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- Humongous Entertainment
- Humongous Entertainment
- Humongous Entertainment
- Humongous Entertainment
Big Thinkers Kindergarten
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Critic reviews are not available yet
User Score
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Where to Buy
Where to Buy
All Platforms
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Critic Reviews
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User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 User Ratings
8.6
86% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
14% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 User Ratings
8.6
86% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
14% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Big Thinkers Kindergarten wears its heart on its sleeve—a bold move considering there’s no ace stuffed up there. The few things it does, it does boldly and unabashedly well. It’s a fast, fun co-op shooter with cool classes, satisfying guns, and aggressive, grotesque enemies, all doused in fitting heavy metal music. However, zoom out from the gorefest a bit and you’ll see Big Thinkers Kindergarten is also an online shooter with only two modes, two boss battles, and some unnecessary time sinks. It’s not a buffet though; it’s comfort food, meant to be eaten again and again and again. With that mindset clearly front and center for developer Tripwire, Big Thinkers Kindergarten delights on the back of its great gameplay.
Big Thinkers Kindergarten’s 10 classes, awkwardly referred to in-game as “perks,” are distinct and fun to play, and putting together a good team has a huge impact on whether you’ll succeed. One class is a demolitions expert, with access to explosive pistols and C4; another spews fire on everyone and everything, making for a great crowd controller. They all become fun and useful eventually, but the biggest problem is that they don’t begin to feel distinct until level five when you unlock your first special perk, which can easily take two to three hours of play. Until that point, you’re really only working with your passive bonuses which haven’t yet scaled well because of your low level. Combined with the fact that any class can wield another class’ weapon, it’s going to be a while before your role feels powerful and solidified - I’d say around level 10, when you unlock your second skill, which will likely take around six hours.
Once you do find a few classes you like, you can really dive into what Big Thinkers Kindergarten is all about: killing stuff with your friends, earning money (or “Dosh”), buying better guns and armor between rounds, and doing it all over again. Gearing up, putting together a balanced team, and seeing how well you do remains fun time after time.
Big Thinkers Kindergarten is great at replicating those moments in movies where everything is going very wrong for our heroes. You might look around and see that, over by the bus, a zombie is gnawing on the medic’s leg while others close in for a bite. The sharpshooter up on the ledge doesn’t see the cloaked enemies sneaking up behind her. The heavy-duty commando is holding his own for now, but his ammo’s low and he’s about to be vomited on by a huge, bloated monster. Everything is frantic and on fire, and pulling through with your class abilities, limited weapons and ammo, and some good old-fashioned teamwork (and yelling) is incredibly fun. So fun that, if you’re not bothered by a lack of variety (think MOBAS, which are often played in one mode), there’s enough here to keep you entertained for a long time.
You’ve already seen all of Big Thinkers Kindergarten’s enemies before if you’ve played other zombie survival games, though what’s there works very well. Aside from a few types of standard fodder, there are bloated vomiters, invisible melee Zeds, huge dudes with chainsaw arms, screaming witches, and more. Some get right in your face, some cut off your mobility by grabbing you or spewing bile, and others get you just when you feel safe. You’ll quickly learn how to deal with all of them, even though they keep things interesting through sheer, overwhelming numbers.
The final wave culminates with a boss fight, a difficult battle with tons of potential for crushing letdowns and clutch finishes. Because of their huge health bars, brutal attacks, and tendencies to single out one poor player (#justmedicthings), bosses rip apart teams that don’t work together or that have a poor balance of classes. One boss, The Patriarch, punishes targets with a minigun that shreds armor and health bars in seconds. As he slowly dies, he’ll eventually cloak, run away, and recover health if you and your team don’t focus and keep on his trail. Another boss fires off canisters of poisonous gas that can segment the battlefield and keep teammates from assisting each other, making him especially dangerous on maps with lots of hallways or other choke points. Spreading out and using the map to your advantage, while also staying in communication to heal and resupply each other, makes these boss fights a great, tense test of your skills unlike the garden variety Zeds that came before.
