The Criterion Collection is a brand through which movies of high artistic value are released, with a lot of bells and whistles attached (quality cases, written essays, developer's commentary, etc.). They usually also restore movies that have only been released in standard definition with the original negatives or an equivalent.
This list is me thinking about what games would warrant that treatment, if we had an equivalent in gaming for it. The games in my eyes either have high artistic impact/merit and/or could benefit greatly from being rereleased with some visual upgrades to make it more in line with current standards.
Criteria:
-Multiplayer cannot be main appeal
-No live service component
-Idea must be original (Cannot be adaptation from another medium/Sequels cannot be included without prior entries)
-Shorter rather than longer
-Strong artistic/authorial direction
-Not being able to be (legally) acquired on current platforms gives higher priority for inclusion