Finally, a great, recent Lord of the Rings game that doesn’t feature virtual Lego bricks. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ($50) recently made the move over to Mac, and while it looks a fair bit like a fantasy-themed take on the Assassin’s Creed franchise, this gripping open-world tale has some memorable additions of its own.

Chief among them is the Nemesis system, in which enemies have their own hierarchy that you can disrupt by killing leaders, whose names and reactions to you persist across multiple battles. Most action games have generic, interchangeable foes, but this gives Shadow of Mordor some extra depth. J.R.R. Tolkien fans seeking a serious, intense adventure in his iconic universe should be well-served.