In honor of the release of Madden, we decided to do a Top 10 Sports Video Games of All-time list. This is not one of those lists that names a whole series; we single out individual games. We are not too nostalgic about certain games just because they are old. Therefore, RBI Baseball on the NES does not beat out MVP 2005 on PS2 just because it was new or really cool at the time. MVP, is a better game in every way, shape, and form. That is not to say that we don’t take into account “pioneering games”, because we will give credit where credit is due- Tecmo Bowl, for instance, made our list. But, for the most part, the newer games are better all-around games, and old games only made this list, when they were truly GREAT games.

So without further ado.

Honorable Mention:

NHL ’98, Madden ’94, Madden ’98, NCAA Football 2003, MVP Baseball 2004, RBI Baseball, College Hoops 2K7, NBA 2K2, NBA Jam, Fifa ’95, International Superstar Soccer

10) High Heat 2004, PS2

High Heat, was the most realistic baseball game at the time, and it still might be. Produced by the now defunct 3DO, High Heat was not well marketed and lacked any visual or substantial flare, but it did have killer realistic game play. Any fan of the game, uses it as a benchmark to measure other baseball games against in terms of realism and fun.

9) WWF Warzone, N64

Warzone was the defining game of the wrestling surge in the late nineties and early 2000’s. It was the first game to use hi-res, 3D graphics and incorporate such extravagant entrances. While others argue that THQ’s Wrestlemania was better, fact is, that any male with a Playstation or N64 had Warzone, and played it endlessly with friends.

8) NFL 2K5, Xbox

I come from the school of thought that believes there can be two good football games on the market. Most people fall into the Madden fan boy, or 2K fan boy category, but in reality, each game, especially in 2005, was very good. 2K5 really took football graphics and animation to a new level, while that year, Madden took gameplay to its highest level. 2K5 sparked so much interest in 2005 with its $19.99 price tag, that for the first time, Madden seemed to be genuinely challenged, prompting EA to buy the NFL license.

7) NBA 2K, Dreamcast

How did a Dreamcast game make this list? Well, this was the first basketball game that truly had both style and substance. Granted, the menus were clumsy, and the game was full of glitches, but what it lacked in refinement, it made up for in game play. The controls and animation were spot on, the crowds reacted realistically, and players actually looked like their real life counterparts. The 2K series still remains today, and continues to be the most realistic basketball series around.

6) Tiger Woods ’04, PS2

Golf games had always been kind of bland and hard to play. This was the first game that truly made you feel like you had control of your swing, along with a boatload of graphics and options. One of the most addicting games ever, Tiger Woods transcended biased boundaries and brought all fans, male and female, young and old, white and black to the PS2 or Xbox for this great game.

5) NHL ’96, Sega

Technically, the best hockey game of all-time. This game brought back all that was good from NHL ’94, (after ’95 was a departure from the series, that I actually liked) and improved upon it. Both ’94 and ’95 had glitches, but ’96 fixed these and was released right at the height of hockey’s popularity surge, which has since declined. Everyone forgets, but from 1993-2000 NHL was the game to play, not Madden. It wasn’t until NHL took a down turn in the early millennium that Madden became THE sports game to have. NHL ’96 was the most technically sound version of NHL.

4) Super Tecmo Bowl, NES

I’m going to be honest with you here, I don’t like this game. I think it was so new and fun to play at the time, that people became addicted to it. It was not however, that technically sound, or that much fun to play after playing newer football games. That being said, it is a game that many people think is the best sports game ever, therefore it deserves to be on the list.

3) Madden ’05, PS2

The best football game ever. This was the year Madden added defensive playmaker to offset the previous season’s offensive playmaker. It was extremely balanced, as both offenses and defenses could excel. Along with that it had decent graphics and a great franchise mode. This was a great year for football, as NFL 2K5 pushed Madden to bring it’s A game. 2K released their game weeks early and at a cheaper price tag, in an effort to win over Madden fans. All they really did was make most people buy two games, because both were so good. We are going to hail 2005 as the year of the football videogame.

2) MVP Baseball 2005, Xbox

Bar none, the best baseball game ever made. Here is why. In 2004, EA Sports released the most intuitive game to date, with realistic hitting mechanics, a power pitching meter, and a deep dynasty. It became the benchmark for all baseball games going forward. Its problem? There was a glitch that added extra topspin to balls hit by left handers, making it almost impossible to hit a home run with a lefty. In essence, ruining the game. Now, many people enjoyed this game for months, simply because the rest of the game was so good. All that 2005 had to do was fix this glitch, add new rosters, an intuitive batters eye feature, tighten up the gameplay, and add to dynasty mode, to give them the best baseball game ever made. For the only time, MVP 2004 and 2005, made it feel like you were actually hitting the ball.

1) NHL ’94, Sega

This was the most fun sports game to play of all-time. Sure, it had the deke move where you could score every time, prompting most friends outlawed that move, but this game was the game to play by yourself or with others. There is not a person out there who didn’t own this game and play it for hours on end. Simple controls, fast action, quick games that made you want to play more, all the teams, all the players, and blue ice. The best.