Jesse Norris's Reviews
Children of the Worm adds in some good-looking new environments, a throwaway story featuring a solid new character, and some of the craziest firefights I’ve ever seen. Solo or alone Back 4 Blood is always a good time, and the base game is still on Game Pass. As long as one member of your group owns the expansion you can all play it, and you’ll have a hell of a (short) time if you do.
As a remake of a 2006 title is one of the best looking to date. It doesn’t add or change much to the overall package but if you’re looking for some good fun, especially with a friend, then Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed is worth picking up if the price is right.
Soul Hackers 2 is a solid game. It’s not the most impressive technically and you can see the budget constraints, but it tells a fascinating story with a style few can match. If you’re a fan of Dungeon Crawling JRPGs then you should check this one out.
Overall it's a step in the right direction that I hope carries the franchise back to its once great heights.
At only $10 US Cyber Heist is well worth a purchase if you enjoyed The Ascent in either solo or up to 4 player co-op. Graphically it’s still a stunner, the gameplay is fun as hell, and while damned annoying the balancing issues can be “solved” if you are willing to do a little side mission grinding. The base game is still on Xbox Game Pass at the time of this review as well, and at this price, you won’t find many better-looking experiences.
Saints Row is a big, over-the-top, extremely fun game and if they can sort out the bugginess quickly it’s an easy one to recommend.
Cursed to Golf is charming, smart, sounds and plays great, and is full of heart. It mashes up a side-scrolling arcade golf game with roguelike mechanics in a fresh and exciting way. At only $20 US at launch, I think it’s well worth a purchase if anything you’ve seen here has you intrigued. This is one curse that’s well worth the cost.
Midnight Fight Express kicks serious ass. It is short, sweet, and packs one hell of a punch. The combat never gets old, and with it coming to Game Pass at launch I highly recommend it to anyone that likes action movies.
Tribes of Midgard is a large number of simple systems that work well with their co-op focus. The new survival mode makes solo play a hel of a lot more appealing, as well. Retailing for a very reasonable $20 US this one is worth checking out if you have a group of friends interested in it.
Arcade Paradise is a delightful surprise. Full of wit, heart, and damned fun minigames it’s worth a purchase if the thought of an idle-style laundromat management sim full of fun as hell arcade games sounds enticing.
Cult of the Lamb is awesome. The game offers up beautiful visuals, hilarious dialogue, is damned smart and plays like a dream. It is one of the best roguelikes mashed together with one of the best community builders I have ever played.
Far Cry 5 upped the gameplay of the series in satisfying ways. The entire campaign was finally playable in co-op, and the premise had potential. In the end, it misses the mark severely story-wise, but it’s a really fun shooter. It isn’t the best experience on any Xbox console but it does run beautifully on even a mid-range PC. Since it’s on Game Pass either solo or co-op it’s well worth checking out.
I have been unable to find out the final price of this title. If it’s under $10 and you have someone to play with it might be worth checking out, though you’ll most likely finish every level in a single night. From the gameplay to the graphics and the lack of variety, there is nothing here that even reaches the level of being mediocre.
If you’re looking for a game that is gorgeous, heartbreaking, and that tackles the most serious issue our and future generations will face then Endling - Extinction is Forever deserves your attention.
Featuring little in the ways of improvements with only the base resolution and framerate changing, and lots in the ways of game-breaking bugs, it’s impossible to recommend this $30 broken mess of a game at launch. Once things are patched up and hopefully working better it might be some couch co-op fun, though only on a deep sale. Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II’s “remaster” is a major disappointment.
Seeing Bone Shaker and Rip Rod in full-size as I jump 2000 feet through one of if not the best-looking video game landscapes of all time is everything I could have ever dreamed of. If you enjoyed the base game at all then you owe it to yourself to play this expansion.
Bright Memory: Infinite is a short but fun big dumb action game. It doesn’t have much if anything in the way of replayability, but it feels pretty good, looks great, and as long as the price isn’t too bad it’s worth checking out. Not only for the solid, overpowered feeling action, but it’s one hell of a weird-assed ride that I was glad to experience.
For $10 you get a good amount of content that both adds new areas and new mechanics to what is already a great game. It’s not transformative, but what it adds is excellent. If you haven’t tried the base game out yet it’s on Game Pass and it deserves a try. If you find yourself falling for it as I did then this DLC is absolutely worth a buy.
It’s a bit light on content outside of the games, but every option you could want is here, things run great, and the full package is a decent value. If you’ve got the itch to play through a bunch of classics, some real stinkers, and a few really cool games you probably haven’t heard of before then Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium is what you’re looking for.
PowerWash Simulator is a very simple, and very good game. Alone or with friends it’s both fun and stupidly satisfying to clean dirt with water. A healthy variety of locations, tools, a solid upgrade path, and even new looks are on hand to make this one well worth checking out.