Mega Man X 2 is one of those sequels that actually improves on the original—smoother controls, wilder boss fights, and that classic SNES-era pixel art cranked up a notch. You start off blasting through a city stage with X’s usual dash-and-shoot chaos, but then the game throws curveballs like the new Ride Armors (basically mini-mechs) and these brutal Maverick fights where you actually have to think about weapon weaknesses.

The soundtrack? Absolute fire. The Zero Stage theme still gets stuck in my head. And yeah, the upgrades are satisfying—nothing beats finally nailing that tricky wall jump to grab a hidden heart tank. Some of the later stages get seriously mean with their level design, but that’s part of the fun. If you liked the first one, this is a no-brainer. Just don’t expect Sigma to go down easy.