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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