Best Sports Game of the Generation Tournament: Round of 32 Regions C&D

The Best Sports Game of the Generation Tournament continues with the field now trimmed to 32. The closest contest from the first round out of regions C and D was Tiger Woods 14 squeaking by NCAA Basketball 10 while College Hoops 2K8 cruised to 94% of the vote. A total of over 83K votes were cast in the first round.

The second round in these two regions features the intriguing match-up of NBA 2K13 and NCAA Football 11 while two iterations of MLB: The Show go head-to-head for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. Make sure to vote for regions A and B as well. Continue on to cast your support and leave any thoughts in the comments! 

Fight Night Round 3 vs College Hoops 2K7
As the first sports game to wow the masses by showing off the power of the Xbox 360 and later the PS3, Fight Night Round 3 impressed both visually and with its gameplay. At the time the College Hoops series was widely considered the most “sim” of the basketball products on the market. 2K7 – the first release for the series on PS3 but 360′s second – featured the debut of the shot stick, team chemistry, and enhanced atmosphere.

NBA 2K13 vs NCAA Football 11
NBA 2K13 continued the streak of strong releases for the franchise by excelling in most areas including content, gameplay, presentation, commentary, and career mode while improving its online play. By implementing a player locomotion system and ESPN branded presentation NCAA Football 11 improved dramatically both on the field and off. Online play and post-release support from EA were excellent.

NCAA Football 09 vs FIFA 10
One of the biggest innovations in sports gaming came with the debut of Online Dynasty in NCAA Football 09. Other games would follow with their own cooperative franchise type modes changing the way many consumers played sports games. “Wide-open gameplay” was touted to better represent college football and differentiate from the pro game. At the time the strongest FIFA effort to that point improved by focusing on core gameplay AI and enhancing the dribbling system.

MLB 09: The Show vs Madden NFL 13
MLB 09 offered up excellent gameplay, authenticity, and graphics – those things that have been staples of the series for the whole generation. Madden NFL 13 rolled out Connected Careers in an attempt to revolutionize the franchise mode in sports games that had become somewhat stale. The “Infinity Engine” physics were first implemented and many legacy issues with gameplay addressed. Post-release support included adding in a bunch of requested features that were initially left out for free.

NHL 13 vs College Hoops 2K8
Harmed by the league lockout NHL 13 was still another solid release for the series. New was GM Connected mode, the skating engine, and improved AI. The final entry in the College Hoops 2K series was highly regarded at the time and the fondness for it has even grown since. As “sim” if not more so than its college basketball competition and NBA counterparts, 2K8 made the crowd have an effect on the games and its dynasty mode was excellent.

The BIGS vs Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14
The first attempt at an arcade MLB game from 2K Sports after securing the exclusive third party license was a winner. Exceptionally fun, well-balanced, and incorporating legitimate strategy The BIGS also featured a decent career mode, co-op play, and neat Home Run Pinball mini-game. Tiger Woods 14 featured a historic “Legends of the Majors” mode, brought in the LPGA, introduced a new “Swing Style” feature and “simulation” difficulty, added night golf, and improved the online Country Clubs and Live Tournaments.

FIFA 13 vs All-Pro Football 2K8
Refined physics, new Skill Games, and “Match Day” were the big changes introduced in FIFA 13 that helped avoid a letdown after an excellent previous iteration. Kinect integration debuted and was probably the best use of it out of all the sim sports games that have attempted to do so. Despite not having a franchise mode All-Pro Football 2K8 is fondly remembered. The unlicensed game secured an impressive roster of legends to shape teams with and excelled in gameplay, graphics, and online play.

MLB 13: The Show vs MLB 11: The Show
MLB 13 offered up excellent gameplay, authenticity, and graphics – those things that have been staples of the series for the whole generation. For the first time though it was a complete product by finally bringing the online experience up to par. Opening the timing window at the plate helped to make the game more fun without sacrificing realism and the new Postseason mode was excellent. Bouncing back from a somewhat disappointing release, MLB 11 introduced right stick controls in an effort to freshen things up and improved on Road to the Show mode by making progression and rewards based on performance rather than goals.