Jose, Author at Thumb Culture

11Sep

By JoseNo Comments

Gears of War: Reloaded – PS5 Review

The iconic alien horror shooter best known for its over-the-top gore, its unironic use of macho bravado, and its high-adrenaline action is back (once again). That's right this is a review of Gears of War: Reloaded. The Coalition, the Xbox Studios developers behind this gory chainsaw party, could have delivered just another lazy, half-hearted remastered game like we have unfortunately grown used to in recent years, looking at you The Last of Us. Instead, they have delivered a significant visual upgrade compared to its 2015 remastered Xbox version. Welcome to the War (again)! Nearly 20 years since its exclusive release on the Xbox 360, Gears of War has arrived on the PlayStation 5. The remastered game, rebranded as Gears of War: Reloaded, signifies the end of an era known as the console wa...

LotR Over Hill And Under Hill Roleplaying Game – Review

8Sep

By JoseNo Comments

Features

LotR Over Hill And Under Hill Roleplaying Game – Review

The Lord of the Rings role-playing game Over Hill and Under Hill, created by the Swedish tabletop gaming company Free League, is a story-driven cooperative game inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's world. The game is a fun mix of role-playing, narrative choices, and dice mechanics. The starter set, Over Hill and Under Hill, which we played, was released in July 2025. An Unexpected Journey into Middle-earth's Roleplay The starter set contains everything a group of new players needs to kick things off, from a rule book to cards of preset characters, a map, different types of dice, and a story book for the Game Master. The game is designed to help players new to the genre get started without requiring extensive prior preparation. Nonetheless, as a casual player myself, I must say that without the h...

30Jul

By JoseNo Comments

PC Reviews

Descenders Next – PC Review

Descenders Next, like its predecessor, is an adrenaline-filled downhill racing game featuring a massive array of mountain trails to explore and stylishly fall down from. This new title from RageSquid and No More Robots is out now in Early Access on Steam. Let's take a deeper look. Snow Big Deal The franchise retains its core DNA with short but intense runs full of helpful checkpoints, optional objectives, and tough choices. Whether you're speeding down through a beautiful alpine forest or racing over rugged dirt, your goal is to calculate risks, land tricks, and avoid brutal wipeouts. Although this time around, we got boards instead of bikes. Shred. Spin. Slam? Before you even make it to the main menu, the game immediately kicks off with a tutorial to get you acquainted with the ba...

Magic: The Gathering Spoiler Season Never Ends

8Jul

By JoseNo Comments

Features

Magic: The Gathering Spoiler Season Never Ends

Magic: The Gathering will start the official spoiler season for Edge of Eternities on July 8th, according to Mark Rosewater's Tumblr account, Blogatog. Barely three weeks apart from the release of the Standard legal Final Fantasy set. Oh, and just last week, they also announced another Secret Lair, this time casting Sonic the Hedgehog and friends. It almost feels like there is no time for fans, players, and collectors to just breathe and enjoy a new product before a new one is already announced, and another is close to launching. Back To Canon Lore Three weeks after its release, it is safe to say Final Fantasy was a tremendous success for Wizards of the Coast. Even among the most sceptical fans, such as myself, it is undeniable that this Universes Beyond crossover was a total hit. The em...

Wizards of the Coast Bring Out The Ban Hammer

2Jul

By JoseNo Comments

Features

Wizards of the Coast Bring Out The Ban Hammer

On June 30th, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) announced its updated ban list for all formats of Magic: The Gathering. Interestingly, only the Standard format was struck by the ban hammer. Seven times! Seven cards currently legal in Standard have been banned, effective immediately. While bans in Standard aren't unusual, seven at once is a rather rare occurrence. WotC is sending a clear message that what happened at Pro Tour Las Vegas can't happen again. Furthermore, no updates were made to Modern, Legacy, Pauper, Brawl, Vintage, or Pioneer. Further, giving the impression that Wizards is laser-focused on fixing and balancing Standard. What Went Wrong at Pro Tour Final Fantasy? Izzet Prowress took the Pro Tour by storm, pun intended. In the words of Magic: The Gathering Hall of Famer Reid Du...

Chronicles Of The Wolf – PC Demo Preview

20Jun

By JoseNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Chronicles Of The Wolf – PC Demo Preview

Chronicles Of The Wolf is a metroidvania so fiercely loyal to its source material that it could have fooled me into believing it was made in the early 90s. As cliché and overused as it may sound, the game is a true love letter to the roots of the genre. Whilst the game is available now on Steam this is a preview article of the demo only. A Nostalgic Throwback, For Better And For Worse As soon as you open the game, your senses teleport you back to a time when the internet made strange noises, phones had long curly cords, and televisions were as heavy as modern fridges. The menu options, the eerie retro music, and the 32-pixel resolution all work together in harmony to deliver an incredibly immersive experience. Let's check it out. Gameplay You play as Mateo Lombardo, an initiate of ...

Final Fantasy Is Shaking Up Every Magic: The Gathering Format

20Jun

By JoseNo Comments

Features

Final Fantasy Is Shaking Up Every Magic: The Gathering Format

Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy is the first Extended Universes premium set to be Standard legal. After only one week since its official release, many Final Fantasy cards are finding their way into competitive Standard builds. From enchantment reanimation with 'Yuna, Hope of Spire', and 'Cecil, Dark Knight' mono black midrange, to my personal favourite Gruul Delium with 'Terra, Magical Adept'. Final Fantasy's influence doesn't stop there, though. In only one week, 'Vivi Ornitier' and 'Y'shtola, Night's Blessed' have made their way up to the 200 most popular commander list on CEDHREC.com. From Midgard to Modern: Why (Almost) Every MTG Format is Impacted Are you playing with the new Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy cards? How do you feel about them becoming a steadfast in players ...

Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy – Most Expensive Standard Set Ever

13Jun

By JoseNo Comments

Features

Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy – Most Expensive Standard Set Ever

Most Magic: The Gathering players are, by now, used to the high prices of cards, booster boxes, or other premium products that Wizards of the Coast has been releasing at overwhelming speed in the last few years. The Final Fantasy set marks a stark difference, simply by the fact that it is Standard legal. Players excited to play their favourite characters from the rich Final Fantasy lore are going to have to dig deep in their pockets to do so. Cloud and Sephiroth are coming to an LGS near you Yes, it's an exciting time to be a Magic: The Gathering player, undoubtedly so. With this set and the SpongeBob Secret Lair that just came out not three months ago, you can now play Commander and sit across 'Squidward, Sarcastic Snob', 'Cloud, Midgar Mercenary', and 'Chun-Li, Countless Kicks'. Th...