-mowing at its absolute best! Mowing a lawn well and efficiently is something we find immensely satisfying - and we think other people feel the same way, so we’re really excited that people now get to play Lawn Mowing Simulator in all its glory.” Lawn Mowing Simulator will feature: PHYSICALLY AUTHENTIC LAWN MOWING EXPERIENCE - Execute ground checks, set your blade heig...

Athena Asamiya Set to Return in The King of Fighters XV

30Jul

By BrianNo Comments

News & Updates

Athena Asamiya Set to Return in The King of Fighters XV

SNK has just announced that fan favourite Athena Asamiya will be joining the fighter roster in the upcoming game The King of Fighters XV. She first appeared in the 1986 game Psycho Soldier then went on to The King of Fighters'94 and has been a staple character ever since. Athena is a fighter whose combat style is likened to Wing Chun but she mostly relies on her psychic powers to fight. For the first time ever she will be teaming up with Mai Shiranui, and Yuri Sakazaki and forming Team Super Heroine. Athena Asamiya Athena is a high-school pop idol fighting evil to bring about world peace. Her fighting style is composed of the psychic powers she was born with and Chinese Kung Fu. She is a hard worker, both polite and serious. However, this KOF she's unexpectedly teamed up with ...

Cyberpunk Action-Shooter RPG ‘The Ascent’ Out Now!

29Jul

By BrianNo Comments

News & Updates

Cyberpunk Action-Shooter RPG ‘The Ascent’ Out Now!

Publishers Curve Digital and new indie developers Neon Giant are excited to announce the arrival of the developer's first game, The Ascent. Neon Giant is a small Swedish studio made up of only 12 people, some of who are industry veterans having worked on titles such as Gears of War, Bulletstorm, and Wolfenstein. The Ascent places you in a cyberpunk world where you take on the role of an indentured worker for the Ascent Group. The Ascent Group suddenly shuts down and everything in the city of Yakusa plunges into chaos. Rival crime syndicates and corporations are trying to fill the newly created void and it's up to you, the player to get your guns out and keep them at bay. Through the disorder and disarray, can you find out what happened to the Ascent Group? Fellow co-founder and Cre...