I like the “one variable at a time” idea a lot. For a short couch session, I’d keep the non-ranked warm-up, then rotate characters every few Battle Mo...

The endless RC Pro-Am replies make sense to me. A game that never ends can turn a good run into its own punishment, whereas Ninja Gaiden at least send...

Mine was Ninja Gaiden on the NES, especially the run back after losing to a late boss. The game was already asking for tight jumps and enemy timing, t...

A Link to the Past is hard to argue with, but Streets of Rage 2 is the one I still reach for most often. The soundtrack grabs me immediately, and a co...

Great intro — the Doom Slayer always makes an entrance. I am looking forward to seeing what you play next.

For handhelds, I’d pick the Game Boy line, PSP, and Vita. Each one had a very different kind of portable magic.