Contra: Hard Corps is one of those Genesis games that just feels like it's pushing the hardware—fast, chaotic, and packed with explosions. You pick from four characters (I always went with the cyborg guy because his spread shot felt unfair in the best way), and then it’s just non-stop sprinting, jumping, and spraying bullets at everything that moves.

What’s cool is the branching paths—some choices actually change where you end up, so replaying with a buddy to see the different endings is half the fun. The bosses are ridiculous in that classic Contra way—giant mechs, mutant beasts, the works. Just don’t expect to beat it on your first try unless you’ve got reflexes like a caffeinated squirrel.

Still one of the best co-op run-and-guns on the system, even if it’ll make you yell at your TV.