Game Review

MediEvil

Initial Release Date: October 25, 2019

Developer: Other Ocean Emeryville

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Platform: PlayStation 4

Genre: Action Adventure Arcade, Hack and Slash

Why We’re Playing It: The days are getting shorter, the air is growing crisper and pumpkin-spiced everything has hit the store shelves, so we are in search of games that give us ALL of the Halloween feels. MediEvil delivers and fills your pixelated candy bucket to the brim with gaming goodness!

What It’s All About?: This is a remake of the original Playstation game from 1998. It stays true to the original storyline of our undead hero, Sir Daniel Fortesque (AKA Sir Dan), coming back from the grave to rescue the kingdom of Gallowmere from the forces of evil.

That’s Worth A Power-Up!: Visually, this rendition of the classic game presents a spectacularly spooky polished revamp of the original. It still embodies the dark humor and creepy ambiance, but it elevates the gaming experience to new levels with the advances in technology available. You won’t see any pixelated or vanishing polygons here.

Bonus Level: MediEvil delivered with putting us in the Halloween frame of mind, but it also tugged our nostalgic heart strings on two levels. One, which we expected, reminding us of the original Playstation days, but the other was how much this game felt like the classic arcade-style hack and slash games that you powered through with your friends in shopping mall arcades.

And that’s why this game is a certified quarter muncher!

Fall Guys

Initial Release Date: August 4, 2020

Developer: Mediatonic

Publisher: Devolver Digital

Designer: Joseph Walsh

Engine: Unity

Platform: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows

Genre: Battle Royale, Platform, Racing

Why We’re Playing It: It can be hard to find a video game that the whole family can enjoy no matter your skill set, age or level of play. Luckily, Fall Guys ticks all of those boxes and it’s a barrel of laughs, a bucket of fun and a whole heap of hilariousness.

What It’s All About?: Fall Guys is a battle royale-style competition game that draws inspiration from the 1980s game show, Takeshi’s Castle. We’ll pause while you Google that OR you can just say it’s American Gladiators with super cute characters dressed up as hot dogs, chickens and other super non-intimidating outfits.

That’s Worth A Power-Up!: Fall Guys throws in a wide mix of free-for-all and team challenge competitions that culminate into a final mini-game, which incorporates a mixture of elements from other mini-games. With millions of players worldwide, you will most likely never be pitted against the same players twice, so you never know what to expect from game to game, which helps add to the replay value.

Bonus Level: If you have PlayStation Plus membership, you can score this game for free this month, but if you don’t have PS Plus, it will only set you back $19.99 as of the time this article is published.

And that’s why this game is a certified quarter muncher!

RAD

Initial Release Date: August 20, 2019

Developer: Double Fine

Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment

Genre: Action-Adventure, Arcade

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows

Why We’re Playing It: It’s no secret that the TrunkSpace team are fans of the ‘80s, and this game exudes totally tubular nostalgia. Even the actual gameplay harkens back to the old-school, arcade-style games that were top down action/adventure romps. So put on your jean jacket, hairspray that hair and wear your sunglasses at night while we dive into this session of Trunk Gaming!

What It’s All About?: You choose your teenage adventurer protagonist, grab your baseball bat and head into a post-apocalyptic world that has become a barren wasteland full of gnarly creatures that are hungry for flesh. The fate of humanity depends on you to traverse the radioactive landscape and spread life and heal the environment through the use of machines. This comes at a cost though, and your body mutates as you play, giving you either unexpected power or hindering side effects.

That’s Worth A Power-Up!: We’re a sucker for visually-striking and stylistic games, and “RAD” delivers on this front. From the retro electronic riffs to the gorgeous wasteland of a landscape, this game is a treat for your ears and eyeballs. Oh, and the random voiceover guy that proclaims your achievements with ‘80s buzz words will have you laughing as you smash those radioactive mutants to bits.

Bonus Level: At first play through it seems sort of like one dimensional gaming, and you’re not sure if there is much replay value. Once you clear the first few levels, you realize you’re just scratching the surface, and when you start teleporting from caves to different levels, things get wild. The game also has a random level generator, so you are literally never playing the same level twice. All we can say is clear your schedule, because once you download “RAD” you are going to be hooked!

And that’s why this game is a certified quarter muncher!

