Dune II on the Sega Genesis is one of those games that feels ancient now, but back in the day, it basically invented the whole real-time strategy genre. You pick one of three factions—Atreides, Harkonnen, or Ordos—and immediately get dumped into the desert hellscape of Arrakis with nothing but a few harvesters and a dream. The first time I played, I just kept sending my little units into the sand and watching them get wrecked by worms. Not my finest tactical moment.

It’s all about spice—harvest it, protect it, and try not to get ambushed while your base is still a sad cluster of concrete slabs. The AI factions actually fight each other, too, so sometimes you’ll just sit back and watch the Harkonnen blow up their own stuff. The controls are clunky by modern standards (good luck selecting units without misclicking), but there’s something weirdly satisfying about slowly building up an army of tanks and watching them roll over some poorly defended enemy outpost. Just don’t forget to save—one misplaced airstrike can ruin your whole afternoon.

If you’ve ever played Command & Conquer or StarCraft, this is where it all started. Rough around the edges, but still weirdly addictive.