Madden NFL 97 on SNES is one of those games that just feels right—like pulling on an old pair of sneakers. The pixelated players move with that classic mid-90s charm, and the playbooks are simple enough that you won’t spend half the game staring at menus. I remember booting it up for the first time and immediately getting sucked into a full quarter just testing out different running plays.

It’s not as flashy as the newer Maddens, obviously, but there’s something satisfying about the way the tackles land or how the AI actually punts on fourth down instead of going for some ridiculous Hail Mary. The commentary’s hilariously basic—mostly just "TOUCHDOWN!" and "INTERCEPTION!"—but it adds to the nostalgia. If you’ve got a SNES lying around, this one’s still a solid pick for couch multiplayer or just reliving the simpler days of football games.