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Summing up, Ultra Off-Road 2019: Alaska on the Nintendo Switch is probably a game to pass on. It might play better on other platforms because the Switch isn’t as powerful as the others. I’m gonna give it the Bronze Award because I didn’t enjoy my time spent with the game, and I honestly don’t think I’ll ever pick it up again. I was hoping for an epic off-roading game and what I got I felt was sub-par. Maybe my expectations were just set too high.
SuperEpic won’t be for everyone, but it’s perfect for gamers who enjoy action platformers with a Metroidvania structure. The gameplay can become repetitive but I never found that it stopped being fun. The challenge is pitched just about right to encourage you to save up for those upgrades which give you a couple more health points or a more powerful weapon. I give it the Thumb Culture gold award.
The foundation of Construction Simulator 2 is solid, and there’s an enjoyment to be found in the simple, repetitive nature of the game. And at £17.99, there is a lot of content packed in. However, the game suffers from a lack of ambition. Of the many missions, there’s limited variety. There’s no real management of your company, and no challenge to keep things afloat. Having a bigger scope, and a lot more polish to the game, it has the potential to be as beloved as a game like SimCity or Theme Park. However, as it stands, I can only recommend this to fans of the genre already. As such, I award Construction Simulator 2 US – Console Edition a Thumb Culture Bronze award.
Simulacra is an enjoyable experience, even if it is not the best example of the genre. You’ll find an interesting but ultimately rather shallow story. The concept could have been taken further, with more exploration surrounding what it means to broadcast your identity through a device which fits in the palm of your hand. A device which can be lost or compromised and used against you. In spite of this, I had a good time with Simulacra, and I give it the Thumb Culture silver award.
Star Ocean First Departure R is an absolutely fantastic JRPG and should be included in any fans collection. For the price tag, it’s tough to argue with buying it. Even though I received a code by Square Enix to review this game, I plan to get it on the Nintendo Switch. This is only because I prefer to have my JRPGs mobile these days. I’m giving Star Ocean First Departure R the Thumb Culture Gold Award! It’s a very excellent game, but if you’re not into JRPGs it’s probably not going to be a good game for you.
Arise: A Simple Story is a special game and it deserves your attention. The narrative, although like the title suggests is ‘simple’, how it’s told is not, and the game deserves to be lauded for this. The puzzles are fun with suitable challenge allowing you to progress through the game and experience the unique chapters with a smile on your face. If you’re a fan of artistic indie titles such as Brothers: A Tale of two Sons, Rime and Limbo then do yourself a favour, and check out this game. Not only does this game get the rare Thumb Culture Platinum Award, it’s also a game of the year contender!
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a great game to grace the Star Wars Universe and to be honest all through the gameplay I just had a smile right across my face. Its pure Star Wars fun and you won’t be disappointed. It’s actually great to have some good news coming to games based on Star Wars. With great characters, especially BD-1, you feel like you are playing through an epic story, and you are constantly reminded that this is Star Wars Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order receives the Thumb Culture Platinum Award
Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes is without a shadow of a doubt a good game. But, it doesn’t try and push the boundaries of game making though. Without the Travis factor, this game would be fairly average. So the non Travis fans will not have as much of a good time as the fanatics. As much as it pains me to say this, I am having to judge this based on how good it is, rather than how much I liked it. Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes has been awarded a Thumb Culture Silver Award.
So, here we answer my questions from the start of this review… Shenmue 3 couldn’t possibly have lived up to the hype and expectation surrounding it. This doesn’t mean the game is bad, it’s just people wanting perfection. It’s very much a game as I thought it would be, something given to the fans by a developer who clearly wants this story told as much as the fans want to be a part of it. This was clearly based on the speed at which the Kickstarter fund reached $1 million. Anyone thinking of starting out with Shenmue 3 because perhaps they aren’t old enough to have played the originals, go back and get the HD remaster, DO NOT start the story here. I promise you will not enjoy the game if you do. Shenmue 3 is a game out of times, it feels like a game created 15 years ago and locked up inside a time capsule until today. But as someone who has spent the best part of 30 years enjoying games, I say welcome back old friend! I give Shenmue 3 a Thumb Culture Silver Award as there is no doubt this game is going to be loved by the fans, but is most definitely not a game for everyone.
Bee Simulator is a massive disappointment. I was charmed and intrigued by the trailer but the gameplay is extremely repetitive. As nice as the world is the developers haven’t managed to make traversing it feel fun. A child might find some wonder and limited educational value but otherwise I would strongly recommend you steer clear. I give Bee Simulator the Thumb Culture Bronze award.
Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is a great game to sit on the couch and play with some friends while having some drinks. Unfortunately due to its limited replay value for those who don’t care about high scores, I’m going to have to score this a Silver award. If trying to beat your own high scores is your thing, then you’ll definitely want to pick this up. Bubble Bobble is one of those classic franchises that’s difficult to build on without losing what the game was meant to be. Bubble Bobble 4 Friends does a good job of what it’s supposed to do, without adding too much to take away from the core gameplay.
Even with all of its faults, it really is hard not to love this game, Every time the UI bugs me, or a keeper gets stuck, I just head to a habitat, sit and watch the baby Panda’s walking around with their parents, or head to the chimpanzees to watch them play and socialize and all of sudden I’m reminded of why this game is so great. Planet Zoo is so close to getting a platinum thumb, If only the UI was a little easier on the eye and the path-building wasn’t so frustrating. Planet Zoo more than deserves the Gold Thumb!
