#100 - #80

#100 - North & South  (Amiga 500)

An extremely addicting and simple game which is a mixture of few types of gameplay. There's the map segment where you control your units, a combat screen where you control your cavalry and infantry and try to beat the opposing side, 2D platforming sections where you try to get to the right end of the fort and raise your flag or rob a train. The game is even better in multiplayer.

#99 - Game & Watch Gallery 4  (Game Boy Advance)

A collection of old Game and Watch games with upgraded colour graphics and sound. Even has some games from previous G&W Gallery games.

  
#98 - Pigskin 621 A.D.  (Arcade)

Pigskin 621. A.D. is an arcade game released in 1990, and it's one of my favorite sport games. Why is it one of my favorites? Because instead of being a boring, normal rugby football, it's a twisted version of it. You have people stabbing each other, falling into bottomless pits, crazy passes etc. If I want some multiplayer goodness, this is usually the game that comes to my mind. Even with only two terrains and a simple formula, I keep coming back to it, with always the same enthusiasm. 

#97 - Battle Cross  (Super Nintendo Etertainment System)

Talk about a really underrated gem. I think I literally never saw someone on the internet mention this game, and I found out about it by accident. This game reminds me of Super Off Road, but with motorcycles instead of cars, and with much better designed tracks and power-ups. Just like North & South, fun in single player, even better in multiplayer.

#96 - Alisia Dragoon (Sega Genesis)

You play as a sorceress who shoots lightning at her enemies. The lightning autotargets but depletes with repeated use, requiring players to carefully ration their attacks and preventing mindless spamming. You also have access to four different familiars who accompany you, each with different abilities. A solid platformer which I don't see mentioned often.

#95 - Strider 2  (PlayStation 1)

                                       
Take the concepts of the first Strider, make Hiryu all-around better, and make the level design cooler. That's Strider 2 in a nutshell. Only real problem is that the difficulty level in this game is inconsistent but the game is so good that you won't care.

#94 - Abuse  (MS-DOS)

The premise is pretty simple - you're a guy who needs to survive by escaping out of prison. How do you do that? By blasting monsters of course. The graphics aren't anything special, the level design isn't spectacular either, the story is almost non-existant, but the fun factor is there. Abuse isn't a complex game by any means, and the devs knew what they were making - a short, fun, run 'n' gun game. 

#93 - Mr. Driller  (Sega Dreamcast)

Mr. Driller is a really simple game. The objective is to dig as deep as possible, and you achieve that by watching out not to get squashed by the ground above you and by picking up Capsules which refill your Oxygen level. It's amazing how addicting this game can be.

#92 - Yume Nikki  (Windows)

Wander around a little girl's dreams (most of which are extremely disturbing) while collecting abilities, most of which don't do squat. The gameplay is mainly about exploration, as you are not given any specific goal nor given any clue about where to go, and the places available can sometimes be very large. The game heavily relies on atmosphere.

#91 - Donkey Kong  (Game Boy)

                                     
I am a big fan of the Donkey Kong arcade game, so you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that other than the 4 original levels from the arcade, there are over ninety new levels to play in this game. Mario is quite the lithe character. He can throw enemies a la SMB2. He can do backflips and triple jumps a la SM64. He can even swing on wires.  

#90 -  The Settlers II (MS-DOS)

This is one of the best strategy games for DOS. Truly magnificent game with great graphics, fast and efficient engine, excellent gameplay, replay value and astonishing music. This game kept me occupied for a long time.

#89 - Gargoyle's Quest 2  (Nintendo Entertainment System)

Although you travel around the world, talk to people, and occasionally buy stuff, the heart of this game's soul is in its many sidescrolling action sequences, which are often quite challenging. You play as Firebrand, the red gargoyle, who can cling to walls, shoot fire from his mouth, and fly for limited periods of time. Firebrand gains many power-ups to increase his strength and fights many colorful bosses on his quest to save the Ghoul Realm from the invading Black Light. 

  

#88 - StarTropics  (Nintendo Entertainment System)

                                      
StarTropics is a highly-challenging adventure game in the vein of Legend of Zelda games. The game takes place on a chain of tropical islands, as Mike Jones tries to discover the reason for his Uncle's disappearance. StarTropics has an interesting plot, some really good action stages, and a cool ending sequence.  

#87 - Theme Park  (MS-DOS)

                                        
Theme Park is a perfect example of why the early '90s were a goldmine of gaming brilliance. This game is packed with features, yet manages to be incredibly charming with a tremendous eye for detail. Roller Coaster Tycoon may beat it in terms of strategic depth, but the charm of Theme Park has yet to be surpassed.

#86 - JoJo's Bizarre Adventure  (Sega Dreamcast)

 

Based on Part 3 of the famous manga series "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure", this 2D fighting game made by Capcom is a real delight to play. Everything from the manga is here, from the attitudes of the characters to their trademark attacks. This game would probably have made it higher on the list if it had more characters to play with.
 
#85 - Rocket Knight Adventures  (Sega Genesis)

                                      
A fun game with lots of speedy platforming, but lots of action as well. You play as Sparkster, an opossum knight with a sword (that shoots laser waves) and a jetpack to fly around with. Most stages are action/platforming, but it has a few shmup sequences too.

#84 - Ninja Five-O  (Game Boy Advance)

                                       
Take the original Shinobi, add some Bionic Commando, top with a dash of Ninja Gaiden and you've got Ninja Five-O, an arcade-style parfait that embodies the spirit of the Arcade Golden Era. Slide, swing, shoot, slash, and generally ninja your way through various locales as a badass Ninja Cop who's out to save hostages and kick terrorist ass.

#83 - Sonic the Hedgehog CD  (Sega CD)

                                             
One of the best Classic 2D Sonic platformers. Fast, tight gameplay, great visuals, great music, and a cool implementation of the two world theme (like Link to the Past's Dark World) via time travel. For those not in the know, the US and Japan/Europe versions have different soundtracks. 

#82 - The Lost Vikings  (Sega Genesis)

 

                                      
Blizzard Entertainment. People mostly think of World of Warcraft when this company gets mentioned. I, however, think of The Lost Vikings, a side scrolling puzzle/platform video game which Blizzard made back in 1992, when they weren't even called Blizzard Entertainment, but Silicon & Synapse. This game is a real joy to play. The levels which have excellent design and utilize all three of the vikings, the relationship between the vikings, the obstacles they encounter, the music...All of this is mixed into one scrumptious game. Fun fact: The Lost Vikings appear as an easter egg in World of Warcraft (I'm glad Blizzard hasn't completely forgotten the game). Another fun fact: the Sega Genesis version of the game includes 5 additional levels.

#81 - Kid Chameleon  (Sega Genesis)

                                        
Platformer in the vein of SMB, but with a ton of unique powerups. The game sports a ton of levels, that depending on how you exit them, will play out in a different order, creating opportunity for a lot of replay value.

#80 - Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale  (Windows)

                                                                                                        
Recettear, essentially, is not what I thought it would be. I thought it was this slim, charming gag, but in fact it’s one of the most unusual and ingenious games I’ve played. It’s a shoe-in to be revisited regularly, mined for new challenges and new items. It’s splendid, it’s compulsive and it’s far more than the sum of its simple parts (selling stuff and dungeon crawling).