Oh snap, getting into the top 10 now! :shock:
12. Ninja Gaiden Black
Ninja Gaiden Black is Mr. Miyagi and you're Daniel. This game will kick your ass (repeatedly) until you don't man up and make it your *****. On the surface you really hate the game for putting you through torment and anguish to beat Master Ninja but deep down you know it's devilishly good and would be nowhere near as engrossing without the difficulty. Ninja Gaiden 2 is even harder! The game even insults you and recommends you tone down the difficulty if you suck. Granted the gameplay feels somewhat slower compared to Ninja Gaiden 2 but it's just as deep and strategic. Quite possibly the best action game (or is it?) ever made, period.
11. StarCraft II
I know what you're thinking "buh buh afterburner teh game just came out!1!" yeah it did, which speaks volumes for how good it is. I'm not one for twitch-based gameplay but Blizzard crafted the best Real-Time Strategy game, ever. They took a tried-and-true formula and polished it to perfection. Nothing else needs to be said about this game.
10. Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy might be my favourite video game franchise ever but we go through a lot of love/hate/indifferent phases. Every time I'm blessed with greatness like this game, I'm cursed with trash like Final Fantasy VIII (oh no he di'nt!). VI is without a doubt my favourite game in the franchise and one of the few times I've actually cared about the characters in a game. The story gets too much praise for god knows why and Kefka is bat**** insane with little explanation but the cast truly helps it go above and beyond. Oh, and the gameplay. And the music. And the final boss.
9. Viewtiful Joe
Surprise, surprise, another Hideki Kamiya (could it be the last one?) and Clover game! I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Viewtiful Joe is without a doubt, my favourite side-scrolling game EVER. Yes, I said that. Go ahead, name a better side-scroller, I dare you! Wait, what? You can't?! Of course you can't! The styIe of the combat, humor, and Joe himself is more badass than Dante and Ryu Hayabusa put together (yeah Champ, I said it!). It also had hard as nails difficulty and everything in the game oozes cool. The only nitpick I can think of is the boring flying sections and the music wasn't as memorable as I would have liked it but oh well, can't have it all right?
What are your thoughts of the current list so far? :D