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Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve really impressed me. Although some of the missions were duds, and the multiplayer is a little light on modes, this is air combat at its best. Fluid controls, incredible visuals, and one hell of a campaign make this a game I can easily recommend. If you’ve been clamouring for something in the air combat genre, then you need look no further! With all that said, I’ll be giving Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Dressmaker is a wonderful cozy game that offers a whole lot of gameplay for a relatively low price point. Whilst the gameplay did get a little bit repetitive for me, I can’t deny that this is a game made purely with love. I really did enjoy playing this game and I probably will go back to every so often when I want to switch off. Dressmaker has definitely earned the Thumb Culture Gold Award and I think this will be the perfect addition to any cosy gaming fan’s library.
For me, though, there is something a little more personal about this one. At 18, I was struggling to get the original running properly on a PC that simply wasn’t powerful enough. At 46, I can finally revisit it without spending half my evening adjusting settings and wondering whether my computer is about to give up the ghost. Much like my recent trip back to Alien Breed, this is another reminder of just how much gaming has changed and how much fun those older titles can still provide. The difference is that this time, my hardware isn’t the enemy. If you grew up playing PC shooters in the nineties, SiN Reloaded is well worth a look. And if you missed it the first time around, you’ve now got the chance to discover a piece of gaming history without needing to blow your wages on a new processor. Now, if someone could just remaster my reflexes from 1998, we’d really be onto something! I give SiN Reloaded the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Active Matter at its core is unique extraction shooter with a solid foundation. It is fairly unforgiving to the average solo player and I feel is likely best with friends. Getting started can be a bit overwhelming with the amount of min-maxing available and the overall layout of loading into a match. Thankfully, there are some guides around to help out new players. There is a lot of detail thrown into the game. However, it was just very jarring to encounter the AI voice. Especially when she keeps repeating the same lines over and over rather than talking conversationally. So not the best game I’ve ever had the chance to review, but certainly not the worst. It’s one of those niche things that earns a Thumb Culture Silver Award.
DYNASTY WARRIORS 3: Complete Edition Remastered is a very good remaster for a game I loved as a child. Will more modern gamers like it as much as us older ones? Possibly, as there is undeniably a lot of fun to be had in hacking and slashing your way through entire armies! It can and will get repetitive, characters don’t play all that differently from one another, and the voice acting is dire, but it perfectly encapsulates that classic Dynasty Warriors feeling. For a 25-year-old game, I’m actually surprised at how well it holds up. The improvements to the mechanics are minimal, but still welcome changes that modernise the gameplay. A game I’d highly recommend, especially for PS2/Xbox players who want a lovingly recreated hit of nostalgia. Therefore, DYNASTY WARRIORS 3: Complete Edition Remastered receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is a great addition to the Hot Wheels franchise. Taking this to the open world gives it a great change to the normal system. With all the cars that are recognisable in the game, featuring Bone Shaker, Dragon Blaster and even Duck N’ Roll. Each one looks like it’s come straight out of the blister pack. Hot Wheels Infinite Rush receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Alien Breed 35th Anniversary Collection is exactly the sort of release that reminds you why preserving old games matters. Yes, the graphics are ancient. Yes, some of the controls and gameplay mechanics feel dated. Yes, younger gamers who have grown up with modern shooters may wonder why anyone would willingly play a game with CRT effects on their monitor screen. But that’s not really what this collection is about. It’s about remembering! 35 years after Alien Breed first appeared, it’s quite something to be sitting here playing it again. The developers have done a good job of adding modern conveniences without completely messing with what made the originals special. Modern controls, save states, visual options, online multiplayer and new modes make the games much easier to enjoy today, while the original versions remain at the heart of the package. You start the game, hear those familiar sounds, see those chunky pixels and suddenly you’re 15 again, except now your knees hurt. Instead of worrying about whether your mum is going to tell you to turn the computer off, you’re worrying about paying your mortgage. Alien Breed might be 35 years old, but the little bugger still knows how to make you smile. For old-school gamers who remember the Amiga era, the Alien Breed 35th Anniversary Collection is a genuinely enjoyable trip down memory lane and a great reminder of just how much fun games could be before everything needed a 100GB installation. You don’t find yourself needing to source a new M.2 drive to play this! I give Alien Breed 35th Anniversary Collection the Thumb Culture Platinum Award!
