Meltedjoystick.com Video Game Reviews

Zoria: Age of Shattering :: Video Game Review (2.5/5 Stars)

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 23:45:06 -0500

I am always on the lookout for the next great cRPG. This has lead me to having a Steam library (and backlog) filled with RPG Maker projects and Kickstarted Indie games that simply don’t measure up to professionally made games or officially sanctioned tabletop RPG conversions. The most recent such game to find its way into – and, in a rare surprise, OUT of – my backlog within a year of its r... read more

It Takes Two :: Video Game Review (4.5/5 Stars)

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 19:05:04 -0500

Hazelight is one of the truly great studios who has continued to evolve, get better and achieve acclaim. The Swedish game studio (known as Starbreeze at the time) found success with the release of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons back in 2013 and decided to focus on strictly two-player co-op games. They followed that up with the prison-break story A Way Out in 2018, and, the game I'll be focusing on... read more

Pokémon Legends: Arceus :: Video Game Review (4/5 Stars)

Sat, 19 Jul 2025 17:01:39 -0500

The ‘Pokemon’ franchise has been going strong since the original games, “Pokemon Red/Green” debuted in Japan as Super Gamboy Enhanced titles way back in 1996. Unfortunately for the developer, Game Freak, they’ve also been in the same repetitive rut since 1996. The drill with ‘Pokemon’ games has always been that there are two complementary versions released simultaneously, which are ... read more

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

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 02:03:37 -0500

“Ghost of Tsushima” (“GoTs”) is the second attempt at a new Sandbox IP coming out of a Sony first-party studio in the last decade. The first of these efforts was “Horizon: Zero Dawn,” which came from Sony subsidiary, Guerrilla Games, whose only real previous experience was with the flavor-of-the-day slop that was the Brown-and-Gray early-‘00s FPS. I did not like “Horizon: Zero Daw... read more

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel :: Video Game Review (4/5 Stars)

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 17:06:22 -0500

Way back in the year 2002, while I, as a brand new college graduate, was hunting for the legendary, mythical, and long-extinct “entry level job,” I took a break from sending out resumes and filing rejection letters to sit down and watch some FOX afternoon cartoons. At the time, anime was just starting to blow up, and I expected to see some ‘Pokemon’ dancing across my screen, while audienc... read more

Sand Land :: Video Game Review (3/5 Stars)

Sat, 10 Aug 2024 23:17:07 -0500

“Sand Land” was a random surprise release that had no hype surrounding it, at least that I was aware of. One day, I was completely oblivious to the game’s existence, the next I had watched the trailer on Steam and added it to my wish list based on the presence of customizable mechs in an open word game. Had I done more research, however, I would have learned one thing about “Sand Land�... read more

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge :: Video Game Review (4/5 Stars)

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 00:39:37 -0500

The ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ (‘TMNT’) IP has been around for a LOOOOONG time, blazing onto the comic book, cartoon, and (of course) toy scenes in the late ‘80s and becoming something of a de-facto shared experience for everyone who was a tween in the ‘90s. Sadly, ‘TMNT’ has a rough start getting into the world of videogaming, with a truly deplorable first entry by Konami on ... read more

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds :: Video Game Review (3.5/5 Stars)

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 09:01:46 -0500

Visually striking beat 'em up featuring a roster of characters of varying quality; the Marvel superheroes are done well but some of their Capcom counterparts don't really work. It's also a little over-reliant on projectiles and special moves and the fact that the most spectacular of these are activated by a single button press feels unsatisfying. On the whole though it's fast-paced, addictive and... read more

Warhammer: Chaosbane :: Video Game Review (2/5 Stars)

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 20:35:32 -0500

Outside of Dungeons & Dragons, Warhammer is one of the oldest, biggest, and longest-running tabletop gaming IPs out there. Unlike D&D, however, Warhammer has never had much in the way of a cRPG presence, probably because the IP is, at its core, a Wargame. While there have been continuous efforts for decades to launch Role-Playing, Skirmish, and other smaller-scale tabletop spinoffs, Warhammer as ... read more

Hogwarts Legacy :: Video Game Review (4/5 Stars)

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 21:39:31 -0500

A lot of huffing and puffing was made when Hogwarts Legacy debuted - but that controversy didn't seem to be much of hindrance as the game became the most popular of 2023. It's easy to see why - who wouldn't want to be their own wizard (or witch) in the truly magical world of Harry Potter? It also proves the single-player games are still worth their weight in gold - a lesson, alas, that Warner Bro... read more