Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 on the Genesis is still one of the best ways to experience that classic MK feel—bloody, brutal, and packed with characters. You’ve got all the heavy hitters here: Scorpion’s spear, Sub-Zero’s ice blast, and Raiden’s ridiculous lightning attacks. The combos feel chunky in that old-school way, and pulling off a fatality without looking up the inputs feels like an actual achievement.

The roster’s bigger than the original MK3, but some of the new fighters are hit or miss—I still don’t get why they added Stryker when we already had Sonya. The AI can be cheap as hell, especially on higher difficulties, but that just makes beating Goro even more satisfying. Graphics hold up surprisingly well for a Genesis game, though the digitized sprites look extra pixelated on modern screens.

If you’ve got a friend around, the versus mode is where this really shines. Nothing like arguing over whether Noob Saibot counts as cheating. Just don’t expect online play unless you’re emulating.