Ikari III is that weird middle child of the NES run-and-gun series—still top-down like the first two, but way faster and with this odd diagonal movement that takes some getting used to. You're still mowing down waves of soldiers, but now you can actually dodge bullets if you're quick enough (which I was not, at first).

It's got the same over-the-top explosions and grenade spam as the arcade originals, though the NES version tones down the chaos just enough that you can actually see what's killing you. The music's surprisingly intense for an 8-bit soundtrack—those bassy synth drums actually make it feel like you're in some '80s action flick.

Not gonna lie, the controls feel stiff compared to modern twin-stick shooters, but once you adjust, there's something satisfying about clearing a screen full of enemies with a well-placed rocket. Just don't expect the plot to make sense—something about rescuing a scientist, I think?