30. Starcraft II (Blizzard, 2010)
The
original Starcraft was a game-changer with its three very distinct but
balanced factions and fast paced, yet surprisingly deep design.
Starcraft II keeps that philosophy intact but also massively improves
the original 's clunky pathfinding, AI and interface, adds in many new
units, co-op missions and a well-crafted three-part episodic campaign
with team customization, branching story paths and many new unit types
to experiment with. Despite lacking a few prominent features of the
original (like, y'know, LAN support?), Starcraft II is a brilliant
experience both online and solo, and is still one of the finest real time strategy games ever made.
29. Fallout 2 (Black Isle Studios, 1998)
The original Fallout definitely had charm to spare with its open-ended character development, multiple ways to complete objectives, heavy world lore and a wry sense of humor despite itself, but Fallout 2 took all of that and expanded upon it tenfold. Bigger guns, new monsters, a wide variety of recruitable characters, and tons of new locations to explore and characters to interact with - some lovable, some you just love to hate. There's also a reworked Perk system and a very handy new feature in the form of a drivable car, which makes transportation around the landscape more convenient and gives you plenty of extra carrying capacity to boot. A stellar RPG experience from beginning to end and, again, one of the finest games in the CRPG genre.
28. Ultima VI: The False Prophet (Origin Systems, 1990)
It seemed that every Ultima title did its best to up the ante over the previous one, and Ultima VI was no different in that regard. While the previous games had a recognizable world to venture through with a lot of surprising nods to realism, Ultima VI set out to create an immersive, realistic world that you'd live an alternate life in. You could hunt animals for food, milk cows, load and fire cannons, move furniture around and so forth, and creative solutions to get around problems often work. The story was another great one too, starting with what appears to be a hostile invasion but having you looking at things from a very different perspective by the end. The somewhat clunky UI and limited viewpoint don't make it my favorite Ultima to play, but even with the annoyances of constantly running into dead-ends and getting lost in towns, it's another fantastic RPG from Origin and a very worthwhile entry to a legendary franchise.
27. Age of Empires II: the Age of Kings Definitive Edition (Ensemble Studios, 1999/2019)
Age of Empires is one of the biggest names in real time strategy, and it's easy to see why when you pick it up and play. A clever blend of elements from Warcraft and Sid Meier's Civilization (though thankfully with much better AI that doesn't have to cheat constantly to stay competitive), you gather resources to build up towns and cities, train your units, and advance through five Ages that allow not just for new buildings and units, but substantial upgrades to your existing ones. Like Civ, there are also multiple paths to victory - military conquest, building a Wonder and having it stand for a set period of time, or collecting all religious artifacts that appear on the map and stationing them in a monastery. There are many other game modes too, like "Regicide" (with players eliminated when they lose all their Kings or town centers), King of the Hill and Defend the Wonder (where one team begins with a wonder and the other teams ally to defeat them). Also like Civ, each civilization has unique exclusive units and architecture, giving the game a lot of flavor, variety and strategy.
26. Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle (Lucasarts, 1993)
The sequel to Maniac Mansion and Tim Schafer's first game as project lead, Day of the Tentacle was another hilarious and well-made point and click adventure from LucasArts. Starring Bernard and two of his college roommates as they attempt to foil the Purple Tentacle's scheme for world conquest, the setup is quite a clever one - each of the three characters is trapped in a different time period, able to pass objects between one another but otherwise unable to directly interact, and changing things in the past will affect things in the future, opening paths for puzzles to be solved. This, plus the sharp writing, acting and animation, make for a truly fun and creative adventure. Though it sadly lacks the multiple paths and endings of the original game, Day of the Tentacle is nonetheless a worthy sequel to a classic.
25. Slay the Spire (Megacrit, 2019)
A relatively novel blend of elements, Slay the Spire is one part deck-building card game and one part roguelike, melded together quite expertly. Building your deck, thinning out your less-useful cards and acquiring various Relics to bolster your abilities (doing everything from restoring HP after battle to damaging enemies every few cards you play) become just as much of a focus as clearing out foes. As you proceed up floors, defeating progressively tougher enemies, you also get a slew of randomized events - campfires to rest and regain HP or upgrade a single card in your deck, shops, and all manner of random events that can help or hinder you. Tough and unpredictable as any good roguelike, but with enough of a strategic bent that encourages experimentation and gives it a ton of replayability.
24. DOOM (Id Software, 1993)
DOOM was an amazing title at the time of its release for its realistic 3D environments, fast-paced action and varied gameplay, combining elements of puzzle-solving with run and gun action against hordes of enemies. But when you added on online deathmatches and the ability to create custom maps, the game's replay value rocketed through the roof, and even today it remains an incredibly fun experience, spawning several sequels and expansions, hundreds of thousands of custom maps and countless player mods that remix the experience into something completely new. Surpassed in technology but still unmatched in gameplay, DOOM is a truly immortal game.
23. Tetris (Alexei Pajitnov, 1984+)
Tetris had its beginnings all the way back in 1984 for the Electronika 60, and its popularity was (and still is) such that it's gotten numerous updates, ports, rereleases and remakes across just about every platform imaginable. But before Nintendo got the license and created the monstrously popular Game Boy port, several companies made their own computer versions (the one depicted in this screenshot is the 1987 Spectrum Holobyte version). While each had minor variances and change-ups, there's no denying one thing - it's a fun, addictive puzzle game that's easy to learn, but nearly impossible to master. Not that it's stopped any of us from trying for the last thirty years.
22. Tyrian 2000 (Eclipse Software, 2000)
I was never a big fan of shoot-em-up games; many of them start to feel very samey to me after a while, not to mention the fact that they feature one-hit deaths and swarming enemy patterns that are generally extremely trial-and-error based and require spot-on precision, and I don't really have the patience for that kind of thing. Tyrian 2000, however, is more my speed. An updated re-release of 1995's Tyrian, the game also features a lot of elements not normally seen in the genre - an in-depth storyline told between stages, a wide variety of customizable ship parts, weapons, sub-weapons and ship types, and even a pretty good sense of humor as you play through various minigames and collect giant fruits for points and have the option to pilot a ship that fires bananas and hot dogs at its enemies. Of course, the colorful graphics and sweet soundtrack also help, as does the fact that you actually have a health bar (in the form of a shield meter that regenerates over time and an armor meter that can only be restored via powerups). It still manages to be quite a challenge, but it's one that I can get into. Tyrian 2000 is a standout title and, for my money, the best top-down shmup ever made.
21. Maniac Mansion (Lucasfilm Games, 1987)
Graphic adventure games were a staple of early computer gaming, with countless examples throughout the 80s and into the mid-90s and several big companies that are still going today building their name on beloved franchises. One of the earliest I recall playing, and still my favorite of the genre to this day, is one Maniac Mansion, a game unique from most in the genre in that it actually had quite a lot of replay value - you could pick two additional characters (out of six) for each playthrough, with each having differing dialog and solutions to particular problems, and there were eleven different endings to see based on the player's choice of characters and actions taken throughout. Top all that with a lack of cheap deaths (characters still can be killed, but you need to do some
really dumb stuff to get there) and a sharp sense of humor that would become the trademark of all following Lucasfilm adventure games, and you've got a true classic.
