Brian, Author at Thumb Culture

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy Review – Alchemy’s Finest

11Feb

By BrianNo Comments

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy Review – Alchemy’s Finest

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy is the follow up to 2019's Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout. As usual, Gust is handling development while publishing goes to Koei Tecmo. You could be forgiven for having never heard of the Atelier series before as they never reached western shores until 2005. Additionally, they were only released on PlayStation systems until 2015, adding PC and then Nintendo Switch to their publishing portfolio. Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy Is An Alchemist's Dream Reisalin Stout, a.k.a. Ryza is back! Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy was released on January 25th, 2021 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC, and on January 29th for Nintendo Switch. Atelier Ryza 2 is the 22nd main game in...

10Feb

By BrianNo Comments

News & Updates

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Movie – CONFIRMED!

Well, this was inevitable, wasn't it! Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is spinning its way into cinemas on the 8th of April, 2022. After a drastic character redesign, the first movie which was released in 2020 was a massive hit. Even then, there was a small (OK, massive) hint at the end that it would not be the Blue Blur's only big-screen outing. Much like the Mega Drive game released, Miles "Tails" Prower was first introduced on the 1992 Sonic The Hedgehog 2. So, based on that theory, I'm sure fans are hoping a huge emphasis will be placed on the inclusion of Tails. I mean, his Tails are right there in the logo, and that music you hear is also from the Emerald Hill Zone. For me personally, I would love if it took inspiration from some of those zones. If it was to culminate in a massive Sk...

Maskmaker – A Spellbinding VR Game Announced

7Feb

By BrianNo Comments

News & Updates

Maskmaker – A Spellbinding VR Game Announced

From the creators of the award-winning A Fisherman's Tale, InnerspaceVR has announced Maskmaker! As the player, you will be taking on the role of an apprentice mask maker. It seems to take place in the workshop, and in the worlds in which the masks you create lead you to. Within these worlds, you must forage for new materials to create more masks. “Our team set out to create a non-linear adventure that gives players a strong sense of presence as they explore the mysterious universe of Maskmaker,” said Balthazar Auxietre, creative director and co-founder, InnerspaceVR. “We carefully designed the game to help players feel like a real craftsman when creating these intricate masks, and experience the freedom and discovery as they traverse through unique worlds to uncover the secrets ...

An Official Sonic The Hedgehog Lego Set Is Coming

5Feb

By BrianNo Comments

News & Updates

An Official Sonic The Hedgehog Lego Set Is Coming

Lego is working with SEGA on the development of an official Sonic set. The idea was submitted to the Lego Ideas platform back in 2019 by UK Sonic fan Viv Grannell. It received 10,000 votes, which as a result got the attention of Lego and prompt them to get in touch. You can find the original concept here, and it has some really great ideas implementing the Lego Technics side of things. Sonic The Hedgehog Lego Set Is Gonna Sell Fast "I've been invested in the world of Sonic for almost my entire life, and it's such a perfect fit for the LEGO system that I spent about a year rallying support for it to happen," Grannell said in a release. "Having 10,000 people back my design was overwhelming enough, even with friends and family behind me, but having it be selected for further development ...

Hitman III New Content Is Here – February Roadmap

4Feb

By BrianNo Comments

News & Updates

Hitman III New Content Is Here – February Roadmap

If you are enjoying Hitman III, then we have some great news. Here we have all the new content laid out for the month and it starts today! New featured contracts, elusive targets, and gear to unlock. This is the first content update of what we hope is many and can't wait to check it out! HITMAN III is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Stadia, and PC. For a more detailed look, check out the video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBsigFPMwsw YouTube | FaceBook | Twitter | Instagram| Twitch | Discord | Podcast

