Pocket Monster II on the Genesis is one of those games that just feels right in your hands—the pixel art pops with these chunky, colorful monsters, and the battle system’s got just enough depth to make you think twice about spamming the same move. At first I kept losing to the third gym leader until I realized my fire-type was basically useless against rock-types (rookie mistake, I know).

The overworld’s got that classic top-down charm, with hidden items tucked behind suspiciously lone trees and NPCs who either give you weirdly specific advice or just say something completely random. And that soundtrack? Pure 16-bit nostalgia—the route themes still get stuck in my head.

It’s not perfect—some of the late-game grinding drags—but there’s something about the way your team slowly comes together that makes it hard to put down. I still have my original cartridge, save battery long dead but the memories very much alive.