#10 Halo 3

Master Chief's last adventure came out in 2007, but Halo 3 is still one of Xbox Live's most played games. Even we enjoy deathmatch from time to time while occasionally messing around with Forge, the feature that lets players customize levels. Sign on right now, and you'll find thousands of people fragging each other across the globe. The catch? They'll rip you to shreds with a barrage of bullets and melee attacks. These devoted guys and gals take Halo seriously. They know the maps inside and out, as well as weapon and vehicle locations. You don't stand a chance.

It also helps that Halo 3 multiplayer is incredibly fun to play. The variety of weapons, vehicles and maps helps to keep the content fresh, while solid controls help us line up those headshots. With Halo 3: ODST coming out at the end of the month, we'll finally put this baby to rest (maybe).

#9 Ikaruga

Most Japanese shooters take nerves of steel to beat, but Ikaruga tops them all. To be successful, you must change the polarity (color) of your ship from white to black to match enemy bullets; you can only absorb bullets of the same color. That'd be easy if the game didn't throw tons of bad guys your way. Before long, the screen's full of tiny dots and you'll need expert dodging skills to avoid destruction. Good luck on the faster levels that require split second timing.

#8 Ghosts 'n Goblins series

If you're in the mood for a beat-down, fire up this hardcore series. Capcom's original 2-D arcade game always looks easy because of the small number of enemies that appear on screen. Then you attempt to kill those monsters, and things fall apart. Everything about Ghosts 'n Goblins, from the jumping to dodging bad guys, takes extreme levels of skill. We recall one horrible Saturday where it took us three hours just to reach the second level in the Genesis follow up, Ghouls 'n Ghosts. That's insane.

#7 Mega Man 9

Last year, Capcom went old school with Mega Man 9, wrapping the Blue Bomber's latest adventure in a retro style presentation. That also meant designing the game in such a way that we want to smash the controller against a wall. You probably need a neural implant to beat it, since guiding Mega Man from the beginning of a level to the end requires superhuman abilities. Just when you succeed in making it past the robots, you fall into a pit. Does that mean you give up? Hell no! Hardcore gamers memorize enemy patterns and spend hours mastering the game.

#6 Ninja Gaiden (Xbox)

Here's a game that's so tough, Tecmo released another version with an easier "Ninja Dog" difficulty. Like previous games in the series, you play as Ryu, a ninja that has no qualms spilling blood. The first few levels aren't bad, but the artificial intelligence quickly ramps up. Before long, you're down to your last health potion and forced to fight a boss without any power-ups. That's when you throw your hands in the air, turn off the console and count to ten.

As for its sequel, Ninja Gaiden 2, we wish you the best of luck taking out all those the fiends. Let us know how that works out.

#5 Counter-Strike

Counter-Strike first appeared in 1999 and quickly became one of the PC's most played video games. This brutal first person shooter groups players into two squads (terrorists and counter terrorists) and sends them on missions to complete one of multiple objectives in order to win the round. What makes it different from other multiplayer games is the ability to purchase weapons before a game starts (this was practically unheard of at the time) and how easy it is to die (you can forget about energy shields).

The game was so successful that Half-Life's developer, Valve, released a follow-up in 2004 called Counter-Strike Source. Despite being five years old, it still has a loyal community of trigger-happy gamers who compete for enjoyment and/or money. Just goes to show that you don't need the most advanced technology to create a compelling experience.

#4 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

This year's epic sequel, Modern Warfare 2, is so feared by the video game industry that multiple companies delayed software until 2010 to avoid getting squashed at retail. The game's publisher, Activision, owes that intimidation to the original Modern Warfare, released to critical acclaim in 2007. Its single-player campaign kept us glued to our couches for hours as we happily indulged in the slick intro screens, explosions and furious combat.

Its multiplayer, however, stole the show. On the surface, it plays similar to other games, with two teams waging war in deathmatch. Dig a little deeper, and you'll discover a feature rich experience where players earn experience points and unlock perks, including new weapons and attachments. In addition, achieving a set number of consecutive kills allows them to scan the area, call an air strike or attack chopper. The game is so huge that over one million people downloaded the first piece of downloadable content (the Variety Map Pack) in just nine days.

#3 StarCraft

Few video games enjoy StarCraft's incredible level of success. Blizzard first released its real time strategy game in 1998, selling an incredible 1.5 million copies worldwide. Instead of losing steam and eventually disappearing from shelves, the company went on to sell an additional 9.5 million units, with a whopping 4.5 million in South Korea alone. StarCraft gained a cult following in that country, where the most skilled players turn professional and compete in televised events for cash and prizes.

Naturally, the game performed well because it's so good. Blizzard skillfully weaved three unique factions into the mix (the Terrans, Protoss and Zerg), with different abilities and equipment. Combine that with scaled difficulty and addictive eight-person multiplayer, and it's no surprise that StarCraft survived this long.

#2 MapleStory

Journalists always make a big deal about World of Warcraft's 11.5 million subscribers. That's impressive, but it doesn't come close to touching MapleStory. Nexon's free-to-play MMO has a whopping 50 million subscribers worldwide. Granted, they don't have to cough up $15 a month and they can own multiple accounts, but that number definitely puts things in perspective.

As for the game, players explore the Maple World (comprised of four continents) killing monsters, chatting with other gamers and trading items. In addition, they can use real money to purchase stuff. On top of that, they enjoy mini games, attend weddings and catch fish. Unlike most MMOs, however, MapleStory is a 2-D game existing in a mostly 3-D genre. That makes its popularity even more impressive.

#1 World of Warcraft

Naturally, we can't do a most hardcore list without World of Warcraft. Over ten million players entered the world of Azeroth, pledging to fight in the battle between the Alliance and Horde. They obsessed over their characters' appearances, level grinded, gold farmed and lost all contact with the outside world, save for the pizza delivery man. In fact, WoW is so huge that it has two flavors of Mountain Dew Game Fuel. You know a game's hardcore when it appears on a soft drink.--Chris Buffa

Top Ten Most Hardcore? Really? Sounds more like Top Ten Most Casual Video Games (except for #9, #8, #7 and #6).

Maple Story, WoW, Modern Warfare and Halo 3 aren't hardcore by any stretch of the imagination.

Especially when that list is missing Demon's Souls.

Thats a rubbish list!?

Things like Manhunt and Madworld and other excessively violent and niche video games should be on that list. Thats what hardcore should really mean =P.

Wow, what a disappointing list.

Maplestory? Really?

the list flat out fails, except for megaman that is.

I'll give them 9, 8, 6 and maybe 7. Everything else is just wrong.

Maplestory.. Not Hardcore?

Trying gaining a level when killing 12 monsters for .02% exp while there are plenty of people willing to steal your kills..

^ You're playing the wrong class and not buying the goods.