Top 20 EA Games Of The 20th Century Part 1 – 1986-1993

19Jan

By Brian4 Comments

Features, Retrogaming Corner

Top 20 EA Games Of The 20th Century Part 1 – 1986-1993

Oh, hello there. You've caught me reminiscing about EA before they became one of the most successful, and controversial video game companies in the world. So, I thought I would compile a list of my Top 20 EA Games Of The 20th Century. There was a time when they were more commonly known as Electronic Arts, than the apathetic acronym we now know them as. It was the spring of 1982 when former Apple employee Trip Hawkins founded the company on a budget of $200,000. EA now generates a huge $5.5 billion annually through games, franchises, online content, studio acquisitions, and various partnerships. This makes them the second most successful video game company outside of Japan, second only to Activision Blizzard. It Wasn't Always Sports And Star Wars You Know! Trip stayed with the compa...

Space Invaders Forever Review – Can It Really Last Forever?

4Jan

By BrianNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews, Retrogaming Corner

Space Invaders Forever Review – Can It Really Last Forever?

Like the year 2020, Space Invaders is a franchise that will seemingly never end. So it seems only fitting that we end the year talking about Space Invaders Forever. Though Space Invaders isn't quite the name it used to be, there is no argument that it has stood the test of time where many others have fallen. Over 40 years ago (1978 to be exact) it helped pave the way for gaming as we know it. As an effort to keep kids pumping in their quarters, they inadvertently invented the difficulty curve. It has seen many changes over the years, but one thing that remains is that everyone knows what a Space Invader looks like. It is iconic! Space Invaders Forever Is A Unique Bijou Compilation Space Invaders Forever is developed by the original developers Taito and published by ININ Games. It ...

21Dec

By BrianNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Cyberpunk 2077 Review – Cyberjunk 2020?

Eight whole years since the first announcement of Cyberpunk 2077, eight whole years. We got our first trailer in 2013, then silence. The trailer was classy and looked every part next-gen, perfectly accompanied by the song Bullets, by British avant-garde rock band Archive. It blew me away, and hype began. Then, radio silence ended E3 2018 and, Keanu Reeves happened... so all aboard the hype train again! "Wake The F*** Up Samurai, We Have A City To Burn" - Welcome To Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberpunk 2077 is an action role-playing game that was released on December 10th, 2020 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Stadia. Both developed and published by CD Projekt Red, it was their first game since 2014's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The game is based on the pen and paper role-playing s...

Dreamcast: Year One Book Review – One Dream Too Many For Sega?

11Dec

By BrianNo Comments

Features, Retrogaming Corner

Dreamcast: Year One Book Review – One Dream Too Many For Sega?

The Dreamcast, Sega's final console entry into the gaming market. It was the first of the sixth generation and entered in 1998, while the fires of the two-year-old Nintendo N64 and Sony's four-year-old PlayStation were still roaring hot. We wouldn't see another console release until the PlayStation 2 in 2000. Discontinued three years later, a year after the PlayStation 2. In its relatively short lifespan, the Dreamcast gained a dedicated following and sold over 9 million units. So what happened? Did Sega release it too early to make up for the shortcomings of the Sega Saturn? Was the technology dated when compared to its competition? Or was it simply just one dream too many for Sega? Let's take a look at the first year of the Dreamcast with Dreamcast: Year One The Unofficial St...

11Dec

By BrianNo Comments

News & Updates

The Return of Perfect Dark

At The Game Awards last night we got a glimpse of a 'Rare' treat, a new Perfect Dark game. Perfect Dark was a game released on N64 in 2000 and developed by Rare. Yes, the same Rare that did Goldeneye 007. Perfect Dark took the Goldeneye 007 formula and refined it to become its spiritual successor. Even though it didn't reach the popularity of Goldeneye 007, it became a classic in its own right. Perfect Dark was a revolution back in the day because it had a female lead character, which was a rare thing indeed. "Good Day, Miss Dark" The second and final new game (until now) for the series was Perfect Dark Zero which was released exclusively on the Xbox 360 in 2005. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S--lFTxAVs8 It is unclear whether this is a remake or a soft reboot, one can only a...