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]

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 . 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.