So far this week we've covered up until July as we cast our eyes back over the year to pick out the high points. Today we have three more key events for you, starting in August and finishing in November.

Sleeping Dogs

For Square Enix, August was a real high point, as we finally released the game that had started its public life under a different name and a different publisher.

Sleeping Dogs had been signed from Activision in 2011, and so the first half of this year was a tremendously busy time for the developers at United Front Games and the expert team at Square Enix London Studios as they worked hard to finish it off.

In fact, so well did they do, the game was actually released a little bit earlier than originally estimated – and while it's pretty well known that releasing a new IP these days is a very big challenge, there was a lot of love for the game's combination of open-world action, Hong Kong setting and martial arts movie-inspired storyline.

Wei Shen is probably one of the major standout new characters to grace videogames in 2012, and his story launched a whole range of pork bun-inspired memes…

What's more, we worked hard to create a website for the game that really allows to you check out not just how you're playing through the game, but how you compare to the rest of the community.

With a wealth of game stats, detailing career progress, weapon accuracy and a whole range of bragging rights, if you've played Sleeping Dogs you should make sure you check out the website too.

The Return of Lightning!

If you know Square Enix at all, you'll be aware that we do tend to love our countdowns and teasers. In September we announced the third instalment in the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy – Lightning Returns.

The game will be released next year for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and is set 500 years after the events of the previous game. The main character (as you'll probably have guessed) is Lightning, and the theme is heavily based around time – as you progress through the game, the Doomsday Clock will be counting down to the end of humanity… so no pressure.

Obviously we'll have lots more information about Lightning Returns in 2013, so make sure you stay tuned!

Heroes & Generals

Another exciting announcement for Square Enix, though of a somewhat different kind, was our news in November that we're working with Copenhagen-based Reto-Moto on their free-to-play WWII strategy/FPS Heroes & Generals.

While pretty much everybody's familiar with the triple-A shooter titles that have proliferated the market in the past few years, there's a really cool angle to H&G that sets it aside from the rest – which is the overarching war scenario.

Basically, every time you enter a battle, the outcome will determine the progress of the overall war – and it's all happening in real-time.

What's more, as well as jumping into battles and fighting at the sharp end of things, you can even turn General and start deciding troop movements on the campaign map.

With countless towns and villages to fight across and numerous character and weapon upgrades – plus, through feedback, the chance to genuinely influence the direction that the game takes – linking up with Reto-Moto is something that we're all really excited about.

Right now the game is in closed beta, meaning that it's effectively invite-only - but you can apply for an invite on the official website, so if you're a fan of shooters and like the sound of H&G, I couldn't recommend it more.

Next year we'll have much more on H&G, including a more in-depth look at the gameplay, and hopefully some compelling stories from the front…