I've heard of Orphen, I just never watched/read it. I dunno, Yu Yu never captured me as a series that I must go watch, that's probably why. Then again, my favourites are of a different kind of tone:

1. Monster
2. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
3. Noein
4. Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.
5. Fate/Zero

So far anyway. I'm definitely more of a manga reader myself though.

Kenshin and Gundam Wing are both still good. Wing and Turn A Gundam were the last gundam to be interesting. Seed and on got weak.

SAO I hear is like .hack with more action and less plot. The setting is certainly one thing that ties the two together, but it seems like they're simply different genres.