Jason, Author at Thumb Culture

14Sep

By JasonNo Comments

Deflection Review

Deflection, by one-man indie studio Coreffect Interactive, is a turn-based chess game with a rather neat strategic twist. Featuring laser turrets and pieces that can alter the way that the laser distributes across the board it is up to you to destroy your opponent's King. Deflection - Laser-Guided Turn-Based Fun With its roots in the abstract game of Khet, will Deflection be a nod to the classic or a portal to travesty? Read on! Gameplay When I was a lot younger than I am now I can fondly remember spending a lot of time playing Laser Chess on the Atari ST. Although the gameplay back then was a top-down 2d version, the concept was the same as Deflection. Against an AI, local or online user, you battle it out on the game board with the sole goal to defeat your opponent's King. Takin...

6Sep

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Mechajammer Preview

Mechajammer by Devs Whalenought Studios is a tactical cyberpunk turn-based RPG that allows you to take your turns simultaneously with those around you. Set in an off-world grindhouse of an urban and jungle colony it is down to you to recruit your crew and adventure through the gloomily lit city. Mechajammer - Urban Survival At Its Heart Are you ready to read on? Mechajammer is currently in demo form for PC over on Steam so you can join in as well. Let's do this then and don't forget to check out my other articles here on Thumb Culture! Gameplay I played the Mechajammer demo therefore elements of the gameplay are limited in some respects, however, it still allows you to get an overall feel for the game. In the beginning, you can either choose from a pre-made character or create y...

13Aug

By Jason1 Comment

VR Reviews

Blair Witch: PCVR Edition Review

On November 20th 2020 I foolishly decided to review Blair Witch: Oculus Quest Edition. I was sort of nominated for it. Having scared myself silly while playing the game, the people over at TC HQ thought it would be a great idea for me to take a look at the Oculus Rift version as well! Blair Witch PCVR Edition - All the scares with more clarity! How is the Rift version in comparison to the Quest? Let's see what Bloober team got up to! Gameplay Running games on VR via your PC has both upsides and downsides. Better graphics are to be had however at a penalty of requiring a semi-decent graphics card. While the Quest is clearly the easiest VR unit to work with as it is standalone, it does suffer from the restrictions that are lifted by having a high-powered gaming rig. Of course, the Q...

80s Classic Boulder Dash Makes A Come Back (Again)

13Aug

By JasonNo Comments

News & Updates, Retrogaming Corner

80s Classic Boulder Dash Makes A Come Back (Again)

It was acceptable in the 80s, and it's coming back for another jaunt! Yes, that's right folks, Boulder Dash Deluxe has been announced by BBG Entertainment GmBH with a scheduled release date of September 9th. Available already across Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PC, the Boulder Dash 30th anniversary edition sees Rockford restored to his original puzzle-solving glory. The deluxe version brings an upgrade featuring 180 new and exciting levels. This is also across 9 new worlds while there are 15 new special opponents. In addition, there is character customisation along with access to the 1984 classic version. Should you want that nostalgic flashback to the original caves and graphics. Stephan Berendsen, President of BBG Entertainment GmbH, stated: “Boulder Dash was always one of m...

11Aug

By Jason1 Comment

VR Reviews

Stride Review

Stride, developed and published by Joy Way, is a single-player VR parkour game that features a combat element to it. Out now on Oculus Quest 2, PCVR and Vive with PSVR coming at a later date, it is touted as a "high-octane parkour adventure in virtual reality" Stride, One hell of a way to keep fit! I'm not the best at motion games however on the Oculus Quest 2, Stride is listed as "Comfortable". Let's take this for a test! If you are playing this version or any of the early access versions, let us know what you think of it in the comments below! Gameplay When I think of parkour games, Mirror's Edge immediately comes to mind. Running, jumping, sliding, grappling and firing a gun nicely sums up Stride however there are a few more mechanics at work thanks to the wonderful Oculus Q...

