Rival consoles – this week’s top computer games
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
Nintendo Switch £24.99
Age rating: 3+
Playable in TV, tabletop or handheld mode, this is a title where the Switchreallycomesintoitsown. Simply add a few Joy-Con controllers to go brain-to-brain with the whole family, play against one other person in handheld touch mode, or quietly practice alone to boost your Big Brain Brawn Score or take on users’ ghost data from across the globe. A fun and challenging title everyone will enjoy this Christmas, which shouldn’t cause too many arguments. 9/10
Grim Dawn: Definitive Edition Xbox One/S/X
£45.99
Age rating: 16+
At the heart of a world called Cairn, the human race has been pushed to the edge of extinction. The planet serves as the battleground between the Aetherials and the Chthonians – otherworldly races with differing motives for human enslavement. As ARPGs go, the game is hugely accessible, and the pacing of both the story and gameplay is sprightly, while offering gamers the ability to drop in and out – perfect for any newcomer to the genre. 8/10
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector Xbox, PlayStation
£28.99
Age rating: 16+
The grimdark universe of the 41st millennium is the setting for this turn-based strategy game, the aim to battle through 20 singleplayer missions while exploring the Devastation of Baal and helping purge the Tyranid infestation. Slow to get started and with onscreen instructions more suited to playing on the PC, the jerky camera work can be off-putting. However, it’s great if you are a Warhammer fan and have time to develop your campaigns. 7/10
Cricket 22
Xbox/PlayStation £49.99
Age rating: 3+
Cricket games are hard to get right, but this comes closer than anything since the Brian Lara games of the 1990s to getting the feel for the sport. There’s an excellent tutorial for newbies and control options designed for all abilities to help make the game immediately fun and challenging. It’s less visually impressive than, say, Fifa or Madden, so expectations should be reined in – but nonetheless, it’s is a welcome arrival for cricket lovers. 7/10