Jesse Norris's Reviews
Monster Train 2 is excellent. It takes everything I loved about the first game and makes it just a little better. The looks, music, and strategy will have me playing this one for years to come.
Blades of Fire is not going to be a game for everyone. It’s beautiful, runs great, and has some design decisions that made me pull my hair out. It’s incredibly long, and I do not think that it benefits the game in any meaningful way.
RoadCraft is a ton of fun. It smartly evolves the MudRunner series, taking one of my favorite physics-based puzzle games and adding in some deliciously creative chaos.'
DOOM: The Dark Ages takes us back to the Slayer at his most powerful, stylish cape and all. Twenty-two levels of mayhem, excellent pacing, and furious combat make this entry my favorite in the series yet.
Revenge of the Savage Planet should take most 10 to 15 hours to complete, with the achievement hunters getting upwards of 20. It’s a huge step up from the first game, and a delightfully dumb, beautifully good time.
KIBORG caught my interest with its good looks, and quickly lost it with its bland and unsatisfying gameplay. Using some of the best rogue-lite tactics can’t help this one in the end, as its hilariously bad voiceover work and boring, repetitive combat make it a slog.
La Quimera is a beautifully baffling experience that I cannot recommend to anyone.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a beautifully inventive, heart-breaking experience of love, loss, and the will to survive
About as good as a graphical remake and gameplay remaster can be, for an all-time classic.
Crime Scene Cleaner is an odd duck. It’s mix of Zen-inducing gameplay in some truly horrific crime scenes is delightful, though a lack of things to do post-campaign is a bummer.
South of Midnight is a stunningly beautiful and moving experience. While the gameplay doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, it combines excellent writing and music to move your soul in ways only the best games can. This title is an enormous step-up for Compulsion Games, and I hope this isn’t the last we see from Hazel Flood.
Breakout Beyond takes a classic and forgets the most important part. You can’t have a brick-breaking game be fun if it doesn’t control well, and this one does not at launch.
The First Berserker: Khazan is an excellent action-focused Soulslike. A few minor quibbles and a predictable story aren't enough to hold back one of the most brutally difficult games we've ever played.
Atomfall is a punishingly difficult title, that rewards patience and forethought. This is no “Fallout in England”
AC Shadows is the best game in what has been an incredible series.
Mullet MadJack is excellent in every way. It looks great, sounds even better, and has gameplay for days. It’s a day-one port into Xbox Game Pass. No matter your skill level, there will be something for you to do in this weirdly wonderful title.
These yearly sports title releases can be tough to review. I don’t get to live in them like so many people reading this will choose to do. From someone who has reviewed the last few, this one feels like a solid iteration on what last year accomplished. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel so much as refines it to run more smoothly. WWE 2K25 is a big game, with an enormous amount of content on offer whether you’re into the online part of it or not.
Monster Hunter Wilds has all the tools be an all-time classic but forgets what made the series so special in the first place.
PGA Tour 2K25 is a golf video game. It is neither offensive nor special in any way. It can be shockingly expensive vs. the amount of content on offer, starting at $70 and going all the way up to $120. If you haven’t played a round of videogame golf in a long time it may be worth a go if you can split the cost with some friends. Outside of that, and especially if the crashing issues are happening, it’s tough to recommend.
Avowed is an excellent game. One major issue keeps it from being an all-timer for me, with the gear progression system being as restrictive as it is at launch. They can patch that, and I hope they do as the rest of the game is excellent. Obsidian’s top-tier writing has finally been matched with gorgeous visuals and satisfying gameplay.