#02: Ninja Gaiden (Xbox)

Why it Made the Cut: I have never enjoyed having my ass handed to me by a video game as much as I have with Team Ninja's masterpiece. This was a game that consumed me for months, as I played it over and over again. It's huge, challenging, and plays like a dream and when you're done you can't help but feel like a total ninja bad-ass. Or a loser who just spent an ungodly amount of time on a video game. One of the two.

Props: There is no maneuver in gaming more rewarding than the Izuna Drop.

Poops: I don't mind the difficulty too much, though there were plenty of times I was ready to fire my controller through the living room window.