Jesse Norris's Reviews
Crusader Kings III is a phenomenal game that is not for most. If you have the patience, reading ability, and time this is one of the best, funniest, and most varied sim games on the market. Being a part of Game Pass makes it easy to recommend and if you always wanted to marry your cousin, stab your uncle king in the back, or tax the people into open revolt then this is the game for you.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is an incredible achievement. Spanning 9 feature-length films yet never feeling like it overstays its welcome while featuring tons of actually funny stupid jokes, solid gameplay, gorgeous graphics, great voice acting, and all the nostalgia you could ever wish for this game is a triumph. It has done the impossible and made me enjoy spending time with episodes 1 and 2, hell not only enjoy but absolutely love it. Holy Snokes is this game awesome and everyone who enjoys Star Wars at all should play it.
AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES nirvanA Initiative is one of my favorite games to release this year. With a mixture of wit, humor, and above all else heart it is something no one should miss. Whether a fan of the Visual Novel genre or not this game is a damn near perfect follow-up to the original.
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.
High On Life is absolutely fantastic, and you should play it.
Monster Hunter Rise benefits from a tighter focus and massive quality-of-life improvements over its predecessors. The performance is excellent, and your hunts are more enjoyable than ever. With it releasing day one on Game Pass it’s a world worth visiting by yourself or with some buddies.
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.
Asgard’s Wrath 2 is an epic action RPG, worthy of being Meta’s must-have game. It looks and runs great, plays fantastically, and has more high-quality content than most RPGs I’ve played before.
Resident Evil 2 is a fantastic get for Game Pass, and the new port on the Microsoft Store is excellent. It’s Play Anywhere, terrifying, and well worth checking out for anyone looking to clap some zombie cheeks.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a fantastic video game. It improves on every facet of the first title. An excellent main quest is paired with Capcom’s best English VO and some incredible emergent combat. It’s fully approachable if you’ve never given the first one a go, and any Action RPG fan owes it to themselves to learn just what the Dragon’s Dogma truly is.
Despite a rocky reveal Marvel’s Avengers is a fun, and gorgeous game that is a blast to play both solo and with friends. Featuring a campaign with emotional heft and multiplayer that is built to last, it is an easy recommendation for any fan of either the genre or the source material.
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.
This DLC is 100% worth it for anyone who has played the first two, and if you haven’t played any of them (or the main game for that matter) give Dead Cells a go on Game Pass. If it hooks you as it did me then this trilogy of DLC is a no-brainer. It adds further excellence to what was already an incredible foundation with some of the best DLC content I have played in a very long time.
I was shocked by how incredible this game feels to play. Paired with a solid story, great music, and surprising depth it’s an easy recommendation on Game Pass or for its $20 price tag at launch. Whether you’re looking for a balls to the wall thrill ride or something that feels great and is chill to play you can customize the difficulty how you see fit. If anything you’ve read about here sounds interesting then you should check this fantastic game out.
Whether you’re looking for a fascinating trip through history or one hell of an action RPG there are few games out there better than this one.
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.
Rally Adventure is grounded expansion. Those aren’t typically my favorite in the Horizon series, but this one is the exception. I’m still not a huge fan of the chatter from the NPCs but every other part of this expansion is top-notch. If you love the base game, this is more of it in a better-than-ever package.
A delight for fans of Avatar, this game is so damned good that even one apathetic to the IP like me couldn’t help but fall in love with it.
For $40 at launch there is more than enough content here to satisfy anyone interested in the premise. If the thought of chopping off heads, picking them up, and running around with them as you scream like a maniac sounds good to you, then go seek help, that help being playing Chivalry 2 of course.
This is an excellent video game that you should try and play at some point. It’s worth buying full price if you have the money, but as it is on sale often now it’s 100% worth a pick-up.