8Aug

By JasonNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

JBL Quantum One Headset Review

The awesome people over at JBL kindly sent down a pair of their recently launched Quantum One gaming headphones for me to have a play with. Before I have even got the product out of the box it already looks a very colourful ordeal with vibrant oranges painted across the packaging. JBL Quantum One - Dare To Listen With JBL being very well known for its speakers, I was interested to see how they would sound in a gaming headset. As, where precise sound is key if you want to survive in first-person shooters. First impressions Straight from the box there is a fair bit of substance to the Quantum One headset with a weight of 369g, bearing in mind that this is a wired headset. In comparison to some of the other headsets that I have had the pleasure to review, the wired Roccat Khan Aimo head...

3Aug

By Jason1 Comment

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Lemnis Gate Preview

Lemnis Gate, by devs Ratloop Games Canada is a tactical first-person shooter at heart, but with one hell of a twist. I was lucky along with a few other of the TC staff to take part in the recent Beta and with the game being deployed across PC, Playstation, and Xbox on the 28th of September it was time to get this preview written! Lemnis Gate - COD Meets Time Travel, Can Your Reality Survive? If you enjoy strategic turn-based fps-styled games, read on but be warned, all is not as clear-cut as it seems! Gameplay Lemnis Gate comes with 4 game modes across 7 maps at launch featuring ditties such as seek and destroy, domination, retrieve XM (capture the flag), and deathmatch. With single-player, co-op, and PvP, every eventuality is covered. The team that you control currently consist...

29Jul

By Jason1 Comment

Hardware & Tech

JBL Quantum Duo Speakers Review

Landing on my desk today we have the vibrant JBL Quantum Duo PC Gaming speakers and boy am I excited! With the Quantum range released in April 2020, would JBL be able to convince the gaming market that this is a must-have product to adorn your gaming setup? First Impressions Standing at 210mm high, 89mm wide and 176mm deep they are not the most imposing speakers in the world to have on your desk. Finished in a mixture of matt and gloss black plastic you could easily be fooled into thinking that they are going to be light however once you pluck them from the vibrant orange box you will quickly realise that there is certainly some weight to be had at 1.4kg per speaker. Featuring its own separate power supply along with a 1.5m USB cable and audio-in lead it does not take long to cable...

Ubisoft Unveils New Tom Clancy Game XDefiant

19Jul

By JasonNo Comments

News & Updates

Ubisoft Unveils New Tom Clancy Game XDefiant

Well after the many countdowns, Ubisoft has finally unveiled the first looks for their first-person shooter entitled XDefiant. Coming to Xbox, Playstation, PC and Stadia (if it is still around by then), Ubisoft hopes that this free-to-play "high octane shooter" will have you begging for more. First looks on the reveal show 4 factions made up of various characters from other Tom Clancy games set in close-quarter combat. There are the Wolves, Outcasts, Cleaners and Echelon factions while the maps are all iconic locations that you will mostly recognise. Ubisoft plans to unveil further "Defiants" as they continue. Checkout Ubisoft's screenshots below: With teams of upto 6 players by the looks of the reveal, you get to mix and match your traits, abilities as well as select you...

5Jul

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews

Red Solstice 2: Survivors Review

Fresh from the loins of devs Ironward Games and published by 505 Games, Red Solstice 2: Survivors is one heck of a futuristic blood bath! Falling into the real-time top-down tactical genre there is a real feel for this sequel of a mash between Diablo and Xcom 2. The number of times I died I really want to add Cannon Fodder to that list. Red Solstice 2: Survivors - Real-Time XCOM I couldn't wait to see how this game played having heard a few good things from fellow writers. Time to blast some zombie mutant aliens! If you like what you see, remember to give us a like, share and follow so that you don't miss out on all things TC! Gameplay The year is 117 AE (After Earth). With a virus threatening to end mankind (sounding familiar?) it is down to you and your squad to fight mutants...