Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball on SNES is one of those old-school sports games that somehow nails the feel of baseball without getting too complicated. The pixel art is pure 90s—chunky players with those classic animations when they swing or dive for a catch. At first, the controls take a second to click (pun intended), but once you get the timing down for hitting, it’s weirdly satisfying.

What I like is that it’s not just a home run derby—you actually have to think about base stealing, pitching changes, and outfield positioning. The AI isn’t brutal, but it’s not a pushover either. And yeah, the crowd noise is basically just a loop of muffled cheering, but somehow that adds to the charm. If you’ve got a buddy to play against, it’s a solid way to kill an afternoon with some nostalgic back-and-forth.

It’s not the flashiest baseball game from that era, but it holds up better than you’d expect.