Weaponlord on the Genesis was way ahead of its time—brutal, technical, and punishing in the best way possible. You pick from these grimdark warriors (my favorite was the dual-wielding psycho Zorn), and suddenly you're not just doing fireball motions—you're actively trying to shatter the other guy's sword mid-combo. The first time my axe broke an opponent's weapon, I actually yelled at my CRT.

The combo system feels almost proto-Soulcalibur with its directional inputs, and the blood effects were borderline shocking for a 16-bit era fighter. It's not the kind of game where button mashing gets you anywhere—you'll eat dirt constantly until the mechanics click. But when they do? Nothing beats the satisfaction of landing a weapon-breaking counter into a juggle that sends your enemy ragdolling off a cliff.

Still holds up if you can handle the steep learning curve. Just maybe don't throw your controller when the AI reads your inputs like a psychic.