Beat up, twist and beat with the boxed game of Cranio Creations - Review

Beat up

Thanks to a super preview that reached us in the editorial office we were able to test one of the future proposals of Cranio Creations, which decided to dust off one of the glories of family games from the 90s, thus re-proposing Picchiatello. This is his name since 2012 as in previous incarnations you may have known him by the name of Gino Pilotino. Ask anyone who was a child in those years, especially Christmas 1992, to discover that this simple, yet fun, family game made up of various elements and a story of its own, was the real object of desire of that time. br>

Inside the Box

Contents:

1 Woodpecker and his plane

1 Base

4 Trampolines

4 Trampoline Arms

1 Central Pillar Arm

12 hen tokens

2 sticker sheets

1 Rules

The packaging reached us in the editorial office (which we do not know if it will be 100% confirmed) is made with the same graphics as the game released in 2012 or at least shares the main drawings. To further differentiate themselves, there is a small representation of the assembled game, the logo with the words Picchiatello and a writing indicating “A sea of ​​turns, swoops and delirious hen hunts”. The writer admits that he has never played it before so the experience respects the genuineness of a child. Inside the box we found: various plastic elements inside the closed bags; a sheet with the manual and the game rules; some sheets with the stickers to be applied to the various components. In the package there are also additional elements, which can be used with multiple copies of the game, which allow you to double the number of players from 4 to 8 players. Before starting to play you will have to remove all the stickers present and place them in the various positions, starting with the hen tokens, passing through the chicken coops and finally with the various stickers on Picchiatello's plane. For all these operations, our advice is to use tweezers, preferably for modeling.

The rules of the game

"Picchiatello is out of control: gliding and circling in the air, it terrifies all the hens in the chicken coops! Bounce Woodpecker to protect your farm or you'll lose all your chickens and be out of the game! The last player left with the hens will win the game! "

The aim is only one, to prevent Picchiatello from gliding over the hens of his hen house and at the same time, through the lever in his possession, try to push him towards the opponent's chicken coop. All while he continues to turn. It goes without saying that if we did not intervene in any way on the chicken coop, every chicken token placed on it would fall inexorably making us lose the game, therefore, in addition to a good dose of reflexes, a minimum of strategy is also needed in dealing with the blows on the lever with the right intensity and strength.

Video review

Conclusions

Let's face it clearly, Picchiatello is not one of those games that shines for the complexity of the regulation, also because the target to which it is aimed is that of younger players who are attracted by a mechanic within their reach and bright colors, however, we can say that after having tested it for several sessions, it manages to entertain even adults, it is a game with which to laugh and you have fun and probably hit the target also for this innate ability to snatch smiles.

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3 Beaten-Up Stocks for Bargain Hunters

© Provided by The Motley Fool 3 Beaten-Up Stocks for Bargain Hunters

Buying shares of a stock when it is falling can be a way to set yourself up for some gains later on when the business bounces back. But not every struggling stock is going to recover, so it's important to understand the reason for a decline. If the business itself is solid, a drop in value may simply create an attractive opportunity to invest.

Three stocks that have been falling in recent weeks that could be great buys today are Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN), Alibaba Group Holdings (NYSE: BABA), and Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR). They have all fallen more than 7% in the past month (the S&P 500 is up over 2%), but there's a lot to like about these businesses over the long haul. 

1. Amgen

Drugmaker Amgen is a relatively cheap stock to own today, trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 23 (the average stock in the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund is trading at 27 times its profits). And yet, the stock continues to fall. At about $226, it is getting closer to its 52-week low of just over $210.

CONSTELLATION BRANDS, INC.

Many healthcare companies have been struggling amid the pandemic as hospitals and doctors have been shuffling priorities in an effort to keep COVID-19 under control. During the first three months of the year, Amgen's revenue of $5.9 billion declined 4% year over year; the company blamed the poor results on the pandemic and patient visits being down. However, for the period ending June 30, sales of $6.5 billion were up 5% as the company was starting to benefit from a recovery in the economy. Its drug for high cholesterol, Repatha, showed exceptional performance, with revenue rising 43% from the same period last year.

Over the longer term, the company will get a boost from its lung cancer drug Lumakras. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval for the drug (which means another trial is still necessary) in May. According to analysts, Lumakras could generate more than $1.4 billion in revenue for Amgen as early as 2023.

The surge in cases of the delta variant of the coronavirus, and the subsequent  uncertainty surrounding the economic recovery, may be one of the reasons investors are once again bearish on Amgen. Given its low earnings multiple and 3.1% dividend yield (above the S&P 500 average of just 1.3%), there's a lot to like about this stock without even factoring in its growth or its potential as a 'recovery play.'

2. Alibaba

E-commerce giant Alibaba is an intriguing stock because it has the potential to deliver incredible returns or equally startling losses -- it all depends on the Chinese government and what remains a risky political environment, especially given that relations with U.S. don't appear to be improving. Earlier this year, China assessed a $2.75 billion antitrust fine on Alibaba stemming from its monopoly power.

If you are OK with taking on risk and uncertainty, there's loads of potential here. As one of the country's top tech companies, Alibaba trades at a P/E of only 21. That's cheap for a tech stock. Amazon and Shopify, which also run large e-commerce platforms, trade at multiples of 61 and 80, respectively. Investing in the China-based company may provide a good hedge for North American investors who are worried about COVID-19, as case numbers in China have remained relatively stable compared with the rest of the world. And that can translate into some strong, consistent growth.

Alibaba's revenue of $31.9 billion for the period ending June 30 was up 34% year over year. While commerce is still its bread and butter, generating 87% of its revenue, the growth in cloud computing could offer promising opportunities in the future -- that segment accounted for just 8% of sales but grew at a rate of 29%.

The tech stock is coming off 52-week lows, and it's still a cheap investment to own. While there's some risk here, the company is a major player in e-commerce. And although fines may shrink its bottom line, that shouldn't take away from its potential over the long term.

3. Dollar Tree

Discount retail stock Dollar Tree is another business that investors have been bearish on amid inflation and rising freight costs. The retailer is one of the top importers in the country, and management anticipates that shipping-related issues will not resolve themselves anytime soon. Dollar Tree noted on its recent earnings call that industry experts believe capacity won't increase until 2023 (when there will be more ships available for transport), at which point costs should decline.

That sounds like bad news, but what I like about it is that the company is baking in some low expectations for the future. As investors know, it's the way a business executes against expectations that typically dictates how its stock performs. Lowering the bar will make it easier for the company to outperform and deliver a surprise result in future earnings reports. For fiscal 2021, Dollar Tree projects that its net sales will be a little over $26 billion (in 2020 they were at $25.5 billion) and diluted earnings per share will be within a range of $5.40 to $5.60 (versus $5.65 last year).

Like the other stocks on this list, Dollar Tree isn't an expensive buy, trading at a P/E of just under 15. This is less than the 21 times earnings that investors are paying for rival retailer Dollar General. But if you're planning to hang on to the stock for awhile, Dollar Tree could be an underdog worth buying right now. While it's not at its 52-week low of $84.41, it's getting close to that level.

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John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Amazon, and Shopify. The Motley Fool recommends Amgen and recommends the following options: long January 2022 $1,920 calls on Amazon, long January 2023 $1,140 calls on Shopify, short January 2022 $1,940 calls on Amazon, and short January 2023 $1,160 calls on Shopify. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.