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

Initial Release Date: June 21, 2019

Publisher & Developer: Niantic, Portkey Games, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Genre: Augmented Reality, Location Based Gaming

Platforms: Android, IOS

Why We’re Playing It: Dust off your wands, wake up the house elf and pour yourself a Butter Beer, because you’re about to dive head first into the world of Harry Potter. This game is a dream come true for any fan of the Harry Potter franchise and its many facets, so naturally we wanted to check this one out for all the Potter Heads out there.

What’s It All About?: Quite simply, you are submerged into the wizarding world. You play along with many of the notable (and memorable!) characters from the film franchise while you grow and learn as a wizard yourself. If this game was a layered, tiered cake, that would be just the first layer on the first tier. There is so much to this game in terms of story, characters and game play.

That’s Worth A Power-Up!: The game itself is free with in-app purchases available that are hard to resist. There is so much to do between creating potions, growing plants, dining at inns, battling vampires and werewolves… you never run out of something to do every time you boot up your app. It is a lot to take in at first, but our advice is just to start playing, and as you go along you will start to incorporate more and more of the different aspects into your gaming experience.

Bonus Level: Much like Pokémon Go, different locations will yield different experiences. If you see someone in the bread aisle of the grocery store frantically casting spells on their phone to defeat a Death Eater, you’ll completely understand.

And that’s why this game is a certified quarter muncher!

Days Gone

Initial Release Date: April 26, 2019

Developer: SIE Bend Studio

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Platform: PS4

Genre: Surivival Horror/Over-The-Shoulder Shoot

Why We’re Playing It: We have been starving for a decent survival horror genre game to sink our teeth into and this one is a dead ringer for the kind that we like to chew on.

What’s It’s All About?: You play as the lovable loner and former biker gang member Deacon St. John. (voiced by “Being Human” star Sam Witwer!) To keep this synopsis spoiler free, we’ll just say the basics of the plot are to survive and thrive along with your biker buddy, Boozer (Jim Pirri).

That’s Worth A Power-Up!: While some games herald themselves as true post-apocalyptic survival horror experiences, you still get by quite easily finding random cases of bullets, guns, etc. strewn across the landscape, which really makes no sense. In “Days Gone” it’s quite the opposite. While you traverse the treacherous “freaker” terrain, you are going to have to stop at police cars, NERO camps and more to locate bullets, otherwise you will be lucky to find some spare scrap metal, a loose board, or on a good day, a machete in an abandoned shed or car. One thing that is clear? There are not enough bullets to take out all those freakers, so you’re going to have to use your noggin a bit to survive.

Bonus Level: “Days Gone” is a solid game that could easily stand alone, but SIE Bend Studio is not done. They have vowed weekly challenges and updates to be made for the game that will keep fans coming back for more freaker-bashing fun. So, to quote Deacon, “Let’s ride!”

And that’s why this game is a certified quarter muncher!

Resident Evil 2

Initial Release Date: January 25, 2019

Publisher & Developer: Capcom

Genre: Survival Horror, Action/Adventure

Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows

Why We’re Playing It: We played the original Resident Evil 2 way back in ‘98 when it was released, and we loved it then, so we could not resist the chance to slip on those familiar gaming sneakers that once carried our imaginations through the late ‘90s of horror survival.

What’s It All About?: The story follows rookie police officer Leon Scott Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield. The two accidentally cross paths on their journey to Raccoon City. Claire is looking for her brother, Chris Redfield (from the first Resident Evil) and poor Leon was supposed to start working for the RPD right before the zombie poop hit the fan. The game allows you to play as either Leon or Claire. They are both similar experiences but with different weapons, storylines and a few additional surprises.

That’s Worth A Power-Up!: You know what to expect from a remastered Star Wars movie – 1,000 Storm Troopers instead of 100, or a few extra CGI-based aliens here or there, but Capcom’s new take on their old classic is entirely different. Imagine taking the scariest movie you have ever seen, then, somehow making it induce 10x more anxiety, scares and cursing at your screen. That’s what you have with the Resident Evil 2 revamp. Whether it’s Mr. X’s relentless pursuit or zombies dropping out of ceilings, this game will have you freaking out in more ways than one. There is no poetic way to put it… you’re just going to freak the freak out!

