PS4

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!

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!

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Initial Release Date: September 7, 2018

Developer: Insomniac Games

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Genre: Action-Adventure

Platforms: Playstation 4

Why We’re Playing It: Aside from the fact that we’re all big web slinger fans here at TrunkSpace, we also have a lot of faith that Insomniac Games, known for titles like “Rachet & Clank,” always puts out not just a quality game but one that swings a story or two above the others in terms of quality. It was clear early on, from the first footage of gameplay, that this installment of Spider-Man would be the closest you’ll ever get to putting on the webbed suit and zipping across the New York skyline.

What It’s All About?: When you’re not swinging around town as Spider-Man, stopping crime with the help of Detective Yuri and the NYPD, you’re working alongside Dr. Otto Octavius in his lab to create upgrades for your suit. Without giving away too many plot spoilers we’ll just say your first boss battle is with Wilson Fisk as you learn the mechanics of the game play. From there you get mixed up with Mayor Osborn, Mary Jane, Electro, Rhino, Scorpion, Vulture and Mister Negative… and do you really think Dr. Octavius is just going to stay good ole’ doc? We’ll see after Osborn seizes all of his research!

That’s Worth A Power-Up!: It’s hard to pick just one thing that stands out in this game – there are many! – but the web slinging and fight mechanics are truly innovative. You can glide and parkour through the city so seamlessly you won’t want to stop. If you were Forrest Gump, you would just swing across the entire country. Oh, and we can’t forget to mention, when you start swooping through the city on a web, an epic soundtrack starts to play, making you feel like you’re actually playing within a Spider-Man movie. For die-hard Marvel fans out there, you can even get a custom made Spider-Man controller, making gameplay just that little bit more exciting!

Bonus Level: We found the open world gaming really refreshing. A lot of games are jumping on this bandwagon, and it is very freeing to be able to choose your path through the storyline and environment. The way that Insomniac Games pulls this off and sets itself apart is all in the details, literally. Pick a building to climb on and you’ll notice your reflection. You’ll also be able to see that they not only designed the interiors of these buildings, but they have people that are moving and interacting with one another inside the skyscraper you’re perched on. This attention to detail blew our minds and it will you as well!

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

Game Title: UNCHARTED: THE LOST LEGACY

Platforms: PS4

Released: August 22nd, 2017

Trunk Gaming is coming back at you with an explosive review of Naughty Dog’s “Uncharted: The Lost Legacy,” published by Sony Entertainment. Remember the first time you saw Indiana Jones, and after the movie you find yourself humming the theme song and looking for a whip and fedora to dress up as Indy for next Halloween? Well, if you’ve played the Uncharted series before, you know that this series is the closest most of us will ever get to actually BEING Indiana Jones. If you haven’t played the series, you have some binge gaming to do! So, throw us the controller, and we’ll throw you the whip as we settle in to review the latest action-packed game in the Uncharted franchise.

The unique aspect to this installment of the series is that, for the first time, you are not playing as Nathan Drake. In fact, Nathan Drake is nowhere to be found, but his brother Sam does make an appearance to help out at one point. This time players get an opportunity to play as Chloe Frazer (Claudia Black), the sexy, care-free adventurer from the Uncharted series. She is paired with the contrasting, tough-as-nails ex-mercenary, Nadine Ross (Laura Bailey). The two must work together to retrieve the tusk of Ganesh. The only problem… you must do this in the midst of a civil war in India and while being stalked by the villainous Asav, voiced by the talented (and TrunkSpace Wingman) Usman Ally.

We know and love Chloe from Uncharted 2, 3 and 4. She is a funny risk taker of the Jack Sparrow variety but with a bit less rum… and obviously no beard… okay, so she is just fun and exciting to be around. One thing “The Lost Legacy” does very well is tell Chloe’s interesting backstory that has to do with her father. You are given a better insight into her knowledge as a treasure hunter and what drives her. Her partner, Nadine, we all remember from Uncharted 4… because she was always kicking Nathan Drake’s ass and blowing stuff up! Anytime her character showed up, you knew you were in for a fight. While she was a formidable opponent in the previous game, you don’t find out much about her. Lost Legacy is able to shed light on her character and actually make you like her character and enjoy being around her. You almost forget all those nasty right hooks to Nathan Drake’s jaw.

“The Lost Legacy” delivers on all fronts just as well as the previous installments. There are beautiful cinematic scenes that blend seamlessly with the actual gameplay. The environments are so gorgeous and immersive, you will find yourself just standing and looking around at the incredibly detailed world Naughty Dog has created. In fact, there are actual photo op areas in the game where you use your cell phone to capture the moment. There are plenty of gun fights, death defying climbs, off-roading, and (no spoilers) a jaw-dropping finale aboard a moving train that makes you feel like you literally just took part in an intense action movie. The game includes its signature puzzle solving and treasure hunting along the way as well as a unique lock picking portion that showcases Chloe’s skills. A nice detail to the game is the different fighting style Chloe and Nadine have. Naughty Dog did not just give her Drake’s moves. She has her own character, style and mannerisms. You have a chance to earn plenty of shiny, digital trophies along the way. The only drawback we could find… it’s a little on the short side. But don’t we feel that way about all Uncharted games? You just want to keep playing, exploring and having a blast. The good news is, this game has a ton of replay value. It’s always fun to go back through and unlock unlimited ammo, a cool costume, and sure, why not… let’s use that RPG on everything we see!

The big question on everyone’s mind was, could Uncharted continue churning out the adventurous hits without Nathan Drake? We can tell you that, after playing through “The Lost Legacy,” the answer is HELL YES! It did not feel like there was anything missing by not having Nathan Drake in the game. In fact, by the end, the game leaves you wanting to play more as Chloe and Nadine. “The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” may have failed to deliver to us a new Indiana Jones to carry the torch, but Uncharted has succeeded in passing the grappling hook on to very charismatic and likeable characters.

AFTER YOU FINISHED GAMING, CHECK OUT OUR INTERVIEW WITH USMAN ALLY HERE!