Sports
Here we have all the games in the Sports Section.
PS2
Sports
Captures the dynamism of the sport with lightening claps of special moves. Yet at the same time realises that the 2D perspective is the way forward for the sport. Plays a very GG.
Nintendo 64
Sports
System exclusive that uses expansively wide dirt tracks to be really able to savour a power slide. Good reflections of the clouds and skies on the car windscreen and a good level of roadside detail. Its ultimate selling point is probably the ability to be able to take short cuts: a much underused cheat for racing games.
Mega Drive
Sports
From the publishers of crack shmup Eliminate Down comes this two-course wonder with Japanese and American rounds to sample. Up to four players can participate for the hole or keep a tally of the overall score in tournament mode. An accomplished title.
Super Famicom
Sports
Kashiwagi san is a suitable candidate to introduce this game and star as the prime strike fisherman. A real oyaji in terms of his appearance and actions, his presence adds much to this well made fishing title complete with plenty of lures to choose from.
Super Famicom
Sports
Try and become the hang-on hero in this Japanese based motorbike racing game with two player mode, time attack along with the season’s challenge over a variety of terrains with eleven players to choose from.
Playstation
Sports
Zippy race game with plenty of tunnels and mountain passes with impressive frame rate and draw distance. Good feeling of velocity with plenty of in game avatars to meet that wouldn’t look out of place at a late night race meet. Known in the West as Peak Performance.
GameBoy Advance
Sports
Wrestling simulation in a first person perspective similar to ‘Fist of the North Star’. A plethora of Mexican wrestling masks and luminous lycra leotards backed up by an interactive anime story mode with all the Chinese characters simplified by syllables written above.
Dreamcast
Sports
Slickly animated and with plenty of razzmatazz to blend the borders between the sport and its gaming equivalent with wrestlers instantly recognisable. The series reaches a crescendo bigger than Big Daddy jumping off the ropes in this pinnacle of Dreamcast wrestling.
Super Famicom
Sports
A fine tribute to the sport taking a cutsey approach to representing the wrestlers and with plenty of fun that the sumo powers would be unlikely to approve of as bouts take place on beaches with rabbit umpires or on the Statue of Liberty, or as the sumos modesty gets revealed.
Super Famicom
Sports
Thoroughbred racing sim that has very well drawn horses as breeders put the foals through their paces to see if they make the trophy races or get put out to pasture.
Sega Saturn
Sports
Gaining entry to the winners paddock involves plenty of hard slog in the wind and rain before feeling the sun on your back and the taste of sweet champagne in the enclosure.
PC Engine HU Card
Sports
Popular sports series honed at the Turbo Grafx massive over the other side of the Pond. Realistic approach with plenty of options to tweak for the those who know there blitzs from their inside runs. Does exactly what it says on the box.
XBOX
Sports
Brutal cage fighting as the solid fighters go toe to toe with a crowd baying for blood. The pugilists are heavy and the blows they land have a solid feel to them, enough to induce the odd wince off screen too as Capcom ticks all the boxes on this official license.
Super Famicom
Sports
Sammy uses its arcade know-how to produce a fine version of all-American football. Players can feel a bit floaty, but the tackles are crunching bringing them back to earth. The gameplay is fast with some impressive speech. Known as Football Fury in the West.
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 arcadey feel with varied goal scoring.
PC Engine HU Card
Sports
Reminiscent of ‘Big Run’ on the Super Famicom in that both were the first driving games released for their respective systems and both cover the Paris – Dakkar Rally. Complete with Eiffel Tower sprite of course!
Dreamcast
Sports
Losing nothing in the home conversion, best played with four players. Not merely button bashing though as timing is the essence of most events. The 1,500M event captures plenty of the pain and anguish the real athletes must feel.
Dreamcast
Sports
Where as the passing system isn’t perfect, this arcade classic still can set the heart a flutter with some very special goals. The first to introduce a very clever crossing system and the potential for wing wizardry.
Gamecube
Sports
The solid Virtua Striker engine refined with added management options. Where as the passing system isn’t perfect, this arcade classic still can set the heart a flutter with some very special goals. The first to introduce a very clever crossing system and the potential for wing wizardry.
Virtual Boy
Sports
Accomplished take on the sport with players choosing their peg before casting off. A nice feeling of satisfaction at bagging a beauty and true fishermen and ladies will relish the challenge of the fight. Well presented and nicely animated. Whilst not up there with Virtual Bowling and Gundam, its slowly becoming a bit of a dark horse in VB collecting.
Sega Saturn
Sports
Imagineer pushes the boundaries of this tennis title in going for a polygon approach to this Saturn title. The outer space court particularly impresses with Earth looming large in the background and some breath taking tennis.
Virtual Boy
Sports
Utilising the VB’s technology to the maximum as balls get pitched towards the batters face, sometimes coming a little too close for comfort inducing the odd, embarrassing finch. Pitching allows a variety of techniques to be used to catch the batter off guard including a fast pitch, a curved pitch or a forkball. Players are nicely represented in super deformed form. An enjoyable ballpark blitz.
Sega Saturn
Sports
International clash of polygon based volleyball teams. Not quite up to Dead or Alive standards, but puts up a solid enough spike in a limited field on the Saturn.
Famicom Disk System
Sports
Genki must confess we don’t come across too many sets for the FDS – this one fits two games in Volleyball and Pro Wrestle onto one disk. Nintendo have done a sterling job to ensure the two games well represent the sport with graphics that are the right size to keep it playable, but also sufficient attention to detail.
🏆Brilliant!
Brilliant Gamecube
Sports
Minna no Golf style graphics with fine attention to detail such as the rainbow after the shower and weather sound effects adding to the uber kawaii look and feel good factor, yet its the unique control system untilising the analogue stick to make shots that makes Wai Wai head the leaderboard. Proper course design with realistic 3D so you can visually judge the run of the greens. And the cussing and yelping of the players helps endear you to the game further. Four player mode with just a single controller too.
Mega Drive
Sports
Realistic golf game employing an impressive 3D engine to realisticly realise the Hawaiian course. The sun shifts too producing a warm glow of early evening on the back nine. A fine stroll in the park with good interface.
Nintendo 64
Sports
Water physics so realistic you feel the brine in your face with every wave smashing into your jet ski pushing you off course. Feels so good with responsive controls via the analogue stick. Nintendo’s raison d’etre.
Gamecube
Sports
Genki feared the worse when the news leaked of a GC debut sequel of the delightful Wave Race. Nintendo well and truly delivered the goods keeping the originals relentless, arm pit tingling gameplay and improving the water transparencies beyond anything seen before. Truly miraculous effects that remain cutting edge even today.
Wii
Sports
Grounds Wii fans in the basics of boxing, tennis, golf, baseball and ten pin bowling at the same time boosting dab handedness with the Wii controller. Bowling will have you cruising along the living room carpet, eyes focused hawk-like to the screen. Boxing satisfies the animalistic instinct with the chance to slug away at your opponent with a tactical guard element to ensure this game goes the full rounds. Tennis thankfully leaves the running to the AI as you build up a rally against your opponent. Golf and baseball have you swinging for the ball, all straight forward but enjoyment is massively enhanced by the Wii controls.
Super Famicom
Sports
FX chip utilised to full potential to generate a cutesy feel to the 3D race action. But as with every Nintendo title its the play mechanics that make this a real pleasure to play. That and the characterisation of the four different vehicles. Oh and the hidden secrets.