Meltedjoystick.com Video Game Reviews

Sonic Colors :: Video Game Review (3/5 Stars)

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 04:39:13 -0500

Sonic reinvents himself by taking cues from the past making a 3D/2D hybrid reminsicent of his origins on the Sega Megadrive. The addition of special "powers" that unlock new areas give it replay value but it's still possible to race through the game pretty easily if you're not that bothered about exploration. It's certainly a solid platformer but it doesn't hold a candle to its main competition, ... read more

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince :: Video Game Review (4/5 Stars)

Sat, 06 Apr 2024 17:20:48 -0500

“Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince” (“The Dark Prince”) is, in Japan at least, the third mainline, numbered entry in the ‘Dragon Quest Monsters’ spinoff of ‘Pokemon’-esque monster taming RPGs. Apparently the mostly-unlocalized entries in the series, like “Caravan Heart” and the trio of ‘Joker’ DS/3DS titles don’t count – and for good reason. After being a fan ... read more

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams :: Video Game Review (2.5/5 Stars)

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 06:26:28 -0500

Essentially a platform game without the platforms, NiGHTS consists of a broad variety of sections of varying quality. It is fun in places but the cheesy story, annoying characters, unwieldly control system and fact that you have to start entire levels again from scratch if you fail the boss fight all conspire to make it a rather mediocre experience.

Sunset Overdrive :: Video Game Review (4/5 Stars)

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 20:08:22 -0500

Even though Insomniac Games is widely known for their Sony/Playstation output - from Ratchet & Clank to the more recent and well-received Spider-Man games, in 2014 with the Xbox One badly in need of some truly standout exclusives, they struck a deal and Sunset Overdrive became one of the handful of games to be released solely on the system. It received mostly favorable reviews, sold decently and ... read more

Vagrant, The :: Video Game Review (4/5 Stars)

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 19:28:44 -0500

Inspiration leads can lead to imitation - and O.T.K. Games, inspired by the Vanillaware look and feel of titles like Odin Sphere and Muramasa: The Demon Blade, has delivered unto us The Vagrant. While maybe not quite as polished as the more major studio, The Vagrant is still a solid and, more importantly, quite fun 2D platformer with very well designed characters, enemies and levels - not bad for... read more

Honkai: Star Rail :: Video Game Review (3.5/5 Stars)

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 20:49:10 -0500

miHoYo, otherwise known as HoYoverse, made their name in a big way with the release of Genshin Impact in 2020. Part open-world RPG, part gatcha, part game-as-a-service - taken together as a whole, it became a worldwide hit that is still going strong today. But why have just one game when you can have more? Since I missed out on the bus and didn't feel like jumping in halfway, I thought I would gi... read more

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag :: Video Game Review (2.5/5 Stars)

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 16:56:04 -0500

Back in 2013, Ubisoft was a hive of scum and villainy, pushing crappy games that never made it onto my radar… that is to say, they were effectively the same as they are now. Yes, Ubisoft did go through a bit of a Renaissance during the last decade, but after spending a few years on the top, they’re back down on the bottom. What’s even more amusing about the last decade of Ubisoft is that it... read more

Ginga Force :: Video Game Review (3.5/5 Stars)

Sat, 02 Mar 2024 03:47:04 -0500

Colourful, frenetic vertical shmup that ticks all the right boxes, although the strategy and variety of mid-level weapon changing is absent preferring a system based upon "buying" upgraded weapon systems with experience points that are far too easy to come by. For this reason it feels more like a phone game than a console one and as such is just good rather than great.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands :: Video Game Review (3.5/5 Stars)

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 19:37:50 -0500

“Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands” (“Wonderlands”) began life as an “Assault on Dragon Keep”-style DLC expansion for “Borderlands 3”… But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and threw wrenches into nearly everyone’s business. “Wonderlands” suddenly shifted from a typical Gearbox development cycle to being entirely remotely developed. In the process, the project allegedly exceeded its ... read more

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart :: Video Game Review (4.5/5 Stars)

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 23:20:36 -0500

When Insomniac, now a Sony first-party studio, released “Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus” in 2013, it seemed like the long-running series of 3D Platformer/Third-Person Shooter hybrid games was at an endpoint. The release of a feature film in 2016 based on the IP as well as a remake of the original “Ratchet & Clank” from 2002, with bits and pieces from the movie grafted on, ultimately met ... read more