The NES Tetris (1989) is the version most Americans grew up on — but its real story is a legal thriller. The rights to Alexey Pajitnov's puzzle game were a tangle, and Nintendo and Tengen both released NES Tetris cartridges before the courts sorted it out. Nintendo won; Tengen's version was pulled, making it a collector's prize today.

The game needs no introduction: rotate falling tetrominoes, clear lines, chase the perfect Tetris. The Type-A theme (Korobeiniki) is one of the most recognizable melodies in all of gaming.

Simple, infinite, and the subject of one of the wildest IP battles in game history. I keep the Nintendo cart; the Tengen one is the white whale.