Best Sports Video Games of All Time!

[lynchie137]

Is Mike Tyson's Punch-Out a sports game?

Good question. You could make the case that it's not an actual sports game but instead a boxing-themed puzzle game.

I've never heard of Mike Tyson's Punch Out described like that. And at first, it sounded a little weird. But after thinking about it for a minute or two, that description does sound pretty apt, as you have to figure out each boxer's tendencies in order to make any sort of headway in the game. And the same goes for it's 16 bit counterpart for the SNES as well. Button mashers they are not, and if you try to play 'em with that mindset, you're gonna get your You Know What handed to you...

[Retro STrife]

I remember reading a retrospective a while ago about NFL 2K5. The gist of the article was that, despite its age, we'll always love it not necessarily for the quality of the game itself, but because of what it represents - a time before the Madden-opoly. Sentimentality can distort our memory.

That said, it's nonetheless a stellar football title (and gets more play time than any other football game in my library).

This is a good point, and one I agree 100% with. As someone who has played a full season of NFL 2K5 recently, I don't think it holds up as well as people think. It doesn't have the staying power of Tecmo Super Bowl. It was an excellent game back in 2004, but I think a lot of the fondness for it relates to a distorted memory and (as you say) what it represents as "the hero" vs. EA's Madden villain. I think people still hate Madden for killing the NFL 2K series, and that results in people elevating 2K5 higher than it's worth today. It took several years, but I do think modern Maddens have since surpassed 2K5.. and of course, I think Tecmo Super Bowl surpasses them all.

[Retro STrife]

This is it! Let me know what you think. You're allowed to disagree!

Great list - I agree with a ton of these, like Virtua Tennis, Fight Night Round 3, Hot Shots Golf, and NHL 94.

A few extra thoughts:

1. I can't fault NFL 2K5 as the top football game, but to me Tecmo Super Bowl is easily the best. I talk about why in my post above.

2. How about an NBA Street game for an honorable mention? What a great series that was during the mid-2000s, peaking with NBA Street Vol. 3. I'd definitely put that over Street Hoop for the Neo Geo.

3. Speaking of Neo Geo, how about the Super Sidekicks series as an honorable mention for soccer? I'm not a big soccer fan, but I love Super Sidekicks 2 & 3. If I recall correctly, I thought you were fond of that series too.

4. Too bad that you haven't gotten more into the modern NBA 2K games, as I see you listed 2K6 as the best. The NBA 2K series has consistently been the best sports series out there (for any sport) over the past couple console generations. I love playing the game online with other people, but I know that isn't really your thing. But, even among the older 2K games, I'd take 2K9 over 2K6.

5. How about adding some extreme sports and winter sports? I'd be interested to hear your favorites for skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, etc.

[Retro STrife]

P.S. Looks like you still need to review NBA Jam T.E. on the Genesis. I noticed that you went with the SNES version for this list.. when I tried to check your Genesis review, there wasn't one. With many people considering Genesis as the preferred version (myself included), seems like a good one to review soon. Maybe during the NBA Finals?

[Stalvern]

I noticed that you went with the SNES version for this list.. when I tried to check your Genesis review, there wasn't one.

The Genesis version doesn't have a review, but 32X version does. It has an A- instead of a full A or A+ because the Genesis controller's lack of shoulder buttons makes holding down turbo awkward.

[Retro STrife]

The Genesis version doesn't have a review, but 32X version does. It has an A- instead of a full A or A+ because the Genesis controller's lack of shoulder buttons makes holding down turbo awkward.

Good point, didn't catch that 32X review. Still, I think there are a few slight differences, even with the Genesis and 32X versions. Not positive, but I think the rosters might even be different, since the 32X version came out later.

I haven't played the SNES version much, because I always gravitated toward the Genesis version for whatever reason. But I could see how the shoulder buttons would be helpful for turbo.

[Retro STrife]

P.S. #2.. If you want to add more horse racing games to your reviews, check out "A Great Day at the Races" for Philips CD-i.

[VideoGameCritic]

Wow, great feedback.

I had forgotten about Super Sidekicks! I added it as honorable mention, but it could have easily taken the top spot.

I will check out that CD-i horse racing game.

Many I should change the title to The Video Game Critic's Sports Hall of Fame??

Also, two more sports features in the works:
Best Sports Game EXTREME EDITION
Worst Sports Games

[noah98]

I would like to see these added to the honorable mentions:

Baseball: Bad News Baseball (Nes), RBI Baseball (PC Engine), Ken Griffey Jr. presents Major League Baseball (Snes)

Football: NFL Blitz (Playstation)

Hockey: Ice Hockey (Nes)

Volleyball: Super Spike V'Ball (nes)

Other: Super Dodgeball (Nes), Ski or Die (Nes), SSX3 (XBOX), WWF No Mercy, Saturday Night Slam Masters (Snes), Skiing (Atari 2600, Intellivision), California Games (Sega Master)

I personally think that Tecmo Super Bowl (snes version) is the greatest football game ever made!

[noah98]

Questions for the Critic:

Would you recommend Madden '95 over Madden '97? Madden '95 got an A- and Madden '97 got an A. I was thinking of picking one or the other up, even though I don't like the Madden series as much as the Tecmo Bowl games. I was curious why '97 scored higher, but you still chose '95 over it.

Also, do you like Evander Holyfield Boxing more than the sequel, Greatest Heavyweights? I always thought that Greatest Heavyweights was much improved, but maybe there is something you like more about Evander Holyfield boxing.

Anyway, thanks again for an amazing article! It was truly a pleasure to read and reflect on.