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As part of Terra's end of the year coverage, we provide you some content that highlights the best and worst of the year, from the biggest scandals to the most beautiful women. Here, we highlight the best sports video games.
Photo: Futuregamez.net/Tecmobowl
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Sports have been an important part of the video game industry since the beginning, and it's a niche that developers have been exploiting time and again. Today, there's not a sport around that hasn't been represented in the gaming industry. For instance, NBA Jam was a popular two-player game which was more like an exaggerated street game, where players competed in teams of two on a full court. the object was to hit four shots in a row so your player could catch 'fire,' which turned the ball literally into a fireball that went in from anywhere the player shot it. Developed by Midway in 1993.
Photo: FutureGamez.net
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One of the first big soccer games for the portable console was Pele's Championship Soccer, released on the Atari 2600 in 1980. It's graphics are almost laughable today, as three red squares battled three blue squares for control of the white ball, but the gameplay was realistic for its time, and it was endorsed by the best player of all time.
Photo: Atari2600
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Mike Tyson's Punchout, released in 1987 for Nintendo, featured an up-and-coming boxer named Little Mac who had to fight his way through a series of challengers to get to Iron Mike. Each fighter had different strengths and weaknesses, allowing for strategy in the ring. Developed by Nintendo.
Photo: mobygames.com
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Today, the NFL and the Madden series are synonymous. But, before EA Sports came on the scene, Tecmo released its highly successful football game in 1988, complete with real NFL players and 12 teams. Each team had four plays to choose from, and defenses recorded a sack when the player chose the same play the offense did. You could play a full season with the game, and the gameplay and graphics were advanced for the time.
Photo: Tecmobowl.jpg
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Before Electronic Arts cornered the market on sports games, other companies had success with various sports. In 1987, Konami released Blades of Steel in the arcades, and a year later, it found its way to the Ninendo gaming system. There were eight teams, but no official NHL players. the gameplay was fast and furious, but the highlights were the fights. When one player faced off against another, the loser would go to the penalty box, with the winner left unpunished.
Photo: Konami
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Bases Loaded II was the sequel to the arcade game, but it was made specifically for Nintendo. It was faster than the original, offered a camera view from behind home plate (which has become standard for all baseball games since then), and it defined pitcher's roles on each team. There was also a special 'biorhythm' that measured how good a player was feeling, coinciding with whether they were in a slump or crushing the ball. Developed by Jaleco.
Photo: Jaleco
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Then we come to perhaps the most famous sports video game of all time, the long-running Madden series. Originally, it was called 'John Madden's Football' when it was released in 1988, and it became Madden NFL in 1993 after EA acquired the rights to NFL player and team names. The game introduced player ratings, featured revolutionary game play based on those ratings, and graphics were superior to equivalent games on the market.
Photo: EA Sports
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Having cornered the market on football, EA set out to conquer other sports as well. NHL Hockey was released in 1992, followed by NHLPAHockey 93, but it wasn't until 1994 that the franchise took off. NHL 94 featured the ability to shoot a one-timer, better player controls, and team-specific organ songs played before games and during intermissions.
Photo: NHL94.com
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EA soon turned its attention to college basketball, producing its first game in 1995, endorsed by none other than the real Coach K at Duke. It featured 32 officially licensed teams, as well as eight classic teams, including Magic Johnson's 1979 Michigan State squad. the game also featured 50 offensive plays and 14 defensive sets.
Photo: EA Sports
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EA had a long-running NBA Live series that was well-received, but SEGA released its own NBA game, NBA 2K, in conjunction with the release of the Dreamcast in 1999. Gameplay was realistic, and there was a feature where players and teams could be created.
Photo: NBA2K
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While EA's FIFA franchise is more well-known, it was Konami's Winning 11 that was the better game for many years. Particularly, the Winning 11 2009 edition, which featured real Premier League and La Liga teams, as well as officially licensed national teams. Gameplay was realistic, with the computer AI defense being difficult to score on.
Photo: Konami
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In 2012, after years of inconsistency, EA rebounded with that year's FIFA version, which radically improved gameplay. And as always, EA provided gorgeous graphics to make you feel like you were really playing in the Bernabeu on Sunday against Barca.
Photo: EA Sports
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As part of Terra's end of the year coverage, we provide you some content that highlights the best and worst of the year, from the biggest scandals to the most beautiful women. Here, we highlight the best sports video games.
Photo: Futuregamez.net/Tecmobowl