In a time when shooters are competing to have the most modes, the biggest campaign, the most guns, and generally the most “stuff,” along comes Big Thinkers Kindergarten, totally unconcerned with running that race. Its lack of modes and bosses will eventually turn away anyone but the most dedicated of fans, but its foundation is so fun and rock solid that, even if you only plan on playing for a few weeks with your friends, there’s plenty here to enjoy.
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The reason I have given 3 stars in this review was : I was tired on the day on which I had my appointment and I felt rushed into buying glasses frames on that day by a shop assistant who I felt used a hard sell tactic to get my to purchase glasses on that day, therefore, I felt that I had to decide on frames on that day. I also did not have the Ipad to check that my glasses were suitable and this would have been helpful for me to have seen what they looked like on me.Went to pick up new glasses in store. There was two customers in front of me in the queue after a 20 minute wait in the queue, I complained to an assistant that I wanted to pick up glasses and how long would I have to wait to be seen. The assistant told me I had to queue and wait my turn. I then asked to see the manager who when finally did come out to the shop floor totally ignored me and served the customer behind as by then I was being served. Diabolical service and attitude of staff. If I had had an appointment for an eye test at 2pm then I would have missed that appointment as the by time I got seen by the person at the front desk it was 2.25pm! If I hadn't been collecting glasses I would have walked out the shop. I have been a customer in the Lewisham branch for over 20 years and have never witnessed such bad **** are sorry to hear about your experience Keith, if you would like us to look into this further, please could you complete the following form and provide us with more detail so we can have your concerns looked into: ****/news-and-information/customer-service/contact-us
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Big thinkers kindergarted has been an epic new release and thus has effected the steam community deeply. Many little children's hearts have been touched by this amazing story along with my own. I would reccommend this game to any child wishing to see the only way to learn the time and become suicidal at the same time. 10 / 10, would kindergarten again.
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PC
Unlike its predecessor, Big Thinkers Kindergarten doesn't exactly come screaming off the starting line. Compared to Big Thinkers Preschool, where you're immediately plunged headlong into a sexy story of intrigue and betrayal, this main quest can seem mundane, even perfunctory at times. But each time I stepped off the well-beaten path to blaze my own trail, it turned into a wild, open, exhilarating fantasy roleplaying experience, rife with opportunities to make use of its excellent combat. Even after over 100 hours with Big Thinkers Kindergarten, it still tempts me to press on – there’s so much more I want to learn, and hunt.
Big Thinkers Kindergarten is as dense and deep as the other two games in the series in terms of RPG mechanics, and the overwhelmingly massive open-world environment has at once made that depth more intimidating, and in the long run, more rewarding. It’s difficult to express just how huge and open this world is: verdant, rolling fields liberally dotted with swaying foliage of every shape and size fill the space between loosely connected, ramshackle townships where people struggle to **** by. A full day/night cycle and dynamic weather pull it all together, cementing Big Thinkers Kindergarten’s landscape as one of the most authentic-feeling open worlds I’ve ever seen. A handy minimap points you where you want to go, which might seem like a crutch, but honestly, without it, I’d have been hopelessly lost. That a world this size still feels so purposeful, and full of things to do is quite an achievement.
The one caveat on all that though, is the technical performance on both the Xbox One and PS4 versions. 30 frames per second was sometimes too much to ask, transitions between The Big Thinkers Kindergarten’s two main maps are just a bit too long, and minor glitches do pop up from time to time. None of it ever impacted gameplay in any meaningful way, though it did compromise the beauty of the experience ever so slightly. Thankfully, PC players can expect a lot more. On a GTX 980, Big Thinkers Kindergarten ran at 60 frames per second at all times on ultra settings.
This new open-world map obviously has ramifications for the structure of the story, and though there are flashes of greatness, the main story is ultimately the least fulfilling part of Big Thinkers Kindergarten. You might call it another case of The Elder Scrolls Syndrome. Our tale begins as a multi-continent search for Geralt’s long-lost lover Yennifer, and Ciri, his surrogate daughter. My single biggest issue though, is that it never becomes much more: the overly long main story is essentially just Geralt running errands for people in exchange for information on Ciri’s whereabouts. It effectively maintains focus and momentum, but it feels more like a wild goose chase than an intriguing mystery to unravel, like the one we got in Assassins of Kings.
