NHL Hitz 20-03 on GBA is basically hockey with the dial cranked to 11. No boring line changes or slow build-up—just three-on-three chaos where you can bodycheck someone into the boards one second and pull off a ridiculous one-timer the next.

The controls are simple enough that you’ll be pulling off dekes within minutes, but there’s a surprising amount of strategy in picking the right team. Some squads are built for speed, others just bulldoze through everything. I wasted way too much time in the create-a-player mode making the most obnoxious neon-colored skater possible.

It’s not the prettiest GBA game, but the animations have this exaggerated, almost cartoonish energy that makes every slap shot feel huge. Perfect for quick sessions between classes or when you just want to smash some pixels instead of overthinking tactics.