Actraiser Enix   This game has the best music of any game ever.  If I could find it I would pay oodles for the orchestral soundtrack.  Beyond the music though, what makes this game special is the fact that it successfully blends the genres of Action and simulation better than any game before it or since it.  The sequel took out the simulation aspect of it, but added a ton of moves to the action aspect and upped the difficulty 10fold.  I am one of the few people that also enjoyed the sequal, and would place it near the top of my most difficult games ever.  Nothing compares to the first Actraiser though. Super Metroid Nintendo With the rumor that the next sequel to Metroid may be a FPS my memories of the many times I played through Super Metroid came rushing back to me.  So many fun, hard to find items like the Spin Attack and the Dash Boots make this game a legend.  Fighting the 3 story tall Kraid for the first time was one of the coolest moments in gaming history for me, as was the shocking ending.  They just don’t make em’ like they used to.   Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Konami   Well sometimes they do make em’ like they used to, and Castlevania Symphony of the Night is the best, and possibly final example of this.  It is sad that this is maybe the last truly revolutionary, inspired 2D action game.  I bought this one in Japan when I was over there and struggled through the Gainjin protection making it all the way to the end with 194%.  Later I bought the English version and played through the entire game again, getting up to over 200%.  I know for sure that I will play through it at least a few more times in my life, and I will love every minute I’ll spend with it as I have in the past. Castlevania IV Konami Yes Castlevania IV is even better.  Holding Y and controlling the whip is the single coolest play mechanic I’ve ever witnessed.  Better than Bionic Commando’s bionic arm and Uncle Scrooge’s pogo cane put together.  This one also wins out because it has my favorite stage that has ever appeared in a game.  The rolling room area in the picture I stole from Kevin is just one of the many special effects from that single stage of the game.   Super Mario World Nintendo   Mario’s unforgettable first 16-bit outing had some of the most variety of any action game out there.  It still sticks around in my head as a favorite because I have played through it, beginning to end, beating every stage, more times than any other game I can remember.  Also, arguing with people about which was better, Sonic 1 or Mario World was a grand time for all.  Why anyone would ever say Sonic still baffles me. And the Top 5 >>