Thumb Culture - Gaming

Elea: Episode 1 Review – An acid trip into bugs

26Sep

By AlexNo Comments

Elea: Episode 1 Review – An acid trip into bugs

ELEA is an episodic sci-fi, head trip, adventure, walking sim. ELEA is developed by Kyodai LTD and published by SOEDESCO Publishing. ELEA is explained by the creators as "By putting the character up against events and phenomena which are beyond human grasp, the game aims to defy the conventional notions of personal accountability, choice and meaning of life. It is a story about our fragility as a species, about finding solace through surrender." Does it hold up to this TL;DR.....no. But read on and allow me to explain. Gameplay ELEA places you as "Long ass name here i cant remember right now". You have journeyed into space to find your husband Ethan who has apparently disappeared along with the rest of the crew on the space ship "SPACESHIP NAME!". Ethan was a head scientist looking a...

25Sep

By JohnNo Comments

Gaming, PlayStation Reviews

Fishing Sim World PS4 Review

Good Morning / Afternoon / Evening fellow gamers (wherever you may be)! I’m going to be completely up front with all of you before I even start this review. I don’t fish, I have never fished and I have no interest in starting any time soon. Why am I telling you this up front? Because I don’t want to be the reviewer that pretends to understand something when I have no real idea of any of it. On a positive note, it does mean the review is going to be based purely on the game and not on any prior interest in the sport. So does Fishing Sim World reel me into the world of fishing or leave me to drown in my sorrows? Let’s find out! Gameplay Fishing Sim World is the latest release from Dovetail Games, It’s exactly what is says on the box. A full on simulation of Competition fishing acr...

Firewall Zero Hour PS4 Review – It’s not the game we want, but is it the game we need?

24Sep

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

Gaming, PlayStation Reviews

Firewall Zero Hour PS4 Review – It’s not the game we want, but is it the game we need?

You palms sweat in the moments before combat. Your heart beat is steady, resting in anticipation of the adrenalin surge to follow. Time counts down and you look deep into the eyes of your team, knowing that some or all of you may not come back. That's the risk you take as a mercenary. A gun for hire. A soldier of fortune. A quick wipe of your palm and a readjustment to improve your grip. The command comes and you move out in co-ordinated attack patterns, laying down covering fire and calling out targets to teammatesBullets whizz past you, smashing into walls behind you. Every corner is a death trap, every foot step a betrayal of your location. At the sound of enemy fire, you step back into the alley, blind firing around the corner, hoping your bullet hits it's mark, before theirs...

Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 Review – Better than Fifa?

21Sep

By JasonNo Comments

Gaming, PC Reviews

Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 Review – Better than Fifa?

Pro Evolution Soccer by Konami has recently delivered their 2018/19 instalment of their franchise that has been running since 2001. As a direct rival to EA's Fifa games, many gamers favour one or the other and I was certainly influenced early on into Fifa as it seemed more popular with my friends, what with having all of the major football licenses, ensuring you could always play as your team. How does Pro Evo 2019 look, play and feel? Let's kick off and find out! Gameplay Pro Evo 2019 has disappointingly, as some of you will already be aware, lost the license to the UEFA Champions League after holding it for 9 years. EA looks to of snapped it up as it featured in their official reveal trailer back in June (release date 28th September). Don't let this put you off Pro Evo 2019 ho...

TC Talks Episode 2 – Top 5 Streaming Tips

19Sep

By Stuart1 Comment

Gaming

TC Talks Episode 2 – Top 5 Streaming Tips

So you want to start out streaming but you aren't sure how, or you aren't seeing any growth. We managed to get an exclusive interview with Stallion himself, and he shares his Top 5 Tips for a new streamer looking to get off the ground. Have a watch via YouTube below, or just below download the file direct, or listen on Soundcloud at Thumb Culture, or download it here https://youtu.be/D5WEGhegjyA If you want to check out Stallion, you can find him at the following links. http://www.twitch.tv/stallion_TTV http://www.twitter.com/stallion_TTV We hope you enjoyed this podcast, check back for more podcasts, with more interviews and more exclusives!

