Here is a list of 101 games that I love, with a mini-review for each. These are just games I appreciate; not all of them are actually good mind you. Just some of the ones off the top of my head I can recall being important to me. For the sake of variety, I am only listing one game in a series if the game has sequels.

Adventures of Batman and Robin (Genesis)

A run and gun with fabulous animation and backgrounds, which is extremely unforgiving and unfortunately at times visually and mechanically repetitive. The soundtrack is quite good.

Aladdin (Genesis)

This game shows off the true power of the Genesis. Gorgeous, but not much else is special about this platformer.

Alien Soldier (Genesis)

Treasure nailed the fun this time, and presents an intense boss rush that demands skill and precision.

Alundra (PSX)

An engrossing story and challenging puzzles create a surprisingly deep action adventure. The addition of the jump allows for a wide variety of dungeon design and tactics. Some of the bosses can get a bit too repetitive and lack variety however.

Battletoads (NES)

Took me 12 years to beat this game. Worth it.

Bayonetta (Xbox360)

Platinum’s trademark insane, fast, and deep action.

Beyond Oasis (Genesis)

Stunning graphics, and an intuitive fighting system make this an excellent action RPG for the Genesis.

Beyond Two Souls (PS3)

The story is lacking, but the non binary nature of many of the choices is impressive.

Blackwell Epiphany (Mac/PC)

While all the Blackwell games are good (the first is still finding its footing), Epiphany is where the series shines with fun puzzles, wonderful (if not low resolution) art, and a story which wraps everything up in a very cool, satisfying way.

Broken Sword (Mac/PC)

While the game is a bit too linear at times, and contains a few perplexing puzzles, it is still an engrossing adventure with wonderful characters. The game does not give you an indication early on that you can die, and I lost two hours of progress because of this. Save often.

Civilization 4 (Mac/PC)

Just one more turn…

Contra Hard Corps (Genesis)

Legendary run and gun that will have you on your toes. Fast action and multiple level paths allow for replayability. Some characters and weapon combinations are unfortunately demonstrably better than others.

Crash Bandicoot (PSX)

The original plays well to the lack of Dual sticks on the Playstation at the time giving a challenging - at times brutal, set of obstacles to traverse. Wonderful, cartoonish graphics and animation make it a sight to behold in motion. The limitations imposed by the camera are unfortunate, but necessary at the time.

Curse of Monkey Island (PC)

A colorful, funny adventure game that delivers on all the things that matter. The ending is an unfortunate blemish on an otherwise stellar experience. If you know the cheat, the insult sword fighting is a lot less frustrating.

Day of the Tentacle (Mac/PC)

A perfect adventure game, combining hilarity with wonderful graphics and animation. The puzzles are set up to allow a lot of exploration and freedom, while at the same time moving the story forward at a decent pace. A masterpiece if there ever was one.

Deathsmiles (Arcade)

While the aesthetics are not quite up my alley, the challenge is definitely fun and engaging, with great control. Typical Cave.

Deponia (Mac/PC)

The main character may rub you the wrong way, but the first installment of the series is probably the best (and where Rufus is at his least offensive). The artwork is gorgeous, although some of the puzzles are either illogical, or trial and error.

Destiny (PS4)

Hidden under the rotten layers of a manipulative player investment system, and a weak story campaign, is some of the most satisfying FPS mechanics ever created. The raids are some of the best co-operative experiences I’ve had in a video game ever.

Destiny of an Emperor (NES)

By no means the best JRPG out there, but fascinating from a historical perspective and reasonably expansive in scope.

Deus Ex (Mac/PC)

Quite possibly the best RPG ever made. Even to this day, it features and unparalleled level of viable customization for your character. Each section is chock full of secrets, hidden areas, and alternate paths to give any type of player a way to complete the game. Exploration is rewarding for its own sake, and you have a huge amount of control over how the story progresses through your choices. Unfortunately neither the graphics nor the AI were up to standard - even at the time of release.

Diablo 2 (Mac/PC)

Wonderful lush 2D graphics bring the world to life. The different classes give the game a ton of replay value, and the story and voice acting are well done. The investment system only hampers players who wish to play at the highest levels. Unfortunately frequent patching rendered character builds obsolete, and the mechanics were repetitive once you found your skills of choice.

Dodonpachi (Arcade)

Refining all of the elements from its predecessor Donpachi, Dodonpachi basically nails them all with great chaining mechanics and some tough stages.

Dr. Robtnik's Mean Bean Machine (Genesis / Game Gear / Master System)

A simple, yet masterful little puzzle game. What the Game Gear version lacks in graphics and accessible 2 player mode, it makes up for it with its Puzzle Mode. The Genesis version lacks the Puzzle mode, but offers a great two player mode.

