Sports simulators. "Real" gamers love mocking this genre. Why do you suppose so many "real" gamers wish death upon Electronic Arts? Because most of their revenue comes from "idiot" gamers who keep buying Madden and Tiger Woods over and over. Sometimes, I don't like sports games. Oftentimes, they sacrifice fun for "realism." And then of course, there is the saying, "Why don't you just play it in real life?"
Well now comes my rebuttal. I'm hardly an athletic individual. I can barely benchpress, I can't throw a ball far nor accurately, and while I can run fast, I tire out very quickly. A sports video game makes it so I can play a sport like a pro. And also, playing a well-made sports video game can be an art in itself. (Much like how everyone in South Park is impressed by people who are good at Guitar Hero, yet could care less that Randy can play the acoustic like a pro.) Having been a gamer for all of my life, I have played some good sports video games in my lifetime, yes, including games by EA. While it's hard for me to recollect every single good sports video game I have played in my life, (Expect updates to this article!) I will do my best to chronicle the good ones now.
Note: I DO CONSIDER RACING GAMES TO BE SPORTS GAMES. I really don't understand why gamers, and even the games industry itself, considers racing to be entirely separate from other sporting games, when in reality they aren't. Racing is a sport too, and many racing games simulate automobile racing as best as they could. Let me put it this way; to the "real" gamers who may be reading this, every time you played a Mario Kart game, you played a sport game. You don't have to deny it. It's okay to like sports games.
Now for the actual list:
NBA Live 97. This was EA Sports' basketball series for the SNES/Genesis era. The 97 edition was the best. You could alter the rules of the games to however you wanted: you could turn off all the personal fouls if you wanted, as well as change other rules. (No out-of-bounds? Sweet!) You could create your own players, of course, back then, player customization was less detailed, but you could still do it. And most importantly, the game had a great balance between fun and realism. My brother and I played this game for hours, doing crazy shots, pushing players around, (we usually kept the personal fouls off) trying to see who did the best free throws, it was awesome.
Mario Tennis. DON'T LAUGH. This was one of the best games made for the N64. Even though it starred various Nintendo characters, it simulates the game of tennis really well. You could use many different real-life shots in the game, you could play all different kinds of courts, and the characters were well balanced: some were speedsters, some were power hitters, some were all-rounders. You could play singles, doubles, and again, it had that perfect balance between fun and realism. (Playing in Bowser's castle, however, completely does away with realism and makes it as Mario-like as possible) I haven't played the other Mario Tennis games, but I know for sure the one on the N64 was a blast. Try it if you haven't.
Tiger Woods 2004. Of all the Tiger Woods games for the PS2/GC/Xbox generation, the 2004 edition was the most balanced, the most fun. Much like in the real game of golf, getting good at Tiger Woods takes practice, but once you get good, the game becomes immensely enjoyable. Of course, much like in the recent Penny Arcade comic, you may become so good that you'll be shooting Double Eagles on Par 5's like it was nothing, but just try it out if you haven't; make your own player, become the Masters champion, do some shootouts. I endorse it.
Triple Play 97. Okay, this one, I haven't played that much, but my older brother used to own the PC version of this game, and he said that for its time, it was the best baseball game ever. You could use real-life pitches in the game: knuckleballs, change-ups, and of course, the high heat, among others. You could create your own player, and they had an interesting touch with the FMV sequences of that game: before every game, it shows the stadium you're playing in, accompanied to the last line of The Star-Spangled Banner. However, when you played in Montreal, it played the last line of O Canada. Nice touch.
The Forza Motorsports series. Of all the Gran Turismo-like racing games, the FZ series is the best. That's right; in my mind, Forza is not the GT clone, it is the GT-killer. Everything GT does, Forza does better. Unlike most racing sims, Forza simulates real-life speed as much as possible. Going 110 MPH is dangerous, let alone 180 MPH. Braking is vital. And yet, with customization, you can make the game a fair balance between fun and realism. Although the second game removed the rally racing and the one-way tracks, both games are fantastic. A must play.
And for the record, the Madden games of the PS2/GC/Xbox generation were better than the Madden games for the N64/PS1 generation. Also, the Madden games for the SNES/Genesis were highly unrealistic, but they were fun once you figured them out. Ah yes, the joy of completing an 80 yard Hail Mary pass . . .
Well, what are you waiting for!? Get out there and partake in some sporting events in video game form already!
