What are some good sports games?

Basketball

Favorite - NBA Action ’94. There’s an authenticity in the way this game plays and feels that no other basketball game on the Genesis quite equals. It flows like a real basketball game. Well… at least the way basketball used to be played. A solid challenge that never feels unfair or cheap. A game where you actually have to play defense, and never have to look for any kind of exploit to compete.

Runner-Up - I guess the NBA Live ‘9x Series. Honestly, though, I’ve never really been a fan. Seems like the gameplay is caught between sim and arcade, doing neither aspect particularly well. And it’s always felt so sloppy to me, like all the players are wearing skates. Makes me wonder if the NBA Live ‘9x engine has some connection to the NHL engine.

And even though most would consider the X vs. Y and the NBA Playoffs series to be quite antiquated, I’ve always enjoyed it. I find there’s a certain charm in its gameplay, and I appreciate the old-school rosters.

Least Favorite - Tecmo Super NBA Basketball.

Baseball

There isn’t a truly great, standout baseball game on the Genesis. There are plenty of “good” baseball games. I can find something to like in nearly every Genesis baseball game, but it seems that for every one thing a Genesis baseball game does right, it does something equally wrong.

Favorite - World Series Baseball ’95 or ’98. The original WSB had no statistical framework, and in the ’96 installment, power-hitting is so dialed-down that you’re forced to play “small ball”, and I don’t find the mechanics and controls of the WSB games to be well-suited to that type of playstyle. Seriously, there’s only, I think, two teams in the ’96 installment that have power offenses.

Runners-Up - RBI ’94 and SportsTalk Baseball. I’ve been very hard on SportsTalk Baseball in the past because I consider its pitching to be fundamentally broken. However, after having played nearly every Genesis baseball game at this point, it’s clear to me that all of them have issues with pitching, and SportsTalk Baseball’s issues in this department aren’t really significantly worse than any other game’s issues. And I have to give SportsTalk Baseball credit where it’s due; it has the best pace of play and the best defensive gameplay of any Genesis baseball game. Also, like World Series Baseball ’9x, it’s stat-based in an empirical fashion, where the managing of rosters and personnel is actually meaningful.

I’ve probably been too hard on the RBI series in the past as well. All the RBI games are basically the same. RBI’ 94 is the most refined iteration, however, so that’s the one I’d recommend. The RBI series is definitely on the “small ball” side of things—homeruns are a rarity—but there are also very few infield plays and, consequently, limited opportunities to play that kind of defense. Double plays are even rarer than homeruns. I don’t know, the RBI series is strange; it’s fun, but it just doesn’t feel like authentic baseball to me.

Least Favorite - Hardball III. Terrible graphics, terrible framerate, and terrible controls. The game includes an enormous statistical database, but after extensive experimentation with it, it appears to me that none of the statistics, outside of maybe a pitcher’s speed and fatigue, have any impact whatsoever on the gameplay. It’s odd too because the game has an option to turn of its statistical model and make every player statistically equivalent, but setting the option either way seems to make no substantial difference. I dislike this game so much, that I’ve never bothered to check out either of its sequels.

The rest of the Genesis baseball library (Triple Play, Frank Thomas, ESPN, Cal Ripken, MLBPA, Roger Clemens, etc.) consists of varying degrees of mediocrity.

Football

Favorite - Bill Walsh College Football. The best balance of depth and accessibility in any 16-bit football game I’ve played.

Runners-Up - Madden ’92 and Joe Montana Football. Joe Montana Football is all about rushing the passer on defense and chucking the ball downfield on offense. If you find football games too complicated, try this one.

I thought the original NFL Quarterback Club was pretty decent as well. As football games become increasingly complicated in later iterations of the Madden and Montana (NFL) series, with things like injuries, endurance, hot streaks, etc., my enjoyment of them declines precipitously.

Least Favorite - ESPN Sunday Night Football. Mike Ditka Football is right there near the bottom too, but it at least manages to be somewhat charming in its crumminess.

