Sports Video Game Wish List for 2016

Is it too early to send Santa Claus our video game wish list for 2016? I know we're nine months away from Christmas, but video game fanatics are an impatient breed.

The news that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 would be releasing sometime this year, per Matthew Kato of Game Informer, got us thinking: What sports video games would we love to see return in 2016?

Checking out some of the top releases over the years, we found 10 perfect candidates. Here are those selections.

College Hoops 2K16

One of the crowning achievements from 2K Sports as a company was its College Hoops series. Back when video games with NCAA monikers were being produced, the College Hoops franchise was one of the best offerings around.

Similar to the NBA 2K franchise, College Hoops flowed thanks to a powerful game engine. The crowds roared and arenas shook, and all of that led to countless modes a player could enjoy without treading in tedious water.

The only way we would get a reboot of his classic is if the NCAA figured out a way to properly compensate its athletes. Hopefully, that time comes and comes soon. Besides payment being long overdue for those individuals who play the sport, it's been a dreadful wasteland without College Hoops around.

Skate 4

The release of Skate 4 is something that absolutely, unequivocally has to happen.

Dating back to 2007 when EA Sports crafted this franchise, Skate took virtual skateboarding to a whole different level. The realism and timing mechanisms were so on point.

But the one area where Skate really stood above the rest was in the visuals department. The game looked beautiful. Landscapes were rich, and colors were expressive.

Skate 4 has to go down. Without it, gamers across the world are being robbed of perfection.

NFL 2K16

By now you probably realize that 2K Sports produces great video games when it wants to. With NFL fans being forced to only play EA Sports' Madden franchise, we've lost the luxury of healthy competition.

The NFL 2K installments were some of the best games around. They offered a strong alternative to the world of Madden and kept the lanes of competition open and current.

Even to this day, folks will argue that NFL 2K5 is still the top football game ever developed. And who can argue with that? The graphics, gameplay and user modes still hold up.

It's unlikely that we'll see the return of this titan anytime soon. In 2014, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk mentioned that EA Sports' exclusive license is still alive and well for at least a few more years.

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!

Reboots of Mortal Kombat, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and others in recent time have ushered in an era where we can keep our fingers crossed that old gems will be unearthed once more.

In that vein, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! would be the perfect reboot candidate. It's endless fun that comes in a minimal way. Sure, we had a Wii version a few years ago, but it was nothing to write home about.

With Tyson's popularity booming once again, you could even bring a satirical element to the game if you wanted to.

No matter how the cut turns out, incorporating Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! back into our lives is a necessary step toward regaining our video game sanity.

MVP Baseball 2016

No baseball video game will ever be as good as MVP Baseball 2005. Without question, arguments or even a political debate, it's one of the top video games ever created.

In a perfect world, EA Sports would reboot this series and give baseball fans a chance to be happy again. The news of that happening would be like Christmas all over again.

When a game is still relevant 10 years after its initial release, you know you created something special. In other words, we really need MVP Baseball back in our lives.

NBA Street 2016

Having a bunch of realistic NBA games is nice. There are few things as satisfying as draining threes with Stephen Curry on some poor soul.

But sometimes we need a little ridiculousness. In the mid 2000s, EA Sports went about its business, releasing classic after classic. NBA Street Vol. 2 was one of those games.

Street was like NBA Jam hopped up on a Halloween-induced sugar rush. The playable character roster was deep, the game modes were nonstop, and the graphics were sublime.

Basketball fans haven't gotten a game like NBA Street Vol. 2 in years. Isn't it time we rebooted this legendary franchise?

ECW Hardcore Revolution

Before you question my sanity, you'll have to hear me out.

ECW Hardcore Revolution wasn't a good wrestling game. When it hit shelves in 2000, the game engine was antiquated and slow. And it's sad that Hardcore Revolution was so terrible. Had the folks at ECW mustered up a stronger version, perhaps it would have shifted the company's image toward the end.

Anyway, the point of rebooting a game like this is to bring back the glory days. ECW as a brand was outstanding. And now that WWE has essentially absorbed the rights to the company, it would be great if it gave fans a throwback game to feast on.

Load the ECW roster into it, give the game a new set of mechanics and slap the Hardcore Revolution title on it. The fans deserve at least one quality ECW video game, even if it's 15 years too late.

NBA Live 2016

Similar to what we talked about with NFL 2K giving Madden a healthy dose of competition, NBA Live needs to get back to form in order to push some boundaries.

At its best, NBA Live was a fast-paced, arcade-like game with a lush franchise modes and a ton of really great mechanics to go along with it. At its worst, well, NBA Live became an unplayable heap of trash.

There has to be a way to recreate that magic. In order for our wish list to be complete, getting the old NBA Live back needs to go down.

NCAA Football 2016

It's not a coincidence that EA Sports keeps popping up on this list. The company has been a pioneer in the sports video game world.

One of the brand's best series in that respect was the highly coveted NCAA Football one. While complaints have been shuffled around surrounding the last few installments of Madden, NCAA Football was usually never subject to ridicule.

The gameplay was always tight. On top of that, Dynasty Mode set the world on fire. Mastering the art of building a collegiate powerhouse and recruiting talent was the best time a gamer could have.

If compensation is ever figured out between the NCAA and athletes, we'd love to see NCAA Football make its triumphant return.

WWE No Mercy

How is it possible that the best wrestling video game of all time was released in 2000?

WWF No Mercy was not only groundbreaking, but it was also timeless. To this day, you can still play that game for hours on end. No disrespect to the WWE and its recent string of games, but No Mercy has never been matched.

The recent WWE 2K series has its moments, but it's nothing like No Mercy. Perhaps the brain trust behind the latest games can somehow get us back to those days.

This one is a wish that probably will never come to fruition. But if we've learned anything from the return of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5, it's that anything is possible.