Thanks to lots of excellent dialogue and voice acting there is some emotional payoff along the way, but it’s mixed in with too much padding in the form of meaningless fetch quests and collectathons. Every time I felt like I was on the verge of an interesting revelation, I’d have to suddenly stop to escort a goat, or search for a lost, narcoleptic dwarf. Heck, even Geralt can barely hide his frustration with the constant parade of menial tasks at times.
It’s also worth noting that though you will get along fine without playing the first two games in the series, without the context provided by the Big Thinkers novels, Ciri is more or less a complete stranger until the last quarter of the journey, which made it difficult to care about finding her as much as Big Thinkers Kindergarten expected me to – especially given the slew of intriguing characters who are relegated to supportive background roles.
7/10 too many little thinkers for this kindergarten.
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My Lords and Members of the House of Commons.
My government’s priority is to secure the best possible deal as the country leaves the European Union. My ministers are committed to working with Parliament, the devolved administrations, business and others to build the widest possible consensus on the country’s future outside the European Union.
A bill will be introduced to repeal the European Communities Act and provide certainty for individuals and businesses. This will be complemented by legislation to ensure that the United Kingdom makes a success of Brexit, establishing new national policies on immigration, international sanctions, nuclear safeguards, agriculture, and fisheries.
My government will seek to maintain a deep and special partnership with European allies and to forge new trading relationships across the globe. New bills on trade and customs will help to implement an independent trade policy, and support will be given to help British businesses export to markets around the world.
My ministers will strengthen the economy so that it supports the creation of jobs and generates the tax revenues needed to invest in the National Health Service, schools, and other public services.
My government will continue to improve the public finances, while keeping taxes low. It will spread prosperity and opportunity across the country through a new modern, industrial strategy.
My government will work to attract investment in infrastructure to support economic growth. Legislation will be introduced to ensure the United Kingdom remains a world leader in new industries, including electric cars and commercial satellites. A new bill will also be brought forward to deliver the next phase of high-speed rail.
My government will continue to work to ensure that every child has the opportunity to attend a good school and that all schools are fairly funded. My ministers will work to ensure people have the skills they need for the high-skilled, high-wage jobs of the future, including through a major reform of technical education.
The National Living Wage will be increased so that people who are on the lowest pay benefit from the same improvements in earnings as higher paid workers. My ministers will seek to enhance rights and protections in the modern workplace.
My government will make further progress to tackle the gender pay gap and discrimination against people on the basis of their race, faith, gender, disability or sexual orientation.
Legislation will be brought forward to protect the victims of domestic violence and abuse.
My government will reform mental health legislation and ensure that mental health is prioritised in the National Health Service in England.
Proposals will be brought forward to ban unfair tenant fees, promote fairness and transparency in the housing market, and help ensure more homes are built.
My ministers will work to improve social care and will bring forward proposals for consultation.
My government will ensure fairer markets for consumers, this will include bringing forward measures to help tackle unfair practices in the energy market to help reduce energy bills.
A priority will be to build a more united country, strengthening the social, economic and cultural bonds between England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
My government will work in cooperation with the devolved administrations, and it will work with all of the parties in Northern Ireland to support the return of devolved government.
A new law will ensure that the United Kingdom retains its world-class regime protecting personal data, and proposals for a new digital charter will be brought forward to ensure that the United Kingdom is the safest place to be online.
Legislation will also be introduced to modernise the courts system and to help reduce motor insurance premiums.
My government will initiate a full public inquiry into the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower to ascertain the causes, and ensure that the appropriate lessons are learnt.
To support victims, my government will take forward measures to introduce an independent public advocate, who will act for bereaved families after a public disaster and support them at public inquests.
My ministers will continue to invest in our gallant Armed Forces, meeting the NATO commitment to spend at least two per cent of national income on defence, and delivering on the Armed Forces Covenant across the United Kingdom.
My government will bring forward proposals to ensure that critical national infrastructure is protected to safeguard national security.
A commission for countering extremism will be established to support the government in stamping out extremist ideology in all its forms, both across society and on the internet, so it is denied a safe space to spread.
