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in no particular order...

1) Super Castlevania IV (SNES)
2) Double Dragon II: The Revenge (NES)
3) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
4) Final Fantasy VI (SNES)
5) tie - Super Street Fighter IV (XB360/PS3/ARC) / The King of Fighters '98 (NG:MVS)

No idea, but I'll try:

1. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night -PS1
2. Sonic CD (or Sonic 3 & Knuckles) -Sega CD/Genesis
3. Street Fighter II: CE Hyper Fighting/SF Alpha 2 -Arcade, various consoles (SCE on Genesis is the best 16-bit version! Saturn is best on consoles)
4. Gradius Gaiden -PS1
5. Soldier Blade/Final Soldier/Super Star Soldier/Gunhed(Blazing Lasers) (any one of these makes me happy) -TG-16/PC Engine


Of course, I also love any RPGs like FFIV, FFVI, Chrono Trigger, Phantasy Star II, IV, Shining Force I, II, CD, Ogre Battle, Dragon Force, Lunar 1/2, Ys Books I&II...
Action games like Metroid, Super Metroid, Zelda III, Contra games, Gunstar Heroes, Metal Slugs, Marios, Sonics, Bonks, Mega Man games (especially II), other Castlevanias (especially Chi no Rondo, IV, DS versions), etc.
Shoot 'em ups like other Gradius games, R-Type, Donpachi series, Batsugun, Aleste series, Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga, Gunbird I/II, 194X, Thunder Force III, IV, Gate of Thunder, Lords of Thunder, etc.
Puzzle games like Bomberman series, Puyo-Puyo, Puzzle Bobble, Tetris (Tetris Plus on Saturn is best!), etc.

The ones in the top 5 are just ones that I keep going back to again and again, but so are the ones listed above!

It was hard enough picking just 5 (ok, 8 ) games, I did not even try to order them.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 (PS1)
Everything just feels so smooth when I play this game. Stringing together grinding, tricks, and manuals for combos is so fun.

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
It was one of the first games I really enjoyed playing. The fighters are wacky, and the gameplay is very responsive. It's fun to get in a groove, and just toy with your opponent, racking up stars. Though, the final few fighters are sometimes still a challenge to me, especially Tyson.

Tetris DX (Game Boy Color) (any version of it, but this is the one I have played the most)
Tetris is Tetris. So simple, yet so hard. It's great when the the blocks are moving so fast that everything seems so out of control, but you still manage to go on for just a little longer.

Crash Team Racing (PS1)
It's just a Mario Kart knockoff, but I always liked the feel of this game better. I would happily sit down and start playing through the single player campaign of this game again. Of course, the game is at its best with 4 players.

Super Mario World (SNES)
It's so difficult to pick just one Mario game. The feel of all of these games is so perfect. This is the one that I have played the most. That must mean something, so I'll choose it as my favorite. Everything in the game fits so well together. Nothing feels extraneous.

Honorable Mentions:
Super Mario 64 (N64)
I thought the transition to 3D went pretty well for Mario. Well, except that the camera was annoying at times. The most important thing was that the game still had great feel like the 2D Mario games. It is so easy to forget all about the objectives of the game and just run around performing the triple jump, long jump, and wall jumps. I love stringing together several consecutive wall jumps.

Super Punch-Out!! (SNES)
I think this game is great, but I enjoy Punch-Out!! a little bit more. The gameplay changed slightly, and I think this made the game easier. It was pretty tough when I was a kid, but once I finally beat it I found I could breeze through it whenever I wanted.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
The gameplay is rock solid, and the puzzles are fun. It's been a while since I've played it, so I don't remember the exact story (something about saving Zelda I presume). I never really cared about the storyline anyway, I just liked exploring and figuring out how and when to use all the different weapons effectively.

I have also played the original NES Zelda game, and the DX version of Link's awakening. I enjoyed those as well. I haven't really tried playing the 3D Zelda games yet. I just started regularly playing games again about a year ago, so there are tons of games that I haven't played. This list might be completely different a year (or month) from now.

I also play and enjoy a lot of JRPGs, but I guess I don't really think of them as games. I don't get a sense of achievement when I beat a JRPG. Instead, it feels like the inevitable wrap up of a story (some better than others).

1. Beyond Good & Evil (Xbox)
2. Devil's Crush (Turbo Duo)
3. Seaman (Dreamcast)
4. Kirby's Dream Course (SNES)
5. Thunderforce Three (Genesis)

This is madness! (This is sparta!)

I cannot possibly pick a top five. Impossible I say!

I"ll give you 5 favorites in general, but it comes with the condition they are in no order and they could change tomorrow! So there!

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
Rocket Knight Adventures
Super Mario Bros. 3
Streets of Rage 2
Chrono Trigger

Jeez, even that was hard.

Five is too small a list for me, doesn't do justice to the large number of great games out there. However, I can say for sure that Ico would be on that list if I ever made one

1. Kingdom Hearts
2. Golden Sun
3. Tales of Symphonia
4. Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!
5. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations

1. Super Mario 64 (N64)
2. F-Zero X (N64)
3. Pokemon Red (GB)
4. Timesplitters 3 (PS2)
5. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (360)

Tetris
Super Mario World
Shadow of the Colossus
Castlevania: SOTN
Final Fantasy VII

TehOctoNinja wrote:5. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC)

Fixed!