Mortal Kombat 2 on Genesis is where pixelated violence became an art form. You pick your fighter—Scorpion’s spear still feels unfair in the best way—and jump straight into the Outworld tournament. The first thing you notice? The controls are smoother than the first game, but the fatalities are even messier. Liu Kang’s bicycle kick actually works now, and good luck not spamming it.

It’s got that arcade feel but without needing quarters. The AI cheats, obviously—Shang Tsung morphing into Kintaro mid-match should be illegal—but that’s part of the charm. And the secret fights? Catching Smoke in the background still feels like a weird glitch until you realize it’s intentional. Just don’t let your little brother see you perform Sub-Zero’s spine rip.

This is the one where Mortal Kombat stopped being a gimmick and became a proper fighting game. Still holds up if you can handle the jank.