Do sports games get no respect from collectors?

[Technosis]

I've noticed that quite often people can't even give away sports games to collectors. This seems to be the most obvious on the SNES. I've seen sports related games sit for weeks at a thrift with only a $0.99 price on them.

Does anyone out here seek out the sports titles, or are they the red-headed stepchild of the gaming world? Are there any particular titles that stand out from the rest?

[DefaultGen]

.....

[Fuyukaze]

Most collectors as well as players view sports titles as the bane on gaming. Each year new versions of the same old game is released. To the collector, it's great because they can generaly fill in their collection with them at a later date for a much smaller amount then if they'd buy it for full retail. Problem is, how many collectors realy have to have EVERY game? I dont see many who actualy qualify as true collectors. From a gamers side, they want the most current version of their sport of choice. Be it graphics, gameplay modes, options, or just the revised mechanics of the game, they want what's new. If none of that mattered in sports titles, we'd never have got beyond baseball on the 2600. With that in mind, we are left with many sports titles, few people who want them for their collection, and even fewer who want them to play them. Hope that was helpfull.

[Promophile]

Well, there is NCAA College Basketball 2003 for the gamecube. Other than that, most sports games are as common as, if not more common than, dirt. All they're good for is replacement cases.

[wallydawg]

MVP Baseball 2005 on pc is worth a hell of a lot now. Guess thats because it was the last one EA was able to make, and I think the only choice so it is the most current pc baseball game available.

[Cinder6]

They should all be destroyed.

</Jurassic Park>

More seriously, I hate having to wade through all the sports games I find. It seems like that's all some stores carry. I remember going to one store that sells classic games, and being amazed at the wall of boxed Genesis games for $5 each...until I realized there were about 8 games that weren't boxed, 3 of them good, and none of them ones I didn't already have. :(

But really, what's the point of them? I've played Madden 2000. I think I can safely bet that Madden 2007 is essentially the same game, with some minor enhancements here and there. Once I've played one to boredom, I have no reason to try another one. Updated rosters aren't worth it to me. But now I have to contend with all the Madden games in between when looking for new games. I just...hate those stupid sports games!

[shoes23]

Keep the sports games hating going...it leaves me with some very cheap entertainment. I would venture to say that over 50% of my playing time is sports titles. I think that many people overlook the strategic aspect of such games (mainly sports games that have come out in the past 10 years). Tweaking lineups, setting up in-game strategies, fantasy drafting a roster, trading players, progressing player's abilities, building stadiums and ballparks, ect. It is like a strategy RPG on an entirely different battlefield. Even some of the older games are still a blast to play. I've got seasons going on Bases Loaded, NBA Live 95, Tecmo Super Bowl, and a slew of other classic sports games.

I will make a (not so) bold prediction that many of the people who say they hate a sports games are in fact not even a fan of the original source material. If you don't enjoy watching or playing a particular sport, chances are that you won't enjoy a game made about said activity. Save for the History Channel, ESPN is the most watched channel in my house, so I guess it just seems natural that I would be attracted to sports games. I know that "bangtango" enjoys sports titles about as much as I do, so hopefully he pokes his head in here and helps me defend one of the most underappreciated genres (by collectors anyhow).

[Calfcramp!!!]

I totally agree with shoes23.I try to play mlb 2k7 and nba 2k7 and madden 08{once it comes out} one game every day.I love the franchise modes on them.Build a team up for 30 years,etc.I play alot of other games but the sports are my main priorty.

Craig

[psychic1]

:bullshit:
I despise murder, rape, thievery and other heinous acts but Grand Theft Auto is one of my favorite games ever.

Just because you don't like a sport or an activity in reality doesn't mean squat in the realm of non reality.
If a game is fun its fun, period. If a game is good it's good, period.
If you don't like NFL 2k5 you are fucking retarded, period.

The reason that old sports games pile up for a quarter is because unlike other genres the core game doesn't change in sports. In all other genres the levels, bosses and everything else is all different in the subsequent sequels. In sports games its all the same stadiums, the same teams and the same players in a lot of cases.
They add new features and hone the old ones in order to make the game better year after year. Because the newest sports game almost always has the best AI, the most plays, the best graphics and the most features there is absolutely no reason to go back and play the older versions.

