Sports
Here we have all the games in the Sports Section.
Playstation
Sports
Plenty for grapple fans to get to grips with including the special moves and good array of wrestlers to choose from. Subtitled Hyper Tag Match.
PC Engine HU Card
Sports
Motorbike racing game with two player spilt screen challenges possible. Some well designed courses to choose from including Irem Osaka, Fuji, and the legendary Suzuka. You don’t just choose your racer but a whole team including mechanic and ‘campaign girl’ whose role has yet to be clarified. Known in Japan as Racing Damashii.
Playstation
Sports
Very impressive results with many a rev head having cut their racing teeth on this and Ridge Racer. Captures all that’s good about race games with a high pitch engine, sweeping courses, tight tunnels and some racing glamour. Still not much need to jam on the anchors, but few who love the series would anyway.
Playstation
Sports
Utilising the guide of Pilotwings, pilots follow the trail of balls in this super fast plane racing game which would no doubt be sponsored by Red Bull if it was released now. The guide helps to avoid a wrong turn on the ravines and caves as shooter stable Xing dabbles in a bit of break neck speed.
Dreamcast
Sports
Zippy bike game that does without the unforgiving bike physics and in doing so takes an arcade approach to racing. The weather effects and courses are very nicely drawn with no slow down and it brings us ample evidence of the raw processing power of the DC. The tunes are also relentless making it hard to let go of the throttle at times.
Game Gear
Sports
Game Gear slug fest with focus on the pugilists from a side on perspective. A fine roster of boxers to select of different nationalities, if not perhaps a little stereotyped in the retro game way.
Playstation
Sports
Captures the baton from the original Ridge Racer and runs on fumes passing the race girl and plenty of other sleek cars even with time for a quick look in the rear view mirror (albeit probably just to check their hair.) Continues the excitement of a new generation of gaming felt at the time.
GameBoy Original
Sports
Does a spiffing job of bringing the arcade coin op, lycra-clad wrestlers to the small GB screen and even die-hard grapple fans will lap it up.
PS2
Sports
Fits into the under populated water sports genre featuring dinghy and kayak rides through Canada, France, New Zealand… The water physics are incredible and the unique control method of rotating the dual shocks works a treat. The translucent water effect looks amazing and the bird song and scenery mean all that’s missing is the spray in the face. Known in the West as Wild Water Adrenaline.
Famicom Cart
Sports
Zippy race game from Konami’s arcade roster with very impressive speeds. Sharp reflexes are required to avoid traffic, oil clicks, bikes that seem to target your car, whilst still trying to collect bonuses. Delays will prevent the players car getting to the check point in time.
PC Engine CD ROM
Sports
Baseball title from Masaya with cute, cartoony players and a sensible view on proceedings making it highly playable like the C64 title World Series. Four stadiums to slug for home and in game events to spice things up when least expected.
Nintendo 64
Sports
The oldest course in world golf gets a fitting tribute in this relaxing golf game with good putting set up to avoid nutter with the putter syndrome. Good use of the rich heritage of the course with the buildings and famous bridges well created using the 64s polygon power.
Sega Saturn
Sports
Very tidy fishing fest as players cast out for that elusive, fighting sea bass. Both the fisherman and the underwater action are well represented, even a recipe for the fish is provided for those up on their lingo. But no real language barrier stand between man and bass, just good tactics.
PS2
Sports
Puritans will head straight for the Arcade mode with its accurate and unforgiving top down conversion of the vintage coin op. Those less familiar with the original will find much fun and frolics wading around in the Grand Prix mode which features the ability to power up to a massive mobile, or to increase jump potential. Ambulances smash their way through the drivers to get to stricken drivers and there are more on screen calamities than Wacky Races. A fine claret that has matured to near arcade perfection.
Dreamcast
Sports
Cracking compilation of sports titles likely to feature in association with a fizzy caffeine drink. Sports include snow boarding, hang gliding, all terrain vehicle riding, mountain biking, sky surfing and bizarrely bungee jumping. Not too sure of the sport in the bungee, but far be it from us to knock a hobby we know little about. Shame certain newspaper editors don’t apply that rule to video gaming.
