NFL Quarterback Club '96 was one of those mid-90s football games that somehow made pixelated players feel legitimately intense. You pick your team—I always went with the Cowboys, obviously—and suddenly you're staring down a defense that actually reacts to your plays. The passing mechanics are surprisingly deep for a Genesis game; you can lead receivers, throw bullets or lobs, and even scramble if your pocket collapses (which it will, constantly).

The rosters are packed with '90s legends—Barry Sanders juking like a madman, Steve Young threading impossible throws. The animations are clunky by today's standards, but there's something satisfying about watching your QB wind up and launch a deep ball that actually arcs realistically. Local multiplayer gets chaotic fast, especially when someone figures out how to cheese the same unstoppable play over and over. It's not Madden, but it's got this rough charm that makes you keep hitting "rematch."

Also, the soundtrack slaps way harder than a football game has any right to. Those crunchy synth beats live in my head rent-free.