Super C (NES)
It's more colorful than the first Contra, and it's more focused on running and gunning than level design, but overall it's more of the same satisfying, but grossly overrated difficulty.
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Rating: Decent

Portal (PC / T)
Okay folks, let's be honest here. Yes, it's got lots of good puzzles and the dialogue is funny (although please shut up about the cake being a lie) but it's little more than a three hour tech demo and if the bugs and overall incomplete feeling like there only being two (extremely boring) environments up to the final boss's room didn't say that, Valve themselves have. But considering it's far and away the best and closest thing to an actual game that gets called "innovative" these days, I can't fault the game itself too much.
Rating: Decent

Painkiller (PC / M)
I never got into FPSes until late last year, and Painkiller is the first true FPS I've ever completed (Portal is more a first person puzzler, since there's no actual shooting. I've put a bit of time into Goldeneye, but never actually finished it). The levels are packed with mind-blowing architecture, incredible variety from stage to stage, unnverving set pieces like the rickety sky cart in the ice bridge, moody atmosphere like the ruined cathedral at the end, and the prettiest skies I've ever seen in a game (and there's no bloom, which is always a huge plus). The only downside is the lackluster physics, courtesy of the Havok engine.
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Rating: Great

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (Game Boy)
You can tear through most of this game with the Dragon Hat, and consequently the game failed to make much of an impression on me and I don't remember much else about it.
Rating: Eh

Wario: Master of Disguise (DS / E)
Well, this was a nice pick-me-up after Wario Land. Probably the only decent game I've played for the DS that makes heavy use of the touch screen, providing quick transformations (although I can't count the times I tried to turn into Arty Wario and ended up turning into Doctor Wario) and lightning paced bosses. The atmosphere's also nice, and I just loved the waterfall ruin and sky garden levels, and the amusing descriptions of the treasures is top-notch (although I could have done without the poop jokes found elsewhere). The only real downside is it's really easy. I only died once in the entire game at the snowball boss. Short, but very sweet.
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Rating: Good

Bioshock (Xbox 360 / M)
A competent shooter that would have been better had there been a penalty for screwing up, well, anything. The only area you can die at is the final boss, although you probably won't, and running out of health anywhere else sends you a few rooms back to a resurrection chamber with no lingering penalty or limit. In fact, the enemies you damaged will still be damaged, so you can mindlessly bang your head against this game until you beat it. As if that didn't undermine the atmosphere enough, the Havok engine provides some hilarious glitches that break whatever spook factor there could have been, like corpses tapping their heels on the ground or freaking waving at me.
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Rating: Decent