There’s a returning focus on ammo preservation, although it’s definitely been tamed outside of the harder ‘Ranger’ mode. So, I naturally swapped to a stealthy, defensive approach to combat. 4A Games proprietary engine does lighting exceptionally well, and the levels are each designed with the same degree of flexibility as Arkham City. It’s a game that Metro Last Light recalls often during your exchanges with enemies.

The harsh truth is that Anarchy Reigns is, overall, underdeveloped, and maybe it was just a bit too easy to put it out like this. There’s reason enough to justify its discount price point, but this is likely a footnote rather than a landmark in Platinum Games’ catalogue.

Metal Gear Rising is a big, mad, brilliant game that I have no hesitation recommending. Sure, the story might not appeal to those not already invested in the Metal Gear universe, but the quality of the gameplay makes that a redundant concern.

DmC is still very much Devil May Cry, but like only the very best reboots it offers a fresh take on an existing set of characters that pays respect while being boldly original. Ninja Theory are a developer who has had to answer questions about development decisions in the past, but in DmC they have a brilliant game whose few flaws lie in its inherent ties to its heritage rather than through new, bad design. For all franchises, there’s likely a ceiling of quality that any developer will find next to impossible to break. If a Devil May Cry game can only be so good, then this is pretty close to that version of perfection.

Giving a bit more personal comment, I really don’t see these sale terms being good for the games industry as a whole. I don’t believe that Deep Silver will step into the space that THQ leaves. The number of publishers in the industry has dwindled in recent years, and THQ had come to be well regarded as a supportive partner.

Far Cry 3 is about brutality, and losing yourself to it when survival is all you have left. Powerful performances make you care about each character initially, but the sheer enjoyment of hunting, of taking over enemy camps, and of scouting for new territory to dominate, means that you become far more absorbed in the island and its nature than you do the plot.

Our final 2012 GOTY picks are with Reviews Editor, Martin Perry. We hope you enjoyed Splitkick’s GOTY picks for 2012!

Following the two Kane and Lynch games, IO Interactive had pretty much used up all of the goodwill I had. Years of regular Hitman releases made them one of my favourite developers, and I’d followed them into fresh territory only to be disappointed… twice. Understandably then, I was pretty apprehensive upon hearing that they were returning to the series that they made their name with.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II is a First-Person Shooter (FPS) that revolves around unique gameplay that propels the Call of Duty franchise into a world of future warfare, and back again to the modern era. The game is a sequel to the 2010 release, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and features returning Black Ops characters Sgt. Frank Woods and Agent Alex Mason, joined by a wealth of new characters.

After the first hour I was ready to tear Eurocom a new one, but over the course of my time with the game they earned a little bit of leeway. Some of the faults could be the result of the Activision machine – terrible graphics, rushed audio presentation and bugs – but even if you blame the publisher it doesn’t make it a worthwhile recommendation. If you want some Bond, go grab Eurocom’s Goldeneye remake, or one of the many other decent adaptations. This belongs in the same pile as 007 Racing.

Presentation is good, and the package is well developed. The design does reasonably well with the subject matter, but the developers have already superseded what’s on offer here. With pick-up-and-play disposable games like this, that’s reason enough to ditch it and spend your ten minutes on something else. Not a failure, but just not much fun.

I said that Pitfall may have had a greater claim to aping Temple Run legitimately in comparison to many of its other copycats. This thought was birthed from the real success of this new Pitfall: it makes you remember a great franchise, and consider the impact its long-lasting heritage has had on gaming. There would be no Temple Run without Pitfall Harry, and this fun, creatively styled game makes me pleased that his legacy lives on.

Visually magnificent, technically near-perfect, and deep beyond all expectations, Sleeping Dogs now sits comfortably astride Saints Row as a legitimate contender for the throne should GTA ever be toppled.