Bard’s Tale IV Review – 30 Years in the Making

18Sep

By KevinNo Comments

Gaming, PC Reviews

Bard’s Tale IV Review – 30 Years in the Making

InXile bring us the long awaited sequel to the Bard's Tale trilogy, the cleverly named Bard's Tale IV. It's definitely time to dust off my old lute and get the tuner out. What surprises lay in store as the Bard tries to save the day yet again. Gameplay After a brief introduction (skippable) to your history you head off to Skara Brae. There are Scottish accents a plenty as well and even a smattering of tartan for authenticity. I'm pretty sure it's not the same Skara Brae though, nor the one used in the 'Ultima' series of games. This Skara Brae is brimming with trouble, and it's trouble that you can help sort out. You get a choice to be the pre made bard of the tale, or you can customise your own character. There are the usual choices of Bard, Rogue, Warrior or Robed Guy to choose from...

NBA 2K19 Review – Still going strong 20 years on?

17Sep

By TristanNo Comments

Gaming, PC Reviews

NBA 2K19 Review – Still going strong 20 years on?

In the year 1999 EA Sports was hit with a new competitor in the video game basketball genre. Developer Visual Concepts launched the NBA 2K series which has gone from strength to strength since that first outing. The series was originally published by SEGA but now by 2K Sports. Whilst EA has (eventually) pulled ahead in the football stakes with FIFA and stands unchallenged with Madden it has consistently been beaten into a poor second by the NBA 2K series. NBA 2K19 marks the 20th in the series and after a slight wobble with 2K18 is NBA 2K19 the G.O.A.T or just a bench warmer until the inevitable 2K20 next year? Gameplay If it ain't broke don't fix it is very much the mantra here. Saying that the devs have made the usual yearly tweaks seemingly taking on-board the criticisms made of la...

16Sep

By StuartNo Comments

Gaming

TC Talks – Episode 1 – Beta’s, Battle Royale and More

Sit back and relax as we bring you the first in the latest podcast series from the team here at Thumb Culture, TC Talks. This episode see's Josh and Alex join Stu while they talk about what they are currently playing, what they are looking forward too as well as how Stuart feels Beta's are effecting game conventions. Then they chat about Battle Royale games and are they too saturated? If you would like to suggest a subject for the team to talk about please leave a comment below! Who knows, we might get you onto the next podcast! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzP-v0_r4-s&feature=youtu.be Alternatively if you would like to download the audio then please click here

SCUM Preview – Crawl, Walk, Run, Make Computer Game.

14Sep

By KevinNo Comments

Gaming, PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

SCUM Preview – Crawl, Walk, Run, Make Computer Game.

Gamepires & Croteam bring us the delightfully named SCUM to check out for PC. This prison island multiplayer survival game looks like it could be hard to escape from. Time to don my bright orange prison gear and make a hasty shiv. I'm going in. Gameplay I decided to jump right in to the single player mode to learn the controls. First I had to create a character, so I gave him my stats. Not the best plan given my actual age and size, but I might as well be realistic. Points are spent on skills, so work out what will be most useful. Upon entering SCUM I found I could move around using the WASD and mouse and there seemed to be plenty of places to go. After investigation I found a path down to a river and a dam, it looked interesting so I went and investigated. I jogged down, and 15...

Madden NFL 19 PS4 Review – hut hut……hooray?

13Sep

By TristanNo Comments

Gaming, PlayStation Reviews

Madden NFL 19 PS4 Review – hut hut……hooray?

It's that time of year again with summer pretty much over when the guys at EA Sports unleash the latest editions of their behemoth like sports franchises. Always first off the starting blocks (despite starting after the proper football season -soccer to our American cousins) is the latest Madden. So does Madden NFL 19 mark a paradigm shift in the series or is it a case of another year of marginal gains. Put on your shoulder pads, strap on your helmet (oo'er missus) and join me to find out whether Madden NFL 19 scores a touchdown or is ruled incomplete! Gameplay The biggest change to gameplay in Madden NFL 19 is the introduction of 'Real Player Motion'. This key game enhancement makes the players more controllable and a flick of the sticks can give a change of speed, cuts and dodges ...