Ah, Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu '94—the one that started it all for the Power Pros series on SNES. It’s got that classic baseball feel, but with a quirky, almost cartoony style that makes it stand out from the usual sports sims. The players are these little chibi characters, and the pitching/batting mechanics are simple enough to pick up fast, but there’s some real depth if you dig into the timing and strategy.

First thing you’ll notice? The announcer’s voice clips are hilariously over-the-top, and the crowd noise somehow makes every hit feel way more dramatic than it should. Fielding takes a second to get used to—sometimes your guy just refuses to catch the ball cleanly—but once it clicks, you’ll be pulling off double plays like it’s nothing. And yeah, it’s Japan-only, but the menus aren’t too hard to figure out if you’re willing to poke around a bit.

It’s rough around the edges compared to later entries, but there’s a charm to it that still holds up. Definitely a solid pick if you’re into retro baseball games with personality.