World Trophy Soccer on the Genesis is one of those early soccer games that somehow nails the chaos of the sport without overcomplicating things. The controls are dead simple—pass, shoot, sprint—but matches get surprisingly tense when you're down a goal in the second half. The pixelated players have this weirdly satisfying weight to them, like you can feel the slide tackles connecting.

Tournament mode is where it shines. No fancy licenses or real teams, just you versus increasingly brutal AI that starts cheesing long shots if you're not careful. The crowd noise is basically just a looped roar, but when you finally break through their defense and slot one past the keeper? Pure 16-bit joy. It's janky in that classic Genesis way, but that's half the charm.

Still holds up if you're into retro sports games—just don't expect FIFA.