Farming Simulator 2015; Lost Orbit; Yoshi's Island DS, gaming reviews

From an especially cold simulator to a loveable green dinosaur

A dry, dull game: Farming Simulator 2015

Farming Simulator 2015

**

PS4, Xbox One, PC, 3DS, Vita, PS3, Xbox 360 (£39.99)

It can be argued that all simulator games are lifeless to a certain degree (Goat Simulator excluded), but Farming Simulator 2015 seems especially cold. Confusingly, the process of farming is made to seem very simple (perhaps overly so), with little to contend with and virtually no 'fail' state. You can decide what type of farmer you want to be, whether you want to grow crops, raise animals or harvest trees. You can use the money you earn to buy new machinery, animals etc. A dry, dull game.

Jack Fleming

Lost Orbit

****

S4, PC (£9.99)

Adrift in space and struggling to return home, Lost Orbit's insignificant worker bee astronaut Harrison rockets through asteroid fields and past planets in this reflex-testing dodge-em-up. While each of the 40-plus bite-sized levels can be traversed at a leisurely pace, Lost Orbit's real thrills come from successfully pulling off jackknife turns and last-second barrel rolls. With a poignant ending, an RPG-lite upgrade system and a sublime soundtrack to boot, Lost Orbit is a strangely affecting jolt of energised fun.

Oliver Cragg

Yoshi's Island DS

****

Wii U (£8.99)

Retaining a charming hand-drawn graphical style first introduced in its SNES predecessor, Yoshi's Island DS stars baby versions of several popular Nintendo characters (as seen in Mario Kart), riding atop the loveable green dinosaur. Players must use each infant's unique moves to progress through 50 taxing levels. It may be nearly a decade old, but the visuals still impress as you navigate gem-studded caverns, Swiss cheese hills and sunflower stalks. The world design is clever and the journey is well worth putting up with the odd moment of frustration.

Sam Gill