Man, The Revenge of Shinobi still holds up as one of the tightest action games on the Genesis. You play as ninja Joe Musashi, slicing through everything from mafia thugs to literal ninja cyborgs—yeah, it gets weird in the best way. The first level drops you right into a city at night, dodging gunfire and flipping over enemies before gut-punching them with a shuriken. Feels so good.

What really sticks with me is how varied the stages get. One minute you're sneaking through a dojo, the next you're jumping between speeding trucks or fighting a T-Rex in a museum (no, really). And that soundtrack? Yuzo Koshiro went absolutely nuts with these synth tracks—some of them wouldn’t feel out of place in a cyberpunk club. Just don’t get too attached to your life bar; those later bosses don’t mess around.

Still the best Shinobi game, hands down. The sequels tried, but this one nails the balance of challenge and pure ninja fantasy.