Keep Driving was a game I’d had my eye on since its PC release last year. Now, having played it, I really think it was worth the wait for us console players. The summer road trip atmosphere kept me engaged throughout multiple playthroughs, and I still haven’t seen everything the game has to offer. A great title to pick up and play when you have a spare half an hour, although it may grow a little tiresome for longer play sessions. A mix of RPG, Roguelike, and Visual Novel, Keep Driving is definitely a title I’d recommend for those of you looking for something original and driven by player choice. Therefore, Keep Driving receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Garfield – Escape from Monday is a decent entry-level platformer. It is easy to pick up on, easy to play through, and doesn’t get too challenging. For the newer gamer or younger crowd, it is suitable. However for those that play all variety of games at various difficulty levels, it can feel a bit underwhelming. It still has great visuals with a comic charm and fun to play. I’m giving the game the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Order of the Sinking Star has been a game I’ve really enjoyed getting lost in. I’ve spent around 20 plus hours with it, and I already want to play more. There’s something incredibly satisfying about solving each puzzle and moving onto the next one. The sheer amount of content also gives me plenty of reasons to keep coming back. I still have so much of the story and puzzles left to experience. That makes it difficult to put the game down, even after several hours. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with Order of the Sinking Star so far. For me, it has earned the highest honour, a Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Do I like Dog in the Machine? No, I love it. I often choose independent games to review and there is no greater feeling than unearthing a true gem. In this case, I have unearthed a hoard of treasure that will enrich my gaming well into the future. Hats off to Studio Chahut for producing a fun but challenging game, and at the price of £16 it is a steal. If you are a fan of strategy and turn based games I would urge you to get a copy, it might not change your life, but you wont regret it. If you are not a fan, it might just convert you.
Awkward AI disclaimers aside, Cards Everywhere is just another tidy up game in a sea of tidy up games. It doesn’t do anything wrong but it doesn’t do anything differently either. Then you add in the awkward tip toe around AI and it just makes things fall flat. I’ve got to give Cards Everywhere the Thumb Culture Bronze Award. It’s a super low price point but you could pick any game in the tidy up library and still find the same game. Check out our other PC reviews here to find other games worth adding to your library!
Worming From Home is exactly what I wanted it to be when I saw its trailer. It’s a super enjoyable, albeit odd, experience from start to finish. My army of intern worms is still working away in the background whilst I’m here giving the game the Thumb Culture Platinum Award. It’s a game I would recommend to friends and anyone looking for something silly to play in one sitting.
Bunker Tidy Up is as simple and straightforward as you would expect. It scratches that organization itch without involving niche hurdles or objectives to overcome. Unfortunately that also leads to a fairly short-lived game that doesn’t bring much, if anything, to the table for replayability. However, it doesn’t come off as a “janky” game despite using some well-worn mechanics and simple assets. So I am still awarding the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
I may not have expected much from Onimusha: Way of the Sword, but it still found ways to pleasantly surprise me. It’s one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played this year. And much of that is because it’s just so much fun. The game knows what it is and leans into the samurai theme instead of trying to replicate a formula that may have worked for some other developer. When I do get the time, I’ll definitely be chasing every Steam achievement for this game. It’s for this reason that I give it the Thumb Culture Platinum Award!
Whilst I’m still not sure what the thought process was behind making TSW a yearly release, I can’t deny just how much enjoyment I get out of playing them. Train Sim World 7 is no different, providing three high-quality routes for returning fans to enjoy. Plus, the new Freight Hauler mode offers more sandbox fun than even the Free Roam mode. Add on the simplified control scheme that makes it accessible to more people than ever before, and you’re on track to be the best train simulation game ever. Therefore, Train Sim World 7 receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Is Bus Simulator 27 one of the best sim games I’ve played? No, there are far too many issues to put it high up on that list. But did I enjoy the time I spent with it? Mostly, yes! Despite its flaws, I can’t deny that I had a pretty chilled-out experience, with only a few issues that made me mumble swear words under my breath. Although it does need a bit more polish, this is still a decent title that both bus and simulator enthusiasts will probably enjoy. With all that said, I’ll be giving Bus Simulator 27 the Thumb Culture Silver Award!
Marvel’s Wolverine is actually a really great game, but I came across a lot of things that did kill my momentum because of these issues. I’m curious with the ending we got, are they going to work on Wolverine 2? Or will the worlds of this game and Spider-Man collide and we might get a hint in Spider-Man 3. Now, it is up to you if you want to pick it up because you like Insomniac Games’ work. I want to say that this is a good game with an amazing story to tell. I give Marvel’s Wolverine the Thumb Culture Gold Award
Ultimately Tiny Eden missed the mark for me. I know that simulators can be simplistic and not have a lot to them but they still feel like you’re achieving something and that wasn’t the case here. In short bursts this game was enjoyable but I don’t think I’ll be rushing back to unlock more plants. To give kudos to the devs they do seem to be on the ball with updating and fixing bugs as there have already been quite a few big updates fixing things. After playing Tiny Eden I’ve got to give it the Thumb Culture silver award. I don’t doubt there are plenty of people that will adore this game, but unfortunately it just didn’t hit for me.
TCG Card Shop Simulator delivers more than it promises. The gameplay is satisfying, and there’s a bunch of content to experience. If you want an engaging, relaxing game to lose hours, TCG Card Shop Simulator is the way to go. It may not do anything groundbreaking, and there are some performance-related issues. But TCG Card Shop Simulator is definitely a game I’ll keep coming back to. It’s for this reason that I give it the Thumb Culture Gold Award!