Hardball '94 on the Genesis is one of those old-school baseball games that just feels right. The pitching mechanics are simple—fastball, curve, changeup—but timing that perfect swing still takes work. I remember whiffing at first because the batting cursor moves faster than you’d expect.

Fielding’s a little janky (good luck chasing down line drives), but the animations have this satisfying chunky charm, especially when you nail a homer and watch your dude trot the bases in that classic 16-bit style. No deep franchise modes or anything, just pick-up-and-play baseball with a surprising amount of strategy once you get into pitch selection.

Still holds up if you’re into retro sports games, warts and all.