Man, Streets of Rage II still hits like a steel pipe to the face—in the best way possible. You pick Axel, Blaze, or one of the others, and suddenly you're knee-deep in thugs, dodging knives and suplexing dudes into trash cans. The soundtrack? Absolute fire—those basslines still get stuck in my head.

What’s wild is how good it feels even now. The controls are simple—punch, kick, grab, repeat—but there’s this rhythm to it, like you’re dancing through each level. And yeah, it’s brutal alone, but grab a buddy for co-op and it’s pure chaos (the fun kind). Just don’t get too cocky—those damn jump-kicking enemies will humble you fast.

If you’ve never played it, you’re in for a treat. If you have, you already know it’s one of those games you can boot up anytime and instantly remember why it’s a classic.