The 5 Greatest NES Sports Games

5. Double Dribble (1986)

When it came to basketball on the Nintendo, Double Dribble was the King of the Mountain. This game is most remembered for its incredibly (for the time, at least) well-produced cut scenes when one would attempt a slam dunk. I use the word “attempt” because, for some odd reason, I could almost never execute a rim rocker. The awesome dunk animation would start and my silver-tinted player would go up,up,up- and then donk it off the rim.

The Silver Surfer goes for the reverse jam.

Yes, missing multiple dunks was humiliating for me, but aside from that I couldn’t deny the fun factor and surprising realism Double Dribble offered at the time.

4. Blades of Steel (1988)

As much as I loved Ice Hockey, it just couldn’t stand up to the masterpiece that is Blades of Steel. I can remember popping it in the NES and marvelling at the drool-inducing graphics and smooth gameplay. Konami also blessed us with a very satisfying fight mode, triggered when you and your opponent bump each other one too many times. Another fun extra that Blades had was the spaceship minigame that you could play during the break after the second period.

Blades of Steel was a little off when it came to the actual rules of hockey, but it was so much fun to play that I never really cared.

3. RBI Baseball (1987)

While I realize it had arguably superior sequels, I chose the original RBI Baseball because it’s the grand-daddy of the great baseball games. It had real MLB stars whose skills matched their real-life stats. You also had to pay attention if you wanted to win. Watching out for base-stealers was crucial, and catching them in a pickle was always entertaining. The importance of strategic pitching to the opponent’s power hitters was also important, as they would knock it out of the park if given a juicy pitch. On top of that, you had to pay attention to your pitcher’s stamina and put in relievers when necessary.

 The (somewhat) realistic crack of the bat, stealing bases, close plays at home, fireworks after home runs (with distance displayed) all made this game a winner. Add in the easy to learn hitting, pitching and fielding mechanics, cool graphics and catchy tunes, and it was ensured that countless hours of your childhood would be wasted if you owned this game. Oh, and Rickey Henderson was the RBI equivalent of Superman, with his combination of speed and power. When you didn’t hit a home run, you could steal every base with him (even home sometimes).

2. Tecmo Bowl (1987)

Four plays, one objective- dodge the defender. We now depart from realism into pure, crazy football-ish fun. Like a game of tag mixed with rock, paper, scissors- In Tecmo Bowl, the blockers beat the defender, the defender beats the runner, and the runner usually beats nobody unless they can keep away from them. Although realism is completely thrown out the window in this one, it’s still one of the most fun games on the NES.

Two player mode was just fantastic. With both players engaging in an epic struggle for gridiron dominance, getting flustered and spewing occasional profanities at each other were just part of the game. My buddies and I would stage legendary Tecmo Bowl tournaments when we were growing up, and I still hold many great memories of those days.

Wondering what could possibly be number one? Check out the next page!