The Genesis sound chip was never pushed harder than this. Thunder Force IV from Technosoft is the gold standard for what FM synthesis can do when the composers genuinely don't care about hardware limitations. "Fighting Back" on Stage 1 hits you with this wall of aggressive, crunchy synth that sounds like it shouldn't be possible on a 16-bit console.
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"Metal Squad" keeps that energy going but adds these melodic hooks that stick with you for days. The way each stage has an A and B track that transitions as you progress through the level is so smart. "The Sky Line" into "Air Raid" is genuinely seamless.
Then "Battle Ship" just... yeah. If you own a Mega Drive and haven't played this with headphones on, you're missing out on one of the best-sounding games on the hardware.