Sports Video Games: My Top 10 of All Time

Hello sports fans, I am sure that some, if not most of you, are video gamers like myself.  We all remember the golden age of gaming, back when Pac-Man and Donkey Kong were all the rage, but today I'm here to honor that overlooked genre of video games: The sports games.

To help pay homage to the games that helped us understand and appreciate the subtleties and nuances of sports, I asked a few good people and came up with a Top 10 list of sports video games.  Some of you may agree or disagree but that's the purpose of a discussion, right?

Burnout Paradise

My heart told me to put a well-deserved Double Dribble in this spot but that would mean that I would be denying how addictive this racing/crash-and-burn game is.  I just had to give it some due.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004

Time to put on the red polo and hit the 18 holes of The Predator.  You'll be lucky to make par.

NHL 2011

Greatest hockey game ever!!!

Lakers Versus Celtics

Lakers versus Celtics helped get me through high school. 

Madden '97

Some Madden games were great and some were duds but this one was the first to be brought to the 32-bit systems, i.e., Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, etc.  Many nights were spent playing this one.

MLB the Show '09

Sadly, I've never played this game that is considered a classic.  This game is the game that revolutionized the way we play any sports game that has a ''My Player'' mode.  The Show is widely regarded as the best baseball game, period!

NBA 2K11

The game that his "Airness" decided to grace the cover of.  Starting with the Jordan Challenges all the way to the ''My Player'' mode, this is arguably the greatest basketball video game of all time.

Tecmo Bowl

The title speaks for itself.  Very much a classic in most eyes.

NBA Jam

All I need to say is... "Is it the shoes?"  NBA Jam was on fire on a regular basis.  Power-ups, the big-headed players, and the commentary...I can go on for a long time.

...and the Winner Is...

From characters like King Hippo to Soda Popinski, Mike Tyson Punch Out really knocks out the competition.  Who doesn't want to fight Glass Joe one more time?  I do!  It was a close call between the top three games, but as great as the previous two are, this one just simply stood out.

For Sentimental Reasons

I had to mention an old favorite.