Cross Fire on NES is one of those weird, frantic shooters that feels like it was designed to eat quarters in an arcade—except it’s on your couch. You’re basically a little ship dodging walls of bullets while blasting everything in sight, and the screen scrolls automatically, so no hiding in the corner. The Japanese version has this weirdly satisfying chiptune soundtrack that somehow makes the chaos feel… almost relaxing?

First time I played, I died in like 30 seconds because I didn’t realize some enemies take multiple hits. Then I figured out the power-up system (grab the floating icons, obviously) and suddenly I was mowing down waves of geometric baddies. It’s simple, but the patterns get mean fast—especially when the background starts flashing like a disco nightmare.

Definitely a niche pick, but if you’re into that old-school “one more try” frustration, it’s got charm.