Dynamite Heady (Genesis)

The game uses the stage metaphor to its fullest, offering an aesthetic treat. There could be a little more strategy involved with head choice though, as it mostly ends up just giving you what you need at the time. Still, Treasure gets a lot of milage out of the mechanics.

Earthworm Jim (Genesis)

Wacky, Zany, and Gorgeous, the game nails almost everything you’d want in a platformer. Andy Asteroids can get a bit repetitive, but they are generally short minigames.

Ecco Tides of Time (Genesis)

Better looking and easier than its predecessor, it nevertheless manages to impress to those new to the series, and those returning.

Escape Velocity (Mac)

While simple by today’s standards, exploring the galaxy was definitely worth the shareware fee.

Final Fantasy 8 (PSX)

The story is engaging and mind bending. The game wisely does away with grinding, offering a system where being a lower level can be more beneficial. The junction system is a welcome change, however it can be time consuming to exploit by stocking magic to junction, and it emphasizes skills over magic usage. Wonderful graphics and tons of locations create a world larger than the sum of the parts.

Final Fight (Arcade)

While not as satisfying as Streets of Rage, it is definitely a great beat-em-up on its own merits. Cody does have the ability to break the game with an infinite combo, so play as Hagar and pile drive everyone.

Flashback (SNES / Genesis)

Clearly inspired by Another World and Prince of Persia, I simply love the animation and atmosphere.

Flight of the Amazon Queen (PC)

A hidden Gem of an adventure game. Clearly inspired by the efforts of Lucasarts, it gets everything right in its imitation.

Full Throttle (Mac/PC)

While stupidly easy and short, the game is a great ride while it lasts. One unfortunate puzzle necessarily involves trial and error, somewhat souring an otherwise great end.

Gears of War (Xbox360)

Perhaps the game of the decade, Gears makes you feel fully immersed in war. Not being an invincible badass pays off, as every fight is for your life and cover is precious.

Gemini Rue (Mac/PC)

A wonderful little adventure game that is full of surprises. Very easy, but the ride and atmosphere are why you will play.

Gex: Enter the Gecko (PSX)

While an early jump into 3D, and so necessarily unrefined, the humor and set pieces made the game stand out at the time, with a decent amount of alternate areas and secrets to explore.

Ghostbusters II (NES)

This game is shit, but hard as hell. Through sheer force of will I forced myself to beat it. Dark Souls people will understand.

Gitaroo Man (PS2)

The best Rhythm Action game in existence. Memorable song after memorable song, a brutal Masters Mode, and a zany story with great characters. It's like Wizard of Oz meets Rocky Horror.

Gizmos and Gadgets (Mac/PC)

Certainly the best educational game I played as a kid, it was my favorite installment in the Super Solvers series. Fiberglass body, shaped like a rocket!

Glider Pro (Mac)

A cool concept, made even cooler by the level editor.

Gran Turismo 3 (PS2)

Beautiful graphics, tons of cars, nice soundtrack, realistic physics, and great tracks make this the best racing game in a long time.

Grim Fandango (Mac/PC)

All the humor and fun you could expect from a Lucasarts game, with a cool concept in the story. Relying only on Manny’s head tilt to locate items is less than ideal (a problem Escape from Monkey Island solved by listing the hotspots as text when you look at them), it’s still very enjoyable.

Gunstar Heroes (Genesis)

An excellent boss rush hampered by unimaginative level design. Thankfully, the levels are generally short and the bosses sublime. Bested later by Alien Soldier.

Half Life 2 (Mac/PC)

A monumental step forward for first person shooters in terms of world building. Weak music and a huge drop in difficulty near the end can be forgiven because of said immersion.

Halo (Xbox)

Fantastic console first person shooter, with a great story, wonderful diversity to the AI and combat, and robust enough for a tremendous amount of experimentation within the mechanics. Multiplayer is a blast and the pistol rules.

Harry the Handsome Executive (Mac)

Quirky little game, blemished by a game breaking bug near the end, as well as inconsistent music with newer versions of Quicktime MIDI instruments.

Hellfire (Genesis)

Hellfire gets a lot of milage out of the simple idea of switching between different directions for your shot. Bosses take full advantage of this and are fun to fight, but the game is excruciatingly punishing with a single death wiping out your entire armament of ship upgrades.

Hot Shots Golf (PSX)

It’s the best golf game ever. Really.

Ikaruga (arcade)

Ikaruga reaches its peak pretty quickly, as full mastery of the game reveals a rather rigid scoring system that places memorization above decision making. Still, when just playing for survival the game is exclellent.

