Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, has long been a polarizing figure in public discourse. From his business ventures to his time in the White House, he has elicited a wide range of opinions and reactions. Curiously, in the realm of digital entertainment, Trump's likeness and persona have found their way into several video games over the years. Even more ironic is the fact that Trump himself has made controversial remarks, suggesting a link between video games and real-world violence. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the world of gaming has seen the creation of several titles inspired by or featuring the mogul-turned-politician. Here's a look at the top 5 video games related to Donald Trump.
1. Donald Trump's Real Estate Tycoon (PC/N-Gage)
Gameplay: This simulation game was developed back in 2002 and allows players to compete against Trump, aiming to make more money by buying properties, selling them, and overseeing the entire real estate empire.
Notable Feature: The game offers a simulation of Trump's real estate strategy, where the goal is to outsmart him and become a bigger tycoon.
Reception: GameSpot rated the N-Gage QD version of the game 7.2 out of 10. While they criticized the game's monotonous auction sequences and conventional gameplay for a tycoon game, they appreciated its strong presentation and graphics. The game had limited audio but did feature occasional vocal clips from Trump during biannual reviews. Despite its strengths, GameSpot noted the game's lack of variety—players are restricted to a single city, and the repetitive nature of buying low and selling high becomes tedious. Many players might lose interest before reaching the game's endpoint after 99 promotions.
2. Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (Various Platforms)
Connection: Donald Trump made a brief cameo in the movie "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York." Although he isn't specifically a character in the game, the game is based on the movie in which he appeared.
Gameplay: Players assume the role of Kevin McCallister, setting traps to deter burglars and protect his home.
Reception: Many outlets criticized the game for being a poorly utilized film license, describing it as overly expensive and underdeveloped. MegaTech believed the game would best suit younger players. Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Game Boy version average to low reviews, pointing out its slow and monotonous gameplay, lack of variety, and plain graphics.
3. Super Soccer (SNES)
Connection: The cover art for Super Soccer on the Super NES features a goalkeeper that some have mentioned bears a resemblance to Donald Trump. While this is not an "official" association and is more of an anecdotal observation, it's obviously him. I mean, come on now.
Gameplay: It's a traditional soccer game where players can pick international teams and compete against each other... But with an uncredited Donald Trump as goalkeeper!
Reception: Super Gamer awarded the game a score of 63%, noting that while it once stood out as a top football simulation, newer releases in the genre have overshadowed it, making it appear notably slow and lacking in sophistication.
4. Make America Great Again: The Trump Presidency (PC/Steam)
Gameplay: Available on Steam, this strategy-simulation game lets players take on the role of Trump trying to deliver on his campaign promises and making decisions on global issues. The gameplay focuses on two main objectives: settling the national debt and battling the Islamic State. The former involves trading resources like oil, food, and supplies on a global map. While there are some gameplay elements like invading countries and drilling oil in Alaska, they come with the risk of instigating WW3. Most of the in-game time is spent on this trading mechanism, which becomes monotonous quickly. The latter objective involves an arcade-style game where Trump combats ISIS, amusing initially but irritating thereafter due to its challenging mechanics.
Notable Feature: The game explores both domestic and international events, offering various paths and outcomes based on players' choices.
Price: Released in 2017 for $2.99 on Steam.
Reception: The game's novelty, including Trump's sound bites and the use of Pepe as a newsfrog, wears off rapidly. After about 30 minutes, many reviews mute the game in favor of other music. Completing the game once, they felt no strong motivation to play again, citing a lack of replay value. Going in with low expectations, this game at least meets them.
5. Super POTUS Trump (PC/Steam)
Gameplay: This is a side-scrolling shooter where players control a cartoon version of Trump with the aim of fighting enemies representing various challenges of his presidency.
Notable Feature: With its humor and arcade-style gameplay, this title provides a lighthearted look at the Trump presidency, packaged in a retro gaming experience.
Price: Available on Steam as a free-to-play title as a demo, but $.99 for the full game.
Reception: The game presents itself as free-to-play but is essentially a demo that prompts users for payment after roughly 3 minutes of gameplay, offering only one attack, item, and fight. While it may be entertaining as a meme, its limited content is disappointing, despite being free. Morbidly curious gamers can pay .99 to download the full game.
These titles range from serious to satirical, reflecting the diverse perspectives and reactions to Donald Trump's presence in popular culture. Whether for amusement, critique, or a bit of both, these games have drawn attention and sparked conversations among gamers and non-gamers alike.
Now we await the inevitable Donald Trump: Prison Break.
~Smash
