Author Details
Jacob Zeranko is a writer, actor, musician, and producer based out of Baltimore, MD. Currently, Jacob is bounding around various projects such as writing an EP, producing local podcasts, and organzing writing. When not consumed by these projects, he is likely cuddling with his cat Bella and watcing whatever looks interesting on YouTube.
Industry Focus
Jacob began his time at Screen Rant as a feature writer for the gaming team but now has since shifted to writing game reviews, previews, and the occasional interview.
Favorite Media
Favorite games: Horizon: Forbidden West, God of War: Ragnarok, Ghost of Tsushima, Dishonored 2, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Backbone, and Signalis. Favorite bands: Plini, Periphery, Polyphia, Spiritbox, Haken, and David Maxin Micic. Some miscellanious favorites include Demon Slayer, The Sound Inside (play), and The Last 5 Years (musical).
"Lays A Strong Foundation For Future Adventures" - Lords of the Fallen Review
Lord of the Fallen is a confident release that offers something new to Souls-likes. While not without faults, it lays a strong foundation to build on.
"Smart, Fun, And Chaotic In Every Way" - Payday 3 Review
Payday 3 offers a new story & more refined gameplay, but struggles to deliver the former or create a smooth onboarding process for new players.
"A Beautiful World With Overly Complex RPG Mechanics" - Wandering Sword Review
Wandering Sword is a visually stunning RPG filled with charm, but overly complex RPG mechanics occasionally makes gameplay feel confused & unbalanced.
"Oozes With Personality And Potential" - Gunbrella Review
Gunbrella is a visually stunning & charming game with great gunplay & solid platforming, but it struggles to focus & falls short of its potential.
"A Fun, Creative, And Cathartic Experience": [I] Doesn't Exist Review
[I] Doesn’t Exist is a brief but impactful experience that uses unique mechanics & smart writing to tell a complex & emotional story.
"Sure To Leave Players With A Smile On Their Face" - Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy Review
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy is full of charm & creativity, but it struggles to provide solo & co-op players with the same quality of experience.
Apex Legends: Resurrection Season 18 Preview: Bringing Horror And Mystery To The Apex Games
Apex Legends: Resurrection is putting story front & center, introducing a reworked Revenant, & is looking to change things up in a big way.
"A Wonderful Game That Would Benefit From A Few Tweaks": Sea Horizon Review
Sea Horizon delivers addictive deck-building gameplay with some chance & charm mixed in. It struggles with its RNG elements but not to a detriment.
"A Joy To Experience And An Absolute Must-Play" - My Friendly Neighborhood Review
With fantastic writing, acting, puzzles, gameplay, and level design, My Friendly Neighborhood is a must-play that deserves more attention.
"A Strong Game That Lacks The It-Factor": Exoprimal Review
While it struggles with storytelling & repetitive game modes, Exoprimal provides top-tier gameplay that’s fluid, addicting, & well worth trying out.
"Not Ready For Full Release": Nimbus INFINITY Review
Nimbus INFINITY struggles to tell a clear and cohesive story or offer a satisfying experience due to poor optimization and design choices.
"Held Back By Some Poor Decisions" - Testament: The Order of High Human Preview
Testament: The Order of High Human is an ambitious title from a small studio that presents an interesting world but struggles with significant flaws.
Humanity Review: Using Puzzles To Show The Beauty Of The Human Experience
Humanity uses creative & unique puzzle design to shake up the expectations of the genre & tell a beautiful story about the human experience.
Apex Legends Season 17 Goes Ballistic With Major Legend Addition
Season 17 brings a number of new features, such as the new legend Ballistic, quality of life changes to Ranked, & the new weapon mastery system.
Showgunners Review: Addicting, Deadly, And Confident
With addicting turn-based combat, interesting characters, & engaging real-time exploration, navigating Showgunners’ deadly gameshow is a blast.
Teslagrad 2 Review: Fluid Movement & Clunky Physics
Teslagrad 2 is a short, fun, & engaging game with a beautiful world that struggles with a few drawbacks in its gameplay & ineffective storytelling.
Ghostwire: Tokyo Xbox Review: An Almost Seamless Port
Despite its original flaws being present, the quality of this game and its inclusion on Game Pass makes trying it out an easy recommendation.
Meet Your Maker Review: Architectural Sadism And Unbalanced Enjoyment
Meet Your Maker houses a robust building system & interesting mechanics, but it ultimately favors the builders and puts players at a disadvantage.
Ravenbound Review: Decent Combat In An Empty World
Ravenbound should be an addicting roguelike in a dark & active open-world. Instead, its mechanics work against each other & the world suffers for it.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Preview - Interesting, But Lackluster
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum preview showed the start of an interesting new story in Middle-earth, as well as clunky & unengaging gameplay.