Fun is what keeps you saying "just one more game" at 2 a.m. This Top 100 gathers the retro games with the most immediate and most lasting playability, based on RomWize's reassessed scores. For each title: its current score, its versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"Taming a jet-ski on water that swells and responds to every turn: the wave modelling delivers a unique riding sensation, at once demanding and exhilarating. Learning to read the swell and round the buoys becomes a pleasure of mastery. Bright, smooth and surprisingly technical, an aquatic racer with no equal."
"Dashing, wall-climbing and weapons stolen from bosses: this snappy reboot modernises the blue robot's formula with exhilarating fluidity. Discovering hidden upgrades and improving your armour rewards exploration relentlessly. The fast pace and the growing sense of power grab you at once. Precise, stylish and deep, a peak of action-platforming that has never aged."
"An open, luminous world with no loading whatsoever, where you jump, climb and explore as the mood takes you alongside an endearing duo of heroes. The fluidity of movement and the generosity of the settings deliver an immediate, constant pleasure. Colourful, clever and superbly crafted, an enchanting 3D platformer that breathes freedom and good cheer."
"Versus play stripped to its purest form: Champion Edition finally lets you take control of the bosses and dive into furious mirror matches. Every clash hinges on timing, reach and the patience to wait for the perfect opening. You come back for the instant clarity of one-on-one, no frills, where only skill decides. A benchmark that keeps all its bite decades later."
"Building your own stages and watching the world tackle them flips the whole experience: every session blends clever creation with challenges dreamed up by strangers. Multiplayer turns the nastiest courses into joyful chaos, and the endless stream of fresh uploads means there's always something new to try."
"A dive into the Cold War through a breathless campaign with varied missions, and a multiplayer of fearsome depth paired with a Zombies mode turned cult. Co-operating to survive waves of undead delivers a gleeful release. Snappy, generous and packed with modes, an FPS that multiplies the ways to play and guarantees hours of intense action."
"The sequel transcends the concept: the creation workshop now lets you build not just levels, but entire games, from shoot'em up to puzzle. The joy of playing and creating reaches new heights, carried by intact charm and joyful co-op. Charming, generous and infinitely rich, a limitless playground of expression that turns every player into a true creator of worlds."
"Bringing the fighters of Virtua Fighter and Fighting Vipers into the same arena means offering a dream crossover to fans of 3D brawling. The huge roster, the zany secret characters and the snappy handling guarantee duels as varied as they are gleeful. With several players, the urge to chain matches never fades. Generous, fun and packed with surprises."
"A 2.5D beat 'em up of unheard-of cinematic style, where the hero triggers action-movie special effects — slow motion, zoom, fast-forward — to floor his enemies and solve puzzles. This brilliant idea delivers unique sensations and a stylish release. Colourful, snappy and zany, an adventure of crazy inventiveness that looks like nothing else."
"This edition refines the game mechanic further, with more natural animation and a responsiveness that makes every play rewarding. Turning a match around with a lightning break or a long-range strike delivers an instant thrill. Mode-rich and thrilling with several players, a football simulation whose gameplay quality made it the benchmark of an entire era."
"Trading shots at a furious pace, reading angles and placing the killer stroke in a Mario world full of whimsy: the instant handling hides real tactical finesse. The doubles mode quickly turns to friendly mayhem, especially when the bounces chain up. Sparkling, snappy and fiercely convivial, an arcade sport built for shared fun."
"A return to roots for the bloodiest fighting saga: brutal combos, reinvented gory fatalities and staging of assumed violence. The snappy handling rewards memory of the chains, and every spectacular finisher delivers a guilty satisfaction. Rich in modes, generous and built for the duel, a cult versus that reconnects with its DNA with flair."
"Gathering a handful of varied adventures and mini-games on a single cartridge is the generous promise of this Kirby entry. Inhaling, copying powers, calling an ally to help: the formula blossoms with rare richness. The co-op mode and the variety of modes grip for hours. Gentle, clever and bursting with ideas, a peak of the series, accessible to all."
"An FPS with assumed weight and heaviness, where every clash breathes the intensity of a grimy, visceral war. The feel of the weapons, the heft of movement and the oppressive atmosphere create a gripping immersion. Technically spectacular and snappy in multiplayer, a shooter that bets everything on the realism of chaos and delivers a raw thrill in every firefight."
"Grinding rails, tagging walls and shaking off the cops to a cult soundtrack: everything breathes freedom and style. The blazing cel-shading and constant motion deliver a glide unlike any other. Bold back then, just as cool now, this urban ballet remains a burst of pure energy."
"The arrival of the manual changes everything: linking two tricks with a balance on the wheels opens up near-infinite combos and multiplies the joy of the chain. Levels built for virtuosity and a cult soundtrack complete a perfect balance. Freer, deeper, this entry is often cited as the absolute peak of arcade skating. Immediate and inexhaustible."
"Slicing through hordes of demons with unstoppable style, alternating sword and guns to sustain an endless combo: here, the fun comes from the pure class of the combat. The more you chain with flair, the more the game rewards boldness. Snappy, demanding and furiously cool, this pioneer of stylish action laid the foundations of a whole genre."
"Behind its adorable pixels lies an adventure of razor-sharp precision: pinpoint jumps, tucked-away secrets and weapons that grow stronger the more you explore. Every room begs to be combed through, and the affection for its characters makes you want to wander this little world again and again."
"The levels open up like little playgrounds where you take on challenges on the fly, with no menu or imposed timer: this new freedom energises an already perfect formula. Chaining sprawling combos remains a joy of precision and flow. More generous, more clever, this entry extends the joy of arcade skating with flair and overflowing replay value."
"Seeing Ryu cross paths with Terry Bogard once felt like an impossible dream, and the clash of two schools of 2D fighting delivers from the very first round. A ratio system, a boiling atmosphere and a legendary roster make you want to chain matches. For anyone who loves a brawl, this versus peak hasn't lost a degree of its fever."
