Quake (1996)

Quake forever changed the FPS genre, and for that alone it deserves a place on this list. Thankfully, it's not just a nostalgia trip. Even today it's a great game, bringing an extremely polished experience that many of its successors have failed to reach. Its gothic occult theme is well-crafted; its soundtrack is incredible, and its gameplay is the perfect amount of challenge. With all of those accolades and the constraints of the time, you wouldn't expect Quake to have an incredibly complex story, and that's partly the case. The plot follows a protagonist known as Ranger, sent through a 'Slipgate' portal to defeat an enemy known as Quake. He's the sole survivor of humanity's counter attack, and must make his way through other dimensions to collect runes and stop the enemy. That's pretty much all there is to it, but it's also all you need. The experience is split into four intense episodes, each with up to eight levels and a fast-paced style. Developed by id Software, it's a successor of sorts to DOOM, and that means a lot of collecting keys and navigating through maze-like corridors to progress the story. You'll also run into your fair share of monsters, which require fast reflexes and aiming in all directions, rather than just the horizontal axis. Finish the relatively short single player and there's even more value. Intense player versus player battles featured mechanics like strafe jumping, rocket jumping, and more for the first time, and was one of the first to become an e-sport. Whether you're playing it to get a piece of gaming history, or competitively, Quake continues to be a joy to play.