Madden '96 on SNES was the last one to have that classic FOX NFL presentation, which honestly gave it way more personality than later entries. You start off picking your team, and if you're like me, you'll probably mess around with the secret codes first—some of them unlock hidden teams, which is a nice little bonus.

The AI actually puts up a fight this time, especially in tight situations. If you're ahead late, the CPU will actually try to burn the clock instead of just running dumb plays. And good luck throwing deep—the coverage is way tighter than in earlier Maddens.

But the real standout is the Create A Player mode. You don’t just pick stats; you actually play mini-games to determine how good your guy is at blocking, catching, or whatever. It’s janky in that charming mid-90s way, but it’s way more fun than just assigning numbers. If you’re into retro football games, this one still holds up surprisingly well.