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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
Frostpunk is in a word awesome, it’s beautifully crafted, enticingly simple and wholly captivating. Words truly do not do the magnificence justice, buy it, play it, love it. Many hours are going to be lost, my children’s names will fade from my mind as I plan my next move. Frostpunk is a city-building game fan’s delight. 11 Bit Studios need to go out and have one hell of a celebration unless that hell freezes over of course. Frostpunk romps it’s way to an easy Thumb Culture Platinum award.
The Fisherman is a very enjoyable and relaxing game, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time playing it. As a new player, I can recommend it, for the initial purchase you get a lot of game for the money and the removal of the microtransactions and the reworked economy make for a much more enjoyable and relaxing game, which in my eyes a fishing game should be. If however, you’re a seasoned Fishing Planet player I can’t see it being a worthwhile purchase, If you’ve already invested 100’s of your own hours or more importantly money into the free game, it’s a lot to give up for reworked mechanics. I feel The Fisherman deserves the gold thumb award!
Vampyr is a flawed gem which is unfortunately a bit more flawed on the Nintendo Switch. It feels a bit like a game from a by-gone era, when technical issues and rough plotting often went hand-in-hand with passion and a unique vision. If you’re willing to turn a blind eye to the technical issues you’ll most likely have a ghoulish time, even with the Switch port. I give Vampyr a vampire-destroying Thumb Culture Silver Award.
I don’t know how simply I can put this: Close To The Sun is brilliant. I’ve already gone back to play it and I’m still getting caught out by the jump scares and the wrong-turns when being chased. It’s bloody fantastic. The game encompasses all of the best parts of survival horror games, brings to life alternate realities with adaptations to non-fictional characters such as Tesla and his wacky inventions, and really grips you with the storyline. If you haven’t already got hold of it, go and get it. However, I can’t just let the graphical deficiencies slide, so as much as I like the game and I do recommend it, I’ll be giving Close To The Sun a Thumb Culture Silver Award!
I fairly enjoyed Disco Elysium. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very impressive game in its deep approach to role-playing but I found it extremely text-heavy and with no combat, was for me at times quite mundane. Disco Elysium is a very well written RPG, with deep conversations and an intriguing city that will make you want to make sure you are constantly on top of all things regarding your investigation. Whether that be talking and then re-talking to characters to see if you’ve unlocked some new dialogue to extend the investigation, or whether you’re constantly roaming around Revachol making sure you haven’t missed out on any new areas to look into, I just felt it was a lot of slow grinding and to bridge that with a bit of an un-motivating story, it didn’t keep me wanting to play all the time. Politics play a huge part in the story and I kind of got the feeling that as we have enough politics in the world right now what with BREXIT, that having it within Disco Elysium it’s got on my nerves a little. I am making Disco Elysium sound like a chore of a game, but I was, for the most part, enjoying it. Disco Elysium is currently £34.99 on Steam. I am awarding Disco Elysium a Thumb Culture Silver Award!
Into the Dead 2 is astoundingly expense for an auto-run game. There are two DLC packs, Ghostbusters and Night of the Living Dead, which look better than the base game however, these are available for an additional £4.49 each! The game’s core mechanic will most likely bore most people. It may appeal to the casual gamer and if you’re interested in the title then download the free to play mobile version as the Switch version is definitely not worth your time or money. This game needed to stay dead. I award the game a Thumb Culture Bronze Award.
Wrapping up, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a fantastic game and well-deserving of high praise. Between the goofy dialogue, lovely cartoony art style, and super-smooth gameplay. I’m ecstatic to be able to award them with the Thumb Culture Platinum Essential award. If you own a Nintendo Switch, you don’t want to miss out on this gem of a platformer. Available now on the Nintendo eShop for £24.99, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is every bit worth your time and money.
Farming Simulator 19 Platinum Edition is immense, tricky and certainly not a walk in the farm! There is a handy tutorial to set you on your way but be warned, you will lose many days if not months of your life to this game in order to perfect your farm. As a father of 4 boys I would personally struggle to sit down every day for a few hours to carry on what I was doing from the day before. That said this is the perfect form of escapism if you just need to go chill and take time out from your life, which let’s face it, we should all do from time to time. The attention to detail within the game as well as the amazing CLAAS vehicles that have been included in this edition really bring something to the table if you love your farming and engineering. I award Farming Simulator 19 Platinum Edition the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
I’m happy to report that the game is worth checking out. I was surprised with the quality of the game in terms of level design; it’s varied, challenging and feels like classic Monkey Ball. Unfortunately, the party games lack the quality and depth of its predecessors and due to this, I award the game a Thumb Culture Silver Award!