World Cup Soccer on the Genesis is one of those early sports games that somehow nails the chaotic energy of actual soccer while still being arcadey enough to pick up fast. The controls are simple—pass, shoot, tackle—but matches get surprisingly intense, especially when you’re down a goal in the second half and desperately trying to push forward. The pixelated crowds in the background even cheer when you score, which feels weirdly satisfying for a 16-bit game.

It’s not FIFA-level realism, but the gameplay holds up better than you’d expect. The players have this exaggerated slide when they tackle, and the ball physics are just janky enough to keep things unpredictable. If you’re into retro sports games, this one’s a solid time capsule from the early ‘90s.