Pete Sampras Tennis on the Genesis is one of those old-school sports games that somehow nails the feel of tennis without overcomplicating things. You pick your player (obviously I went with Sampras first), choose a surface—grass, clay, hard court—and suddenly you're in this weirdly satisfying loop of serves, volleys, and the occasional desperate dive for the ball.

The controls are simple—just a couple of buttons for different shot strengths—but timing matters way more than you'd think. I kept whiffing backhands at first until I figured out the rhythm. And the AI? Surprisingly decent for a '90s game. They don't just lob everything back; they'll actually punish weak shots.

It's not flashy, but there's something about the way the ball physics work that makes matches feel tense, especially in long rallies. Also, the J-Cart version means you can plug in two controllers without a multitap, which was genius for impromptu matches with friends. Just don't expect modern graphics—this is pure pixelated sweatbands and questionable player portraits.

If you've got a Genesis collecting dust, it's still a solid tennis fix between the occasional janky animation.