80. Heretic II (Raven Software, 1998)
Most people know about Heretic, but not too many people know it had a sequel. Mostly because it didn't sell particularly well and owing to a dispute over rights to the game, it has not resurfaced on any digital distribution stores. Which is a shame, as it's quite a unique and fun experience in its own right. A third person action game that takes a few cues from Tomb Raider, with some polished platforming mechanics and a bit of focus on puzzle solving. It doesn't lose sight of what made the original popular, though - after all, it's built in the Quake II engine, which lends itself perfectly to fast-paced projectile-slinging action against hordes of monsters. Even melee brings some clever mechanics, with sweeping blows that deal heavy damage (and gory finishers) to enemies and even letting you use your staff to pole-vault, which both serves as a longer jump and a powerful mobile attack. Heretic II is far less famous than its predecessor, but no less fun.
79. Heretic (Raven Software, 1994)
As popular as Doom was, it was little surprise that it would get a number of spinoff games and engine licenses. Heretic is definitely one of the more memorable ones, taking the basic monster-blasting, puzzle-solving format of Doom and putting a coat of dark fantasy on everything. Golems, axe-throwing skeleton knights, sorcerers and demons, among many others, stand in your way, while you get several weapons like a magic staff, a triple-firing crossbow, a fireball-launching mace and my personal favorite, gauntlets that launch lightning at your enemies. More than that, though one could actually pick up many powerups and use them when needed, rather than being forced to activate and use them right then and there. From temporary flight to powering up all of one's weapons to simply restoring a bit of health on-demand, they were all quite handy to have.
78. The Secret of Monkey Island (Lucasfilm Games, 1990)
The first game in the Monkey Island series and the one that introduced us to Guybrush Threepwood and the undead pirate king LeChuck, who would clash many more times over the years. The game won a lot of fans for its masterful puzzle design combined seamlessly with its strong sense of humor (the brilliant blend of insults and sword-fighting being an oft-cited favorite for good reason) and for having a surprisingly solid story beneath it all, punctuated with expressive animation and high-quality character artwork. It was such a beloved classic that it was completely remade in 2009, overhauling its visuals and interface and adding full voiceover.
77. X-COM: Apocalypse (Microprose, 1997)
The original X-COM is an undisputed classic; a nearly flawless blend of turn-based tactical combat, business management and even some light RPG elements in researching new technologies and managing your squad's stats and equipment. The sequel (Terror from the Deep) was basically a glorified expansion pack, but that's no surprise as they had all of six months to develop it. X-COM Apocalypse was a bold experiment, centering the action around a single city (rather than the entire planet) and having the player manage relationships with its major players as they dealt with the alien threats - from the corporations running transportation, supplying food and energy, and even some criminal organizations like the Diablo syndicate and the Cult of Sirius; one can stay on friendly terms with them by fending off alien assaults and earn potential benefits, or raid them for supplies at the cost of reputation. Initially it was also planned that these factions would conflict with one another, giving X-COM missions to infiltrate or sabotage rival factions to gain favor with them, but nearly all of this was axed for time constraints. Still, the X-COM hook of battling, researching and gradually conquering remains strong, and I just really like the '90s CGI aesthetic they used; it adds a touch of surreal charm.
76. Against the Storm (Eremite Games, 2022)
Described as a city-builder crossed with a roguelike, and it's definitely a strange combination, though once you start playing the game you find it works shockingly well. You're given a selection of several randomly-generated goals to meet, and from there it's down to managing your workforce, keeping their morale up, keeping the forest itself from becoming too hostile toward you, and harvesting and utilizing resources while facing adverse weather and hazards in the stretch of forest you're mining your way through. It does kind of suck when you spend over an hour on a stage only to fall short at the last minute, but you do at least gain experience for the effort so the next attempt can (hopefully) go better!
75. Serious Sam (Croteam, 2001)
In the late '90s tiny Croatian studio Croteam decided that shooters had gotten too brown, gritty and slow in recent years, and set out to rectify that with their debut game, Serious Sam. Not only did it look fantastic for the time, with enormous environments that were bright, colorful and intricately detailed, but it never lost a beat despite its action being downright manic. Even with the huge open areas, impressive visual effects and the fact that literally hundreds of enemies can be rushing you all at once, there's virtually no slowdown or framerate stutters. There's tons of hidden secrets in every level a la Doom or Wolfenstein, and the gameplay is reminiscent of classic arcade shooters like Smash TV - smooth-controlling, fast paced and uncomplicated, but certainly not easy. Learning enemy patterns, rationing pickups, using the right weapon in the right situation, prioritizing threats and of course circle-strafing constantly quickly become key to survival. A game where you somehow feel totally overwhelmed and completely in control at the same time, Serious Sam is a rush.
74. Ys Origin (Nihon Falcom, 2012)
A prequel to the long-running Ys action-RPG series and the first to not star Adol Christin (although he is playable in some of the bonus modes), Ys Origin can also be considered more of a straight dungeon crawler - the game takes place entirely within the Devil's Tower, and the player is given a choice of three protagonists to control - Yunica plays most similarly to Adol, relying mostly on melee attacks, Hugo Fact relies on ranged magic and "Claw" (unlockable after completing the game once) is a high-risk high-reward character, with short ranged but rapid strikes. The overall story changes slightly depending on your character, you earn and purchase upgrades as the story progresses to power up, and extra modes like a boss rush and time attack add plenty of replayability.
73. Cave Story (DÅkutsu Monogatari) (Pixel, 2004)
With the internet's explosion in popularity came an interest in indie games old and new, with sites like Newgrounds giving a lot of developers and fans a place to show off their talents and numerous abandonware sites archiving obscure and forgotten classics. Cave Story is one that came to peoples' attention not long after its initial release in 2004, garnering a lot of attention for its high quality Metroid-like design, presentation reminiscent of 8 and 16-bit retro titles, having a surprisingly engrossing story and being created over the course of five years by a single developer. Since then it's gotten tons of attention in the form of fan translations, ports to numerous platforms (official and otherwise), a slew of remakes, mods and source ports, and even a fan-created level editor.
72. Horizon's Gate (Rad Codex, 2020)
A game that has been described by many as "Final Fantasy Tactics by way of Uncharted Waters", and upon playing it, I can certainly confirm that is indeed the case. You build a character, take part in turn-based battles both on foot and by sea, unlock new classes as the game progresses, and can basically explore, trade or become a privateer at your leisure, taking part in ship battles or legitimate business to earn loot for later upgrades. Inventory management and item manipulation is simple as can be too, using a keyboard-and-mouse interface that reminds me more than a bit of the classic Ultimas. It's certainly not the deepest example of anything it attempts to be, but it is a lot of fun, and really, that's what I come to a game for anyway. Sacrilege, I know.
71. Castle of the Winds (Saadasoft, 1993)
Dungeon crawlers have always been a pretty PC-centric genre; various attempts at creating them on consoles have usually been met with relatively lukewarm reception or relegation to cult classic status at best (Atlus's Etrian Odyssey being one of the more well-known examples). Out of all of the games in this vast genre, though, Castle of the Winds has to be one of my favorites, in no small part because it manages to be relatively easy to pick up and play while retaining the challenge the genre is known for. Simplistic yet charming Windows 3.1 visuals, a window-based interface and a relatively bare-bones yet still captivating story also make it an enjoyable experience, and let's be honest, it's always fun carving your way through an entire swath of ogres or giants and emerging victorious with enough loot to buy a luxurious mansion, only to spend it on some better equipment instead.