I'm a collector and gamer and I have a bunch of sports games, mainly the best ones in each sport. Also combat sports games such as Road Rash and the Mutant Leagues maintain their gaming value quite nicely.

[LAGO]

James Buster Douglas Boxing for the SMS is expensive. There are a few sports games I like but they are mainly older ones. Tecmo Super Bowl, Baseball Stars, Bad News Baseball, Super Spike V'ball, and Mike Tyson's Punch-Out to name a few.

[50TBRD]

There are just so many of each title that there are way more then enough for everyone who wants one.

Also, now that new systems have come out, better games, more realism, then the old sports game just look cheesy or dated. They're pretty simplistic compared to the realism (refering to game play and not graphics) of todays games.

I still love playing Super Punch Out, WWF RAW, and Super High Impact. There is a level of fun in these games that isn't in new realistic games. Also, RAW has the wrestlers that I know and like from the time I watched. Now-a-days, I don't know the wrestlers.

[Nez]

Two words, Stadium Events.

[Griking]

I will make a (not so) bold prediction that many of the people who say they hate a sports games are in fact not even a fan of the original source material. If you don't enjoy watching or playing a particular sport, chances are that you won't enjoy a game made about said activity. Save for the History Channel, ESPN is the most watched channel in my house, so I guess it just seems natural that I would be attracted to sports games. I know that "bangtango" enjoys sports titles about as much as I do, so hopefully he pokes his head in here and helps me defend one of the most underappreciated genres (by collectors anyhow).

I'm a huge baseball fan (Go Mets) and while I do enjoy to play baseball games on a console more than say football or basketball I'll only buy one of the games every few years or so. The problem as I see it is that you know that the game is pretty much going to be the same year after year because you can't change the general rules of the sport. All developers can really do is update rosters and make adjustments to the graphics and details. And I'm sorry, but in today's age of Xbox live and downloadable content there's absolutely no reason not to offer updated rosters online other than to force people into purchasing the next year's version of the game for full price. Sorry, I just won't do it.

As far as rare sports games go you can add the Gamecube Disney sports to your list as well. They're not NCAA basketball 2K3 rare but they hard to fine and routinely fetch a decent amount of money.

[Iron Draggon]

sports games are great for fluffing up one's collection... when you really want to buy a new game, but you don't have enough money to buy anything in a more popular genre, sports games will fill the gaps up very nicely every time...

I started out with the goal of getting one game to represent every existing sport on the Genesis, because I didn't think that it was right for anyone to have hundreds of games in every other genre available for a system, and absolutely no sports games for it... especially when the Genesis was so well known for all its sports games... so I tried to select the best of the best...

I ended up with more than one game to represent a few of the more popular sports... the NBA Jam series and similar games left me with lots of basketball games, but how could I deny the popularity of sports games like NBA Jam?

then I moved on with the same goal for the Game Gear... but I stuck to only one sports game per genre for it... and I still chose the best of the best...

next I picked up a few sports games for the SNES, simply because there wasn't a Genesis version of these particular games, and there should've been... now I'm trying to end up with at least one game for every type of sport on it as well, but it's taking me alot longer than it did on the Genesis... mainly because even sports games on the SNES tend to be rather costly...

but do I see any real need for sports games to be updated every single year, or for anyone to own every single one? HELL NO... it's retarded how sports games are marketed... I'm a big fan of NASCAR, and I won't even buy every single NASCAR game that comes out every year... I only own a few... and once again I only own what I consider to be the best of the best... screw making companies like EA filthy rich from sales of throwaway titles like the ones that they spew out every year like some sort of hemorrhaging virus!

[CosmicMonkey]

Two words, Stadium Events.

I'd like to add the following words too: Neo Turf Masters [Big Tournament Golf] and Ultimate 11. But yeah, these rediculously expensive AES and NES games are anomalies.

I can understand why people don't like them. If I was going for a complete collection, and had to go get all the sports games it'd do my nut. But that's one of the reasons I don't have a complete NGPC UK set: I can't be arsed to buy all the gambling games, which I'll never play.

I can think of a few sports games I have enjoyed though. My mate and I used to have long sessions on NHL Hockey and John Maddens on the Megadrive. And Kobe Bryant's Basketball on the N64 is absolute quality. Neo Turf Masters and Mario Golf are excellent handheld Golf games too.

