#sports games

[tampire]

Hitting the Neslug with the Blitzball

[posthumanwanderings]

Super Mario Strikers (Next Level Games / Nintendo - GameCube - 2005)

[askagamedev]

What do you believe are the easiest and the toughest real world sport to translate into video games? My guess is Golf being the easiest since there are so few active objects at any given time.

I suspect you're asking from a technical perspective, since the "business" answer is that the easiest game to translate is the one that stands to make a good profit, and the hardest game to adapt is the one that won't sell. The number of active objects don't really matter all that much, we've got tech like the Dynasty Warriors games where we can have hundreds and thousands of moving dudes at once. Difficulty to adapt is also dependent on how much abstraction we're doing - today's Madden NFL 24 is an entirely different beast than 1988's John Madden Football was, even though both games are ostensibly translations of the same sport. Back in 1988, the biggest roadblock for the game was Madden himself insisting each football team needed to have 11 players on it and the hardware couldn't support that many.

From a technical perspective, I think the hardest sports to adapt have core features that are (currently) extremely expensive. Features such as:

Physical deformation - physical bodies contorting and deforming accurately when hitting each other

Signature movements and likenesses from well-known and familiar real life players

Real time environmental changes - rain causes players to get wet and changing their characteristics and animations, but also certain patches of the ground turn to mud, resulting in players getting muddy and difficulty traversing those areas

Thus, I think Rugby is probably the most technically difficult sport to chase after. American Football and Football/Soccer are probably close contenders as well.

Easy games to adapt tend to be the ones that need the fewest resources. Most games that are easy to adapt show up in compilation games like the Olympic type games. A 100m run or swim, for example, could take advantage of reusing a lot of resources (environments, animations, etc.) and don't have a high bar. Weight lifting games would be similarly low-effort for feasibility.

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[arconinternet]

Richard Olsen's Bass Fishing Games (In-browser, DOS, Richard Olsen, 1988-1993)

You can play them in your browser below:

BassTour

Bass Class

BassDuel

BassMap (map editor for the above three by Nels Anderson)

BassTips

[n64retro]

1080° Snowboarding (Nintendo, 1998). Gifs by Gfycat and N64th Street.

[technoplanet]

mario tennis open - nintendo 3ds, 2012

[alln64games]

Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside

NA release: 27th April 1998

PAL release: 10th June 1998

JP release: N/A

Developer: Left Field

Publisher: Nintendo

N64 Magazine Score: 90%

Licensed sports games aren’t what you expect to be published by Nintendo, but here we are with NBA Courtside, a licensed basketball game and one that does a really good job with the sport. The graphics are particularly good on the N64, with some really nice reflections on the court.

At first, it seemed like a very back and forth game like other baseball games, with you and your opponent taking turns to score, but I eventually learnt how to properly tackle and defend (players you aren’t directly controlling move to sensible positions) and was able to go on the offensive and win some matches. Controls are fluid with a lot of options to adjust to your liking.

NBA Courtside is a very solid basketball game, one that is enjoyable for non-Basketball fans and probably great for those who are into the sport.

NBA Courtside is the most satisfying version of any rule-heavy American sport we’ve ever played. Not that the likes of Madden and Quarterback Club aren’t excellent games – it’s just that NBA Courtside is the only one that has ever managed to recreate the whole spectacular experience, rules and all, and still leave you feeling as if you’re really in charge of everything that’s happening.

- Martin Kitts, N64 Magazine #18

Remake or Remaster?

Sports games evolve over time.

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to play NBA Courtside

[smbhax]

Neo Turf Masters (NEOGEO)

Session: https://youtu.be/tgYqJLSdKRI

[retrogamingloft]

A subpar sports game from Taito where the objective is to be the first player to score 4 goals. Despite offering four different tables to choose from, the prevailing sense is that the AI cheats across all of them.

At the game's outset, the CPU opponent appears lackluster, giving the impression of an easy victory. However, when trailing 3-0, it abruptly transforms into a formidable opponent, exhibiting flawless defense and an ultra-aggressive attack. If you do manage to score a goal during this phase, it's often due to the CPU's powerful shot inadvertently rebounding into its own goal.

Speaking of its aggressive attacking style and potent shots, replicating these maneuvers proves nearly impossible. After exhaustive attempts, I've concluded that beating a more skilled opponent twice is a prerequisite for clearing a table. While not insurmountable in the long run, success often hinges on luck, as no strategy consistently prevails beyond a couple of goals, particularly in the second match.

This is a game I encountered only once in my life, and my initial dislike for it remains unchanged more than 30 years later. As a devoted Taito fan, I can confidently label it as one of Taito's worst games ever.

P.S. Despite my initial intention to clear every table, I've decided to abandon the pursuit. Apologies, but I'm officially done with it.

[shinigami-striker]

Sumo Digital Sonic | Friday, 06.02.2023

What is your favorite video game that's not only developed by Sumo Digital, but also featuring Sonic the Hedgehog down below?

[mariacamins]

The greatest rewards are waiting for you if you breed champion racehorses and ascend to the top! With these upgrades, racing in Class 1 is now more competitive and accessible, and there are genuine chances to succeed at the top.

[tampire]

The USA Sports Team VS Final Bosses in King of Fighters 98 Ultimate Match

[posthumanwanderings]

[ Street Golfer (PS2) - BGM 9 ]

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Top 47K - Sega Soccer Slam

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank Sega’s 2002 sports game that introduced the world to Team The Fire.

[arconinternet]

3-D Ultra Cool Pool (Windows, Dynamix, 1999)

Five classic pool games and five varied weird ones. You can download it here, or download it pre-configured to run on modern versions of Windows here.

[n64retro]

A few reviews for some N64 sports titles featured in the Electronic Gaming Monthly #107 - June, 1998. 1080° Snowboarding (Nintendo EAD, 1998) and World Cup 98 (EA Sports, 1998). Source: Nintendo4Ever