/vr/ - Retro Games

>>10527861
I fell for this, for some reason during the lockdowns I decided to buy the cart in your pic under the impression I could finally complete my old copy of Crash. When I realised I was seething, thankfully the games are so shit a copy of Spyro cost basically nothing.
I also have a conspiracy that the game was just going to be centered around Crash and Spyro fusion / the crossover elements in Crash fusion were made at a late stage but that's another story.

>game gets George Lucas'd to hell and back
>"This is the definitive way to play"

I want to get into these old games because I love learning about the history of games, but I fear I'm both too casual and don't have enough time to get through the entirety of some of these games or series. The oldest CRPG I've beaten is The Elder Scrolls: Arena, and got about halfway through Betrayal at Krondor before putting it down for a bit after getting burned out.

What are the absolute essentials? Preferably in order. Say from 1980 to 2000.