Jesse Norris's Reviews
If you like puzzle games with brilliant stories, deviously clever puzzles, an incredible atmosphere, and an emotionally charged soundtrack buy this game. The Entropy Centre came out of nowhere and floored me with its brilliance; the less you know before you go in, the better of an experience it will be.
Resident Evil Village’s Gold Edition is a solid way to experience the full campaign and all its extra content for newcomers. It’s $50 for the whole thing, or $20 if you already own Village and want the new expansions. RE:Verse is a huge miss, but the third-person camera, expansion, and Mercenaries content more than make up for it.
It isn’t the prettiest nor does it feature the best translation, but Gunfire Reborn is stupidly fun to play. The controls feel fantastic, the character and build variety is top-tier, and as someone who adores roguelikes/lites, it had everything I was looking for.
“In the end, either solo and especially in co-op, it’s an easy recommendation for me. All four heroes play fantastically and are quite different from one another. It also looks great on a Series X. I hope that Gotham Knights becomes a series because this is one hell of a first entry.”
Shootas, Blood, & Teef is a hilarious, fun, and joyous game. It knows what it is, and it leans heavily into being dumb and fun. The soundtrack kicks serious ass, and I have no clue exactly how much it will cost as the store page isn’t live on Xbox and you can only Wish List it on Steam. If this one is $20 or so then I say go for it, especially if you can play co-op. WAAAGH!
Excellent turn-based combat is carried further by gorgeous visuals, an incredible soundtrack, and a story filled with brilliant twists and turns. It’s available day one on Xbox Game Pass and if you’re looking for a game to put over 100 hours into (conservatively) then do yourself a favor and give this one a go.
I have enjoyed some action-adventure horror games out there. Limited ammo and health reserves can be a great tool for upping the tension and a great story helps make it worth seeing things through. Scorn has none of that. It is bland, boring, plays poorly, and excels in no areas.
NHL 23 looks great, is fun as hell, features a ton of modes, and will set you back $70 at the time of launch. If you’re a big fan of the sport, and especially if you’re into the Hockey Ultimate Team mode then this latest entry is worth getting. For others, especially on Xbox if you have Game Pass Ultimate, use your 10-hour trial and try before you buy.
I simply cannot recommend Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3 at its launch price of $50 US. The controls are mediocre, performance is surprisingly inconsistent, the voice work is grating, and it’s a budget package on a nearly AAA price.
Overwatch 2 is a rebirth for one of my favorite games of the past generation. Featuring great new heroes, gorgeous and well-balanced new maps, a new mode in Push that I’ve greatly enjoyed, and a progression system that feels about the same as most free-to-play titles it’s an easy recommendation for both new and returning players alike.
Despot’s Game: Dystopian Army Builder is a really fun if slightly flawed strategy game that I’m glad I decided to check out. While it’s not something I might recommend to most for a purchase it is definitely worth trying out on Game Pass if you are subscribed.
Moonscars is really close to being a great game. The combat can be stupidly fun, the animations are fantastic, and I loved the story and music. Balancing issues with the death penalty and a too stringent adherence to older Dark Souls mechanics inevitably lead to immense frustration. I still think it’s worth at least checking out and seeing if it can hook you with its occasional glimpses of brilliance.
Prodeus is stupidly fun, looks incredible, sounds fantastic, and is launching into a subscription service many people reading this may have. It’s been a bit of a weird marketing cycle leading up to the launch of the game, but I hope as many people as possible at least try it out. It’s one hell of a love letter to the FPS genre for both the old and the new.
Soulstice came out of nowhere for me and it is fantastic. Its mix of brilliant combat, an intriguing plot, great music, and occasionally gorgeous graphics had me hooked instantly. This could be the beginning of a great series and one excellent title you do not want to miss.
Deathloop is the best game Arkane has ever made, which is saying something. It is a brilliant culmination of their learnings over the years, and I absolutely love it. World-class writing, world-building, and story are matched with fun gameplay, great performance, and one of the smartest game worlds I’ve ever seen. It’s finally out on Xbox and it’s on Game Pass so do yourself a favor and play this near-masterpiece.
Blind Fate shows potential for this rather new dev team. They nailed multiple parts of what it takes to be great, with the writing being solid and the voice acting being fantastic. It looks good but feels terrible to play, only getting to almost decent after many hours. It can feel wildly unfair but there is still just enough there that it may be worth checking out if you can find it at a decent price. It may not be the best Samurai game, but it’s got spirit.
This is one of my favorite games ever. Coming back to it for the 3rd time for this review has only reinforced that feeling. It’s gorgeous, well-written, has excellent combat, a ton of depth, and with it now being on Game Pass it is well worth giving it a try.
$70 at launch is a big ask, but this is a very big game. The gameplay is the best it has ever been, and the live service is the most predatory feeling, but there is enough other content on offer that I’d still recommend this year’s title.
Steelrising is a mix of decent to damned good parts that takes the Soulslike Action RPG and puts it into one of the most ridiculous and awesome settings I’ve seen in a while. Mediocre graphics are countered by a fantastic art style, fun combat, incredible music, and a story that I found myself deeply invested in. If you’ve got an itch for the genre and don’t want to wait for Lies of P, then Steelrising is an excellent alternative to hold you over.
This is one of the, if not the best gaming experiences of my lifetime.