Man, Revenge of Shinobi still holds up as one of the tightest action games on the Genesis. You play as ninja master Joe Musashi, slicing through mobsters, cyborgs, and even a weirdly out-of-place Spider-Man knockoff (long story). The levels jump from neon-lit cities to ancient temples, and the whole thing moves at this perfect, fluid pace—no clunky jumps or awkward hits.

And that soundtrack? Yuzo Koshiro went absolutely nuts with it. You’ll recognize his style if you’ve played Streets of Rage, but here it’s all haunting synths and driving beats that somehow make throwing shurikens feel even cooler. Just don’t get too cocky—some of those later bosses will wreck you if you don’t learn their patterns.

It’s the kind of game where you die a lot at first, but every run feels fair, and you always know it’s your fault. The definitive Shinobi experience, hands down.