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Mac/PC)

What should have been the 4th Indy movie is instead an awesome adventure game. Doug Lee is so convincing as Indy, going back to Harrison Ford is strange! The three paths are welcome, and each feature unique challenges and locations, but is very rudimentary in that you basically select your path from the beginning. An early puzzle has three clever solutions, but the rest of the game lacks this flexibility. A perfect blend of openness and linearity to push the story forward.

Jak and Daxter (PS2)

The logical extension of Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter cleverly hides loading to create a truly seamless world. There is a tendency toward being a collect-a-thon however.

Katamari Damacy (PS2)

Wonderful charm and insanity. Easy to control and understand. The game is on the easy side, and could have used challenge levels or a difficulty selector.

The Last of Us (PS4)

Everything about this game is incredible, from the characters and story to the tense nature of the survival mechanics on harder difficulty levels. An incredible milestone for video games.

Legend of Kyrandia (Mac/PC)

A nice little adventure game, which unfortunately suffers from some bad design here and there. Death from nowhere, pixel hunting, etc. If you can get past that, it’s a compelling tale.

Life is Strange (PS4)

While failing to follow through on the nature of choice and consequence, the game is nevertheless an important and affecting adventure game.

Lightening Force (Genesis)

Bigger, badder, and harder than Thunder Force 3, Lightening Force is perhaps the best misspelled game of all time.

Link's Awakening (Game Boy)

Don’t ask me why, but I prefer Link’s Awakening to the original. A much more linear and directed experience, that decision is probably for the best given that it is meant to be played on the game boy in small chunks. You always progress, no matter how short your session.

Lunar Silver Star Story Complete (PSX)

A fitting remake, which fixes many flaws in the original. A great story, characters, and music make up for the mind numbingly unsophisticated battle system.

Marathon (Mac)

Moody, intelligent, and Mac only, Marathon was perhaps the best FPS experience in the early 90s.

Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo64)

The high point in 4 player Kart racing in my opinion. Blemishes include some framerate dips in racing, and rainbow road being fucking stupid with rails so you can’t fall off.

Megaman 3 (NES)

Megaman 3 sports perfect control, speed, and challenge. The length may put some people off but for fans of the series it’s more of a good thing. While the music is not as good as that in Megaman 2, it is still top notch on the NES.

Megaman X4 (PSX)

The highlight of the X series for me, with great graphics, two separate story experiences for X and Zero, perfect difficulty, and lots of complexity with the special weapons and secrets.

Metal Gear Rising (PS3)

Typical awesome Platinum. Everything about the combat system is nearly flawless, however the ease with which you can regenerate health is a sore spot that makes the game much easier than it should be.

Metal Gear Solid 2 (PS2)

A sublime stealth action experience with an interesting, prophetic story. Play control is tight, but some people may prefer the more open approach in the later games in terms of the design. The entire game essentially takes place indoors.

Metal Slug 3 (Arcade)

Full of gorgeous 2D graphics and animation, a difficulty that is just right, and multiple paths this game is the perfect arcade run and gun. The massive and varied final stage will stop many 1CC attempts.

Mike Tyson's Punch Out (NES)

First on my block to beat Mike Tyson. True story.

Mirror's Edge (Xbox360)

A great game for what it is. Short, but with enough to do that mastery is very rewarding.

Mushihimesama Futari (Arcade)

With a simple to understand yet deep scoring system, it eschews the increasingly unnecessary complexity from other cave shooters like Espgaluda. The stages are wonderful, and the visuals a treat.

Myst (Mac/PC)

Fantastic Adventure game which utilized the technology, and limitations, at the time.

Myth (Mac/PC)

Myth dazzles with a camera system so intuitive it’s disgusting that it’s not the standard for every game. The lack of resource management is refreshing, and the explosives and resulting gore are very satisfying. The story, while not necessarily accessible, is presented wonderfully as read text.

NBA Jam TE (Genesis)

Oh my! He’s on fire!

Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysse (PSX)

Stellar puzzle platformer with the atmosphere, humor, challenge and play control to make it a classic. Makes Limbo look like Pong despite having been released over a decade earlier.

Oni (Mac/PC)

Oni has many flaws, but it manages to impress despite that. The balance is heavily weighted toward hand to hand combat, and every gun but the mercury bow is not really worth using over fists. Many moves are too complicated to execute to be of use in the thick of a fight.

Policenauts (PSX)

The spiritual sequel to Snatcher, Policenauts manages to be even easier, yet more complex in the story and presentation. It features a few genuinely heart pounding moments, and a psychological exploration of space colonization I haven't seen in sci-fi before or since.

Portal (Mac/PC)

Portal beats out Portal 2 because it allows you experiment and be ‘wrong’. The annoyingly long tutorial is unfortunate, as the advanced chambers do not cover the opening areas. Still, quite a creative game.

