Jesse Norris's Reviews
*Updated 4/28/2021: Constant nerfs to the power fantasy in some weird attempt to force in unneeded longevity has killed the game for me. Instead of buffing they are nerfing and it's a terrible choice. Never before has there been such a marriage of great gameplay and truly terrible dialogue. Despite the latter Outriders is a blast to play and a no-brainer on Xbox Game Pass.
Curse of the Dead Gods is a solid title for fans of rogue-likes and dungeon crawlers. An excellent progression system is tied to a damned fun combat system. Retailing for only $20 US it is easy to recommend, and as it is a Focus Home Interactive game I wouldn’t be shocked if it hit Game Pass at some point in the future. The time in early-access has really paid off, and you would do well to try it for yourself.
Fallout 4 is a damned good video game. It has its fair share of problems, and the engine really does feel dated now, but with a robust modding community and a compelling narrative it’s an easy recommendation through Xbox Game Pass. Without the ability to mod away many of the issues I wouldn’t be as quick to recommend it, and if you care more about achievements then you may want to hold off. Overall though I loved my time with game, and I’m incredibly excited to see what they do next with Starfield.
DOOM Eternal The Ancient Gods Part 2 is tight, focused, and a gripping end to the rebirth of the franchise that is an easy recommendation to any fan of the genre. Breathtaking graphics, great music, and an over-the-top story combine with the best gunplay in the business to give us a rousing send-off for the series for the time being.
Wreckfest is an excellent racing game. It has one of the best physics and by far the best damage models in any racing game I have ever played. Combine these with a variety of classic and destruction derby-style races and you have yourself one hell of a title. This one is a no-brainer for anyone with Game Pass and it’s on sale quite often as well. Do yourself a favor and check Wreckfest out, there’s a good chance you’ll absolutely love it.
At full price I would say make sure you know exactly what this game is before buying it. It’s excellent, but this genre isn’t going to be for everyone. On Game Pass though this one is a no-brainer to give a try. The install size isn’t huge, but the amount of high-quality content contained within is.
The Division 2’s mix of gorgeous graphics, fantastic gameplay, excellent music, one of gaming’s coolest UI’s, and a progression system I truly adore makes it one of my favorite games in quite a while. Every day I find myself opening it up instead of something new and I simply had to review it to get my thoughts out there.
Ryse is exactly what a launch title in 2013 should have been. It is gorgeous, it does not overstay its welcome, and as it is now on Game Pass it is easy to recommend to anyone who has Game Pass on console. It is also available on PC, but you need to buy it outright there. On the whole? If you have not played this game and you liked the HBO series Rome and seeing the same execution play out 1500 times? This is the game for you!
We Happy Few was originally released in August of 2018 to highly mixed reviews. The game was a mix of its original survival genre roots interspersed with a well-received story. Bugs were frequent and it truly felt like a game stuck between two fandoms. One wanted the original survival game, and the others wanted a Bioshock like narrative-driven title. Two and a half years later has developer Compulsion Games been able to right the ship and deliver on their goals?
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is one of my favorite videogames of all time. It cannot be stated just how incredible the work that 343 Industries and multiple other studios have put into it over the past 5+ years to get it here. Any future compilation of titles should look to this as the benchmark for what a collection of beloved titles should be.
As part of Game Pass for both console and PC, Wilmot’s is an easy recommendation for anyone out there that loves to sort things. The relaxing feeling that starts to take you over as you play isn’t something matched by many other titles. It really is the best of what smaller mobile-style games have to offer.
Neoverse is an anime-inspired take on the deck-building Rogue-like genre. Featuring bland 3D graphics with stiff animations, forgettable music, and a convoluted UI the gameplay is both too simple and somehow too convoluted for this game to keep up with the big boys of the genre.
After playing all the big open world releases at the end of 2020 I found Immortals to be the best of the bunch. It is by far their most successful balancing of story, combat, and exploration in quite some time. Never once did I feel that a cutscene was too long and the exploration is consistently rewarding. My only question for Ubisoft is, why did you send this incredible title seemingly out to die?
A More Tactical Take on the Deck Building Roguelike That Shines Thanks to Excellent Diversity in How You Tackle the Goal of Re-igniting the Flames of Hell.
One of the best open-world RPGs of all-time is held back in part by a rushed release that fails to tap into the full power of the new generation of consoles or perform acceptably on the previous one.
Stellar on-court action is slightly brought down by the now-standard obnoxious microtransaction system
Excellent gameplay is dragged down a bit by an ok story and voice acting but the sandbox presented is one of the best in the genre.
A direct continuation of DOOM Eternal’s main campaign, The Ancient Gods Part 1 is a non-stop adrenaline-fueled slaughter fest. It takes all the best parts of the main campaign and turns them up to 11.
Risk of Rain 2 is not the deepest of games. It is however fun every single run through. Add in up to three co-op companions and you are in for one heck of a good time.
There are few better examples in the industry than Ghost Ship Game’s use of Early Access. Deep Rock Galactic is a tightly-honed and laser-focused cooperative FPS that stands toe-to-toe with the best in the genre. With a mix of excellent gameplay, solid graphics, and brilliant gameplay concepts, I strongly recommend it to anyone looking to play either solo or especially with their friends.