Tag: Family Friendly

Looking for a game to play with the whole family? Checkout our news and reviews all about family friendly games.

Bubble Bobble 4 Friends – Fun 4 The Whole Family
PlayStation Reviews

Bubble Bobble 4 Friends – Fun 4 The Whole Family

Way back in 1986 there was a little game that existed in the darkened corners of arcades. That game was Bubble Bobble. A cute game about bubble blowing dinosaurs and fruit, made by Taito. It was later ported to home systems like the NES by Toei Company. Fast forward to 2019, and Taito is still developing Bubble Bobble games. Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is releasing in Europe on the Nintendo Switch on November 19th 2019. There will also be a special edition following in December. It will be releasing in North America sometime in 2020. For me, it's been a while since I've laid eyes on a Bubble Bobble game. So, when Bubble Bobble 4 Friends came across my desk, I was interested to see how the franchise had progressed. Let's dive into this European exclusive game and see how it is, shall we? Ready?...
Let’s Sing 2020 Review – The Show Must Go On
PlayStation Reviews

Let’s Sing 2020 Review – The Show Must Go On

After the news that the SingStar servers are soon to be turned off we can at least rejoice that we still have a singing game in our midst with Ravenscourt & Voxler's Let's Sing 2020 which is available now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Do you fancy yourself as the next Pop Idol? or perhaps you just want to take on your friends and family for bragging rights? Either way, I am ready to hit those high notes and upset the neighbours! Gameplay As soon as Let's Sing loads up the whole house will know what's going on as its melodic pop beat begins to repeatedly play through your speakers. This year's iteration brings you a variety of modes; Classic where 1-4 players can pick and sing through all the available hits in the library; Feat. which allows 1-2 players to sing a duet with you...
Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair Review – Mission Improbable
Uncategorised

Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair Review – Mission Improbable

Let's take a minute to talk about Playtonic Games. Made up of some of the key creative talents that brought us Donkey Kong Country on the SNES, Playtonic Games was founded in 2014. Straight out of the gate, they set out to make a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie for the Nintendo 64. Dubbed "Project Ukelele" the team launched a Kickstarter and reached their stretch goal within 24 hours. While I loved what finally came out as Yooka-Laylee, it was met with mixed critical reviews. , Playtonic Games released a trailer for their next game Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair and what I saw was precisely what I wanted to see in a platformer. Needless to say, I was incredibly excited to give this a shot, so let's jump in and see just how impossible this lair is. Gameplay Yooka-Laylee and the...
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD Review – Keep Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’!
Uncategorised

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD Review – Keep Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’!

The year was 2002 and I remember the day vividly. Sitting in my room with a group of misfits that I labelled friends, I slowly reached for my sack (bag not knackers) and presented my latest purchase: Super Monkey Ball. With apprehension, our group of neanderthal metallers began exploring the cutesy, overly Japanese game and like a drug we were hooked. Our meetups became Monkey Ball sessions with each gamer perfecting the traits of their monkey and using them to get the upper hand in party and challenge modes. Fast forward to 2019, “Hey Jaz, you heard that Super Monkey Ball is being remastered?”. I spat out my monkey nuts, stopped The Monkees’ playlist and cancelled my banana split order at DK’s Diner. I had to speak to the neanderthals. We discussed the possibilities, would it be ...
Untitled Goose Game Review – I’ve Been Goosed!
Switch Reviews

Untitled Goose Game Review – I’ve Been Goosed!

adveAs one of Yorkshire's foremost amateur geese enthusiasts, when I was offered the chance to review Untitled Goose Game, I considered it an excellent opportunity to educate bird-brained Thumb Culture readers about the majestic beauty of the family Anserinae. Upon accepting the honour, however, I was somewhat chagrined to discover that I had not been chosen to review the game due to my expert knowledge of geese, but rather because the particular goose-protagonist in question had a vindictive and irritating nature, and it was suggested that I had an unparalleled grasp of such personality traits. Whilst deeply upset at what I considered a somewhat spurious claim, in the end, I agreed to evaluate the game, all the same, so long as I could litter the review with atrocious puns [I don't...
Super Mario Maker 2 Review – Go Ahead, Make My Game
Switch Reviews