Golf

Favorite - The first four games* of the PGA series are the best golf games on the system by a wide margin, and I still consider them to be the best golf games ever made. PGA Tour III is the most refined, so if you just want one, that’s the one to get, but I, II, and European Tour are all excellent games. In fact, the original is probably the best for newcomers to the series because the wind isn’t quite as erratic and the putting is a bit more forgiving.

Runner-Up - Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf. Probably the best arcade-style golf game I’ve played on any classic system.

Least Favorite - It’s got to be Chi Chi’s Pro Golf. The choice of a geometrically-scaled swing meter is mind-boggling. I’m also not a fan of World Class Leaderboard Golf and its equally odd swing meter.

Pebble Beach Golf Links represents the middle ground of Genesis golf games; although, I would say it’s the most tedious of them all.

*Avoid the fifth game, PGA Tour ’96. I can respect EA's decision to completely redesigned the series rather than release what would have essentially been a roster-update had they made a fifth PGA Tour game with the same engine. Unfortunately, the resultant overhaul is as shallow and slow as golf games get.

Hockey

Favorite - NHL ’94. I don’t consider golf an actual sport, so that makes this probably the best all-around sports game on the system.

Runner-up - NHLPA Hockey ’93

Tennis

For me, 16-bit tennis begins and ends with Super Tennis on the SNES. I don’t know how that game stacks up to the games in the Genesis’ tennis library or if it’s even considered a “good” tennis game, but I enjoyed it immensely and played it heavily. The only Genesis tennis game I’ve played is Wimbeldon Championship Tennis, and I couldn’t get into it at all.

Fishing

The only Genesis fishing games I’ve played are Bass Masters Classic and King Salmon, and I didn’t care for either of them. However, of the two, I prefer Bass Masters Classic. I agree that the SNES has a much better fishing library.

Boxing

Favorite - James “Buster” Douglas Boxing by default—only Genesis boxing game I’ve played.

Soccer - Don’t have much interest in soccer, so I don’t have much interest in soccer games.

Soccer - International Super Star Soccer Deluxe (1996)
Port made by Factor 5 of the best Soccer ever game by Konami for the SNES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv4WcxR_n7I

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Originally Posted by Night Driver

Basketball

Favorite - NBA Action ’94. There’s an authenticity in the way this game plays and feels that no other basketball game on the Genesis quite equals. It flows like a real basketball game. Well… at least the way basketball used to be played. A solid challenge that never feels unfair or cheap. A game where you actually have to play defense, and never have to look for any kind of exploit to compete.

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This is so well-said, especially that last clause. (I don't know the specific game -- I'm just talking about the ideas.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Night Driver

Basketball

Favorite - NBA Action ’94. There’s an authenticity in the way this game plays and feels that no other basketball game on the Genesis quite equals. It flows like a real basketball game. Well… at least the way basketball used to be played. A solid challenge that never feels unfair or cheap. A game where you actually have to play defense, and never have to look for any kind of exploit to compete.

Runner-Up - I guess the NBA Live ‘9x Series. Honestly, though, I’ve never really been a fan. Seems like the gameplay is caught between sim and arcade, doing neither aspect particularly well. And it’s always felt so sloppy to me, like all the players are wearing skates. Makes me wonder if the NBA Live ‘9x engine has some connection to the NHL engine.

And even though most would consider the X vs. Y and the NBA Playoffs series to be quite antiquated, I’ve always enjoyed it. I find there’s a certain charm in its gameplay, and I appreciate the old-school rosters.

Least Favorite - Tecmo Super NBA Basketball.

Baseball

There isn’t a truly great, standout baseball game on the Genesis. There are plenty of “good” baseball games. I can find something to like in nearly every Genesis baseball game, but it seems that for every one thing a Genesis baseball game does right, it does something equally wrong.

Favorite - World Series Baseball ’95 or ’98. The original WSB had no statistical framework, and in the ’96 installment, power-hitting is so dialed-down that you’re forced to play “small ball”, and I don’t find the mechanics and controls of the WSB games to be well-suited to that type of playstyle. Seriously, there’s only, I think, two teams in the ’96 installment that have power offenses.

