Q4 2012: Top 5 Most Anticipated Games

A definitive guide to the titles that will rock this industry's world before December 31st!
As sure as it is that the film industry will have its biggest boom via the annual Summer Of Film, so true is it too that the world of video gaming gets its best boost from the Autumn Of Gaming, where a blitz of blockbuster titles arrive on our shelves each and every week for the best part of two months. We've already had Borderlands 2, FIFA 13 and Resident Evil 6, but they're all really just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the industry has to offer this time around. Here's a round-up, then, of the 'Best Of The Rest'- our guide to our Top 5 Most Anticipated Games still to come this year...
5. LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS- It's hard to believe how far the LEGO video game adaptation franchise has come since its debut in 2005, yet now we've got a full-scale voiced blocky version of the Lord Of The Rings movie saga arriving just before The Hobbit hits cinemas. From the Shire to the rocky spires of Mordor itself, this exciting action-adventure platformer will cover the entirety of JRR Tolkien's classic trilogy via the voices of Peter Jackson's big-screen version, while packing in tonnes of elements of the mythical lore at the same time! (November 3rd)
4. FORZA HORIZON- In perhaps one of the biggest twists of the year, we're getting a new Forza that goes totally out of its way to differentiate from its predecessors. Horizon is a narrative-driven open-worlder that packs a free roaming universe that's every bit as rich and impressive as GTA IV's Liberty City or Red Dead's Wild West, however a world that's still populated by the quality-rich Forza engine that Playground Games have drafted from Turn 10 Studios. It's a big stretch of faith towards the fanbase, but one that I reckon just might pay off. (October 26th)
3. FAR CRY 3- Ubisoft Montreal have two big projects (more on the other one in a minute) heading our way this Autumn, and FarCry 3 is most certainly one of them. With the insane Vaas tormenting you in every way on his own psychopathic island, it's up to the player to survive every horror imaginable in order to find both his freedom and sanity. Could this be a Game Of The Year contender? Perhaps; either way, it'll be one helluva ride. (November 30th)
2. HALO 4- It was a tough challenge deciding whether Halo 4 or the game at #1 should get the pole position, and in all honesty the latter won by the faintest of whiskers. That said, 343 Industries' fully-fledged debut on the science-fiction saga looks to be brimming with depth and creativity, as the Master Chief faces a new planet of Forerunners and ancient AIs that are taking hold of the ravaged Cortana for their own gain against the Reclaimer. Prepare for the ultimate send-off to the Xbox 360 incarnation of perhaps the greatest exclusive franchise there is! (November 6th)
1. ASSASSIN'S CREED III- In the end, though, the top award had to go to Assassin's Creed III. Set to the backdrop of the American Revolution, this trilogy finale will test Desmond to his limits as the past Assassin Connor must defeat the Templars in the midst of the British-American war. No matter what comes next for the series post-Desmond, we'll know that this is probably going to be of Game Of The Year standard and a near-perfect finale to the modern storyline. (October 31st)