I’m cheating by four days, sneaking Borderlands 2 onto this list (the first day of fall 2012 is Sep. 22), but if it’s half as good as its predecessor, it’s worth a little rule-bending. This still-cel-shaded “looter-shooter” sequel adds better vehicle physics, new characters and classes (including the dual-wield “Gunzerker”), smarter bad guys, dynamic co-op play (drop in or out without restarting), a new gun system with “millions upon millions” of possible combinations and a storyline that actually changes based on your mission performance.