Runners-Up - RBI ’94 and SportsTalk Baseball. I’ve been very hard on SportsTalk Baseball in the past because I consider its pitching to be fundamentally broken. However, after having played nearly every Genesis baseball game at this point, it’s clear to me that all of them have issues with pitching, and SportsTalk Baseball’s issues in this department aren’t really significantly worse than any other game’s issues. And I have to give SportsTalk Baseball credit where it’s due; it has the best pace of play and the best defensive gameplay of any Genesis baseball game. Also, like World Series Baseball ’9x, it’s stat-based in an empirical fashion, where the managing of rosters and personnel is actually meaningful.

I’ve probably been too hard on the RBI series in the past as well. All the RBI games are basically the same. RBI’ 94 is the most refined iteration, however, so that’s the one I’d recommend. The RBI series is definitely on the “small ball” side of things—homeruns are a rarity—but there are also very few infield plays and, consequently, limited opportunities to play that kind of defense. Double plays are even rarer than homeruns. I don’t know, the RBI series is strange; it’s fun, but it just doesn’t feel like authentic baseball to me.

Least Favorite - Hardball III. Terrible graphics, terrible framerate, and terrible controls. The game includes an enormous statistical database, but after extensive experimentation with it, it appears to me that none of the statistics, outside of maybe a pitcher’s speed and fatigue, have any impact whatsoever on the gameplay. It’s odd too because the game has an option to turn of its statistical model and make every player statistically equivalent, but setting the option either way seems to make no substantial difference. I dislike this game so much, that I’ve never bothered to check out either of its sequels.

The rest of the Genesis baseball library (Triple Play, Frank Thomas, ESPN, Cal Ripken, MLBPA, Roger Clemens, etc.) consists of varying degrees of mediocrity.

Football

Favorite - Bill Walsh College Football. The best balance of depth and accessibility in any 16-bit football game I’ve played.

Runners-Up - Madden ’92 and Joe Montana Football. Joe Montana Football is all about rushing the passer on defense and chucking the ball downfield on offense. If you find football games too complicated, try this one.

I thought the original NFL Quarterback Club was pretty decent as well. As football games become increasingly complicated in later iterations of the Madden and Montana (NFL) series, with things like injuries, endurance, hot streaks, etc., my enjoyment of them declines precipitously.

Least Favorite - ESPN Sunday Night Football. Mike Ditka Football is right there near the bottom too, but it at least manages to be somewhat charming in its crumminess.

Golf

Favorite - The first four games* of the PGA series are the best golf games on the system by a wide margin, and I still consider them to be the best golf games ever made. PGA Tour III is the most refined, so if you just want one, that’s the one to get, but I, II, and European Tour are all excellent games. In fact, the original is probably the best for newcomers to the series because the wind isn’t quite as erratic and the putting is a bit more forgiving.

Runner-Up - Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf. Probably the best arcade-style golf game I’ve played on any classic system.

Least Favorite - It’s got to be Chi Chi’s Pro Golf. The choice of a geometrically-scaled swing meter is mind-boggling. I’m also not a fan of World Class Leaderboard Golf and its equally odd swing meter.

Pebble Beach Golf Links represents the middle ground of Genesis golf games; although, I would say it’s the most tedious of them all.

*Avoid the fifth game, PGA Tour ’96. I can respect EA's decision to completely redesigned the series rather than release what would have essentially been a roster-update had they made a fifth PGA Tour game with the same engine. Unfortunately, the resultant overhaul is as shallow and slow as golf games get.

Hockey

Favorite - NHL ’94. I don’t consider golf an actual sport, so that makes this probably the best all-around sports game on the system.

Runner-up - NHLPA Hockey ’93

Tennis

For me, 16-bit tennis begins and ends with Super Tennis on the SNES. I don’t know how that game stacks up to the games in the Genesis’ tennis library or if it’s even considered a “good” tennis game, but I enjoyed it immensely and played it heavily. The only Genesis tennis game I’ve played is Wimbeldon Championship Tennis, and I couldn’t get into it at all.

Fishing

The only Genesis fishing games I’ve played are Bass Masters Classic and King Salmon, and I didn’t care for either of them. However, of the two, I prefer Bass Masters Classic. I agree that the SNES has a much better fishing library.

