Man, Streets of Rage 2 still holds up—this is the one that got beat 'em ups right. You pick between Axel, Blaze, or the new guys (Max is a beast, but slow as hell), and just start wrecking goons with pipes, knives, whatever’s lying around. The music? Absolute fire. That bassline in the first stage still gets me hyped.

What I love is how weighty the hits feel—when you land a piledriver or Blaze’s backflip kick, you feel it. And yeah, the AI’s cheap sometimes (why do guys with knives always spawn behind you?), but that’s part of the charm. Play it with a friend for maximum chaos—just try not to elbow each other by accident.

If you’ve never tried it, this is the best way to experience one of the Genesis’s all-time greats.