NBA Live '95 on the Genesis was one of those games that made you feel like you were actually playing basketball—well, as close as you could get in 1994 anyway. The players moved smoother than in earlier basketball games, and the dunks had this satisfying weight to them. I remember picking the Bulls first, obviously, because Jordan was unstoppable if you timed his fadeaway right.

The controls were simple enough—pass, shoot, turbo—but mastering the little things, like stealing without fouling or setting up a fast break, took some practice. The commentary was hilariously repetitive ("He's on fire!"), but it added to the charm. And yeah, the graphics look blocky now, but back then, seeing player names on the jerseys felt next-level.

If you played this back in the day, firing it up now is pure nostalgia. If you didn’t, it’s still a solid pickup for seeing where sports games started getting good.