Top 5 NES Sports Games

Honorable Mention: World Class Track Meet w/ Power Pad

World Class Track Meet has to be included just based off the effort. World Class Track Meet included four different track events, 100M Dash, Long Jump, 110M Hurdlers, and Triple Jump. It also incorporated two different game styles in a single event tournament or Olympics, were the player would be required to participate in all of the events. The game itself is fine, but what made it groundbreaking is the introduction of the Nintendo Power Pad.

The Power Pad allowed the players at home to perform the acts of the game, while they ran in place on the pad. Did it work? Sometimes……. More times than not the player would be stomping their feet in the ground like a maniac, as the rest of the party in your living room laughed. Even though it missed a bit on execution it laid the groundwork for future game accessories like DDR, the Nintendo Wii, and the Xbox Kinect. 

#5) Excitebike

I wasn’t sure if Excitebike should be included because it’s not a traditional sports game. It would more appropriately be under the subcategory of “extreme” or motor sports. Since there weren’t many created for the NES to begin with, let alone in 1985, I felt this needed to be included. Excitebike was one  of the most popular games for the Nintendo Entertainment System and sold over 4 million copies worldwide. It’s a racing game that required the player to not only worry about hitting the jumps just right, but also being aware of the engine for maximum performance. Excitebike paved the way for all other “extreme” sports games to come after it. 

#4) Blades of Steel

The best hockey game for the NES was Blades of Steel. It was released in 1987, and even though it doesn’t feature the NHL it does include cities and close to the actual teams colors. The gameplay is a lot smoother than previous hockey games, and was more visually pleasing for the time. Blades of Steel also included fighting which is what every fan had been dying for in a hockey game. Watching this gameplay, complete with the music and sound effects, immediately took me back to when I was a small child discovering video games for the first time.

#3) Baseball Stars

There may not be another NES game that was more ahead of its time as Baseball All-Stars. Released in 1989 you were able to create teams, and customize your roster including trades in a 162 game season. With the games memory back up you were able to save your progress and keep stats, which was extremely rare for the NES. Oh, did I mention that you can create women in the game as well? Unfortunately, Baseball Stars couldn’t use the likeness of Major League Baseball, but that doesn’t take away from how influential it was for sports games in the future.

 #2) Tecmo Super Bowl

If you were a sports fan in the late 80s/early 90s you had Tecmo Bowl. The sequel, Tecmo Super Bowl (1991), improved on everything that was given in the previous installment. It may not be much to look at now, but at the time seeing NFL teams with (close to) their matching colors was incredibly cool. “Super Bowl” has a season just like the original, however it’s more detailed, and even includes the teams logo’s each week.  Of course, one of the most memorable parts of gameplay was being able to play with Bo Jackson, who may have been the first ever “broken” player. Choosing the Raiders would make your friends and family frustrated to the point of rage.

Fun Fact: Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar, and Randall Cunningham were not in the game because they were not members of the NFLPA marketing contract.

#1) Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!

 Still regarded as one of the best sports games ever, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out brought boxing to everyone’s living rooms in 1987. You enter the ring as “Little Mac” working your way through the contenders list. Every bout is trial and error as your try and figure out every fighters weakness until you take on the “Baddest Man on the Planet” Mike Tyson. Pair that with a memorable rogues gallery of fighters and fitting music, and you get a game that still stands the tests of time.