
While arguably best known for the epic strategy games in the Total War series on PC, Creative Assembly have always kept one hand on a joypad. Recently they've decided to cut a bloody hole in our hearts with the grand-scale slasher Viking. What Stormrise attempts to do is marry the two extremes of its output – something that throws around crowds like Viking did, but with the added things-going-on-upstairs action of the Total War games. Its setting is a somewhat familiar future-dystopia – a world in ruins and the struggle to claim the throne of… oh, you know – standard sci-fi goofballs. It's suffice to say that two sides are fighting, the Sai and Echelon or – in extreme shorthand – a band of scabby mutants and a squad of jackbooted marine high-tech stormtroopers.

The RTS genre has had a rough ride on consoles through the years, but which are the 7 best games available today?

The Black Panel writes: In this (very special) Christmas episode of Australia’s grooviest gaming podcast, the team tackle Sadistic Santa, The Year in Review, Reader Recollections and much more!

Kim Sellentin, Producer behind Medieval II Total War: Kingdoms at SEGA Studios Australia, discusses her start as a QA tester, her approach of cultivating a learning culture in the studio, and strategies for current and future producers.