Boxing

Favorite - James “Buster” Douglas Boxing by default—only Genesis boxing game I’ve played.

Soccer - Don’t have much interest in soccer, so I don’t have much interest in soccer games.

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I would consider the hardball series to be quite fun, back in the late 90s when I first got hardball 94 and hardball iii I loved playing them to death, plus hardball iii has Al Michaels announcing,and although he is scratchy he is good at that

Nigel Mansell's World Championship

Madden 96 is really something special. It gets brushed under the rug as just another Madden game but it really stands out to me for a few different reasons. The AI is good, the music and sound is OUTSTANDING! Seriously, hook your shit up to a big stereo and listen to that opening, it is glorious Genesis sound.

There are a lot of little touches to the graphics that I like. Joe Redifer said in one of the Game Sack episodes that all the Madden's look the same but I don't know what the fuck he was looking at. Madden 96 the players have their numbers visible on their backs, the fields have nice textured look to them, team logos in the end zones, little animations that are not in any of the other Madden games. Little things like the way the kicker wiggles his fingers before the kickoffs, the running back over the top dives, etc.

The gameplay may not be as arcadey as some of the earlier games or the Walsh games but the AI presents a good challenge to make up for it, and the gameplay is solid enough. The game just moves REALLY fast in-game, blast processing to the max! Plus, you can play a quick game at about 20-30 minutes total time, from the time you start up the Genesis to the final gun. The unlockable teams is what pushes Madden 96 above the other games. There are some great players littered through the unlockable teams, for example the 1980 Oilers actually has Ken Stabler(RIP), Dave Casper, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, Elvin Bethea, and Curley Culp. The 1963 Bears has the full original roster. OJ Simpson is even in the game(73 Bills) even though he was in the middle of a murder trial when the game was released!

Madden 96 is a very polished, big budget game with a lot of effort put into it.

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Originally Posted by Night Driver

I agree that the SNES has a much better fishing library.

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I don't know, there might be a new best 16-bit fishing game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YaG0NnwU7M :p.

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Originally Posted by Nobi

Madden 96 is really something special.

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I totally agree. Actually, I think there are really only two Genesis Madden games that are still worth playing, the original and Madden 96. The original remains the best for new / casual players while Madden 96 is like the ultimate 16-bit Madden. It's like they took the original as an idea then re-wrote the entire game from scratch, throwing in every improvement that the Genesis could handle! It even had modem play on XBand. A lot of the little graphic touches are cool but the numbers on jerseys adds a strategic element not found in other football games of that era. I don't think there was a better Madden made until Madden 99 on Playstation.

My only gripe against Madden 96 is that it took EA five or six years to make all of these improvements. ;)

Yeah, the numbers on the jerseys is a pretty big deal, especially in the windowless passing game. The gameplay/controls are not as good as some other football games but other football games the AI is so stupid it's hard for me to play. I really like that Madden 96 can actually beat you. Madden 97 and 98 have equally good AI(maybe a little better) but they don't feel as polished with the graphics, music/sound, they move a lot slower and just lack a lot of the detail in the graphics/sound, as well as a certain charm that Madden 96 has. Madden 97 and 98 has more features and maybe better controls/gameplay but they just don't have the little touches that Madden 96 does. I think you would have to be a pretty hardcore football fan to get what I'm talking about. Casual football fans probably don't really notice or care about some of the minor aspects of Madden 96 that make it probably my favorite Madden on the Genny.

To me the Walsh games have the best gameplay of any football game on the Genesis but I've just never been a fan of college football. If there was an NFL game with that Walsh '95/College Football USA 96/97 engine it would be the hands down best football game ever to me.

Joe Montana 2 Sports Talk Football
Greatest heavyweights

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Originally Posted by Nobi

Yeah, the numbers on the jerseys is a pretty big deal, especially in the windowless passing game.

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Back in the XBand days, some people would sub in DB's in place of LB's to give them more speed on defense. With the jersey numbers, you could always spot that trick. I like using a big RB to run those guys over because you could often knock them out with injuries. :rip: