Tag: Family Friendly

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

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD Review – Keep Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’!
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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. ...
Launching My Seven Year-Old Daughter into a Life of Piracy with Sea of Thieves
Features

Launching My Seven Year-Old Daughter into a Life of Piracy with Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves has done well since launch. It shot to the top of the GfK charts for most physical sales in the UK alone, someones chicken got stolen, and over a million players jumped into the game on launch day. It has also become one of my favourite pirate games, and so I grabbed my seven year-old Daughter and threw her into a life of piracy. Before I rabbit on about the Sea of Thieves experience. I'm usually laid back with video games and parenting. My eldest (7 y/o) is innocent enough to play Grand Theft Auto 5 just to go for a walk in the park with no weapons. She's cute enough to jump onto Red Dead Redemption and tend to the horses pretending to brush them. She avoids violence. And with me near, she'll throw the controller at me, narrowly missing my head if a situation that inv...
Thumb Culture Retrospective – The Beatles Rock Band
PlayStation Reviews

Thumb Culture Retrospective – The Beatles Rock Band

There's nothing I love more than The Beatles, well, apart from David Bowie, Pulp and actually come to think of it there are quite a few things I love more than The Beatles. When it comes to me and Rock Band, I get on quite well with it. My main issue with the games has always been my below average health, specifically my wrists, it makes it pretty hard to play Rock Band for long periods of time. Still, that didn't stop me from putting the disc in and not stopping until I'd played through the entire story mode. What I do regret is playing every single song in one go in one day without a break. Writing this review currently is about as easy as coaxing a meerkat out of its hole with car insurance. I'll just preface this review with a note. I do in fact really enjoy The Beatles, and I play ...
It’s Quiz Time Review – Quizzy Rascal
PC Reviews

It’s Quiz Time Review – Quizzy Rascal

It's Quiz Time by Snap Finger Click is a party game that see's you taking part in a...erm...quiz. Which is no surprise when you look at the team behind the game and read that they worked previously on the Buzz series. Giving claim that its the biggest quiz game on consoles...EVER! Let's dive in and take a look at what is under the hood and see if It's Quiz Time lives up to its Buzz heritage. Gameplay Essentially you are taking part in a quiz game show, but with a twist. You don't use your controller, you connect your phone through an app and join the game by using a Room Code and then the fun begins. With up to 8 players being able to take part, you can rest assured that there will be some intense quizzing going on throughout the game. When you start you are greeted with a number ...