Dreamcast
Sports
Masses of Japanese, American and European cars to choose from each with unique handling as Sega steers away from its arcade rally races and gets realistic in this Gran Turismo style racing game. Good graphical attention to detail seen for example in the whirl of red light left behind when a car jams on the anchors at night.
Sega Saturn
Sports
Well crafted kick around with four player mode a scream, although as such unlikely to be contributing much to the Respect campaign. Utilises world teams and the game engine has a good balance of arcade feel with varied goal scoring.
Dreamcast
Sports
Sega Rally really captured the reason why fans spend their Sunday mornings avoiding careering vehicles in off-the-beaten-track forests: power sliding round hairpin bends with wheels spinning to kick out on the home straight. Sublime.
Sega Saturn
Sports
A tasty piece of programming making the PlayStation eat humble pie. Crisp graphics running a a high frame rate truly brought the arcade experience home. But gameplay is what counts – the developer’s extensive rally car physics research oozes from every powerslide.
Playstation
Sports
Similar to the Virtua wrestling title on the Saturn with the Playstation’s tell tale grasp of polygons and hopefully that’s all that will be grasped in this wrestle fest. Contestants have a wide roster of moves and the shift to polygons allows for more realistic representation of the famed, Saturday afternoon sport.
Dreamcast
Sports
Night time racing with blurry taillights, well illuminated road signs and realistic roadside scenery that adds much to the underground feel of illicit petrol head rallies. Includes the two player mode adding much longevity and excitement which was sadly shunned for the sequel.
Super Famicom
Sports
Released on many formats including the Saturn (as the saucy ‘Wangan’ series) and the Dreamcast and later platforms as the ‘Tokyo Highway Battle’ and variants, the roots of the series can be found here on the Super Famicom. Plenty of appearances of the Drift King who endorsed the series and looks slightly suspicious in his large sunglasses. Race against an opponent or solo in illegal highway showdowns through Tokyo Metropolis.
Playstation
Sports
Always endearing to its devoted fans as players sample the night time racing scene in Tokyo with big, looping tunnels and highways to put spaghetti junction to shame.
Playstation
Sports
Demo version of the popular Genki series of street racing that takes place once the sun goes down and the smell of unburnt hydrocarbons fill the air as the neon starts to flicker. Only released as a promotion, so not given a full release.
Super Famicom
Sports
Nothing too flash: the Willy Thorne of the pool genre. Not that it doesn’t dazzle at times and its not just the glare off the hot spot, but the fine ball mechanics and presentation. A very accomplished Super Famicom table game.
PS2
Sports
Sky diving on a snowboard to pull off tricks through sheer joypad dexterity. Sub game is a Pilot Wings style ‘Beat Balloon.’
Playstation
Sports
Tennis games have never needed over eloborate graphics as the cartoony, highly playable Smash Court remonstrates with panache. Some highly imaginative courts including inside a stately home, an ornamental garden complete with arcade machine and a beach!
Playstation
Sports
Delightful tennis from Namco given a neo Tokyo, super fly make over, but the zany courts are an ever present – be in the Great Barrier Reef, the Houses of Parliament or the Theme Park complete with Splatterhouse attraction. In fact the game is full of self references – Namco certainly appreciate their rich heritage. Plays like a dream without the need for flash polygons.
Playstation
Sports
Tennis games have never needed over eloborate graphics as the cartoony, highly playable Smash Court remonstrates with panache. Full of extras in the form of mini games for a bit of light relief if the four player rallies get too much.
PS2
Sports
Namco felt the need to ditch the adorable sprites of earlier versions of the series to adjust the series for the PS2 crew. As such the official players of the era and the proper stadiums have been used. Yet the gameplay thankfully remains very familiar and as such it plays like a dream. Henman for champ then.