Fans of running, skating, and balls of various shapes and sizes have a lot to be pumped about when it comes sports games. But, often times, these types of games based on their real-life counterparts can be a bit underwhelming. When you take reality out of the picture, though, it starts to look like a mighty handsome work of art. Enter the “sports” game: games that are competitive and sports-like, but completely ridiculous.
This list specifically avoids games that are just real sports but with mascot characters or “street” versions. If these games are gonna mimic real life counterparts, it has to do so from the ground up.
10. Bill Laimbeer’s Combat Basketball
Known for his rampant thuggery on the basketball court in the 80’s, Laimbeer embraced his true nature, allowing Hudson Soft the rights to his likeness in order to crystallize his wild, black soul in video game form for all time. Combat Basketball has about as much actual basketball involved in it as Slamball.
9. Clusterball
Part flight sim, part Double Dare physical challenge, this old Y2K gem got a new coat of paint and was ported to the iPhone in 2008, and it is still just as confusing as it always was. How do these balls stay attached, anyway?
8. Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
I don’t really understand quidditch, the national pastime of spellslingers in the Harry Potter septilogy. There are brooms and hoops and snitches that don’t get stitches… it’s just a lot for me. The movie shed some light on the chaos, and the game tries to expand the general understanding of its nuances. I still don’t get it.
7. Ballblazer Champions
Turns out, hitting giant balls with a car is a pretty popular thing in video games (more on that later). Ballblazer isn’t so much hitting the ball soccer-style as much as it is picking it up and running with it rugby-style. It’s such a slow game, though that it’s awkward to watch.
6. Deathrow
In the grim darkness of the future, there will be sports! Throwing a TRON disc into a little goal isn’t exactly original, but throw in full-contact man beating, and you got something I’d watch on ESPN 3.
5. Chaos League
Football in a fantasy setting, Chaos League turns America’s favorite game into a bloody RTS with mixed results. It’s a funny game in a slapstick, Celebrity Deathmatch sort of way, but it’s pretty slow paced and pretty familiar for Games Workshop fans. Speaking of…
4. Blood Bowl (2009)
…should you be one of those folks who looked at Chaos League and thought “Man, that looks a lot like Blood Bowl,” that’s because Cyanide is responsible for both. Blood Bowl 2, looks to be taking this legacy to the house with all sorts of new visuals and features.
3. Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars
If you had a PS4 since at least last summer, this game should look really familiar to you. Psyonix self published this one back in 2008, and its cult following would bring them to the reasonable conclusion to make a widely popular sequel.
2. Twisted Metal
There aren’t any trophies to win, but that doesn’t mean Twisted Metal isn’t a sport, right? It teaches the value of strapping guns to your car and committing flagrant moving violations. It’s competitive. There’s explosions. That’s all a sport needs! JPP knows what I’m talking about.
1. Rocket League
The differences between SARPBC and Rocket League are minimal, outside of aesthetics and the cross-platform multiplayer support. The public response and interest couldn’t be more different, with 5 million downloads of Rocket League in the game’s first three weeks, this game has made a lot of noise in a small amount of time. Soccer + Demolition Derby is just a feel good equation. Learn more about Rocket League on Rocketpedia.
What’s your favorite video game sport? Tweet us @CurseGamepedia or leave your picks in the comments below.