Play Shadow Squadron Online

Shadow Squadron on the Sega 32X is one of those early 3D space shooters that somehow still feels intense despite the chunky polygons. You’re thrown into these massive battles where enemy capital ships loom in the distance, and your tiny fighter has to weave through turret fire while picking off weak points. The scale is ridiculous—like a mosquito trying to take down a skyscraper.

You get two ships: one’s nimble but fragile, the other’s a tank with all the grace of a shopping cart. I kept crashing into things with the heavy one at first, but once you get the hang of drifting around those blocky asteroids, it’s weirdly satisfying. There’s also this turret mode where you let the AI handle flying while you just blast away—great for when you’re tired of dodging and just want to unload lasers.

Six missions might not sound like much, but each one’s a gauntlet of swarming fighters and those giant ships you have to dismantle piece by piece. The last level still gives me flashbacks.