Sports can be a lot of fun to play, but most people can only do so in an amateur setting. With the help of video games, people can put themselves in the shoes of professional athletes. One of the golden eras of sports video games was before and at the turn of the century.
Metacritic does not have many games listed in the 20th century, but those that come close are held in high regard. Many of the high-scoring sports games on the website came out in the early 2000s. But while there were some incredibly great ones, there were also some critics wish they never played.
10 Best: NBA 2K1 (93)
NBA 2K is among the longest-running sports game series in the world. The second installment, NBA 2K1, was innovative in that it was the first to feature online multiplayer. The game also featured a new street mode, which featured famous courts such as Rucker Park, Goat Park, and The Cage. There was also an “Association” franchise mode and “General Manager” mode added for extra content. Critics praised the game for having entertaining gameplay, smoother graphics, and endless replay value, even though some felt it wasn’t a complete upgrade from its predecessor.
9 Worst: NFL QB Club 2001 (44)
Madden NFL has a monopoly on football games nowadays, but there were quite a few other series back in the day. One of the under-the-radar ones was NFL Quarterback Club. The series didn’t last long into the 21st century, thanks to its remaining games failing to attract interest. NFL QB Club 2001 has all the makings of a typical football game. It has an exhibition mode as well as season, practice, and Pro Bowl modes. Unfortunately, critics felt like there were better football games out there and this one didn’t hold as much water.
8 Best: SSX (93)
One of the most beloved sports franchises of the 2000s was SSX, a snowboarding game developed by EA Sports BIG. The first game has the highest Metacritic score in the series. The original SSX has three modes: Race, Freestyle, and Freeride.
After selecting from eight characters, players can choose from a selection of courses to either race to the finish, focus on earning points while doing tricks, or simply exploring the level. The game was given universal acclaim for the graphics, controls, and rocking soundtrack.
7 Worst: Mike Tyson Boxing (44)
Mike Tyson is one of the most well-known boxers ever. It makes sense for developers to put his name on a boxing video game. However, that doesn’t mean the game would automatically be good. Mike Tyson Boxing by Codemasters features four modes: career, practice, versus, and showcase. Despite the variety in the modes, critics felt like the game lacked in areas that comparable games during that era excelled in. Critics also sharply criticized the game’s graphics and felt the controls had a delayed response that made the game unnecessarily difficult.
6 Best: ISS Pro Evolution (94)
A game that spent a year outside of North America, ISS Pro Evolution did soccer right in many critics’ eyes. The third game in the ISS Pro series overhauled the engine, upgrading movement and animations. There are many unlicensed international teams to play as, as well as 16 club teams in the Master League mode. This mode was a major element of the game as it required the player to earn points they’ll use to get players through transfer. Multiple magazines and outlets consider ISS Pro Evolution one of the best soccer games ever made.
5 Worst: MTV Sports – Skateboarding Featuring Andy Macdonald (40)
Skateboarding was massive back in the 1990s and early 2000s, and with it came classic video games. One that critics want to forget is MTV Sports: Skateboarding Featuring Andy Macdonald. There are many well-known skaters that are part of the game, one of which is Andy Macdonald himself. However, the career mode doesn’t allow players to use any of these players. Instead, the game gives them a random skater with no name. Along with this mechanic, critics also criticized the poor controls and graphics that pale in comparison to other skaters of the era.
4 Best: NFL 2K1 (97)
In the eyes of critics, the greatest football game ever made is NFL 2K1. The game was the primary rival to Madden NFL as both series were focused on a similar goal: bring realistic football to gamers. This game in particular was a significant quality improvement over its predecessor.
The game includes a long-lasting franchise mode as well as an online mode. Critics went wild over this game as the game felt very natural for the era, with smart AI and amazing graphics. Critics also felt the network play was some of the best around.
3 Worst: ESPN NBA 2Night (29)
Some NBA games are great, and some fall short. ESPN NBA 2Night is in the latter category. With all 29 NBA teams that were around during the era available to play, players can choose during what time period to play games, including pre-season, regular season, playoffs, and the all-star game. There is also a practice mode available for players to get a hang of the controls. Unfortunately, not even the practice mode was able to stop critics from giving this game bad reviews for horrendous controls, bad AI, and terrible audio as well, on the court and in the booth.
2 Best: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (98)
There is a reason people were so excited for the return of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2. It’s because these games were among the premiere sports games of all-time. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 is the best of the duo, according to Metacritic. The player is able to control either a real-life or fictional skater. The goal is to complete as many tricks and objectives as possible on each level to earn cash to spend on various upgrades. Critics praised the bigger levels, the plethora of new tricks, and the overall gameplay.
1 Worst: HBO Boxing (26)
Another boxing game that just doesn’t live up to the sport it is trying to represent, HBO Boxing has a selection of boxers players can choose from and multiple modes to pick through as well. There is QuickBout, a single round of boxing. Then there is Single Bout, which is more extensive but is still a single boxing match. There is also a career mode and a “Hall of Fame” mode as well. While some critics enjoyed the ability to create their own boxers, they thought the game controlled terribly and the graphics weren’t good either.
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