To celebrate CelJaded.com turning 10 years old, Alex Hajdasz re-ranks his top 10 video games. To the readers still visiting this blog a decade later, allow me to say, YOU’RE GREAT!

#10 – Sonic & Knuckles

Developer: Sonic Team | Year: 1994

Sonic & Knuckles Mega Drive PAL Box Art

Sonic & Knuckles

Starting off my list of top 10 video games is the ultimate fan-favourite Sonic the Hedgehog title from a time when Sega’s mascot was truly at his peak. Sonic & Knuckles is almost inseparable from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in modern compilations as the two titles combine to create one huge adventure.

With fast-paced platforming action, bopping music, and the sort of effective storytelling beats you wouldn’t expect in the 16-bit era, Sonic & Knuckles remains a classic 2D game that continues to influence the Hedgehog’s adventures to this very day.

Sonic & Knuckles falls to #10 on my list mainly because the superb Sonic Mania has given it some worthy competition (at last). As for Dark Souls II (my previous #10), there was some recency bias in that game making the top 10 before, but the main reason for it falling off the list is because its sequel is much better, and also because the first Dark Souls can now be played in a less shambolic state on PC thanks to Dark Souls: Remastered.

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#9 – Panzer Dragoon Orta

Developer: Smilebit | Year: 2003

Panzer Dragoon Orta PAL Box Art

Panzer Dragoon Orta

Panzer Dragoon Orta is the only game which has a higher spot here than it did on my previous Best Video Games list from 2015.

This sumptuous on-rails shooter has risen the ranks thanks to Microsoft’s superb job of preserving its forwards compatibility. Playing this directly from the original disc on an Xbox Series makes it look stunning thanks to the upscaled graphics and smooth frame rate.

Panzer Dragoon Orta replaces Bayonetta at #9 here. As much as I adore the first Bayonetta, I completed that game in full, and in an effort to “leave the memories alone”, so to speak, I haven’t played it again since. The disappointing Bayonetta 3 also cooled my interest in the franchise, so a slight slip here was to be expected.

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#8 – SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash

Developer: SNK | Year: 1999

SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash

In a world where digital card games are a much more common sight than they were 25 years ago, it’s only natural to expect the ageing Card Fighters Clash to suffer a slip. SNK’s supremely addictive card battler still clings to a high spot though, and that’s despite me finally selling my Neo Geo Pocket Colour units. And the only reason why I did? Because the link cable I used exclusively for playing multiplayer sessions of this very game broke from repeated use!

Card Fighters Clash could be higher on this list if it wasn’t for SNK Corporation’s low effort re-release painfully lacking the 2-player link-up and trading features which are a major part of the game’s appeal.

Being replaced at #8 in my top 10 is Sid Meier’s Civilization V — a game I stopped playing (for better and for worse) when Sid Meier’s Civilization VI released. That sixth instalment had its moments once its various expansions and DLCs became available, but the franchise needs a totally fresh direction to overcome its current lull.

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#7 – Streets of Rage Remake

Developer: BomberGames | Year: 2011

Various fighters pose on the Streets of Rage Remake title screen

Streets of Rage Remake

The only non-commercial release appearing on this list is a triumph for fan-produced games everywhere. BomberGames took Sega’s classic scrolling beat ’em up franchise, rebuilt it, expanded it, and gave its playability a supersonic kick in the ass. It’s exceptional.

The only thing hurting its position on this list was their v5.2 update making controversial changes to several gameplay elements. The community has been somewhat divided on this issue ever since, but being able to play Streets of Rage Remake on my modded Xbox in glorious widescreen is a nice bonus nonetheless.

Falling completely off the list here is Warlords Battlecry III which I stopped playing because Warlords Battlecry: The Protectors of Etheria — itself another much-anticipated fan creation — is approaching a v1.0 release after more than a decade in the making.

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#6 – Rayman Legends

Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier | Year: 2013

Rayman Legends Nintendo Wii U PAL Box Art

Rayman Legends

Here comes a new challenger! Yes, Rayman Legends is a brand new addition to my top 10 — something I knew pretty much immediately after playing it for my 2016 series on Wii U games.

This incredibly enjoyable multiplayer platforming adventure takes Rayman and his posse to the far corners of yet more fantastical worlds whether they be mysterious swamps, besieged castles, or enchanted underwater grottos. With a gorgeous hand-drawn art style, fun boss battles, and an intuitive control scheme, this charming experience is perfect for both gaming experts and complete newbies alike.

