Oh boy ... where to begin ...
I'll count a Classic Game as a game released 10+ years ago (before 2008). I did most of my gaming between 2000-2010.
Monster Rancher 3
You want a console monster raising/breeding sim? Here's a console monster raising/breeding sim.
Grab a stack of CDs and unlock a champion ... or use one of the starters if that's your thing. Condition and train your monster to fight a series of progressively stronger opponents. Your monster ages and will do better/worse at training with age. They will also, inevitably, die which is where the " breeding " aspect comes in. A dead monster leaves behind a gem that can be used to pass on stats and characteristics to your next monster. Battling is more dynamic than your usual turn based monster sim and resembles more of a fighting game. You unlock new moves by exploring and breeding.
Pokemon Puzzle League - Panel de Pon - Tetris Attack
What it's called depends on where you're from and what system you're playing on. Panel de Pon was the original game (I think) which stared a fairy named Lip who needs to clear chain/combo-clear out blocks to generate enough magic to free her friends. When brought over to the West the game was reskinned with a Mario (Tetris Attack) and Pokemon (Puzzle League) theme. It's a fun quick game (a best 2 out of 3 game lasts about 5 minutes) to play with friends -- unless you're so outmatched that someone throws the cartridge out of the window (true story!).
Pokemon Stadium 2
This is the best introduction to the series.
For people with no interest in battling there's a Minigame Suite. For beginners who want to learn there's Earl's Pokemon Academy which caps off a lesson with a demonstrative battle to show your understanding of the course material. When you're ready you can head over to the Stadium and battle for real -- even if you don't have any Pokemon Games to import Pokemon from. There's even a " Battle Now " function for people who just want to jump into it.
Final Fantasy VII
There are many reasons this game tends to pop up on GOAT lists. I think it's because it manages to be a healthy mix of so many genres. You have a virtual world. You have a pet-raising/breeding sim. You have a mini-game carnival-like place. You have a battle arena. You have a climactic slap-fight on top of a death ray after escaping your public execution which you'll probably wonder how it's come to this -- and keep playing. Thanks to its popularity you'll probably know who some of the characters are and that this is a story of death and redemption, but I still think it's worth a play.
Diddy Kong Racing
Imagine Mario Kart, but instead of racing around the track to earn points you're thrown into a virtual world where you're going to be collecting a lot of stuff since, you know, this is a Rare game. You can also fly a plane (which is really fun) and a hovercraft (which is not-so-fun)! And there's still the Mario-Kart-Style Trophy Race which you must win to progress the story. Oh yeah. There's that, too.
Mario Party 2
No " Gaming With Friends " session would be complete without the original Friendship Ender. Mario Party: The Second is perfectly playble by yourself but the real magic comes when you gather 'round three other soon-to-be-former friends and spend 20 Turns stealing Stars from each other.
Sonic Shuffle
" Hark! " You say. " Mario Party is too easy! "
Well, there are cures for that.
Sonic Shuffle was created by the same studio that made Mario Party 1-3 as a Dreamcast exclusive. As the name implies, it differs from Mario Party in that you use cards instead of dice for movement and to preform actions. Instead passing a space to pay for a Star you have to land on the target space to initiate a battle that you must win to acquire the Gemstone. There are also quests and events to complete. This game is known for having difficult CPUs as they can see and steal the cards from your hand and happen to be good at Minigames even on Easy.
Ape Escape
A gem from the Golden Age of 3D Platformers. This game came with a new-at-the-time Dualshock Controller that was required for play. Once you plugged it in and tested it out you'll figure out immediately why that's the case. Every button on the controller, even those you may not be aware are buttons (try pressing in the control sticks) serves a purpose. I consider this a Platformer/Stealth/Puzzle game since the most of monkeys will flee from you if they see or sense you so you have to think about how you're going to get close enough to catch them in your short-range net.
Oh, and if you're a Pokemon Fan who wants a surreal experience try the PS2 sequel. You'll see what I mean.
Spyro the Dragon
The Spyro Series has taken an ... interesting turn in the last few years -- but now that the Toys to Life Trend seems to be over you'll get to experience this magic on the Nintendo Switch later this year. It's almost the same as Mario 64 except you are a -dragon-. You can breathe fire. You get to rampage through enemy villages. You can glide and even -fly- on some levels ... and he flies better than Mario!
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
This is easily the game I've played the most on this list. There is a ton of stuff to do here.
Like many of my other favorites it has a Raising/Breeding Sim with the Chao Garden. It's one of two three games that I played where mistreating your Chao has a negative impact on its development and the only one where it can result in perma-death.
Sonic Mega Collection Plus / Sonic Gems
... or maybe Classic Sonic Games are more your thing. In the mid-2000s SEGA re-released the majority of the Sonic Games in two collections; one Sonic the Hedgehog - Sonic 3 and Knuckles and another with more obscure games released later. My favorite games from the collection including the before-mentioned are Sonic R, Sonic the Fighters, Get Blue Spheres, and Sonic Spinball.
Klonoa Heroes: Legend of the Star Medal
Probably the most obscure game on this list since it never made it out of Japan -- but there's a full translation and guide already out there. There wasn't back when I first played it. I went back and actually beat the game earlier this year. This game is considered a spinoff since it plays completely different than the rest of the games in this series and is more an ARPG.
Or a visual novel since you take breaks from the action-y parts to read a little skit on most levels.
Bust a Groove
An odd game that might make for a fun afternoon. This is classified as a Rhythm/Fighting Game. You're given a chain of commands that you have to complete to the beat of the stage's music. The fighting aspect comes in that you can attack your opponent to stop their combos and solos and preform more complicated combinations to build strength. This game spawned two even more obscure sequels.
Um Jammer Lammy
The sequel to better-known Parappa the Rapper ... and he's even in this game! The Arcade/Story Mode is fairly short (about an hour for a beginner or thirty minutes when you're good) and can be played with (or against) friends for a fun afternoon.
Super Puzzle Fighter II: Turbo
The name is a joke.
This is another competitive puzzle game that plays a bit differently than your typical Match 3. Sometimes known as " Gem Fighter " you use falling blocks to build either larger gems and/or stacks of gems that you break with special pieces called crashers. Also features many characters that may be familiar to Capcom Fans from the 90s and early 2000s. There's an " updated " version, but I actually prefer the version released in the 90s as it had more content.
The Misadventures of Tron Bonne
The prequel of Megaman Legends that might make you feel pretty awful about some of the stuff you can (and must) do. What's the fastest way to raise money to pay off a loanshark and free your family? You steal it, of course! The game gives you the option to raise money through a variety of tasks and you can skip jobs that you either don't like or aren't prepared for. It's also a Raising Sim since Tron must upgrade her mech and train her Serbot helpers to improve their preformance and usefulness on missions.
