This was tough, it took me more than two hours. My list is:
# In alphabetical order
# Only voting for games that I have played
# Only truly missing one game that couldn't be included because of the "No RPGs!"-rule (Star Control 2, and it would have been a five-pointer)
V points:
Doom 1 (1993) - DYNAMITE! It didn't just change PC gaming, it changed All Of Gaming. It's a milestone in the History of Gaming, and it's also TONS. OF. FUN.
Heroes of Might & Magic 3 (1999) - The game that enslaved a generation of Slavs. It has ruined lives, futures, careers and opportunities. It has also withstood the test of time and the Russian winter. The lifeblood of GOG, and a true challenger to vodka!
Tetris (1984) - You can argue, debate, bicker and rage about it 'till the Codex shuts down for good, but this is the Best Game of All Time. Period.
Thief: The Dark Project/Gold (1998) - One of the best PC games ever made.
The only thing better than being able to vote it here?
Thief 2: The Metal Age (2000) - The fact that I can vote for it
twice.
III points:
Alley Cat (1983) - An absolute gem of a game. It's fun, charming and skillfully designed. Plus, it runs natively and flawlessly on all PCs from 1983 to 2001. How's that for a 54 Kb game?
Elite (1984) - The game on this list that I've played the least of (roughly an hour) but gaming in general owes so much to this game I could not leave it out.
Lemmings! (1991) - The last video game to sport an original idea as its premise also happens to be a timeless classic.
Psychonauts (2005) - Tim Schafer's finest hour, and a brilliant game all-round.
UFO: Enemy Unknown (1994) - The culmination of a decade of the Gollop brothers perfecting the turn-based tactical game. Possibly only surpassed by a game that's not allowed on this list (Jagged Alliance 2) but I haven't played that one yet, so
there.
I points:
Broforce (2015) - A modern take on retro violence. If you can't enjoy this game, you're not a Bro!
Carmageddon (1997)
- Although the 2015 Max Damage remake/version is better in almost every way, I put my vote on the original in a futile effort to stack some points on one title in the franchise. (Hope it works.)
Dr. Drago's Madcap Chase (1995) - An obscure and quirky choice for this list, but it's one of the best hotseat multiplayer PC games out there.
Day of the Tentacle (1993) - Can't make a list like this without a proper adventure game on it - and this one shines above all others.
Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards (1987) - Oh alright,
two adventure games then. One of a handful of games that sold poorly upon release, but then doubled its sales every month from then on for two years. (Do the math.) Also the only game to crash Wall Street (or at least get blamed for it!). It's both anchronistically archaic
and totally timeless simultaneously!
Papers, Please (2013) - Are you playing the game, or is the game playing you? Glory to Arstotzka!
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (1998) - Civilization may have gotten the 4X-genre going, but this game perfected it. It
may have been outclassed by more recent releases... but I doubt it.
Starcraft (1998) - Likewise, this game perfected the RTS genre, and has yet to be outmatched, despite bold efforts.
Street Rod 1 (1990) - Another quirky choice for this list, this gets a nod because it's also a game that not only takes place in an era of history almost no other game dares to touch (except its sequel), it also nails it perfectly to the point of being a historical reference.
Terraria (2011) - Is it a game? Is it a colossal waste of time? Is it an Autism Detection Device? Don't know, don't care, I'm having too much fun with it, and it's better than Minecraft!
EDIT: Tautology correction requires a correction to prevent repetitions.