Bare Knuckle II (or Streets of Rage 2, depending on where you played it) is that classic Sega Genesis beat 'em up where you pick one of four characters—Axel, Blaze, Max, or Skate—and just start wrecking dudes in the streets. Mr. X is back with his goons, and they’ve got baseball bats, knives, and way too much confidence for guys who get tossed into traffic so easily.

The first level throws you right into it—no tutorials, no hand-holding, just you and a never-ending wave of thugs who somehow think jumping at you with a pipe is a good idea. The music slaps, the punches feel weighty, and by the time you reach the first boss (that guy with the chain who loves spinning in circles), you’ll either be hooked or out of quarters. It’s the kind of game where you yell at the screen when you get sucker-punched from off-camera, but you hit continue anyway because you need to see what ridiculous enemy they throw at you next.

Also, Skate is objectively the best character. Don’t @ me.