Bonus Level: There are so many aspects to this version of RE2 that will have you drooling with gamer admiration, but one of the most impressive is the mix of lighting and sound effects. When you enter a dark room with your flashlight bobbing around and you hear the growl of a nearby zombie and the creak of a light hanging from the ceiling, you are on the edge of your seat even if there is nothing in the room that can do you harm. The atmosphere and full immersion into the Raccoon City apocalypse is beautifully done.

And that’s why this game is a certified quarter muncher!

Game: Far Cry 5

Initial Release Date: March 27, 2018

Publisher: Ubisoft

Genre: 1st Person Shooter/Action Adventure

Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows

Why We’re Playing It: We enjoy our shooter games, but “Far Cry 5” has more layers than deep fried onion at a state fair. You might be liberating a camp full of cultist hillbillies one minute, then literally fishing in a lake the next. This playable experience is one of those rare instances that allows you incredible gaming freedom to fly a helicopter, plane, drive a boat, ATV, semi-truck or skydive in a wingsuit. The kicker… it doesn’t suck! What do we mean by that? You know the type of game that has you flying, boating, driving and walking, but the mechanics are just all wrong? This is the opposite. Ubisoft does every aspect of this game well, including some stunning full motion video and beautiful backdrops.

What It’s All About?: You play a deputy rookie that is riding along with veteran police forces to diffuse a hostile cult that is taking over the area. Matters are attempted to be resolved peacefully, but that would make a pretty boring game. So instead, things go up in smoke along with the helicopter you’re riding in. After crash-landing, you’re rescued by a rebel that helps you blend in undercover. You continue your work to liberate and save the innocent while helping take the area back from the cultists.

That’s Worth A Power-Up!: One of the best aspects about this installment of “Far Cry” is the vast variety. As we mentioned, you have an abundance of transportation options, but you also have a slew of weapons, power-ups and tasks that keep things interesting. If you need a break from all the gunning and blowing stuff up, kick back and relax and do some fishing, hunting or even repair a car. Just don’t keep your hand off the trigger finger while you’re smelling the virtual roses.

Bonus Level: The dialogue in this game is some of the funniest we’ve encountered since perhaps “Duke Nukem.” Had we had milk in our mouth, it would have come out our noses when a character proclaimed, “I feel higher than a Jamaican Giraffe!” So, there’s a pro-tip. Don’t drink milk while playing “Far Cry 5!”

And that’s why this game is a certified quarter muncher!

Game: Good Pizza, Great Pizza

Initial Release Date: December 2014 (Newly refurbished with updates in 2018)

Publisher: Tapblaze

Genre: Pizza Business Simulator

Platforms: Mobile Devices

Why We’re Playing It: While “Good Pizza, Great Pizza” has been out since 2014, it has recently undergone some massive updates that have breathed fresh life into this game. In fact, they even have a “NEW” banner slapped across the app button to let you know this is not last week’s leftover pizza.

What’s It’s All About?: You’re an ambitious culinary entrepreneur who decided to open their very own pizza shop directly across from another pizza place with a pun-dropping jerk for an owner. Each day is a new day, and he stops by to challenge you to up your pizza game. You see a variety of customers, and they aren’t all clear on exactly what they want, so you have to decide if you want to inquire further or just start slinging dough and hope it’s right. At the end of the day, you tally up your profits and decide how to reinvest in your pizza shop.

That’s Worth A Power-Up!: As pop culture art connoisseurs, we found the artistic style behind this game really gorgeous with a brilliant color scheme and uniquely drawn characters.

Bonus Level: This game is rated 4+ and has “family sharing” enabled. “Good Pizza, Great Pizza” is truly a game that all ages can enjoy, and the little ones stand to learn a lot about running a business and customer service while also having fun.

And that’s why this game is a certified quarter muncher!

Game: Dragon Ball FighterZ

Initial Release Date: January 26, 2018

Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment

Genre: Fighter

Plateform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows

Why We’re Playing It: There have been great pairings in the past… peanut butter and jelly, Batman and Robin, zombies and brains… but perhaps one of the best we have seen to date is the pairing of the best fighting game developer, Arc System Works, with THE best fighting cartoon, “Dragon Ball Z.” I mean where could you go wrong? We’ve always been big anime fans and a few of us have chibi Nendoroid figures of some of the Dragon Ball Z characters. It’s always had amazing fighting in the show so we’re excited to get a game based on it.

