Steven McCullough
Don't get even, get Madden.
If you're upgrading your console soon you may want to hold off as a next-gen version is due to drop shortly, but if you're into hoops and plan on sticking with your current machine into the new year and beyond, this is a must-buy, even if you already have the previous game in the series. Who knows what the next console generation will bring, with 2K marching triumphantly onwards and EA bringing back NBA Live for the first time in five years, but for now, this is just the best version of the best video game basketball experience you're going to find.
Light's on, but no-one's home.
For all its flaws, Farming Simulator 2015 is the latest, best entry in an exceedingly niche genre, a reasonable improvement on the last entry, and perhaps a change of scenery if you're sick of the sight of alien spaceships and chest-high walls. Even if the closest you've ever come to farming in real life is accidentally picking up an unpackaged vegetable in Tesco, I challenge you to try the demo, watch the first rays of dappled sunlight break through the treeline, glinting off the whirring blades of your harvester, and not be gripped by a sudden urge to bring the barley in.
Whether you choose to perceive it through a moral lens or not, there's a great tactical survival mechanic driving this game beneath the didactics.
[T]his is a confident return to form with one foot securely in the past and one striding forward to an assured future. They're back doing what they do best, and that's great news for RTS fans.
Uptown fun.
It might not scale the lofty heights of its illustrious predecessors, but it's got some fresh ideas and is certainly worth a look if bossing units around is your bread and butter.
The Digital Fix polish their firearms and stroll into an apocalyptic landscape to review Adult Swim's Xbone homage to gaming's golden age: Rise & Shine.
A wry hacking adventure, marred by a few unfortunate design choices.
A unique and well-crafted opportunity to test your grey matter.
Good for one evening of outlandish fun, but not one you'll come back to.
Diminutive in scope but with plenty of content, this could be a welcome change from your daily crossword or sudoku.
Well presented and thumpingly over-the-top, Dawn Of War III combines elements from its two predecessors to mostly great effect. With a few more maps and modes, this could be a solid competitive title.
An uncoordinated tangle of ideas that's just too confusing to be fun.
A hefty and uncompromising challenge for those who would welcome it, but a tad too unforgiving for newcomers to the genre.
While not quite able to deliver an arcade football experience worth sticking with, the quality gags make up for the low budget aesthetic.
A thoroughly competent but somewhat clinical racer that's fully licensed and looks the part.
A party game that's fun for a while, but you probably won't be loading it up after your guests leave.
Not quite an arresting adventure, but there's some cop genre fun to be had if you can stand the outdated attitudes.