Sport has always been a popular way for people to spend their leisure time. Whether it is playing or watching, sports like football, baseball, basketball and hockey have millions of fans. This has also attracted fans to online sports betting where they now check how to bet on Super Bowl online to make money from major sporting events.
Another area where sports are a big deal is video gaming. It is estimated that around 67% of Americans now play video games – that equates to 211 million people in the US alone! When you also add the many millions who enjoy this pastime around the rest of the world, it is clear how popular playing video games has become. A proportion of the players love to play their favorite sports game as their personally created team with legendary players.
This trend has grown enormously and some classic sports titles have been released since the year 2000. But which are the best to get your hands on?
FIFA 12
You can’t talk about sports video games that have made a massive impact since 2000 without mentioning FIFA. This franchise has been a huge success for EA Sports and continues to keep fans hooked. Indeed, a new FIFA 20 edition is set to come out soon with new features and added gameplay options. For now, we can look back on the previous instalments.
While FIFA 07 is a name that often crops up, many players go for FIFA 12 due to the authentic dribbling of the ball by players and the improved in-game engine. There is also a decent Career mode to play which sees unhappy players stirring up unrest to get a move and a news feed of what is going on around the leagues. This, accompanied by what is often considered among the best of the FIFA soundtracks, makes for an enticing and nostalgic experience.
Madden 2005
In the same way as FIFA dominates football video games, the Madden series of NFL based titles is the go-to choice for American football fans. As with FIFA, choosing the best is something of a personal issue but Madden 2005 is the one for many. It has fabulous graphics, intuitive gameplay and bone-crunching tackles which makes the games a lot of fun. What seals it for many is the awesome Franchise mode where you take on an NFL franchise to run. It comes packed with cool touches like radio shows, a trading system and newspaper stories on your progress. When you combine this with the immersive gameplay, it is a real winner.
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3
This game was released at the start of the 21st Century in 2001 and was the first of the series to find its way onto the next-gen consoles of the time including the PS2. This gave the game developers much more processing power to play with and it shows. The graphics are fluid and realistic while the tricks you can pull off are insane. The game also had a great soundtrack and some cool places to skate around which quickly saw hours of your life go past! Even better, this game has the option to build your own skate parks to whizz around.
NHL 09
All of the NHL video games released by EA Sports are impressive, but this is the pick of those released since 2000. NHL 09 had so much going for it that it became one of the best hockey games ever. A fun, breezy approach to the gameplay saw big hits made, awesome goals scored and fabulous graphics. This instalment also included a cool online mode where you could go up against friends and family for lots more excitement. Hockey has always been fun to play as a video game due to the boisterous nature of the sport itself. This title captures this spirit perfectly and delivers untold fun.
Fight Night Round 3
Boxing, like hockey, is a sport that is perfect to play as a video game. After all, it means you get all the fun and excitement without actually being hurt! The Fight Night series was a great franchise for boxing fans and Fight Night 3 was arguably the best of the bunch. The game had 27 real-life boxers to fight, and all had super-detailed, realistic looks. The gameplay is particularly good with crisp combinations and power shots being easy to throw.
Sport video games rule
Within video gaming, there are some awesome niches like first-person shooters, RPG’s and strategy. Sports is one niche that has remained steadfastly strong as gaming has evolved from pastime to lifestyle. As the above shows, the years since 2000 have given us some real classics to try out. Even better, you can do it all without leaving your living room.