Narcos: Rise of the Cartels is a very playable game, there is a desire to get to the next level with as minimal casualties as possible and it does turn what should be a deadly shoot out into a bit of a sneak around to avoid dying. The unrealistic nature of the gameplay was a real downer for me, Narcos: Rise of the Cartels should have been right up my street, but it falls short of my expectations on so many levels it was disappointing. Without the Narcos endorsement, Narcos: Rise of the Cartels should probably retail for less than the £29.99 that is being asked. I have awarded Narcos: Rise of the Cartels a Thumb culture Silver Award.
NFS: Heat was everything I wanted from the game. It’s diverted from loot boxes of Payback and shifted into top gear by embracing its arcade roots, so due to this, it has raced its way to a Thumb Culture Gold Award!
I really enjoyed playing Terminator: Resistance. I am a huge fan of the Terminator series and I was extremely keen on playing this. I must admit, there isn’t much to say in terms of things that were difficult or that annoyed me during my time in Terminator: Resistance. There was one thing the fact you couldn’t jump over fences, or climb up walls which did irritate me, but that’s it. I particular liked one mission where your in a hospital, where you had to stealthily sneak around all the t800s without getting caught, and there were quite a few of them. It was hard, and it felt I was trying not to breath just to try and be that extra quiet, because getting caught resulted in pure annihilation. I wish the first half of the game had MORE of a Terminator feel though, because if you take away the machines you see, then you wouldn’t know what game your playing. The 2nd half of the game was really good, the closer you got to the ending the better it got. I was kind of sad when I did complete it mind. I really loved the interaction with John Connor, I felt it was great having a distant relationship with the iconic character that all us fans love, I just wish Arnie was in Terminator: Resistance too (ha wishful thinking). This is a must play for all Terminator fans!!! Terminator: Resistance receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award
I am hugely enjoying & extremely addicted to Football Manager 2020 this year. I am not sure why in particular as I get every years release. I think its because I didn’t rack up a lot of hours on FM19 so I am now back with a vengeance with excitement more than ever. The new features make the game far better with the detailed information more at your finger tips, and with the matchday games becoming more and more realistic, its just another very solid playthrough. Football fans that enjoy management sims and that are dedicated to the series will continue to enjoy what Miles Jacobson & Sports Interactive have released this year. Are you ready to take the reins of one of Europe’s elite teams? Or are you willing to manage a lower league club in an attempt to bring them to the promised land? The decision is entirely yours. I am giving Football Manager 2020 ….drum roll please….. the Thumb Culture Platinum Award!
This was a difficult review to write. I enjoyed creeping through the Felton mansion and the stalker mechanic is seldom seen and quite refreshing. The mansion itself is atmospheric and interesting, even if it cribs heavily from the first Resident Evil. The game feels like the work of an auteur with a singular vision, to its benefit and detriment. Unfortunately during my playthrough, I experienced multiple bugs which broke THREE of the handful of scripted stalker encounters and led to my losing an auto-save point. Re-Mothered: Tormented Fathers lacks polish and should have been play-tested more extensively. Frankly, I am frustrated with games being brought over to the Switch in this state. It’s not fair on unknowing consumers who might not know that the game they are buying is not release-ready, and Nintendo currently does not give refunds to unsatisfied customers. The game has achieved a decent Metacritic on other platforms so one can only assume that the Switch version was not given the care and attention it needed. Maybe at some point in the future, it will be more playable but as it stands I have no choice but to award Re-Mothered: Tormented Fathers our not-at-all coveted broken medal.
Let’s Sing 2020 seems more aimed at people in their early 20’s with a few token classics spuriously thrown in for the older generations. Based on the game’s current track listing I personally probably would not have bought it, however, the DLC packs provide an assortment of tracks that opens the game up to more people that are over the age of 25. Let’s Sing 2020 plays well and can easily be used to form the basis of a party when people want to get together and also compete to see who the best singer is! I award Let’s Sing 2020 the Thumb Culture Silver trophy.
I must say I enjoyed Moons of Madness quite a bit and I thought the length time of 6-8 hours was decent for the price. It wasn’t that scary to be honest, and there were times where the game would try and scare you with something, but I didn’t have my view on whatever it was, so would often miss these things. I only realised this when I watched someone else play through the game. The interactions between characters on the radio is really well done, keeps the story interesting and progressive throughout. Moons of Madness was very easy to play, with no real combat and with just the puzzles that really took a little time to complete, but I liked it a lot. My favourite part was the eerie atmosphere of Mars, always fascinates me what could be out their beyond our planet, and to have a little experience of what that could be in game form, it scares me more. As your character Shane at one point during the game says, “Mars sucks”….yes, yes it does Shane. I am awarding Moons of Madness the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
I have to say, I don’t usually enjoy FMV style games. To be honest, usually, the storylines that really bore me and I find them quite tiring. However, I did not find that with Headspun, I felt like I was investing time in building Theo up to learning what has happened along the way. Every time it came to turn off the PC, I kept on wanting to play the next day to see what mystery unraveled. I loved how on a day to day basis the mini-games really keep you on your feet and not only do you see Theo progressing! I actually noticed myself improving. A great game and if you are an FMV fan this is not one to miss. I award Headspun a Thumb Culture Gold Award