Sports games have always been one of the most popular and widely produced types of video games. Throughout the history of the genre, there have been several different kinds of games produced. From the annual simulation releases to the high-score-based arcade games, there is a sports game out there for almost everyone. However, throughout the history of gaming, some games have left a greater impact than others. These games were landmark titles for the genre, and are still talked about today for how great they are. So I wanted to look over some of these games and how beloved they are. This isn’t necessarily a list of the greatest sports games. These are the games that are so legendary, that any fan of sports games owes it to themselves to try out at least once. Without further ado, let’s take a look!
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
The first entry on our list includes one of the most iconic bosses in all of video games. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is a port of the original arcade game Punch-Out!! During the game’s development, Nintendo of America founder Minoru Arakawa attended a boxing match featuring a young Mike Tyson. Arakawa was so impressed with Tyson’s abilities, that he offered to feature Tyson in the game. Tyson was paid $50,000 to have his likeness used in the game for three years. This turned out to be a bargain for Nintendo once Tyson became the Heavyweight champion of the world in November 1986.
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! was released in North America in 1987. It follows the journey of the main character Little Mac as he goes from a weak nobody to a legendary boxer. Little Mac fights several cartoony characters, before finally arriving at the final boss, Mike Tyson. Tyson is incredibly difficult to beat in this game. Defeating Tyson was one of the first major accomplishments in gaming, similar to beating Malenia in Elden Ring today.
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! was one of two NES games to reach 2 million copies sold, alongside The Legend of Zelda. The game is revered as not just one of the best sports games ever, but one of the best video games ever made. After the licensing deal with Tyson expired, the game was rereleased as just Punch-Out!!. The new character Mr. Dream replaced Tyson as the final boss. This is the version that is often rereleased on modern consoles like the Wii and Nintendo Switch. However, if you can find a way to play Mike Tyson, you owe it to yourself to at least see how difficult it was to take down one of the greatest fighters and one of the hardest video game characters of all time.
Tecmo Bowl
Like Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, Tecmo Bowl is considered one of the greatest video games ever made. It was originally developed by Tecmo as an arcade cabinet, with the NES port releasing in February 1989.
Tecmo Bowl was the first video game to ever feature real NFL players through a licensing deal with the NFL Player’s Association. However, the NFL had already licensed its team names and logos to Atlus for their NFL game. So the teams in Tecmo Bowl could only use their team’s city name. The players in the game would be on the team for the city they played for in real life. So the Los Angeles team in Tecmo Bowl had the actual Raiders players like Bo Jackson.
Speaking of Jackson, he is another one of the most overpowered characters in all of gaming. He was so good that handing the ball off to him almost guaranteed you a touchdown. The legacy of this character has been chronicled in several documentaries and even joked about in an episode of Family Guy.
Tecmo Bowl has been rereleased with generic rosters several times for different Nintendo consoles and was also included on the NES classic edition in 2016. If you can play the original version with Bo Jackson though, you are in for one hell of a time!
NHL ‘94 (Sega Genesis)
It is rare for an entry in a series as long as the EA Sports NHL series to be almost unanimously considered the best in the series. It’s also rare for that entry to be the third one. But that is the case with NHL ‘94.
NHL ‘94 was the first game in the series to include both the NHL and NHLPA licensing. The rosters were based on the 92-93 NHL season, including the two expansion teams for that season the Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers for the first time.
The gameplay in NHL ‘94 made some monumental additions. The first was the new “one-timer” move players could now pull off. This is a move where players could immediately shoot the puck off of a pass from a teammate. This move could be hard to pull off, but felt incredibly satisfying once you pulled it off. NHL ‘94 was also the first game in the series to allow users to manually control their team’s goalie.
