Despite noticeably upping the action level, bolting on co-op, and even charging us extra to cheat, this space-zombie shooter trilogy brings it home nicely with a lengthy, atmospheric, and suitably gory climax for our long-tortured hero, Isaac Clarke.

Is the combat up to par with, say, Devil May Cry 3? Not quite. And no, the series will probably never top Devil May Cry 4's Dante vs Nero opening in terms of sheer testosterone-fueled zaniness. But Ninja Theory's managed to meld its own wildly inventive sensibilities with an obvious reverence for Devil May Cry's legacy, and the result is a very special experience.

This DLC doesn't bring the much-anticipated level cap increase (Gearbox says that's on the way soon), but otherwise, this is the adventure that Borderlands 2 veterans have been waiting for. Go on the Big Game Hunt for the continued story, but stay in Aegrus for the challenge.

What's here is good stuff, though, and even if it never got another piece of content Forge would pull its weight.

PlanetSide 2 shows the PC off. From the gorgeous lighting and huge draw distances, to the intense, multiplayer battles. It's based on something old, but that was so far ahead of its time that even now the template feels new. Exciting. It feels like the next generation has just landed.

Like Borderlands 2 itself (and the Captain Scarlett DLC), once you defeat the final boss, you unlock an all new set of missions and many more hours' worth of stuff to do. It's the type of surprise that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy -- like Gearbox appreciates my continued patronage of Pandora.

If AirMech were just a straightforward, updated clone of Herzog Zwei, I'd have been pleased. That it actually builds considerably on its template while incorporating some of the best elements of its descendants has me nothing short of ecstatic. It probably won't pull away, say, hardcore League of Legends players, but that's not really a shortcoming.

Most definitely qualifies as art -- exquisitely horrific, body-slam-your-emotions, tears-on-your-keyboard art. It is a near-perfect conclusion that may leave you emotionally gutted.

Basically, I suggest ignoring the multiplayer and concentrating exclusively on the excellent sandbox of the single-player game. When Far Cry 3 invites you to come stay with it for a long vacation, take it up on its offer. This is a great example of how to do an open-world shooter right, and for me it's been one of the nicest surprises this year.

More importantly, choice is another element that helps take the Black Ops 2 campaign off of the carbon-copy conveyor belt of typical Call of Duty shooting. It doesn't make the same whole-hearted dramatic franchise leap forward that Modern Warfare did, which is disappointing, but after five years of more of the same, it's a big step in the right direction.

I had a blast playing Need For Speed: Most Wanted, and I expect to keep that feeling alive through many more single and multiplayer dustups.

It's a game that asks a lot up front, but offers some incredibly rewarding moments for those who are willing to stick around. Be patient and just take it all in -- you won't be disappointed.

The joy is in figuring out what kind of ninja you want to be. Mark of the Ninja gives you the tools to get the job done, and lets you run wild through levels with diverging paths, tons of secrets, and ways of slaughtering guards. As a result, that feeling of badassery I get upon pulling off a perfectly executed symphony of violence is a well-earned one.

Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty gets Borderlands 2's four planned DLC expansions off to a very good start, and it's well worth the asking price. I just hope there's another Handsome Jack on Pandora somewhere, twisting his mustache while plotting his grand DLC entrance.

As the series gears up for its conclusion, in which even formerly "safe" characters' fates will be up for grabs, Episode 4's cliffhanger ending sets a new tone of urgency. At this point, I won't even hazard a guess as to what's around the next corner for our survivors, but don't count on a happy ending.

I don't want to leave you with the impression that XCOM: Enemy Unknown is anything less than an amazing, triumphant game right down to its core. It's XCOM's Batman Begins, in effect -- it does a magnificent job of rebooting the series with its soul intact, delivering an awesome modern experience and paving the way for a future that doesn't just recreate the tense tactical battles and global strategy of the 18-year-old original, but builds on them.

World of Warcraft is one of the few MMORPGs that manages to pull off a satisfying endgame (and thereby justify its outdated subscription model), and the classes and gameplay have reached a blinding level of polish over the last seven years. While it's no longer the only choice out there for a great MMO experience, World of Warcraft seems content with its place.

Drawing its strength from such greats as Thief, BioShock, Batman: Arkham City, and Portal, Arkane Studios' latest manages to deliver that magical formula of intimately familiar and refreshingly new. It doesn't shine as brightly as it should on PC, and it might not offer the challenge stealth-action fans are used to, but it's an impressive accomplishment that immediately stands out as one of the best things we've seen this year.

While this port isn't the significant enhancement that we'd all hoped for (to put it kindly), Prepare to Die Edition is still clearly the definitive version of Dark Souls. It plays smoother, multiplayer is improved, mods have enhanced the resolution and promise further improvements, and there's content not currently available on the consoles.

It's true that F1 2012 will never compete with iRacing for hardcore driving realism and authenticity, but it doesn't need to. It's a lovingly rendered and refreshingly accessible game that gives racing fans of all backgrounds a prime seat in the world's fastest and most exhilarating form of motorsport.

There's oodles more I could go into detail on about why Torchlight 2 is simply an amazing game, but I think you get the idea by now -- it's not to be missed by anyone who considers themselves a fan of the proud tradition of action RPGs. It's great, it's gorgeous, it's hugely replayable, it's multiplayer, it's moddable (with Steam Workshop!), and it's dirt cheap.

It feels funny to say this about a 13-year-old developer with a portfolio of work that includes Half-Life and Counter-Strike expansions, stellar squad-based WWII shooter franchise Brothers in Arms, and the original Borderlands, but with Borderlands 2, Gearbox has arrived as a real blockbuster studio. Right from the toe-tapping "Short Change Hero" opening cinematic, Borderlands 2 stands out as Gearbox's magnum opus, and one of the most memorable and fun gaming rides I've ever been on.

It's exciting, it's challenging, and it makes space action feel fresh.

Battlefield Premium members have access to Armored Kill right now, and everyone else who's interested will be able to buy it for $15 on September 25th. If you're still playing Battlefield 3, or burnt out from claustrophobia or lack of tanks, I suggest that you do.

The concept behind Closure is superb though, and well served by the wrapping. Everything is tightly bound, from the look to the music to the puzzles. With plenty of levels and some fiendishly hidden bonuses, it'll also last you a decent amount of time.

To Guild Wars 2's credit, its issues do little detract from the immensely rewarding experience of the whole. It doesn't overthrow the conventions of the MMORPG, but it presents them in fresher and livelier packaging than its competitors.

Playing CS:GO reminded me just how much many of the new shooter features out there -- the Air Strikes, the perks, the tanks -- can help make up for a lack of core FPS skills. There's no faking it here, and if you really want to get right down to it and find out just how good of an online gunslinger you are, the crucible of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a great place to do it.

In almost every way, this is a very good PC version, and definitely superior to the console versions. We got great graphics options (including that HD texture pack!), smooth performance, and customizable keys. It's also quite stable -- in almost 25 hours of play I hit exactly two crashes to desktop, and neither cost me any progress. If not for the irritating lack of consistently clickable menus Sleeping Dogs would be hard to complain about.