What It’s All About?: Whether you’re a Dragon Ball fan or not, a beginning gamer or a well-seasoned one… this game is worth checking out. It’s easy to just plug in, play and enjoy. If you’re a fan of the cartoon series, then you’re in luck, because they do the series justice and it’s literally like you’re dropped (and playing along) in the fight scenes from the show. Nothing is going to get you closer to being in the series unless you become a Super Saiyan yourself and get beamed into the TV ala Willy Wonka.

That’s Worth A Power-Up!: The game looks and sounds phenomenal. It has the traditional cel shading animation look to it, but there’s also a sense of depth and dimension. So, you’re playing 2D, but it has a third dimensional feel. The camera/screen will zoom in and out at times depending on the actions and distance between fighters, and this helps provide that next level of dimension. The sounds are crisp and land on cue along with punches or kicks to the face. The music is fast paced and keeps you in the fighting spirit and engaged. The only thing of note is that you may need a good SSD for PS4 console to store it on there, as it isn’t a small game by any means.

Bonus Level: Right out of the gate, we noticed that this a great fighting game for both beginners and veteran gamers. It’s very easy to pick up on the controls and the way that the game plays. There are no super long button combos to remember, so depending on what level of cartoon violence you find acceptable, the younger crowd can get in on this game as well and probably lay waste to the older gamers in the room.

And that’s why this game is a certified quarter muncher!

Game Title: Run Sausage Run!

Platforms: IOS, Android

Price: FREE

App Version: 1.4.0

On the “Run Sausage Run” app page, Crazy Labs has a perfect pun that really sums up their new game.

You never sausage a sausage! (Get it? Saw such…a sausage? Anyone?)

Truer words were never written when it comes to this game! I mean, when you have an opportunity to play as a zombie sausage, ninja sausage or even what looks to be a rather orange and presidential sausage, you can honestly say, “I never saw such a sausage!” Grab your favorite condiments and phone or tablet, because we’re getting saucy with our latest edition of Trunk Gaming.

First of all, Crazy Labs is bringing this game to you for FREE! Heck of a deal, right? (There are options for in-app purchases if you would like to support these entrepreneurs further, and get some of the funniest add-ons known to any app.) Gameplay is super simple, so you catch on right away. You just tap the screen and your sausage starts to walk forward. The more you push and hold your screen the faster the sausage runs and bends backwards from the g-force. This is important, because you’re going to want to bend backwards to duck the buzz-saws, or you may need to slow up to avoid the meat tenderizer mallet crushing you. While you’re running your casing off, you also are tasked to grab star coins along the way. You can use these to unlock fun sausage skins (or casings if you will), like our favorite, the ZOMBIE SAUSAGE! There are power-ups you can grab along the way like the snowflake that freezes all the obstacles for a short time or the green arrow that shrinks you down to help with avoiding getting sliced in two. If you’re up for more of a challenge than just surviving a barrage of deadly obstacles, they offer plenty of goals for you to achieve. If you’re a completist, like our gaming team, you’re all in for these.

Visually, “Run Sausage Run” is just as fun and comical as the idea behind the game. The animation is fluid and smooth while maintaining a solid amount of detail. The way the sausages bend backward and run is reminiscent of Stimpy (of “The Ren & Stimpy Show” fame) or a classic rubbery cartoon character. The musical score is just as catchy and fitting as the visuals of the game. It’s a whimsical, upbeat a capella sound mixed with a cartoon musical vibe. You just have to hear it, but be warned… this tune will stick in your brain like the theme to your favorite TV show.

While this game is incredibly addictive, and you will want to best your best score with each outing, it’s fun to just see what happens when your sausage meets a buzz saw or gas burner. In fact, Crazy Labs encourages you to experience torturing your sausage by having goals like, “Die 9 times at the guillotine” or “Die twice as a zombie sausage.” That kind of whimsy the game possesses makes this the sort of addictive game you laugh at and share with friends. Not like Candy Crush, where you want to crush your phone because you can’t get that last colorful game piece to line up just right in four moves.

“Run Sausage Run” is a total blast to play, and it’s free, so really no excuse not to give it a try unless you hate fun… or have something against torturing sausages. There is some animated blood/cartoony violence, so they recommend this at age 12 and up. If you’re like us, though…you’re going to have a hard time sharing your phone or tablet, because YOU are going to want to play this all the time instead of the kiddos. They need to get their homework done anyway, right?

The Trunk Gamers had a blast with this app, and we can’t wait to see what crazy concoctions come next from Crazy Labs!