Contra – Hard Corps (Russian) is one of those Genesis games that makes you question your reflexes within the first five minutes. You pick one of four weirdly overpowered characters—I went with the cyborg dude first—and immediately get thrown into chaos: bullets everywhere, explosions, and enemies dropping from the sky like they’ve got a personal grudge.

The Russian version is basically the same insane run-and-gun madness as the original, just with some text swapped out. It doesn’t matter though, because you won’t be reading—you’ll be too busy mashing buttons, trying not to die. The spread gun is still king, but some of the new weapons are ridiculous in the best way (flamethrower dog? Sure, why not).

Boss fights are the real highlight here. One minute you’re fighting a giant tank, the next you’re dodging lasers from some biomechanical horror. The soundtrack slaps, too—those crunchy Genesis synths make everything feel even more intense. Just don’t expect to beat it on your first try. Or your tenth.

If you’ve got a Genesis and a love for punishment, this one’s a no-brainer.