Meltedjoystick.com Video Game Reviews

Last of Us Part II, The :: Video Game Review (4.5/5 Stars)

Sun, 04 Jun 2023 10:51:07 -0500

Naughty Dog has been a boon to Sony, cutting their teeth with Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter before moving on to the Uncharted series and, finally, delivering their biggest hit to date with The Last of Us in 2013. Such a touchstone game was sure to have a followup and The Last of Us Part II dropped in 2020. Creative force Neil Druckmann has that while The Last of Us was a story about how far ... read more

Torchlight III :: Video Game Review (3/5 Stars)

Tue, 30 May 2023 11:42:50 -0500

Back in the day, Torchlight II was a Diablo-like hack 'n slash with its own appeal - more cartoonish in its presentation but still satisfying and quite fun to play, especially with friends. While it was never too deep in its characters or lore, that wasn't too much of a factor as the overall game was a solid addition to the genre. Torchlight III apparently began as an attempt to turn the series i... read more

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin :: Video Game Review (3.5/5 Stars)

Mon, 29 May 2023 17:16:08 -0500

“Sakuna: Of Rice & Ruin” (“Sakuna”) is the most recent project out of Japanese Indie (i.e., doujin) developer, Edelweiss, whose previous works include the ‘Fairy Bloom’ series, “Ether Vapor” and “Astebreed,” as well as a ‘Touhou’ fangame. These titles and this particular developer are not among the things I follow or care about in gaming, but the no-fanfare release ... read more

Mighty Switch Force! Collection :: Video Game Review (2.5/5 Stars)

Sun, 28 May 2023 18:21:43 -0500

The ‘Mighty Switch Force’ IP by WayForward, the Single-A development team better known for the ‘Shantae’ series of platformers as well as the excellent remaster of “DuckTales,” began as digital-only releases on the Nintendo 3DS, with the second game in the series receiving an equally-non-corporeal release on the ill-fated WiiU. The series would not leave the prison of Nintendo’s dig... read more

Aegis of Earth: Protonovus Assault :: Video Game Review (3/5 Stars)

Wed, 17 May 2023 16:40:51 -0500

“Aegis of Earth: Protonovus Assault” (“AoE”) is an unorthodox take on the Tower Defense genre that began life in 2016 as a PlayStation exclusive, hitting the PS3, PS4, and Vita simultaneously, before receiving a PC port after a few months. It first caught my eye during an E3 showcase, where it struck me as a potential genre-bending sleeper hit, which would combine City Sim, Tower Defense,... read more

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus :: Video Game Review (4/5 Stars)

Sun, 14 May 2023 11:29:36 -0500

When Bethesda decided to reinvent Wolfenstein after acquiring it from Activision, they gave us The New Order - which posits an alternate-history where the Nazis won WWII thanks to their futuristic tech derived, in part, from the mystic Jewish order of Da'at Yichud. It was also a pretty big hit and there was little surprise when a sequel was announced. The New Colossus is a direct continuation of ... read more

Torchlight III :: Video Game Review (2.5/5 Stars)

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 00:23:52 -0500

“Torchlight 3” began life as an Alpha game known as “Torchlight Frontiers.” It was to be the final culmination of the goal the original “Torchlight” developers at Runic Games set for themselves when they founded their own studio: To create a full-blown MMORPG mechanically similar to non-MMO Hack ‘n Slash RPGs like “Diablo.” Alas, over the years, Runic Games lost important member... read more

Ghost of Tsushima :: Video Game Review (4.5/5 Stars)

Sun, 23 Apr 2023 12:28:01 -0500

Sucker Punch has been a boon for Sony and Playstation, mostly known for their InFamous series - as well as Sly Cooper - and Ghost of Tsushima is easily their most ambitious game to date - and one that stands out as, in my opinion, their best. And I was not alone as from July to November 2020 it sold over 5 million copies, becoming one of the fastest-selling new IPs in Sony history. Not only that,... read more

Cyberpunk 2077 :: Video Game Review (3.5/5 Stars)

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 17:07:23 -0500

After finishing their ‘The Witcher’ trilogy, CD Projekt needed a new IP to adapt into what the world expected to be another “AAA” powerhouse. They ultimately chose ‘Cyberpunk,’ a crufty old tabletop RPG from the ‘80s. Their game based on the ‘Cyperpunk’ IP, “Cyperpunk 2077” was to be the second coming of “The Witcher 3,” and the most ambitious Sandbox game to date. Af... read more

Battletoads (2020) :: Video Game Review (2/5 Stars)

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 19:56:23 -0500

It seems that nostalgia is a driving force behind a lot of things these days - televisions series, film and, yes, video games. For those who grew up in the days of NES, Battletoads was a game that most people would have at least heard of - if mainly for the reasons that its third level riding side-scrolling bikes was nigh impossible to beat. A few more attempts were made with the franchise before... read more