Best Sports Game of the Generation Tournament: Round of 16 Regions C&D

The Best Sports Game of the Generation Tournament has reached the Sweet 16! The closest contest in the previous round from Regions C and D was NCAA Football 09 barely edging out FIFA 10 while the biggest blowout came from MLB 13: The Show taking down MLB 11 with ease.

The round of 16 in these two regions features an early entry in the generation with Fight Night Round 3 facing a more recent one in NBA 2K13, the two most innovative football games of the generation with NCAA 09 taking on Madden NFL 13, College Hoops 2K8 going up against Tiger Woods 14, and FIFA 13 facing MLB 13: The Show. Make sure to vote in Regions A and B as well. Continue on to cast your support and leave any thoughts in the comments! 

Fight Night Round 3 vs NBA 2K13
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. 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.

NCAA Football 09 vs Madden NFL 13
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. 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.

College Hoops 2K8 vs Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14
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. 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 MLB 13: The Show
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. 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.