Carl’s final assessment: Sonic & Knuckles represents everything ambitious about Sega’s approach to 16-bit gaming. The lock-on technology was genuinely innovative. The level design showcased years of learning. The Knuckles campaign offered completely different gameplay from Sonic’s speed-focused approach. This cartridge delivered on every promise about what made…

Joe’s hill to die on: Streets of Rage 3 is better than Streets of Rage 2. Yes, I know this is controversial. Yes, I know Carl disagrees. Yes, I know most people prefer the second game’s accessibility. But Streets of Rage 3’s additional complexity, branching paths, and combat…

Carl moderating, because this game requires discussing technical achievement and absurdist humor simultaneously, and I’m apparently the only one who can do both without getting distracted. Earthworm Jim released in August 1994 as Shiny Entertainment’s debut, combining fluid animation with deliberately weird humor and genuinely creative level design.…

Joe here, and I need to address something that bothered me throughout the 16-bit era: Konami’s apparent favoritism toward Nintendo consoles. The SNES got three mainline Castlevania games while Mega Drive owners watched from the sidelines. So when Castlevania: Bloodlines finally arrived in March 1994, it felt like…