Top Ten: Sport Video Games of All Time

10. UFC 2009 Undisputed

THQ released this game in 2009.  The graphics are incredibly realistic and controls intuitively map each of the fighters limbs to one of the face buttons.  All the big UFC fighters are available across 5 weight classes, each having their own style of fighting.  It made my list because it is the most realistic and technical MMA fighting game that has yet to be released. The really impressive thing is that this was their first crack at the game. After a few more years of development it will truly be the “undisputed” champion of simulation fighting games.

9. Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball

This was, without a doubt, the most entertaining baseball video game.  Released in 1994 by Software Creations for SNES, it was officially licensed by the MLB but not the players association. This meant the teams and stadiums were real, but the players were not. The game featured unique stadiums for each team which was groundbreaking at the time.  I remember playing this game for hours on end.  There has yet to be another baseball game that comes close to entertaining me as well.  Do keep in mind that the Blue Jays had just won the World Series in ’92 and ’93 so my opinion may have been biased due to all of the Baseball fanfare.

8. Gran Turismo

Originally released by Sony Computer Entertainment for Playstation in 1997, this game was the first in a dynasty of great racing games.  It featured ground breaking 3D graphics, 175 different cars to take for a spin on 11 different tracks.  This has now evolved to completely HD 3D graphics, 1000 cars and 75 different tracks in the March 2010 release of Gran Turismo 5.

7. John Madden Football

I could not make this list without paying homage to the game that spawned the largest sports video game franchise.  John Madden Football was released by EA Sports in 1989 for Apple II Computer.  The franchise continues to be one of the most realistic (albeit overly complicated) sports video games thanks to John Madden:

He balked at the idea of seven-man football, saying that he wouldn’t lend his name to something that wasn’t completely authentic. Technological limitations made this impossible at the time, but EA stuck with Madden anyway. The persistence paid off. John Madden Football–with a full 11 players per side–was released in 1989 for the Apple II computer. This first game served as a launching point that soon propelled the series to other, more enduring platforms such as the Sega Genesis and the PC.

From The History of Football Games at gamespot.com

6. NBA Live 05

Released in 2004 by EA Sports, this game featured a new NBA All Star Weekend game mode that allowed you to partake in the electrifying Slam Dunk Contest.  The NBA Live franchise doesn’t really do it for me as it seems somewhat less refined than their flagship titles (FIFA, NHL and Madden), but the Slam Dunk Contest was fun.   Probably more so than the actual game itself.

5. NHL 2006

NHL 2006 was released by EA Sports in 2005 and featured the new “skill stick” control setup which gives the gamer complete control of both the players skates and stick independently.  Traditional hockey games would merge the two making the players take shots only in the direction they were skating.  Dekeing? Now possible, thanks to the skill stick.  This version also featured a new physics engine that removed the magnetic attraction between players and the puck for more realistic game play.

4. Wii Sports

This was the first video game to get the gamer  physically involved in the game.  It was released by Nintendo in 2006 and was a compilation of sports simulators that came with the Nintendo Wii game console to demonstrate what it could really do. It included tennis, baseball, golf, bowling and boxing games.  No, the graphics are not very impressive.  The players have very primitive structural models that look far from human.  All that being said, it was a breakthrough in sport video gaming and served as a springboard for all other Wii sport games.

3. NHL ’94

Published in 1993 by EA Sports this was the first true hockey game and a definite cult classic.  This game even makes appearances as an easter-egg in future releases to remind us of a better time.

After establishing themselves in the virtual rinks, EA combined both NHL and NHLPA licenses in NHL ’94, allowing them to feature all 26 real teams (including both expansion teams) and players of the new NHL season for the first time in the series. Aside from the licenses, the gameplay for this edition sees for the first time the inclusion of the devastating one-timer shot, but to keep forwards (literally) in check, defenders also feature harder body checks, with new animations.

From Moby Games review

Just spend a few moments trying to understand this website: www.nhl94.com…Need I say more?

2. Pong

The classic game was released in 1972 by Atari and featured two paddles that would hit a ball back and forth across the screen.  This prehistoric tennis game was not only among the first sport video games to be released, but helped to launch the entire video gaming industry with is popularity in the arcades and later in the home.

1. FIFA 10

The best sport game ever created. Released in 2009 by EA Sports, the players can now move in 360 degrees as opposed to the (very frustrating) 8 directions available in previous versions. A plethora of special moves at your finger tips, intelligent passing logic, almost every team and stadium under the sun, stunning graphics and animations, new player collisions and great online play make this the game to which we compare all others.