13. Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Another series that received something of a reboot this year is Splinter Cell, and with Blacklist we saw the departure of longtime voice actor Michael Ironside, being replaced by the (apparently ) more motion capture-worthy Eric Johnson. Whilst Ironside is sadly missed, Johnson does a pretty amicable job filling the stealthy shoes of Mr. Fisher, contributing to a pretty engaging and worthwhile 24/Homeland-style story of spies double-crossing spies, all the while averting an imminent country-wide disaster. The mark and execute mechanic prevalent in Splinter Cell Conviction makes a return here, allowing you to traverse the levels at some speed, tagging multiple enemies and dispatching them in a blur of headshots and teargas. With the addition of a lethal/non-lethal toggle that alters your melee attack, plus a host of complimentary gadgets and suit upgrades that factor into whichever style you fancy, if you wished to play Blacklist in the mould of Splinter Cells of old, there were more than enough options to do so. Add in the return of the ever-popular Spies vs Mercs online mode that features an alternating pendulum-swing powerplay between the ninja-esque Spies and the first-person controlled Mercs, as well as many side missions asking you to complete entire levels without raising a single alarm, and this was a strong return to form for series veterans.