While not the most polished game by any means, theres alot I liked about NMH that I haven't liked about many (if any) games before or since. Firstly, I liked how it was an extremely raunchy, immaturely M-rated game for the Wii; that alone sold me on the game before it even came out. Secondly I thought it had probably one of the smartest control schemes on the system, yet it was so simple (button presses for normal attacks, while motions were reserved for finishing moves) that it seemed weird other developers hadn't really thought of it yet. The gameplay was rather simple, especially when compared to other hack n' slash type games, but boss fights were generally fun and on top of that each one was interesting and unique in terms of both gameplay and personality. In fact personality is the main reason I like this game so much. From the characters themselves to the overall tone of the game itself, this game just exudes it's own unique personality and style and never apologizes for it even when it gets super awkward.

Okay so I don't really have a "favorite" Zelda game, mostly because each game in the series is so paradoxically different yet the same as each other it makes it hard to choose. I used to like Wind Waker the best, then I liked Twilight Princess the best, then Ocarine of Time, then Link's Crossbow training. Okay maybe not that last one, but you get my point. There are a bunch of things I liked about Skyward Sword that haven't been in the series before (like the motion plus combat) and upgrading items with collectibles, and I really liked how they made each item you get more relevant throughout the whole game rather than just the dungeon you found it in. I liked the boss fights and how the game was a bit more challenging than a few of it's predessesors. I liked the more Majora's Mask-esque NPC sidequests and how they characterised the NPCs, and I also liked the story overall. I don't know I just like it and can't think of anything to complain about except nitpicks, but that's how most Zelda games go for me at least.

Out of the many early 360 titles I played back in the day, Ninja Gaiden 2 stands out as the one I had to return to and finally beat. Playing Dark Souls made me realize that playing a particularly challenging game can be extremely fun and rewarding, and I wanted the reward of finally finishing a Ninja Gaiden game. Before I had merely admired NG2, playing a few levels before getting frustrated and quitting because I couldn't get the reward of the end, but playing it again I realized getting good at the game, in other words the journey, was the real reward, and getting to the end was merely the culmination of the Ninja training I had mastered. Also boobs.

Though some MGS fans scoffed at the idea of Platinum making a Metal Gear game, the end result was honestly the best possible outcome one could probably hope for in a hack n' slash spin off of Metal Gear. The gameplay mechanics were solid (though some reviewers thought they were bad because they just sucked at the game) and centered around a simple, but versatile parry system and a bit more complicated but extremely fun precision cutting mechanic. Add on awesome bosses that each had their own MGS-esque quirks and a bitchin' soundtrack and you have one of the best action games of recent memory topped off with some fun MGS lore and style.

I'm always hesitant about putting multiplayer games in top ten (or whatever number) lists because I find the personal experiences and preferences one has with them often create more nostalgia than single player games. For instance, I'm sure many people have fond memories of sitting down with their friends to play Goldeneye or Halo for hours on end. Or perhaps you remember going back and forth with your friends hudled around an arcade cabinet playing 3rd Strike? I'm sure anyone with a decent group of friends who gamed had that one multiplayer game you couldn't put down. Well for me and my friends that game was Melee, and I'll never forget staying up until dawn just so I could smack Marth in the face with Samus's arm cannon just one more time.

I've only recently got into the Souls series, so to be honest putting any of the them on my all time favorite list seems a bit impromptu, but I've currently played through the game at least 5 times minimum between late last year and now, and that's with playing other games in between. I'm still thinking of fun builds I could try playing with. It's hard to describe what this game does so well with words, because the first hour you play of it it feels like the worst decision you've ever made because it will kick your ass, but once you learn how to kick back it just makes sense and all of it's gameplay and nuances come together to make a truly unique experience

Another series I got into rather late, I started playing MGS Twin Snakes after learning at the time that Snake would be in Smash Bros Brawl. I only had a Gamecube back then, so after finishing Twin Snakes I borrowed my friend's original Xbox and bought a copy of MGS2 Substance. Eventually I was very lucky and got a free PS2 from my uncle so I bought Substance again and also finally got to play MGS3 Subsistence. What I found was probably the best overall gameplay the series has had to offer along with a bunch of awesome new mechanics such as camo and stamina. Combine that with some of the best boss fights in the series (The End is still one of my favorite bosses ever) and you have the best Metal Gear Solid game.

Many consider ME2 to be the objectively better game, but ME1 was the first plunge into what a galaxy-spanning shooter RPG could be, and overall what it was was awesome. Though retrospectively shallow, the dialog options and amount of narrative choice in the game was a major selling point and the lore and world-building were fantastic. ME had an interesting story with well-crafted, memorable characters, and the ability to influence said characters yourself, which wasn't entirely new to RPGs, (but seeing it done on a galactic scale) was novel enough to make it feel like a great, new experience. When it comes to gameplay, ME2 and 3 did smooth out the shooter aspects abit more, but I've always felt they oversimplified the RPG elements (such as character leveling and weapon customization) unnecessarily, and I still prefer ME1 for these aspects.

Resident Evil 4 is the first RE game I ever played; I'll get that out of the way right now. Now some people might look down on that fact and think I'm not a "real" RE fan, but the reason RE4 is on this list over other worthy RE games is partly because it introduced me to the series. My other favorite RE games are RE2 and REmake, which are about as oldschool as you can get. The other reason RE4 beat out other RE games is because it was such a breath of fresh air for the series at the time and it was so damn good despite it's very troubled development. More recent entries in the series (especially 6) have lost a good deal of what made the series great, but RE4 I feel was the best combination of old and new and it really was creator Shinji Mikami's swan song for the series.

Metroid is my favorite game series, and Metroid Prime is hands down my favorite of them all. It's one of the best metroidvania games in terms of design, and on top of that it flawlessly transitioned the series into 3D in a way that no one at the time thought would work (people were originally skeptical of the 1st person perspective). In fact the new perspective added to the experience by working with the series' artstyle and making one of the most atmospheric games I can ever recall playing. When it comes to the best in engaging metroidvania gamplay, immersive atmosphere, and loads of replayability, there are a handful of worthy games that come to many peoples' minds, but for me I alway think of Metroid Prime.