Welcome to our CHEATfactor Game Review of Guns, Gore & Cannoli. We review the game and then factor in how the available cheats affect the overall game experience. For better or worse, our reviews will help you decide whether or not to use cheats when playing the game.

Most games have a catchy name that says little about what you're playing but Crazy Monkey Studios' new mob themed zombie shooter tells you exactly what you're going to get -Guns, Gore and maybe even a bit of Cannoli. It's not the longest game and it suffers from it's a few control issues but Guns, Gore & Cannoli is a fun and challenging game that not only gets you through these so called slow release months but it also manages to do what few zombies games can these days - give you a new and unique experience.

Guns, Gore & Cannoli puts you in the role of Vinne Cannoli, a tough as nails mob enforcer who travels to thug town on the order of his bosses to save a fellow mob member. Unfortunately when he does he met with not only rival mobsters but a horde of the undead as well. It's here where the game begins proper and you'll be blasting your way from one end of Thugtown to the other, regardless of who stands in your way, be they living or dead. The game is a Metal Slug and Contra-esque side-scroller that doesn't do much different than the games it emulates, but it does emulate them very well.

The action in Guns, Gore & Cannoli is fast and fun and usually comes at you from all sides. I thought it was interesting that I felt more threatened in this game than I did in most AAA zombie games because Crazy Monkey Studios seemingly knows that with zombies, strength is in numbers so to speak and I was almost always surrounded by a horde of enemies at all sides, and the game does a great job of almost constantly introducing new enemies to combat so you have to think on your feet at all times. I normally hate when zombie games introduce human enemies (of the alive kind) but I didn't mind it nearly as much here in Guns, Gore & Cannoli - they added a nice challenge.

A lot happens at any one time in Guns, Gore & Cannoli and the game surprisingly keeps up with it all pretty well. The game features a charming Saturday morning cartoon style that gives great definition to the action around you. Animations are smooth, and effects are remarkably well done, especially for a budget title. I'll admit that I died more than a few times just looking at things I was finding in the background. I don't know if the developers were going for it but I always felt like I was in the middle of a great mature cartoon. The fantastic mix of prohibition era jazz melodies in the background added to this and combined with some great one-liners delivered by Vinnie and Guns, Gore & Cannoli is easily a joy to see and hear.

Any good run and gun fan knows that a game is only as good as it's pace and while Guns, Gore & Cannoli sets a great pace for itself initially, it has a habit of tripping on it's own feet almost literally. More than a few times while playing through the game I became caught on simple objects like stairs and environmental objects that not only slowed down the pace of the game but caused me to take on damage and die unfairly. Luckily the game has a pretty generous save feature but it was still more than a bit jarring to have something so simple take you out of your rhythm in such a jarring fashion. By the end of the experience you'll likely learn how to avoid many of these hazards but it's definitely something to look out for especially in the beginning of the game.

This also isn't a long game by any means and you're likely to find that it ends way too soon and abruptly. The game really only lasts about two hours and though it's filled with surprisingly good run and gun action, you're going to wish there was a lot more of it, especially since there's not really any reason to go back and play it again though in honest the game is so short that doing so would really only take you less than an afternoon and the bargain price (it's currently going for $9.99 on Steam) is more than an incentive to give it an afternoon or less.

Guns, Gore & Cannoli isn't a revolutionary game but it doesn't try to be, it's a fun and fun shooter that pays tribute to genre standouts like Metal Slug and Contra while creating an identity of it's own with it's unique visuals and art style. If you've got an extra $10 and are looking for a new game to spend an afternoon (or less sadly) with, you could do a lot worse than Crazy Monkey Studio's zombie shooter.