The game was released for the Sega Genesis in September 1993, with the SNES version coming a couple of months later. While both versions received positive reviews, it’s the Genesis version that is held in such high regard. This version has been included in later entries in the series like NHL 06 and NHL 14. EA Sports also released the NHL ‘94 Rewind port for Xbox One and PS4 in October 2020, which had the gameplay, visuals, and sound from NHL ‘94 while using the rosters from the 20-21 NHL season. This version has been listed on several best sports games and best Genesis games of all time lists from different publications. While hockey games have come a long way, this blast from the past set a standard that has still not been surpassed.
Madden NFL 95 (Sega Genesis)
Like NHL ’94, Madden NFL 95 is considered a landmark entry in the long-running EA Sports franchise. Also like NHL ’94, the Sega Genesis version is considered the superior version. Despite releasing the same day as the SNES version, the Genesis version had a major advantage. This version was the first entry in the Madden series to feature both the NFL and NFLPA licenses, allowing player names and likenesses to be used in the game. Alongside these rosters, the game came with a cool poster that showed all the players and their ratings in the game.
Another big addition to this game was something that was removed. This game featured a new passing system that removed the passing windows that used to appear at the top of the screen. Now, players would see their receiver run down the field and would have to read the entire defense to move the ball.
The combination of NHL ’94 and Madden NFL 95 was a blast on the Sega Genesis. Add in the additions of Bill Walsh College Football in 1993 (which would later become the NCAA Football series) and NBA Live 95 in December 1994, and EA Sports really made a name for themselves on the Genesis in the early ’90s. They put out games back then that are still considered some of the best in their entire catalog.
Backyard Baseball
Few games are as burned into the memories of kids from the 90’s and 2000s like Backyard Baseball. While there were several games in the series, the original game for Windows and Mac from 1997 is where it all began. Part of the reason this game was so iconic could be that they literally gave it away in cereal boxes for a while.
The game lets players create their fictional little league team. Players select their roster from a group of original characters. These include Pete Wheeler, Kenny Kawaguchi, Kiesha Phillips, and of course Pablo Sanchez. Pablo is right up there with Bo Jackson and Mike Tyson as one of the most powerful characters in all of sports gaming. When he came up to bat, you knew you had a chance of knocking one out of the park.
Once you made your team, you could play an entire season. If you did well enough, you could make the playoffs and compete for the league championship. The game also featured several power-ups you could gain. This included the Fire Ball, Big Freeze, and Aluminum Power.
It might be hard to find a copy of the original game from 1997. However, just recently it was announced that the Backyard Sports franchise would be making a comeback, with the same art style and characters as before. Hopefully, this means a remaster or remake of this classic game is around the corner.
NBA Street Vol. 2
While the first NBA Street game was very good in its own right, NBA Street Vol. 2 is one of the rare sequels that manages to eclipse its predecessor. Releasing in April 2003, the game featured high-flying gameplay with tons of trick moves, flashy dunks, and exciting alley-oops. Not to mention the brand new Level 2 Gamebreaker.
All 30 NBA teams were represented with their actual players in the game. There was also a wide selection of NBA legends and original characters to unlock throughout the game.
The two main game modes were NBA Challenge and Be a Legend. In NBA Challenge, you face off against a set of NBA teams at the different courts in the game. After you take down the NBA teams, you’ll face the boss team for that court made up of NBA legends. By completing this mode you can unlock things like jerseys, courts, and the legends you face off against. Meanwhile, in Be A Legend, you create your own streetball player. You then must assemble your crew and set out across the country taking in anyone, anytime, anywhere. On top of the gameplay and modes, there are several cool courts to play on, an awesome soundtrack, and hours upon hours of content. Put it all together, and you have one of the greatest basketball video games ever made.
ESPN NFL 2K5
It’s hard to find things to say about ESPN NFL 2K5 that haven’t already been said. In the over 20 years since its July 2004 release, the game’s legacy has only grown. So much so that many fans consider this game better than the most recent versions of the Madden NFL series.
ESPN NFL 2K5 was the successor to ESPN NFL Football and the sixth and final entry in the NFL 2K series. The game was developed by Visual Concepts, the same developer now famous for the NBA 2K and WWE 2K series. This was one of the final games Visual Concepts would publish with Sega, before being sold to Take-Two Interactive in January 2005.
