Man, Streets of Rage 2 still holds up. You pick from four characters—Axel’s the all-rounder, Blaze is quick, Max hits like a truck, and Skate’s this kid who slides everywhere—and then you just start punching. Like, immediately. No long intros, no tutorials, just you and a friend (if you’re lucky) smashing through waves of goons in leather jackets.

The music? Absolute fire. That bassline kicks in as you’re tossing guys into the background, and suddenly you’re 12 again, sitting too close to a CRT. Mr. X’s goons get tougher—some pull knives, others just eat hits like it’s nothing—but nailing a perfect combo and hearing that *thwack* never gets old. Also, the jump-kick is weirdly OP, but I won’t judge if you spam it.

It’s one of those games where you lose track of time. You’ll die, feed in another quarter (or hit continue, no shame), and before you realize it, you’re at the weird boxing ring boss. Still one of the best beat ‘em ups ever made.