Brutal – Paws of Fury is one of those weird, forgotten Genesis fighters where you pick an animal warrior and just start throwing paws. Like, literally—you've got a tiger doing spinning kicks, a kangaroo with boxing gloves, even a weird frog-ninja thing. The roster's small but surprisingly balanced once you figure out who clicks with you (I stuck with the wolf for his stupidly good sweep attacks).

It's janky in that early-90s way—hit detection can be iffy, and some moves feel overpowered—but there's charm in the chaos. The stages are bright and ridiculous (fighting on a pirate ship while monkeys throw barrels?), and pulling off special moves feels satisfying once you nail the timing. Not quite Street Fighter, but perfect for when you want something fast and silly with a buddy on the couch.

Just don't expect deep mechanics—this is pure button-mashing fun with fur and fangs.