10 Best Visceral Video Games - Ranked

6. The Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age

Speaking of forgotten gems, taking the furtive character groundwork of Tolkien's universe and supplanting it with RPG mechanics was a match made in heaven - especially seeing as this dropped in 2004, right at the tail-end of turn-based combat starting to phase out of popularity.

Letting you play as an original trio of characters with a campaign that played out alongside the more impactful ramifications of the Fellowship, EA supplanted The Third Age's stunning visuals with various clips from the movies, a perfectly soul-stirring score and plenty cameos from Aragon to Eowyn.

As a bonus, the game uniquely included an "Evil Mode" where you could play as Sauron's legion during something like Minas Tirith, wiping out the fantastical rogues you'd once embodied.

In today's climate you'd never see EA investing so much time and effort into a turn-based RPG, though from authentic recreations of characters to lines that reference the lore and impactful sword-swings finishing off picture-perfect orcs, The Third Age remains one of the finest Lord of the Rings games of all time.