[PentiumMMX]

It's probably because they release a new version every year. There are at least 1,000+ Madden games alone.

[Chris]

I think that's directly related to the amount of unique content in the game.
With most EA games, their main attraction is their licensed content, which is outdated within a year. So when people buy the new game and the predecessor doesn't have any unique qualities that make him worth playing despite an outdated player rooster, they'll sell it.

I don't own a single game of one of those yearly uptaded franchises, but I do own a respectable number of sport titles.
In fact, I prefer unlicensed games, cause they're in a way timeless and the fact that the developers can't rely on their licensed content means that they have to actually produce a good game, if they want it to sell and they can't just produce the same game again a year later.

[Xexyz]

I'm more into the old-school,arcade esque or supernatural (Ex. Baseball 2020) sports games. Right now I'm on an NES Baseball binge. I can't get enough of Baseball Simulator 1.000 and R.B.I. Baseball. I'm actively hunting down all the baseball titles I can find for the system.

[Dangerboy]

NBA 2 Ball
World Series 32x
Stadium Events

Among the legions of crap, there are a few sports games that defy logic.

[Pantechnicon]

With most EA games, their main attraction is their licensed content, which is outdated within a year...I prefer unlicensed games, cause they're in a way timeless and the fact that the developers can't rely on their licensed content means that they have to actually produce a good game, if they want it to sell and they can't just produce the same game again a year later.

Seconded. The ephemeral nature of licensed sports games is a major turn-off for me as well, particularly the newer ones with all the embedded complexities. Same thing with flight simulators: I just need to be able to roll, turn, climb/dive, use weapons and land. If I wanted to learn the fly a real plane then I would have taken flight lessons. Likewise if I really wanted to negotiate salary or strikes with NFL players then I would have gone into sports law :roll:. My wants for sports games are extremely simple - just give me the basic essence of the game; what's required to be on offense or defense, move the ball, score etc. and I'm good.

[Kamisama]

hmm I don't like sport games at all. the only ones I got were some cheap 0.99€ games :P
dont like sports in real life aswell so i guess that fits :P

[Nez]

Oh Buster Douglas on SMS.

[Nebagram]

I think it's the EA factor of releasing new games every year- and sometimes even more frequently (the world cup games in 98, 2002 and 2006 were particularly horrifying)- whilst not being as good as the unlicenced games. I mean, FIFA is nowhere near as good as Pro Evo- which itself gets updated every year, only this time, fans don't mind. hell, I even have a small pro evo/ISS collection myself. Licenced games aren't always poor by definition either- smackdown vs raw is a good example of that.

I suppose it's all down to taste. The only sports I really like are soccer/proper football, wrestling and motorsports so they're the only sports games I'm likely to buy. That said, roll on SWoS on XBLA! :)

[leicamaster]

I hate sports games!!!:frustrated:

[Cryomancer]

Only sport games I need are Bad News Baseball, Deathrow, and DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball. And I'm not sure if that last one really counts.

[bangtango]

Keep the sports games hating going...it leaves me with some very cheap entertainment. I would venture to say that over 50% of my playing time is sports titles. I think that many people overlook the strategic aspect of such games (mainly sports games that have come out in the past 10 years). Tweaking lineups, setting up in-game strategies, fantasy drafting a roster, trading players, progressing player's abilities, building stadiums and ballparks, ect. It is like a strategy RPG on an entirely different battlefield. Even some of the older games are still a blast to play. I've got seasons going on Bases Loaded, NBA Live 95, Tecmo Super Bowl, and a slew of other classic sports games.

I will make a (not so) bold prediction that many of the people who say they hate a sports games are in fact not even a fan of the original source material. If you don't enjoy watching or playing a particular sport, chances are that you won't enjoy a game made about said activity. Save for the History Channel, ESPN is the most watched channel in my house, so I guess it just seems natural that I would be attracted to sports games. I know that "bangtango" enjoys sports titles about as much as I do, so hopefully he pokes his head in here and helps me defend one of the most underappreciated genres (by collectors anyhow).

Here I am!

Shoes brings up a good point about the strategic aspect of some of these sports games, particularly ones released in recent years. Doing a fantasy draft or performing manual substitutions during a game does require more thought than most people might expect. Doing those type of tasks during a game actually has a lot of appeal to me. Not to mention the fact with newer games having literally hundreds of settings and gameplay sliders, the average sports game can be customized like no other game out there.