Rise of the Dragon (SegaCD)

A ‘mature’ adventure game for the Sega CD which is actually rather good. The small amounts of censorship don’t diminish the game that much. You are on the clock with a story related time limit, and will definitely have to play it multiple times to finish it.

Road Rash (Genesis)

A decent concept which works well in the early stages when the races are short, but quickly falls apart when races lengthen, and racers drift apart making combat much less frequent.

Rocket Knight Adventures (Genesis)

Star Wars references aside, Rocket Knight is bursting with creativity and charm. Mixing platforming, shmup, and fighting game elements, its does all of this surprisingly well.

Sam and Max Hit the Road (Mac/PC)

Completely zany, the banter is highly entertaining, quotable, and more importantly never gets old. Second perhaps only to Day of the Tentacle.

Sim City 2000 (Mac/PC)

Fun as a kid, the simulation proved to be simple and exploitable eventually. It was still the journey that was fun.

Simpsons (Arcade)

While a pretty standard Beat-em-up, the game manages to be the best Simpsons game by far and is a blast to play with 3 other friends.

Smash TV (Arcade)

Just pure chaos and carnage, with some cool alternate goals (pleasure dome). Not the most sophisticated game, but it’s a blast with two people.

Snatcher (SegaCD)

While very easy, the voice acting, presentation and atmosphere make the journey very worthwhile. Treat it like a visual novel with very light puzzles.

Sonic 2 (Genesis)

While not as large as Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic 2 manages to nail the essential elements of Sonic in a way that is the perfect length. You could argue that the spin dash eliminates the need to manage momentum, but in practice it eliminates frustrations more than it bypasses challenge.

Sonic Spinball (Genesis)

Short and sweet, a surprisingly cool spinoff game. Just don’t go for score.

Soul Calibur 2 (Arcade)

While the 2G bug is regrettable, it ended up not being game breaking. The high point in the series, as later games relied on impractical stances and combos that could see no real use.

Starcraft: Brood War (Mac/PC)

The most exciting and skillful RTS games I have played. Tons of variety in play, and amazing balance. The single player campaign is likewise good, with a well delivered radio drama of a story.

Street Fighter 3 - Third Strike (Arcade)

Hard to say which street fighter was the best, but this is the one I played the most in the arcades.

Streets of Rage 3 (Genesis)

A bit controversial to put it above 2, but its faster pace and less exploitability make it more fun to play in my opinion. The timed final boss is so stupid though.

Sub Terrania (Genesis)

On hard, this game becomes as much of a puzzle game as it does a space sim. Fuel management is key, as well as planning and executing your objectives. There is a strange shift in tone on the final level which may annoy some.

Sunset Riders (Arcade)

Colorful and tough, it’s one of the best old school run and guns. You face exploitable patterns as often as you face unrelenting chaos.

Super Mario Bros 3 (NES)

Colorful with perfect play control, the game is littered with secrets and challenge. Takes the Mario mechanics about as far as they can reasonably go.

The Dig (Mac/PC)

Largely humorless, what few jokes there are tend not to land. Still, the adventure and uncovering of an Alien civilization far from earth provides some compelling puzzles and landscapes. Does commit the sin of prioritizing the character’s knowledge over the player’s, which created a situation that personally stumped me for a month.

The Sims (Mac/PC)

I did spend probably too much time building a career as an astronaut, winning friends, and getting cash only to be abducted by aliens and turned into a grumpy old man with PTSD.

TIE Fighter (Mac/PC)

Worth buying a joystick for. Tons of missions with varying degrees of challenge with secondary and secret objectives, and a cool look at the inner workings of the Empire.

Umihara Kawase (SNES)

Very creative puzzle platformer. The grappling hook is a surprisingly sophisticated physic object, leading to wonderfully challenging navigation puzzles.

Uncharted 4 (PS4)

Like with Last of Us, Uncharted 4 manages to bring elements of storytelling that only work when you have interactivity. The storyline is great, with complex characters. The grappling hook not being a physics object but rather fixing to hotspots is one of the only mistakes in this game.

Unreal Tournament (Mac/PC)

I always preferred this to Quake 3.

Until Dawn (PS4)

Horror was a perfect genre for this game, proving that it’s better suited for the Playstation than the big screen.

Vanquish (PS3)

High speed in your face combat that has tons of depth, this game is short enough that it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Poised to be the best game of the 2010s unless something amazing comes out.

Vectorman 2 (Genesis)

Very nice run and gun with platforming elements mixed in. A unique feel, and a wide variety of levels make it feel fresh throughout.

Warsong (Genesis)

A decent strategy game probably surpassed by others, but at the time it was quite something.