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[AMAZON]

viewtiful joe, megaman x, megaman zero collection, wind waker, and cave story would be my top must plays if i had to narrow it down.

[Tanner]

a variety of knytt stories

the jumper games and super meat boy if you're into level design

[Core Xii]

Core War - Not for the feint of heart; a programming game, extremely difficult to learn.

Dragon Age: Origins (see also Awakening) - Western RPG, quite epic at that.

Dungeon Keeper 2 - Unique RTS. Build and manage an underground dungeon; fight.

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 - Unique turn-based strategy. Difficult to describe.

Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games - A very old but good turn-based tactics game. Hire then manage a squad of mercenaries on missions.

Katawa Shoujo - Interactive audiovisual novel. Possibly the most emotional game you'll play in your entire life.

Moonbase Commander - Unique turn-based strategy. All base-building; you fight directly with your base.

Gunman Chronicles - Lesser-known cousin of Half-Life. Same engine, came out the same time. Almost as good.

Master of Orion 2 - 4X game unlike any other. Manage a space empire and design ships in unprecedented detail. (do not play Master of Orion 3)

Saints Row 2 - Grand Theft Auto but fun. Massive performance issues on the PC port... and even then, it's still a must-play.

Wario Land 2 - Old Game Boy platformer, but very interesting in its design. You can't die, so the consequence for failure is novel.

Dominion - Unique card game. Build your deck as you play. Every game is different. (play online, free)

Advance Wars (series) - Turn-based tactics. Best part is in the atmosphere, but gameplay is solid as well.

Donkey Kong Country (series, see also 2 and 3) - One of the best platformers ever made, the whole series.

[rivon]

X-Com Apocalypse - great real-time or turn-based (which you like more) tactics game

Jagged Alliance 2 - the same as above, also has great music and vibe

Mirror's Edge - awesome gameplay, great visuals, nice story and music

Icewind Dale - a classic RPG strategy game situated in Forgotten Realms (similar to Baldur's Gate)

[galjic]

I have got a lot of must plays but I'll try to say them all:

Deus Ex - A challenging and complex FPS game.
Burnout 3 - Racing game where you can (and need) to attack you adversaries. The OST is pretty awesome and there's some events where you have to hit the more vehicle as possible which is mega sweet.
N+ - A platformer which makes you a (game) ninja.
Gimmick! - Hard game where you use a bouncing star to attack. It has one of the best scores and graphics in Famicom's story.
Ratchet & Clank 2/3 (spec. 3) - One of the finest 3D platformers I've played. A game where you use a buttload of awesome weapons and level design.
Just Cause 2 - My favorite sandbox game. You are a guy in Panau and you can blow lots of shit up. A clear exemple what the (now) next-gen home consoles can offer that the last gen couldn't.
Wario Land 3 - Search for treasure with Wario in this beautiful Game Boy Color game.
Hotel Dusk/Last Window (spec. the later) - I love this two game so much that my next big game (on my sig /shamelessplug) is based on them. The games are point N' click first person games with a lot of mystery, puzzles and interrogation. Awesome OST on both.
Ketsui - A magnificent STG by Cave. Truly one of the defining arcade games of the last arcade.
R-Type Leo - Gorgeous graphics and sound and a cool new mechanic make this my favorite R-Type.
Jet Set Radio Future - A game where you have to graffiti walls and fight against the police. Lovely art style and music.
Worms World Party - With new terrain on each play and individual missions WWP rocks my socks.
Mega Man Zero Series - The hardest and the best of the Mega Man series. Level and character design well made with a really nice soundtrack to accompany.

I think it's all, although I might be forgetting one or two!

Jet Grind Radio was so much fun. the music and art made the game
never got to play Future but check this out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfDlHdERxrE&feature=player_embedded[/url]
it's a remaster for XBLA and SEN
and yes i say grind because i'm from North American

[Manuel Magalhães]

I knew about that announcement, but thanks!

[galjic]

I knew about that announcement, but thanks!

alright then

[Evan McClane]

I'm gonna add Burnout Paradise.  If you're going for an open world concept, look at Burnout.  There's a huge map to play on, and missions are always close by - there's no need to drive around for 10 minutes to get to a mission, you can just look at your map and be there in a few seconds.

[Glyph]

Majora's Mask. I just beat it. Mm so awesome.

[jwaap]

some games with tight design are: nikujin, jetpack joyride, flywrench

[My Escape]

First time poster, so “hello to you all”

I believe Pac Man has all the key ingredients for a solo game.  It has risk and reward, massive replay value and very simple mechanics.  So as a designer I think it’s a must play.
 
Bomberman is another fantastic source of inspiration mostly for competitive and cooperative play.
 
Other games of note are Monkey Island, Street Fighter 2, Tetris, Outrun and Gauntlet.
 
Granted these are old but they give great insight into why certain things just work. 

[Birdorf]

Has anyone mentioned Robotron?
I will.... Robotron.
So simple, so addictive, great sound effects.