Jesse Norris's Reviews
Terminator 2D: NO FATE is a gorgeous, fun time, with all the positives and negatives of 90s arcade games. The inclusion of alternate story paths helps the title from feeling too repetitive. Any fan of the franchise would do well to check this one out.
Death Howl is one of 2025's best games, mixing Soulslike and Deck builders into something I never knew I needed so badly.
SLEEP AWAKE is a game I saw in my email, having never heard of it. I redeemed the key on a whim, and dear lord, am I happy that I did. The four hours I spent in The Crawl as Katja were full of intrigue, some genuine scares, and a hell of a lot of enjoyment.
The SILENT HILL 2 remake is finally on Xbox, and it is the best version of the amazing title yet.
A.I.L.A is a solid experience, with a strong beginning and end, let down by a weak middle. If this version of VR existed in the real world, then the medium would have taken off far more than it ever did. It’s a good setup for a horror game, and fans of the genre would do well to check this one out sometime.
Dave the Diver is an excellent, enormous title that is best left as vague as possible. Go in without looking too deeply into it and be ready for dozens of hours of some of the best that video gaming has to offer.
Monsters Are Coming! Rock and Road hits PC Game Pass and is another solid Survivors-like for those who haven't had their fill.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is an absolute riot. It's not afraid to rely on copious amounts of nostalgia, while also pushing the series forward in the most logical direction. Treyarch have looked back at Black Ops 2 and 3 for inspiration, and have delivered a fantastic Call of Duty, full to the brim of incredible content.
Pigeon Simulator is the definition of ‘fine’. While it does nothing great, most mechanics work just well enough to allow for fun when in a group. It is a poor experience solo, though, so unless you have a friend or three, which is made easier as a Day One Game Pass launch, it may not be for you.
Great gameplay, solid storytelling, and a fantastical premise make this survival-crafting game well worth checking out, even if you normally dislike the genre, like I do.
Dead Static Drive is a pretty, broken game. The poor gameplay mechanics and constant issues with quest progression further drag down what is otherwise a disappointing title.
The Outer Worlds 2 is a confidently made game. It is perfectly-scoped, with excellent gameplay, writing, and voice acting. The combat and movement are the biggest step up over the original. Whether you have played that title or not, if you want a choice-heavy, narrative-rich adventure in a far-off solar system, then this game is worth a download or Game Pass, or buying outright.
Wrapping Things Up Bounty Star: The Morose Tale of Graveyard Clem is a game full of good ideas and poor execution. I loved the setting and enjoyed the story thanks to some great voice acting and music. The gameplay loop was a letdown, though. Full of repetitive tasks and unsatisfying combat.
PowerWash Simulator 2 takes the idiom “If it ain't broke, don’t fix it” and dials it up to 11. This is a bigger, prettier, and easier-to-play sequel that’s coming Day One to Xbox Game Pass.
NINJA GAIDEN 4 revives the decade+ dormant franchise with a new developer leading it into an insanely fast, new direction. It’s a fun, occasionally beautiful title with an actually not terrible story, perhaps a first for the series
BALL x PIT is a brilliant mish-mash of two genres, with excellent strategic choices in its main gameplay sections. The town building may not be for all, but I enjoyed it well enough. The only minor issue was the sameness of the progression between the base game and new game plus. Still, it took me nearly 60 hours to get to that point; it's in Game Pass on Day One, and I had a blast while doing it.
Alien: Rogue Incursion Part One – Evolved Edition’s name is nearly as long as its runtime on console. I was able to clear the entire game in roughly 3 hours, though I knew where to go and what to do after having played it once in VR. Without that immersive interactivity, what was already a mediocre title is made that much worse.
Moon Mystery shoots for the stars and nearly achieves its goals. For $20, you get 5 or 6 hours of occasional fun, and a few moments of utter bewilderment
SILENT HILL f is a terrifying and terrific title. This harrowing tale of choice and consequence should thrill and properly disgust any fellow survival horror sicko.
Top-tier movement and combat elevate a decent story into something worth your time.