I really want to play this again on PC — something I will do providing I can bring myself to install Ubisoft’s launcher (or whatever they’re calling it now).

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#5 – Elden Ring

Developer: FromSoftware | Year: 2022

Elden Ring box art showing a knight kneeling under a bright symbol in the night sky

Elden Ring

What else can I say about 2022’s biggest video game that I didn’t already cover in my bumper review from the same year? Well, I’ve since completed Elden Ring an additional two times and have found this uncompromising action-RPG nearly every bit as absorbing as I did the first time. With so many fun character builds and routes through its overstuffed kingdom of intrigue and brutality, just one campaign would never be enough!

At the time of writing, developer FromSoftware is close to releasing Elden Ring’s only planned expansion pack called Shadow of the Erdtree. This DLC is no doubt set to feature more horseback exploration across decaying lands, more delightfully obscure lore implications, and of course, more deadly bosses for players to die to a million times.

The previous #5 entry on my Best Video Games list was Pokémon Black and White Version 2, which despite remaining the most sublime version of Pokémon, is one I can’t easily revisit, not just because I sold my Nintendo DS console, but also because — like Bayonetta  — the memory of that first complete playthrough was a special experience I’m keen to preserve.

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#4 – Dark Souls III

Developer: FromSoftware | Year: 2016

Dark Souls III PC PAL Box Art

Dark Souls III

There are two more numbers that matter with Dark Souls III. Firstly, it’s #4 in my top 10 above Elden Ring simply because I prefer its leaner design and shorter campaign which works so damn well when playing cooperatively with a couple of friends. The other number that matters is nine — as in the nine unique campaigns I’ve completed of this since release. (That’s only one short of the ten save slot cap!)

So yeah, Dark Souls III is a game I seemingly can’t ever grow tired of. It’s the pinnacle of FromSoftware’s genre-defining series of dark fantasy RPGs, full of action, grim storytelling, and two excellent expansions offering a profound and poignant sense of closure.

Maybe I’ll write a journal for my tenth playthrough, much like I did for See Drangelic — available to read now on this very blog!

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#3 – Halo: Combat Evolved

Developer: Bungie | Year: 2001

Master Chief points a rifle in the Halo: Combat Evolved box art

Halo: Combat Evolved

More than 20 years on, the original Halo: Combat Evolved remains an unrivalled first-person shooter. Whether playing by yourself or in the essential 2-player cooperative mode, Halo’s excellence remains so strong, I still return to it every few years to get my fix of its unforgettable set pieces and absorbing vehicular combat maps.

Such is the severity of the challenges Microsoft currently faces in the video game market, the future of the Halo franchise remains in doubt following the sixth mainline release, Halo Infinite.

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#2 – Lemmings

Developer: DMA Design | Year: 1991

Lemmings Amiga Box Art

Lemnings

Author Terry Pratchett once wrote, “Not only did I wipe Lemmings from my hard disk, I overwrote it so’s I couldn’t get it back.”

Whenever I find myself badly addicted to a title, whether it be DMA’s peerless strategy game in question, or something equally hard to put down like Balatro, I find Pratchett’s nuclear option to be a useful deterrent!

As such, I haven’t played Lemmings in a while, but I do occasionally rewatch my many saved replays on Super Lemmini — a sublime fan-made retooling of Lemmings for modern computers. Its replay feature is great for reliving all the fun/pain (delete as appropriate) of those many mind-bending puzzles.

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#1 – Slay the Spire

Developer: Mega Crit | Year: 2019

Slay the Spire Box Art

Slay the Spire

Speaking of new challengers, here we are at #1 with a brand new entry! Yes, it’s Mega Crit’s hugely influential roguelike deckbuilding game whose supreme playability and meticulously balanced card-driven gameplay couldn’t be ignored for this top spot any longer. It’s an accolade well-deserved.

I’ve lost count of the number of hours I’ve sunk into Slay the Spire. After earning every achievement on the PC version, I later did the exact same on the iPad version to occupy myself during the COVID-19 lockdown (a difficult period when I didn’t own a gaming PC). After many hundreds of hours spent playing Spire at its hardest settings, and many more studying its game theory online, I finally feel confident in saying I understand Slay the Spire. That’s how deep and how rewarding its deckbuilding concepts go!

In 2024, we now have a board game version which recently shipped to Kickstarter backers (expect a review of mine soon!), and the even bigger news of a yes-it’s-actually-happening sequel coming to early access in 2025. Will Slay the Spire II exceed its monumental predecessor and dethrone the original from my #1 spot? Stay tuned.

See you next decade!

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