The gameplay of ESPN NFL 2K5 is looked back on as one of the most realistic recreations of actual football. You couldn’t just drop back 20 yards with your quarterback and run around until someone got open. Each play would have the quarterback do a 3, 5, or 7-step drop. You then had to time your throw based on your drop back. Being able to read the defense before the snap and know where you wanted to go with the ball was incredibly important.
The ESPN presentation present in the game is one of the most unique features it has. Chris Berman provides the pregame and postgame analysis. Berman also hosts a full halftime show featuring highlights and stats from your game. In Franchise mode, Berman also does a weekly Sportscenter show. here he breaks down all of the games around your league from the last week. This includes highlights from games that you didn’t even play!
The amazing presentation mixed with the realistic gameplay has had gamers coming back to ESPN NFL 2K5 for over 20 years now. If you are nostalgic for this era of NFL football, or less than satisfied with the recent entries in the Madden NFL series, try picking up a copy of this game and giving it a spin.
MVP Baseball 2005
Just like ESPN NFL 2K5 has been bringing football fans back for the better part of two decades, MVP Baseball 2005 has been doing the same for baseball fans. This third entry in EA Sports young baseball series was released in February 2005 to very positive feedback.
The gameplay of MVP Baseball 2005 introduced the Hitter’s Eye system. This would turn the ball a different color depending on what type of pitch it was. This helped make it easier for hitters to track the movement of the ball once it leaves the pitcher’s hand.
Dynasty mode in MVP Baseball 2005 was one of the deepest we have ever seen. The mode allowed players to play up to 120 full MLB seasons. Players can set lineups, acquire players, and move guys between the major and minor leagues. There is also an Owner Mode, which is the same as Dynasty, but now you have the added responsibility of being the owner of the franchise. You have to set prices for concessions and tickets and make sure your team turns a profit every year. This mode also lets you build a brand new custom stadium for your team to play in.
Sadly, when EA Sports signed their exclusive deal with the NFL which ended the NFL 2K series, Take-Two signed a similar deal with MLB, bringing the MVP Baseball series to an end. The gameplay of the series was reworked into two college baseball games, but the series officially died after that. Hopefully one day we will see it return because the last taste of MVP Baseball we got was some of the best we have ever had.
NBA 2K16
Now there are a lot of games from the NBA 2K series that could have been chosen for this list. Several versions have unique features or modes that are only available in that particular entry. This includes things like the Mamba Moments of NBA 2K24 or the NBA’s Greatest mode of NBA 2K12. However, NBA 2K16 has a great mix of both great gameplay and incredibly memorable modes.
The main reason I put this game on the list was for the MyCAREER story. Up to this point, MyCAREER in NBA 2K games had some story elements. However, they never had an overarching plot for the player to follow. For NBA 2K16, Academy Award-winning director Spike Lee was brought on to write, direct, and produce the game’s MyCAREER story, titled “Livin’ Da Dream.”
The story follows Freq, one of the top high school basketball players in the country. You get to play a few high school games, as you start to be recruited by colleges. You get to pick which college you want to go to and get to play a couple of games for your university. This was a huge feature for the game, as it had been almost six years since the last college basketball video game was released. After college, you get drafted into the NBA, and some problems come up concerning one of your close friends.
I think I’ll leave it there for the story. If you’ve never played it before, you definitely need to. It’s one of the best and craziest stories in all of sports gaming. To this day, people still talk and theorize about the events that happen in this story. Spike Lee really knocked it out of the park with this one. This story format proved to be very popular with fans. So much so that every NBA 2K game since has had a story in the MyCAREER mode since.
Outside of MyCAREER, there are several other things to love about this game. Several new classic teams were added to this game. This includes teams like the ‘01 Lakers, the ‘08 Celtics, and the ‘13 Miami Heat. MyLeague is one of the deepest franchise modes in any sports game, and was even back in 2015 when this game was released.
