God of War 3 is brilliant. I'm not even that big a fan of this genre and GOW3 turned out to be one of my favourite games this gen.

Ninja Gaiden 2 by a country mile.

In some games "and i will mention no names" the basic enemies just basically stand there doing nothing literally waiting to be raped.............. Ninja gaidens 2's basic enemies on the other hand can pretty much rip you apart all by themselves.

In "some" hack and slashers out there you can do huge combos by just simply button bashing/repeadedly pushing the same button........ Ninja Gaiden 2's combos require some actual skill.

Basically, when you complete Ninja Gaiden 2 on anything above path of the acolyte you have had to earn it (my way of the mentor playthrough was brutal, i'm dreading master ninja)

So yeah......... this gen its Ninja Gaiden 2....... all time its Onimusha 2: Samurai's destiny.

Anyone whos played Bayonetta and finished it, know that as a hack 'n' slash game, it stands head and shoulders above any of the games listed. The primary focus of the genre is gameplay and while God of War 3 plays fine, it doesn't offer the amount of control, technical prowess or diversity that Bayonetta provides with it's combat.

out of the ones I have played...god of war 3 but I am yet to play castlevania (had it for 2 weeks already but haven't played it yet...)

Gameplay wise bayonetta is the best this gen at hack and slash you really cant disagree lol. Kratos's combos were so similiar to the first 2 games that i got bored quick.

MadWorld.

If you're not going to include all of the top contenders, please at least put an 'Other' option in your polls.

I liked Muramasa. Not on there.

Bayonetta, felt much fresher and peppier then GOW3

I'm starting to think ppl didn't experiment with the GOW combos or something..that battle system seems to be so underrated

overall best H&S game = GOW3 = An exceptional mix of great atmosphere, gameplay, setting and combat, heck I think it's one of the best games and one of the best H&S of all time, hands down

and second place would be Ninja gaiden S2 - but it was such a disappointment to me, felt very shallow and boring tbh. Really uninspired enemy designs and story. Bored me real fast. Having just one aspect good won't cut it to be the best.

God of War III, my favourite game this gen so far. 'Epic' is the best word to describe it.