Sports games are often criticized for being rehashes with updated rosters. Well, that is mostly true, but yet we still buy and play them every year. Personally, I can't have a guy who is no longer on my team's roster still on my franchise. Here are our top sports games of 2012:
5. MLB 12: The Show: Unfortunately for Xbox 360 Gamers, the best baseball video game experience is only available on Sony's PlayStation 3 and Vita gaming platforms. The Show features the best-looking baseball player game models and animations capture batting stances and pitching motions almost perfectly. The game could use a boost its overall production value, but it still looks great. The commentary is average, but the gameplay is pitch-perfect. The Show narrowly beats EA Sports' Madden 13 for the final spot on this list.
4. NHL 13: The 2012-13 professional hockey season has been a nightmare for fans of the sport, but EA's latest professional hockey simulation is top-notch. The player face look spectacularly realistic and the on-ice action is very accurate. This year players aren't able to speed around the ice with ease, as skating is now more realistic and players pay for going full-speed all of the time. It becomes harder to break or change direction if you are blazing down the ice. With no end to the current lockout, NHL 13 is the next best thing.
3. UFC Undisputed 3: The first two installment of THQ's mixed martial arts video game did a great job of recreating the complex sport. They featured a plethora of fighters in every weight class, real-life referees and real martial arts gyms. But the games had a steep learning curve and were inaccessible to new comers and gamers with short attention spans. Undisputed fixed many of those issue by providing a new amateur control system that makes it easier to grapple and pull of submissions. The addition of being able to take a real-life fighter throw the career mode and the Pride fights make Undisputed 3 one of the best sports games of 2012.
2. FIFA Soccer 13: More players, more team and the best control system have transformed FIFA 13 into one of the most entertaining pro-sports simulations in video games. If I had my choice between watching soccer on TV or playing FIFA 13, I'm going with playing FIFA. It isn't a huge leap over last year's edition, but its small tweaks are worth the price of the upgrade.
1. NBA 2K13: The best sports game of the year is 2K Sports' NBA 2K13. Why? For starters there is no game that breeds a rivalry as intense as 2K13. Playing a game against friends or family turns into a nail-biting experienced filled with trash-talking and last second buzzer beaters. The new controls streamline the experience and make it easier to pull off amazing passes or incredible moves on defenders. Also for the first time the default setting is a little more forgiving for newcomers or casual players. Although I didn't care for the Jay-Z inspired/produced soundtrack, I found the commentary to be the best in sports video games with the commentators adding neat stats and anecdotes.
Honorable Mentions: Madden 13, PES 2013, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2013.
