They are, beyond control schemes and visuals, the single best reason to play games on a PC. Mods can, at their laziest, tweak a game so its settings or features behave more to your liking. At their most ambitious, they can transform your entire experience, leaving you with something that feels like an all-new game.

This year was a big one for PC mods, with two - DayZ and Black Mesa - rivalling commercial products for public awareness and, perhaps more importantly, quality. But they weren't the only great mods released this year, here's a shortlist of the best mods released during 2012.

Digital outfits are offering the zillionth opportunity to grab Deus Ex: Human Revolution on the cheap, including a copy of the Augmented Edition for only $5.99 at GameSpot (it's a Steamworks title, so you should get a Steam key). As part of its end-of-summer sale, GameSpot also...

If you've been meaning to catch up on any of the Warhammer games, Steam has cut 75% off the entire franchise, including last September's Space Marine as well as a bundle with Dawn of War II and its expansions. You'll also find 75% off both Dragon Age titles, Super Street Fighter IV...

If you've missed the zillion chances to grab Deus Ex on sale, Steam is offering another opportunity with 75% off the entire franchise, including Human Revolution and its downloadable content. Things are relatively quiet elsewhere as GameStop continues to offer 50-75% off Assassin's Creed...

Steam has cut 33% off all Ubisoft titles with a new special deal every day until Sunday (50% off Rayman Origins today). It's worth noting that Ubisoft's catalog includes many franchise bundles, such as Splinter Cell's Elite Echelon Edition, which typically offer additional savings...

Steam has slashed up to 50% off 2K Games' catalog, with a special daily deal on Mafia and Mafia II (75% off). The weekend-long promotion ends Sunday with extra savings on a new game every day. There's not a whole lot happening elsewhere, though Deus Ex: Human Revolution...

It's a fine weekend for thrifty gamers to catch up on some of 2011's greatest hits, with 66 to 75% off Serious Sam 3: BFE, Red Faction: Armageddon, Deux Ex: Human Revolution, Saints Row: The Third, and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Human Revolution is as cheap as we've seen it...

If you've been hesitant to invest in the latest version of Modern Warfare, Steam removes cash from the equation with a free multiplayer weekend (along with a 33% discount, if you enjoy the ride). Valve's distribution house also cuts 75% off 2009's sequel to Return to Castle Wolfenstein...

After many years of waiting the third installment of the Deus Ex series has finally arrived, and most important of all, the game appears to be every bit as good as its predecessors.

In other good news, Deus Ex: Human Revolution could very well be a game capable of fully utilizing the power and features of today’s high-end graphics cards. Such games have become increasingly rare and with the exception of just a select few, most of the games we have run performance tests on this year have been shameful console ports that would struggle to max out a tablet PC.