Meltedjoystick.com Video Game Reviews

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary :: Video Game Review (4/5 Stars)

Mon, 10 Mar 2014 17:17:21 -0500

If I were to award an MVP trophy to a video game series going back to 2000 (essentially the start of the PS2/GameCube/Xbox generation) I�d be hard-pressed not to award it to Halo. Halo: Combat Evolved was truly a reason to buy the original Xbox, and almost the only reason not to opt for the more-established PS2 or the latest Mario-Zelda-Metroid delivery system, the Nintendo GameCube, especially ... read more

Outlast :: Video Game Review (4/5 Stars)

Sat, 01 Mar 2014 20:04:29 -0500

And to think I thought the only good things coming out of Canada were maple syrup and curling teams. But Red Barrels, based out of Montreal, has come out of the gate with guns blazing. Survival horror has left me in a bit of slump lately, but Outlast takes something familiar and, much like Amnesia, presents it in a way that seems fresh and, in the right conditions, will definitely scare you. And ... read more

NES Remix :: Video Game Review (4/5 Stars)

Fri, 21 Feb 2014 16:38:53 -0500

NES Remix successfully revisits several old games by challenging the player to complete specific tasks as quickly as possible. When you see NES Remix and the long list of classic Nintendo games included, you probably think you'll get a chance to play the full versions of these games. That is definitely not true. In fact, although there are a few times where you get to complete a full level f... read more

Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale :: Video Game Review (3.5/5 Stars)

Sun, 09 Feb 2014 17:32:34 -0500

Recettear was originally an independent Japanese that would have likely languished in obscurity and a very small fan base if it weren't for Carpe Fulgur. The team is known for translating games and bringing them to a Western market. They had low expectations for the game - expecting to sell around 10,000 copies - strictly through the digital market - but lo and behold, word-of-mouth and good revi... read more

Guacamelee! Gold Edition :: Video Game Review (4/5 Stars)

Sat, 08 Feb 2014 14:00:03 -0500

�Guacamelee!� is the third game from Indie developer, Drinkbox, and their only title that isn�t part of their �Tales from Space� IP. Instead, �Guacamelee!� takes inspiration from Mexican culture and its stereotypical obsession with masked wrestling. Since Mexican masked wrestling is essentially the same thing as American professional wrestling, only with telenovela-quality drama and even m... read more

Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, The :: Video Game Review (5/5 Stars)

Wed, 05 Feb 2014 15:51:54 -0500

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is designed perfectly for a handheld and takes many of the best attributes from the series to make this a sequel that's better than the original SNES title. I'm going to assume the vast majority of the people reading this review have either played a previous Zelda game or at least are familiar with the series, so I'm not going to spend much time descr... read more

Terraria :: Video Game Review (3/5 Stars)

Fri, 31 Jan 2014 17:09:01 -0500

After making a splash in the world of Indie game development with the illegal-but-awesome �Super Mario Bros. X,� developer Re-Digit went legit and formed Re-Logic, an Indie game company that has, so far, only produced a single original game: �Terraria.� Based solely on my love of Re-Digit�s work on �Super Mario Bros. X,� I snatched up �Terraria,� knowing only that it was a 2D sidescroller. ... read more

Dr. Luigi :: Video Game Review (3.5/5 Stars)

Fri, 24 Jan 2014 15:29:37 -0500
Dr. Luigi has a pretty hefty price tag, but the new twist to this classic game is worthwhile for gamers fond of the original Dr. Mario. Dr. Luigi has the same game play as all of the versions of Dr. Mario that came before it. If you don't know what that entails, here's a brief description. It's a puzzle game where on each level you have to try and eliminate all the viruses in a bottle. Pill... read more

Crysis :: Video Game Review (4.5/5 Stars)

Wed, 22 Jan 2014 13:52:54 -0500
I played this game a while ago, so to try and do a full "Full Review" would be a folly. I'll have to settle for a cheater "Full Review" where I type over 350 characters, but leave out plenty of details. Honestly, there are two things you need to know about this game: 1. The graphics are EXCELLENT. At the time of it's release, this game was a computer-slayer when it was released (and mayb... read more

Temple of Elemental Evil, The :: Video Game Review (3/5 Stars)

Sat, 18 Jan 2014 18:46:05 -0500
�The Temple of Elemental Evil� (�ToEE�) was released in 2003, a mere year after �Neverwinter Nights� and three years before the release of �Neverwinter Nights 2,� after which I abandoned PC gaming and fled into the arms of consoles 100% of the time. Yet somehow I managed to miss �ToEE� completely, never realizing it was released until it appeared on GOG.com a few years ago. Thinking I might have ... read more