Super Mario Maker 2 Review – Go Ahead, Make My Game

The original Super Mario Maker, which released on Wii U back in 2015, was a bolt from the blue, a rare example of Nintendo allowing their fan-base to tinker with the very building blocks of the Mushroom Kingdom to create their own Mario levels. It offered a robust toolset which allowed for players to experiment to their hearts' desires, and the Wii U's touch screen and stylus meant enjoyable levels could be created in a matter of minutes. Given the level of success, almost in spite of the underperforming console on which it appeared, a sequel was inevitable, and Super Mario Maker 2 was released in June 2019 to almost unanimous praise. Gameplay Most of the tools from the original title return here with a number of additions. As before, levels are constructed on a grid, and a wide varie...
Sea of Thieves Review – The Seas Have Calmed
PC Reviews

Sea of Thieves Review – The Seas Have Calmed

It has been a whilesince Rare’s swashbuckling title, Sea of Thieves launched. A highly anticipated title with many players, including myself being desperate to jump into the salty seas. However, to point out again, it has been a while since Sea of Thieves launched, and I feel it’s a good time to see how the game plays now that the tide of excitement has lowered. I saw Sea of Thieves grow from way back in the early months of 2017. Playtests had just got started in fact. I think I was the second wave of players to get accepted, but I didn’t get to play much. I knew from my short time with it though, that it was something nice and that the community was excited amongst one another in the private forums. February 2018 saw more playtests taking place as the game grew closer to launch,...
Trailblazers Review – Painting Your Way To Victory?
Switch Reviews

Trailblazers Review – Painting Your Way To Victory?

Trailblazers, developed by UK based Supergonk and published digitally by Rising Star Games is a Wipeout style racing game set in the future with a unique and colourful game mechanic whereby you can paint the track your team colour in order to boost. Available on PC and PS4 today (8th) and Xbox tomorrow (9th) with Nintendo Switch around June, the concept of Trailblazers sounds fun but the proof is always in the gameplay! Gameplay As the cartoon style intro begins and the dance track kicks in you are greeted by a simple selection of game options namely; Single player campaign, Custom race, Online race and Options.  An exclamation mark points to the first game option and it is off to the campaign for the first few chapters to learn what Trailblazers is about. The campaign mode is set...
Knockout League Review – Ready 2 Rumble Meets VR
PlayStation Reviews

Knockout League Review – Ready 2 Rumble Meets VR

Knockout League by Grab games is colourful, fun to play and definitely works up a sweat. So how is the game as a PSVR release? Lets find out! Gameplay Knockout League is a blast to play. In its simplicity you are a body-less entity that comes up against a number of different opponents through the career mode. These opponents are a variety of larger than life characters whose sole purpose is to take you down! Controlling your character is a dream, essentially the move controllers imitate your boxing gloves, with 1 to 1 movement you are able to dodgy incoming shots from your opponents and strike back when the opportunity arises. So back to those characters, they are varied from a traditional boxing physique, through to an Octopus....AN OCTOPUS. How are you meant to beat something...
Moss Review – Taking on the Fairytale Like a Moss
PlayStation Reviews

Moss Review – Taking on the Fairytale Like a Moss

Out of all the launch games and experiences on PSVR Allumete stood out to me the most. If you didn’t know (and if that applies to you then I implore you to check it out!) Allumete is a short but innovative VR experience made by Penrose studios and is loosely based upon ‘The Little Match Girl’ by Hans Christian Anderson. In Allumete you witness the story of a young, homeless girl from, what can only be described as the viewpoint of an invisible and inquisitive giant. You don’t affect the story, nor do you play a part in it. You simply experience it by watching the story unfold on a beautifully detailed floating city. Allumette quickly became the PSVR showcase for my non VR owning friends. It was the go-to experience I first gave them when they put on the headset for the very first time. ...