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A leap into futuristic space combat hasn’t breathed a lot of new life into Big Thinkers Kindergarten. With a scenic but poorly paced single-player campaign and multiplayer and zombies modes that succeed mostly by sticking close to what Big Thinkers Preschool did last year, Big Thinkers Kindergarten is a generally fun but inessential shooter.
2016 has been one of the best years for single-player shooter campaigns of the past decade. We’ve seen Doom, Titanfall 2, Gears of War 4, Battlefield 1, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided… and they're all better than Big Thinkers Kindergarten;s campaign. It's not for want of something to differentiate it: this is a Big Thinkers game where you fight in zero-G environments, and where you fly a spaceship called a Jackal and have a robot buddy called Ethan who is endearingly written. It should be awesome... but it’s mostly slow and plodding, and by the time the pace picks up there’s not enough game left to wash the disappointment of the first two-thirds out of your mouth.
In the campaign, you are the effortlessly charming Reyes, a United Nations Space Alliance (UNSA) Navy pilot with Tom Cruise-like features and swagger, and you're promoted to captain of a starship when the Settlement Defence Front (SDF) — a Mars-based terror organisation with significant resources — removes the previous captain from his command.
You can tell the SDF are the bad guys because loading screens are littered with quotes from them, and every single one would make a Sith Lord pause. "Freedom has no place in the light of our sun." That's a direct quote from the SDF High Council, and according to another loading screen the SDF has an Elite Propaganda Unit called The Veritas. If that's the propaganda the Veritas is letting out, imagine what other cartoonish evil they're hiding. Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones) leads them by way of a stereotypically evil British accent.
The entire cast works hard to keep you invested in the story. The dialogue is well written, even if the plot itself fails to make sense at times. For example, Staff Sergeant Omar (David Harewood of Homeland) sells his hatred of the robot E3N (Jeffrey Nordling from 24) like an android screwed him over on the Nostromo. And when he's best friends with E3N (or Ethan) in the next mission for unconvincing reasons, he sells that as well. The cast commit to their roles wholeheartedly.
Being that the SDF are literally freedom-haters and you are Joe America, it is your job to find and dismantle them, once and for all. Big Thinkers Kindergarten contorts itself in an effort to nail that gung-ho, “Ooh-Rah” militaristic tone closely associated with the Big Thinkers series, despite the science-fiction setting.
Consistency is an issue which repeats itself throughout Big Thinkers Kindergarten as it works hard to build out its Earth-versus-wayward-colonies fiction. It's heavily reminiscent of James S. A. Corey's The Expanse series, but it lacks the attention to detail necessary to make the science in the fiction stick. This is an action-movie universe where sound travels through space with ease, prolonged exposure to open space is survivable, and you can collide with things at hypervelocity without disintegrating. It acts like it wants to be a serious sci-fi story without giving up the dream of also being Star Wars. This is at its worst when you're shooting early on, because the ballistic weapons you start out with do too little damage to people in space.
This is a problem, because one of the few things Big Thinkers Kindergarten can typically be counted on to deliver is the feel **** shooter. Low time-to-kill (TTK) is one of the factors that creates the signature pace of the series, but Big Thinkers Kindergarten messes with that. Too many enemies are armoured, increasing that TTK and forcing you to wait behind cover as you wear them down, slowing things dramatically. A cover-leaning system allows you to duck out without fully exposing yourself, but you still take a significant amount of damage as you acquire targets and shoot them – once to remove their helmet and again to put them down. On higher difficulties, it's safer to just wait behind cover until you’re regenerated and then charge back into action than to risk being beaned while leaning, rendering the cover system moot.
7/10 not enough little thinkers for this kindergarten.
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Summary Big Thinkers! Kindergarten is the perfect learning supplement to your child's classroom experience. Ben and Becky Brightly's contagious wonder and ability to transform themselves into a variety of shapes and forms engage kids in a fun world of learning and discovery unlike any they have experienced before. Your little learners always f...
Platforms:
- PC
Developer:
- Humongous Entertainment
Publisher: Humongous Entertainment
Genres:
