Sports can be a divisive topic for gamers: some gamers love titles like Madden or the 2K series, while others don’t really care for the latest sportsball game. Everyone has different tastes, but for gamers who don’t care about sports, there are still some sports games out there that can be fun to pick up and play! Here are three different retro sports games that can be fun for anyone - for sports fans, for gamers, and everyone in between!
We start off with perhaps one of the most cherished - by both basketball fans and gamers - basketball games of all time: NBA Jam! From Downtown! Developed for arcades by gaming giants Midway, then ported to just about every system under the sun, NBA Jam was a fast-paced 2-on-2 basketball game that played hard and fast with the laws of physics; players sprinting full-court in a second, jumping to inhuman heights just to dunk on your opponent, and - of course - flaming basketballs. (“He’s on fire!”) The franchise would spawn many sequels and spinoffs, including NBA Hangtime, and its success can be credited to its simple-to-learn high speed gameplay. NBA Jam is the perfect pick-up-and-play basketball game, and it still resonates in the hearts of hardcore basketball fans and hardcore gamers everywhere.
What happens when you take the traditionally slower-paced game of golf, put it in an arcade and add some classic SNK flavor? You get Neo Turf Masters! Released for the Neo Geo home and arcade systems in 1996, Neo Turf Masters took the more technical gameplay styles of other golf titles of the time and simplified it, taking the traditional “two-click” style of other golf games and turning it into a one-click system to allow for faster, more high-paced gameplay. With its simplified game mechanics, rotoscoped anime-style graphics, and a dash of SNK charm you might see in a Metal Slug or Fatal Fury game, Neo Turf Masters is definitely a golf game to check out for golf fans and non-golfers alike. If you don’t happen to have a Neo Geo system handy, you can check out Neo Turf Masters and other great SNK titles on the SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 compilation for PS2, PSP, and Wii!
We go back to our friends at Midway with their classic, often brutal football series: NFL Blitz! Released in 1997 for the arcades, then ported to systems like the Playstation and Nintendo 64, the 3D Blitz was a universal hit for football fans and gamers. The easy-to-learn/hard-to-master mechanics of Blitz gave players a chance to utilize different plays and strategies without bogging down the fast-paced gameplay that made games like NBA Jam a success: the meat and potatoes of Blitz is the intense arcade-style gameplay, highlighting vicious tackles, impossible passes and field goals, and a good helping of silly cheat codes. Featuring gameplay for up-to four players, NFL Blitz is a classic pick-up-and-play football game great for any gamer, but be careful: Blitz with your friends can get intense, so make sure you have your helmet on standby when you beat your friends with a last minute Hail Mary.
Did you know there’s a baseball mini-game in Rival Schools? The enhanced Playstation version of the cult-classic Capcom fighting game, dubbed Rival Schools: United by Fate - Evolution, features a few different extras and mini-games; one of which is Home Run Mode, where you play as baseball hothead Shoma in a home run derby. Hit those balls out of the park and try to break the record!
You can find these games and more classic sports games over at FairGameRetro.com!