Let's see, today I bought NBA Jam TE for the Genesis and yesterday I bought NBA Live 99 for PS1. At the risk of ending up in the same nuthouse as the Ghostbusters in their second movie, I'll openly say I'd rather play either of those than Gunstar Heroes, Panzer Dragoon Saga or Metroid. I like the freedom of being able to get a great experience while investing only ten minutes (NBA Jam) to an hour (NFL 2K2) to play through an exhibition or continue a season. Just so much easier to pick up and play, which is what it is all about for me. That and I am obsessed with numbers and statistics.

Doesn't matter to me if a bunch of companies are doing them (not as many as in the 8-bit to 32-bit days) or if they get updated every year, since I'm not the one paying full price for sports games. I'm the guy that buys them used in the Goodwill stores or for 99 cents at Gamestop.

I'm not saying that all I ever play is sports games. I just like a different type of game than some of the shmup, FPS or RPG fans around here. Some of my favorite games of all time include Aerobiz (including the sequel), Pirates (NES/Genesis/XBox), SimCity, SimAnt and the early Pokemon games for GB/GBC. Stuff that has a strategic aspect to it, maybe some statistics and something that is real easy to pick up and play.

[Anthony1]

When I first started off in gaming, I would have been considered a "sporto". A casual video game fan that primarily played sports games with friends. Back in High School we would play Double Dribble, Bases Loaded, Tecmo Bowl and Track and Field II. We would wager money on games, had leagues, etc, etc. Every year, the game I looked forward to most was whatever would turn out to be the best football game of that particular year. When you really get down to it, sports games are alot like chess. You get a good football game, and some good players to play with, and there can be alot of strategy that goes on during the game. Alot of things you have to think about.

I'm not as hardcore into the sports games as I used to be, but I still enjoy trying out the ones that seem to push the boundries. I've been very dissapointed with Madden over the years, but I always try the new version just to see if they finally got the magic back. (hasn't happened, lol).

As for the actual question of why sports games get no respect, there are quite a few reasons for that:


1. Rarity - Sports games aren't typically rare. Usually they are made in great numbers. Just consider all the damn Genesis sports carts. I'm not sure any of them are worth more than a dime. If that. There simply is too damn many of them.

2. Collectors are typically hard core nerds, hard core nerds typically hate sports, so why would they care about the video versions? Most hard core nerds have bad memories about sports, from a standpoint of them being picked on in Elementary school and high school by the sports jocks. So the thought of playing a NFL game or a Major League Baseball game is repulsive to them. Bad memories. The only time the hard core nerds can handle sports games, is if they are much more arcade oriented and not at all realistic. Of course I'm generalizing here, but you get the drift.

3. They don't age well - Even for those that do like sports games (like me), the truth is, they don't age all that well. I will still play an old sports game like Power League IV for the PC Engine (absolutely awesome baseball game by the way), but it's hard to play it for more than 1 or 2 games and then quickly get bored of it. A platform game or a shooter, while being extremely dated, can hold my attention much more than something like Lakers vs Celtics.

4. Even the rare games don't seem rare - I recently saw an Ebay auction for John Madden '93 Championship Edition ( a very rare Genesis cart), go for only $1.99 with $4 shipping. That's ludicrous that somebody snagged that game for only 6 bucks. But stuff like that happens all the time with relatively rare sports games. So even the people that know which sports games are truly rare, then tend to just avoid sports games in general, cause even if you get a really rare one, they just don't seem to hold their resale value like other games do.

5. Sports games aren't that fun by yourself - When we are talking about collecting sports games, we are talking about games before the age of online multiplayer, so if you are going to play one of these games, you typically are going to have to play against the computer. Even the best sports games in the world are quite boring when you play against the CPU. The true brilliance of a game like Madden 93 for the Genesis is only seen when you are playing against a friend.

[RoyalShin]

The problem is that when most sport games went to 3d they pretty much lost there so called strategic atmosphere.

Look at NES Ice Hockey and compare it to Wayne Gretsky 3d Hocky and think which one is better. In Wayne Gretsky I can slide all over the ice like a real skater but in Ice Hockey I feel like I am commanding a toy army of players.

I would even take the creative Stanley Cup on the SNES and turn off the fouls and clobber the living daylights out of everything watching sprites fly all over the place.

Then Football on NS where they all run into each other is just amazing. I never see why people play football until I played this game. Then NES Baseball zooms out while they are stealing base to give you that feeling rather then the same olf 3d baseball look. NBA jam was all the rage back then and even Arch Rivals.

[RockNRollJerk]

Is there a good basketball game for the NES? Arch Rivals is alright, but I'd like to try something else.

[bangtango]

Is there a good basketball game for the NES? Arch Rivals is alright, but I'd like to try something else.

Never played Double Dribble? It ain't perfect but it is pretty good and that game is common as hell. A $1-2 game. Otherwise, I'd recommend Tecmo NBA Basketball which contains a season mode. I never played it on NES but the NES version is basically an 8-bit version of Tecmo Super NBA Basketball for Super Nintendo and I thought it was a decent game on Super NES.

[Iron Draggon]

speaking of rare sports games, I'd really like to get World Series Baseball for 32X... but I'm not gonna pay $50 for a cart only copy... I want a sealed one!

[bangtango]

speaking of rare sports games, I'd really like to get World Series Baseball for 32X... but I'm not gonna pay $50 for a cart only copy... I want a sealed one!

I want one just to play a few seasons on it, so I could tolerate a cart only copy. Those World Series Baseball games on Genesis were amazing back in the day. I'd love to play a 32X version with very minor enhancements and improvements. Damn shame it costs so much since I wouldn't collect it at all, I'd play it like crazy. I need something else to play on that thing, the 32X, since I keep getting wasted in Star Wars Arcade all those times I crash into walls on the ship.

[djsquarewave]

Only sport games I need are Bad News Baseball, Deathrow, and DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball. And I'm not sure if that last one really counts.
It should be the only one that counts.

I'm not particularly partial to watching or participating in actual sports, but I have a few sports games on my shelves -- mostly hockey, soccer, or golf...and mostly unlicensed (or fantasy) versions of such.

NES Ice Hockey is a favorite, the original FIFA games, Mario Strikers, Super Swing Golf...that sort of thing. The yearly roster updates can go to the sports fans. I'll play something that holds my interest, instead.

[Sparkster]

I think that sports games are only good for going head-to-head with a buddy. Otherwise, I can't be bothered in most cases, unless the game is truly fun.

Personally, I get the sports games for 99 cents simply to complete my collection (if I don't already have the game). I play it to make sure it works, but then I go back to the side-scrollers and rpgs.

Some baseball games are pretty cool for the NES - Basewars, Baseball Stars - I love cranking HRs on those games (take THAT Bonds).

But generally, I don't feel I've advanced anywhere, or learned something new after even the 3rd session.

[mregashu]

Let's face it. A lot of the video game world still hates the jocks they knew way back when (or currently, for the younger crowd). I think it is safe to say that fans of games that involve mystic elves, intergalactic combat, etc. are rarely on good terms with the jocks and sportos of the world and vice versa. Thus you see a translation into games and the battles over them.

I see a lot of people who say, "eh, sports games just aren't my thing." and I say no problem. I also see my fair share of "Stupid jocks are so stupid they pay 50 bucks for a roster update cuz their stupid and jocks and wouldn't know a real game if it flew up their ass on a magic missle" before going back to writing an FAQ for Final Fantasy 2K8 - er - XIII. That's the kind of closed mindedness that grates on my nerves. It's the mindset of "Madden is football. Football is stupid and played by jerks. Thusly, Madden is a stupid game for jerks! Genius!" I wish some people would open their eyes and see that sometimes sports games are bad, often times they are good. Just like any other genre.

As far as collecting goes, you see copies of Madden from a few years ago everywhere for cheap because it is consistently the best selling game in America and there are far more people who don't collect games (instead selling them to EB or thrifting them) than do.

For me personally, sports games make up a cheap and integral part of my collection. I love looking back at a series like Madden and playing 94, then 96, then 98...etc. It's interesting to see the evolution of the series. As a matter of fact I would highly recommend someone who is interested in seeing the evolution of gaming since the mid-90s to do so with Madden or NHL. It's a great way to see how developers are able to tap system potential as a system grows older as well as how a series can successfully jump from one gen to the next.

[Celestial Avenger]

More seriously, I hate having to wade through all the sports games I find.

Yes, all pawn shops have that problem. When Funcoland was still in business, they'd sell the sports titles, especially the genny ones for prices of 9, 19, and 29 cents. Then Jimmy Jackass would hock his stuff at a pawn shop for a profit (considering the pawn shop almost always rips you off) so he could buy a beer or some crack. When I visit a pawn shop sometimes near my grandparents' house, they have the exact same sports titles they've carried since at least 1999. They have about 40 carts of Super Mario/Duck Hunt as well, but that's only because the nutjobs priced them at $6 a pop.

anyway!

These are the only sports games that matter to me.

NES
Baseball Simulator 1.000
Baseball Stars I and II
Tecmo Super Bowl

PS2/XBOX
NFL 2K5

Honorable mention NHL 94, since there seems to be a whole COMMUNITY dedicated to that game

http://www.nhl94.com/

I'm also looking forward to All-Pro Football 2K8, from the makers of NFL 2K5. I will still never, ever give EA another fucking cent for what they did.

[mailman187666]

the only sport I really watch (not religously) and play myself is baseball, so I do enjoy baseball games I must say...most of them anyway. But if I were to go to a flea market, I would probably not even pick up a sports title unless it was something a bit more obscure like a TG-16 game or something I don't normally see. I still love NBA Jam, baseball 2020, Baseball Stars on MVS. I even played a bit of Fifa soccer on 3DO back in the day and enjoyed it. The only sport I don't like to play in games in football. I just never got into football, and never played it, never got into watching it. Not cuz of people picking on me or anything, it just never did anything for me.

[bangtango]

The other thing that people underrate is the fact that each game has unique rosters or features players when they were actually GOOD. That would include the WWF wrestling games, like Raw, that somebody mentioned earlier in this thread. A third of those old WWF guys are dead, another third are retired and the other third are considered active but either they hardly wrestle anymore or they are washed up. Same with a Seattle Supersonics fan who still likes Shawn Kemp or an Orlando Magic fan who still likes Penny Hardaway and remembers their glory days from the mid-1990's. Sure, you can actually play them in some 04-05 basketball games but they are friggin' washed up and have horrible stats.

I've had people say that if you like an old team so much, you can just get a newer version and change the rosters. Uh, yeah. With the way teams shuffle guys in and out nowadays, in any sport, do you have any idea how long it would take to make all of the necessary cuts, trades or free agent signings? Not to mention any players from some of your all-time favorite rosters that retired after that season or after the following season. And as I already said above, some of your favorites from 5-10 years ago that are still around might not even be good anymore. I don't care what anyone says, you can't just create a "perfect" version of any old player. It is just not the same.

Secondly, what about the opposing teams and their old rosters? Maybe I like beating up certain pitchers, quarterbacks, running backs, etc. in the city they were in during 2001, 2004 or 1997.

[NES_Rules]

Since they are so common, I just wait until I get them in a lot of other games. For the most part, anytime I see a game, I can remember if I have it or not, but when it comes to sports games (especially the ones that come out every year like Madden) I can't remember if I have it or not so I usually pass unless it is really cheap (like 25 cents).

[Anthony1]

Let's face it. A lot of the video game world still hates the jocks they knew way back when (or currently, for the younger crowd). I think it is safe to say that fans of games that involve mystic elves, intergalactic combat, etc. are rarely on good terms with the jocks and sportos of the world and vice versa. Thus you see a translation into games and the battles over them.

I see a lot of people who say, "eh, sports games just aren't my thing." and I say no problem. I also see my fair share of "Stupid jocks are so stupid they pay 50 bucks for a roster update cuz their stupid and jocks and wouldn't know a real game if it flew up their ass on a magic missle" before going back to writing an FAQ for Final Fantasy 2K8 - er - XIII. That's the kind of closed mindedness that grates on my nerves. It's the mindset of "Madden is football. Football is stupid and played by jerks. Thusly, Madden is a stupid game for jerks! Genius!" I wish some people would open their eyes and see that sometimes sports games are bad, often times they are good. Just like any other genre.

As far as collecting goes, you see copies of Madden from a few years ago everywhere for cheap because it is consistently the best selling game in America and there are far more people who don't collect games (instead selling them to EB or thrifting them) than do.

For me personally, sports games make up a cheap and integral part of my collection. I love looking back at a series like Madden and playing 94, then 96, then 98...etc. It's interesting to see the evolution of the series. As a matter of fact I would highly recommend someone who is interested in seeing the evolution of gaming since the mid-90s to do so with Madden or NHL. It's a great way to see how developers are able to tap system potential as a system grows older as well as how a series can successfully jump from one gen to the next.


Wow... Well said bro. Much love. Couldn't have said it better myself. Definitely try out Madden 93 on Genesis, because it has the best pure "flow" of any Madden I've ever played. Also, the best balance between defense and offense. When they went to 94, they changed the engine, and I just didn't like 94 as much. Ever since Madden 93, the series has gone downhill, but that's just my personal take. Also, if anybody wants to try a really cool baseball game that got no love, try Power League IV for the PC Engine. If you don't have a region modded TG-16, then try it on an emulator or something. World Class Baseball for the TG-16 was Power League 2, if I'm not mistaken. I just love the background music, and the arcadish feel to the game. One really cool thing about it, is that the players all have different skill ratings and there was this one dude who was super fast. He played shortstop. Didn't have much pop with his bat, but man was the dude fast. If he got on base, he would drive the pitcher insane, with his ability to steal bases. I'm pretty sure his name was Lee, and he played shortstop, but can't remember the team. Anyways, World Class Baseball get's no love, but I think it's actually a pretty damn good arcadey baseball game. Power League IV is much better, and even allows 4 or 5 people to play simultaneously with a Turbotap.

[Anthony1]

The other thing that people underrate is the fact that each game has unique rosters or features players when they were actually GOOD. That would include the WWF wrestling games, like Raw, that somebody mentioned earlier in this thread. A third of those old WWF guys are dead, another third are retired and the other third are considered active but either they hardly wrestle anymore or they are washed up. Same with a Seattle Supersonics fan who still likes Shawn Kemp or an Orlando Magic fan who still likes Penny Hardaway and remembers their glory days from the mid-1990's. Sure, you can actually play them in some 04-05 basketball games but they are friggin' washed up and have horrible stats.

I've had people say that if you like an old team so much, you can just get a newer version and change the rosters. Uh, yeah. With the way teams shuffle guys in and out nowadays, in any sport, do you have any idea how long it would take to make all of the necessary cuts, trades or free agent signings? Not to mention any players from some of your all-time favorite rosters that retired after that season or after the following season. And as I already said above, some of your favorites from 5-10 years ago that are still around might not even be good anymore. I don't care what anyone says, you can't just create a "perfect" version of any old player. It is just not the same.

Secondly, what about the opposing teams and their old rosters? Maybe I like beating up certain pitchers, quarterbacks, running backs, etc. in the city they were in during 2001, 2004 or 1997.



Good takes man. I definitely understand where you are coming from. It's fun for me to play NBA Live '95 on the SNES, because it was back when Mitch Richmond was on the Sacramento Kings. I remember playing the hell out of that game, and using Mitch Richmond, and I think Spud Webb. It's just cool to play those games and see the old players and the old teams. Each team in sports tends to have it's own distinct personality, and as the years go by and with free agency and player movement, a team from 3 years ago can be completely different from the current one. It's cool to play those old games.

Also, try out NBA Live '96 on Playstation. I think it's tremendously underrated. Basically, what they did was take the core gameplay of NBA Live '95 on SNES, and add in 3D stadiums ala Fifa Soccer for the 3DO. It was the only sprite based basketball for the Playstation. After that they went to polygons. It's got really cool music and production values too. Lots of cool camera angles and stuff to play with, but basically the same ol good NBA Live gameplay. It's too bad that the NBA Live series has gone down the crapper too. (modern versions I mean)

[heybtbm]

I love the NFL (growing up 1/2 hr. from Green Bay will do that to you), but I've never been one for football video games. I always have some version of Madden laying around (usually one game per generation is enough), but I'd much rather watch "real" football than play it via a video game.

I love football, I love video games, but the two combined just aren't my thing.

[cyberfluxor]

Every now and then I think about buying up lots of Genesis sports for $0.10-$1 each complete just to fill some space but then I don't because personally it wouldn't seem appealing. Sure, it's nice to have all of those boxes and the years lining up but I'll never really play them and ontop of that if I ever sold them it's nearly impossible. There are some sports games I do buy regardless of if I play them later though.

[RockNRollJerk]

Never played Double Dribble? It ain't perfect but it is pretty good and that game is common as hell. A $1-2 game. Otherwise, I'd recommend Tecmo NBA Basketball which contains a season mode. I never played it on NES but the NES version is basically an 8-bit version of Tecmo Super NBA Basketball for Super Nintendo and I thought it was a decent game on Super NES.

Tecmo Basketball for the NES is practically unplayable, the action is slow and the control is terrible. Double Dribble is about 5 times better and it definitely doesn't do it for me.

Does anybody know of a truly worthwhile basketball game for the NES? I want something as enjoyable as Blades of Steel or Tecmo Bowl.

Maybe there's a good Famicom basketball game?

[chrisbid]

i enjoy arcade style sports games

[bangtango]

Tecmo Basketball for the NES is practically unplayable, the action is slow and the control is terrible. Double Dribble is about 5 times better and it definitely doesn't do it for me.

Does anybody know of a truly worthwhile basketball game for the NES? I want something as enjoyable as Blades of Steel or Tecmo Bowl.

Maybe there's a good Famicom basketball game?

I assume you know how to use the rarity guide on the web site? Just click on it and select "Nintendo NES" for a system and "Basketball/Sports" for a genre. You'll get both the NES basketball games and if they are in the database, you should also see the Famicon ones.

In the US, you'll primarily see stuff like Ultimate Basketball, Arch Rivals, Magic Johnson's Fast Break and Jordan Vs. Bird. Not too much there really.

[swlovinist]

Some other games that are collectable and sports games...Genesis-Madden 93 Championship Edition, Mutant League Football and Hockey

Sports games are video games. I dont look at them differently. Some sports generes are overdone, some are butt common. Many are still fun, and show inportant rosters of time. Hell, I still like to play with the old Philly Eagles back when Randall Cunningham Was the quarterback(aka No. 12 in Tecmo Super Bowl). If you like video games and prefer sports games, good for you. If all of us liked the same games then it would be a boring place. Every genere has at one time or another oversaturation, repetitive gameplay, and crap releases. Classic Shooters, Fighting, Racing, and now Modern Shooters are going through that.

[Chris]

Is there a good basketball game for the NES? Arch Rivals is alright, but I'd like to try something else.

"Nekketsu! Street Basket - Ganbare Dunk Heroes" of course, sadly only released in japan.

http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/kunio/dunkheroes-1.png

It's madness!




Let's see, today I bought NBA Jam TE for the Genesis and yesterday I bought NBA Live 99 for PS1. At the risk of ending up in the same nuthouse as the Ghostbusters in their second movie, I'll openly say I'd rather play either of those than Gunstar Heroes, Panzer Dragoon Saga or Metroid. I like the freedom of being able to get a great experience while investing only ten minutes (NBA Jam) to an hour (NFL 2K2) to play through an exhibition or continue a season. Just so much easier to pick up and play, which is what it is all about for me. That and I am obsessed with numbers and statistics.


While I'm not interested in numbers or statistics I also really like the pick up and play mentality many sports games offer.
Another reason why I often prefer them to other genres is that they're mainly centered around gameplay and keep noninteractivity at a minimum.

To be more precise, I especially adore Tennis games for their purity. At heart they're as simple to grasp as the game that got things going.. PONG. "Avoid missing ball for highscore", that's principally all there is to know. But making a game out of it that's hard to master and rewards skillfull play, that's what I find astonishing and interesting.
Looking back at the history of gaming, you can follow their maturation, from the first videogame ever "Tennis for Two" (that could even hardly be called a game) over Tennis on the very first videogame console (Magnavox Odyssey) and the craze that was PONG, up until the first time we saw the Wii when Myamoto swung his racket in Wii Sports Tennis and the recent release of Virtua Tennis 3, the underlying principle stays the same despite all technological marvels.

[Sanriostar]

I donno.. Realsports Basketball get some respect on this board... :)

[ryborg]

Does anybody know of a truly worthwhile basketball game for the NES? I want something as enjoyable as Blades of Steel or Tecmo Bowl.

Double Dribble. Every other basketball game on the NES is trash, especially Magic Johnson's Fast Break.