Jody Macgregor, Weekend/AU Editor: My glib summary of Dragon Age 2 is "best companions; worst everything else" and while that's a slight oversimplification, it did give us my favorite Thedan homie in Varric Tethras.

Shadow of Mordor vividly. An elf possessed by the spirit of Celebrimbor, whos probably in the top three most epic elves Tolkien ever wrote (Glorfindel and Fingolfin are ahead of him, and Feanor is fighting hard for the bronze medal)?

The Veilguard’s party is probably the best BioWare has introduced in the series since it began in 2009. It’s the smallest group, with only seven members filling the titular team, but each of them acts as a window into the rich world of Thedas.