Samurai Spirits II on the Genesis is one of those fighters that just feels right—sword clashes, blood splatters, and all. You pick from a roster of samurai (and a few wildcards like the giant dude with a club), and the second the fight starts, you realize this isn’t just another button-masher. Timing matters—land a clean slash, and you’ll see your opponent actually stagger like they just got hit with a real blade.

The pixel art holds up surprisingly well, especially the dramatic zoom-ins when someone’s about to eat a super move. I still remember the first time I pulled off Haohmaru’s tornado slash and the screen went dark for a second before the damage kicked in. Little details like that make it stand out from the usual 16-bit fighters.

It’s got that old-school arcade difficulty, though—expect to lose a few rounds before you figure out spacing and when to go for broke with a rage attack. But when you finally take down the last boss without cheesing it? Pure satisfaction. Still one of the best sword-based fighters from that era.