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Jesse Norris

Doncabesa
Doncabesa
doncabesa1982

Favorite Games:
  • Halo
  • Mass Effect
  • Battlefield

259 games reviewed
73.3 average score
80 median score
62.5% of games recommended

Jesse Norris's Reviews

I am the Reviews Editor and jack-of-all-trades for Xbox Era
Sep 12, 2023

Demolish & Build fails at being an enjoyable game in every single way.

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9.7 / 10.0 - Starfield
Aug 31, 2023

Starfield is a new beginning. Not only for Bethesda but for Xbox as a whole. With excellent writing, stunning graphics, and thrilling gameplay it makes the galaxy yours to explore, shape, and live in. It is a wonderous tapestry to experience your story in a way that only the best have done before.

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Aug 23, 2023

An odd return to what has been a mostly mediocre series.  It fixes multiple issues, mainly control-wise from the past titles, without adding much else.  It isn’t great to look at, and while it can be fun to play its poor balance as you progress kills any joy to be found after not too long.

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Aug 16, 2023

The game is fantastic in every way.  Excellent gameplay, nice graphics, great sound, and a ton of variety in its objectives mean this absolute gem is one you should look into no matter when you’re reading this review.

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6.9 / 10.0 - Atlas Fallen
Aug 9, 2023

Atlas Fallen is close to being damned good. It is let down by a lack of variety in enemy encounters, poor side quests, and dreadful writing. Still, the combat quickly becomes damned fun and with the option of co-op, it’s well worth checking out if you want some God of Crackdown-style action platforming adventures.

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Atomic Heart is a good game, but this DLC is an unsatisfying follow-up to that story.  It removes the surprising depth of both the characters and gameplay and replaces it with a linear mess that rarely resembles the far superior original title.

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7.6 / 10.0 - Remnant II
Jul 20, 2023

Remnant II tickles greatness but falls short due to a few design choices.  It is gorgeous, plays incredibly well, and should be one of the year’s best releases.  I’m not sure if my issues with the game can be easily patched out, but I hope the devs at Gunfire Games give this one the same love the first game received over time.

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7.3 / 10.0 - Maquette
Jul 19, 2023

Maquette is a short, impactful experience. Through clever use of its puzzle mechanics, it forces you to think in ways only the best of the genre tend to do. While the story and writing aren’t as good as the other parts of the title it is still an easy recommendation for anyone to check out for a night or two through Game Pass.

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7.5 / 10.0 - Exoprimal
Jul 14, 2023

Exoprimal is a solid foundation.  What is here now will be fun for a month or two, and Capcom will need to show that they can back up what sounds like a solid live service plan.  It is available for $60 or on Game Pass for both console and PC.  Solo or with friends it is a hell of a lot of fun, and an easy recommendation to at least give it a try.

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Perhaps the most important game ever gets potentially perfect DLC?!?!

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8.3 / 10.0 - AEW: Fight Forever
Jun 28, 2023

AEW: Fight Forever rekindles the flame of the classic N64 wrestling titles.  Featuring a fantastic mix of nostalgia and new it is only let down on occasion by budget and scope constraints.  I hope this is the start of a new, long-running series that takes this excellent foundation and adds more variety on top of it for years to come.

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Jun 27, 2023

A well-made, beautiful action focused Metroidvania.  The combat starts off slow but when it clicks it is excellent.  The traversal and platforming are top-notch, and even though I’m not too much of a furry I grew to enjoy the characters and story quickly.

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Jun 22, 2023

Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine is an occasionally brilliant match 4 puzzler.  It has great ideas mixed with middling execution.  I can’t say I “enjoyed” my time playing it, but I appreciated the looks and sounds when I was sane enough to pay attention to them.

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Jun 15, 2023

a solid compilation of two decent horror titles.  It is a massive graphical upgrade that uses a new narrative to tie them together in a satisfying way.  Releasing at $30 MSRP if you haven’t played the games before and love to get creeped out then this one is well worth checking out.

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May 31, 2023

No One Lives Under the Lighthouse is a solid low-budget indie horror that aims a little too high with its gameplay mechanics.  They only happen in certain endings, and its short run time means any horror fan will gladly seek them all out.  At a $12 MSRP it is a no brainer if you enjoy getting the shit scared out of you.

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9.5 / 10.0 - Diablo IV
May 30, 2023

Diablo IV is a triumph. It fulfills its promise, combining the aesthetics and feeling of Diablo II with the fantastic gameplay of III.  It is dark and gory, featuring a meaty campaign and endgame that should delight fans of the series for hundreds if not thousands of hours.

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May 23, 2023

Old school DOOM + Warhammer 40,000 are a match made in Hell

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3.5 / 10.0 - The Creepy Syndrome
May 10, 2023

The Creepy Syndrome is not creepy and features no syndromes.  It is a low-budget horror title that relies entirely on jump scares and stilted, cliché-filled writing.  If you skip the dialogue and get a strategy video you can get an easy 1000g out of it in an hour or two, but you will not have an enjoyable time while doing so.

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3 / 10.0 - Steel Defier
May 4, 2023

I beat the game and earned all 1000g in roughly 25 minutes of playtime.  For $5 it’s an easy sell for achievement hunters out there, and one of the better playing achieve games I’ve played.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Redfall
May 1, 2023

Redfall is fantastic in most ways.  A few baffling design decisions around its co-op implementation and some frustrating technical issues hold it back.  It is fun as hell solo, and ridiculously so in co-op.  With a little post-launch support it is going to become something special.  This may end up being Arkane’s worst-reviewed title ever, but it is going to be their most successful.  Alone or with friends Redfall is a game any fan of the genre should play.

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