Tom McMylor, Author at Thumb Culture

19Jan

By Tom McMylorNo Comments

Thumb Culture Game Of The Year

2023 is perhaps one of the best years for gaming we have had in quite some time. So much so that I imagine our 2024 list will be l packed with games we are still catching up on from 2023. So many great games it was extremely difficult for us here at Thumb Culture to pick just one that stood apart from the rest and take the top spot. With great difficulty, we managed it! Thank you all, the readers so much for supporting Thumb Culture, here’s to another great year in gaming. Tom - Lil Gator Game I honestly expected spider man 2 to be my personal game of the year In a year with already lots of competition, but out from the shadows crept Alan wake 2. Chapter after chapter I felt my love for the game increasing and increasing…and then suddenly, my partner recommended, I play “lil gat...

18Dec

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VR Reviews

Not For Broadcast – PSVR 2 Review

Not for Broadcast is a full motion video game from British game developer, NotGames, and published by tinybuild. It was originally released on Steam in January 2022 after an early access period. News Flash, another poor VR Port. I had genuinely held off on playing not for broadcast for quite a while. The game is absolutely up my alley being a fan of both British comedy and FMV story games. Originally I wanted to play the flatscreen version, and then a VR version was announced for the meta quest 2. Being a platinum trophy hunter, I held off until the PSVR2 version of the game. Unfortunately, the wait was not worth it. Read on more to find out exactly why I came away from Not for Broadcast VR disappointed. Gameplay Not for Broadcast is one of the best uses of FMV I have seen in a gamepla...

The Game Awards 2023: All Nominees & Winners

12Dec

By Tom McMylorNo Comments

Features, News & Updates

The Game Awards 2023: All Nominees & Winners

2023 is perhaps one of the best years in gaming we've had in a good while, every month filled with brilliant games and Game of the year contenders for us all to not play because our backlog is too big. The Best Of The Best Don't agree with any of the winners? Who got snubbed? Are you happy with this years Decisions? Let us know! The Game Awards 2023: All Nominees And Winners Best Family Game Disney Illusion Island Super Mario Bros: Wonder - Winner Party Animals Pikmin 4 Sonic Superstars Innovation In Accessibility Street Fighter 6 Diablo 4 Forza Motorsport - Winner Hi-Fi Rush Spider-Man 2 Mortal Kombat 1 Best ESports athlete Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok - Winner Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut Phillip ”ImperialHal” Dosen Max “Demon1” Mazanov ...

12Dec

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Features, News & Updates

The Game Awards 2023: Recap

The long anticipated game awards has finally arrived! Whether you missed the event, or just want a recap, your Game Awards 2023 Recap is right here! Wrap it up It’s understandable to have missed the event this year, concluding at 4am in the UK and filled with many ads that were sometimes inseparable from the main announcements. Listed is every bit of new information I could find. The Game Awards 2023 Recap Pre-show Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons Remake Developer- Avantgarden Platforms | PS5 | Xbox Series X/S | Steam | Epic games Release Date: February 28, 2024 https://youtu.be/RMTQ4HNuzu8?si=1GJu6IuDAI9Vpgvy Pony Island 2 Panda Circus Developer: Daniel Mullins Game's Platforms: Steam Release Date: 2025/2026 https://youtu.be/0h3delBc3uo?si=tNBSbpRJwJQkduH4 T...

20Nov

By Tom McMylorNo Comments

Gaming

Tin Hearts VR – PSVR 2 Preview

Tin Hearts VR is brought to us by developer Rogue Son, consisting of former lionhead studios members famous for the fable series, and published by Wired Productions, who also published one of my favourite games of last year, Arcade Paradise. Tin with some dents Back in June of this year, Mal published his review of Tin Hearts on the PS5, the flat-screen version of the game. He cited, “Definitely give this one a go if you love a simplistic emotional journey and challenging and clever puzzles.” Awarding the game a platinum award. After talking to him, he felt a VR version would be a great way to experience the game. Hopping in for the first time myself, is it? Gameplay Tin Hearts VR is a puzzle game first and foremost, with some light story elements on the side. The puzzles themselve...

