Backlog: The Embiggening – January, 2026
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 12/25/25 at 06:24 PM CT
Welcome back to another look into the near future! 2025 is on its way out the door, and we find ourselves looking into a brave new future without the looming forms of the Big Three threatening us with terrible “AAA” releases. Likewise, with old, worn-out samurai like Square-Enix, Konami, Capcom, Sega, and even Nintendo failing to produce the way they once did, it seems like the second half of the 2020’s will rest firmly on the shoulders of Indie developers, as they become an ever-larger-and-more-important facet of of Gaming’s ecosystem. Will 2026 mark the beginning of a Gaming Renaissance? Or will we all come to our senses and realize that the vast, overwhelming amount of new game releases are Indies already, and only a couple of good ones float to the surface each year? Let’s try to divine the entrails of January’s releases in an attempt to see the beginnings of a (new?) pattern!
Well... things might be starting off somewhat on the right foot, as there is no …
Year in Review: 2025
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 12/21/25 at 03:41 PM CT
It’s been another wild ride as the world hit the mid-way point of the 2020s. We’ve had to deal with the wild pendulum of the Culture Wars alongside Social Media companies being outed as the cancer underlying all of our symptoms and Big Tech continuing to “move fast and break things,” only in this case, the “things” being broken have been the global economy and job market. Of course, Gaming and Nerd Culture weren’t spared from this widespread ruin, resulting in yet another year in which the Fails came easy, while the Wins were hard-won and somewhat subjective.
Top 5 Fails
5. Entertainment Software Association (ESA) Intentionally Blocks Software from Being Perpetually Entertaining
Ever wonder why IP rights and consumer rights always collide in the world of videogames, and especially the preservation of old favorites? It came to light this year that all of this BS is ON PURPOSE, and is committed at the behest of the NGO that is supposed to have the medium’s best …
MeltedJoystick Games of the Year 2025
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 12/14/25 at 03:42 PM CT
Well, 2025 certainly was a year, wasn’t it? While we got to enjoy the *michaeljacksoneatingpopcorn.gif* spectacle of “AAA” Industrial Gaming beginning its long-overdue implosion, we were expected to sit by like the *doginaburninghouse.jpg* and say, “This is fine.”
Of course, some of us are more stubborn than others, and this year’s docket of exemplary games contains... absolutely nothing new! 2025 was a year where remakes, remasters, and compilations absolutely dominated in a way they’ve been trying to do for years, with the 5 most intriguing releases of the year ACTUALLY being releases from many, many years ago. Let’s dive in!
1. Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars (Multi)
This HD remastered compilation of the two best ‘Suikoden’ games – originally released in 1996 and 1999 – illustrates the sad state of RPG development. Konami, who stopped publishing new ‘Suikoden’ games in 2009, still hasn’t been able to top the …
Review Round-Up: Fall 2025
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 12/07/25 at 01:11 PM CT
Welcome back to another installment of the MeltedJoystick Review Round-Up. Here’s what our staff has reviewed since last time:
Nelson’s Reviews:
I made the mistake of researching a game after buying it and deciding to make it the next title to come off my backlog. What I learned killed my motivation to play anything (besides “Warframe”) for an additional two months. I’m surprised I got anything done during the Fall, but I finally ripped off the band-aid, blasted through the bad game as an excuse to test Steam for Linux, played a second good game in about a week, and the crew FINALLY finished “Baldur’s Gate 3 after nearly a year of chipping away at it in pathetic 2-hour chunks.
Bramble: The Mountain King – 2/5
Revenge of the Savage Planet – 4.5/5
Baldur’s Gate 3 – 4.5/5
Chris’ Review:
Chris officially finished his last Backlog Ablution game for the year... and nothing else. He then announced that he would NOT be playing anymore huge-ass Sandbox …
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