NHL 99 on N64 was one of those sports games that actually made you feel like you were on the ice—well, as much as a blocky 64-bit hockey sim could. The controls were surprisingly tight for the time, and the AI actually put up a fight instead of just skating in circles. I remember spending way too long tweaking my team’s lineup before even hitting the ice, because yeah, the management side had some depth to it.

Graphically, it wasn’t pushing the N64 to its limits, but the animations were smooth, and the hits felt satisfyingly chunky. And that soundtrack? Pure late-'90s EA Sports energy. If you missed this one back in the day, it’s still a solid pick for hockey fans who don’t mind a little retro jank.