25Oct

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VR Reviews

Tennis On Court – PSVR2 Review

Tennis On Court is the first and currently only tennis game on the PSVR2 from developer Fishing Cactus and published by Decathlon. It is available on the PSVR2 and Meta Quest. Tennis On Ice It has been quite a while since I’ve played tennis in real life. Is Tennis On Court a good substitute or a way to get started playing? Gameplay There are quite a few menus in Tennis On Vourt upon booting up the game. You’ll start by creating your character. It’s a basic character customization system that isn’t too complex but you can make someone look unique. Single-player There are a few single-player options here ranging from tutorials and practice modes to long tournaments consisting of multiple difficulties and opponents. These take place on different court surfaces across the world that ...

28Sep

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PlayStation Reviews

Alchemy Garden – PS5 Review

In the current trend of cozy indie games, it’s hard to stand out amongst the crowd, will a game three years in early access manage to prevail over its competitors? Alchemy Garden was developed and published by MadSushi Games. after three years of early access, the game was released on the 12th of December 2022 on Steam, later released on PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch on the 7th of September 2023- Almost a year later. A Mixed Pot Personally, I’m loving the trend of farming cozy games, there is a game in the genre for everyone. Will Alchemy Garden be the one for you? Gameplay Alchemy Garden begins with quite a simple but appreciated character creator, with few customization options. Then the hardest part of the game begins…choosing a name for your potion shop. After hours of d...

27Sep

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PlayStation Reviews

Payday 3 – PS5 Review

Payday 3 is the latest coop heist-based FPS and much-anticipated follow-up from Payday 2 (2013). After 10+ years of Payday 2 content and almost going bankrupt Starbreeze finally has brought us Payday 3, was it worth the wait? Payday 3 is available now on PS5, The Xbox Series consoles and PC. A safe with a few cracks. I’m incredibly happy to see Starbreeze pull through and deliver us a third instalment in the payday franchise. Payday 3, unfortunately, has the burden of surpassing its predecessor which boasts over ten years of support. Even with these odds, does Payday 3 manage to steal the show? Gameplay The gameplay in Payday 3 is absolutely what most people will be interested in, and I can confirm, that the game delivers. It has massively evolved from Payday 2 and on most fronts, ...

8Sep

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PC Reviews

Sprout Valley – PC Review

Sprout Valley is developed by Polish solo developer Vadzim Liakhovich and published by Reddeer.games. Growing tired of simplicity The game was kickstarted and surpassed multiple goals. It is set to release on September 8th, 2023 on Nintendo Switch and Steam. Gameplay Sprout Valley is a casual farming and crafting game inspired by games like Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing, and Stardew Valley. Upon opening the game you are greeted with a short introductory cutscene that introduces your main character Nico and his reasoning for starting a new life on the archipelago of Ostara. You are then thrown into a tutorial detailing how to use your inventory of tools to farm, fish, and mine. After some brief dialogue, your initial goal in Sprout Valley will ultimately be left up to you. You...

30Aug

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Gaming, Previews & Early Access

Wayfinder Early Access – PS5 Preview

Wayfinder Early Access Preview - Massive promise, minimal multiplayer, sometimes online. Wayfinder, from developer Airship Syndicate, was launched into early access on August 17th, 2023 on PS5 and Steam. However, the “access” part of the game didn’t arrive until a day later when a queue was introduced to help alleviate stress on the servers, as of the time of writing (24/08/2023) you are still required to queue for hours to get access to the game. Despite the developers framing the game as an MMO, you will be disappointed if you come into the game expecting a rival to Final Fantasy XIV or World Of Warcraft. Wayfinder is as much MMO as Destiny or Warframe, which makes sense considering the latter comes from the same publisher. Sure you may have your hub world where you can see other pl...