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Top 7… Sports Games Nerds Actually Like

The only games that get geeks off the bench

Words: Shane Patterson, GamesRadar US

Selling points:
Realistic bruising, No HUD, impressive HD graphics

Why we love it:
Released for the PS3 and 360 and selling over a million copies, Fight Night ditched common sport game conventions - punches mapped to right analog stick, no HUD - and fashioned a brutal, yet fun multiplayer game. Married with outstanding graphics for its time (only two years ago!), we still pull Fight Night out to show off what our 72 inch monster TVs can do.

What can replace rushing your opponent into a corner and pummeling his noggin so hard that you can see his arms drop from exhaustion, his nose beaten flat and his eyes swelling shut in real-time? Just one more uppercut to his glass jaw and everything slows - your fist sends a shockwave ripple through his cheeks and bloody spit explodes from his mouth. And then - BAM - down he goes in the Burger King-sponsored sports arena. Games were made for these moments.

Would suck if:
Punches were button combos, boxer models didn’t damage physically, Developer EA Chicago was dissolved (oh wait…)

Selling points:
Extremely similar to actual racing, uncanny details, powerhouse graphics

Why we love it:
Painfully close to reality and the nearest to a sim on this list, the Gran Turismo series is known for its attention to details - a baker’s plethora of licensed autos, finely tuned race physics and blisteringly tough license tests. The only explanation for the series selling over 50 million units across the series (we can’t all be gearheads) is that this is the closest to a racing RPG as we’re going to get.

Think about it - the license tests upgrade our driving EXP before we can even enter actual races (think: random battles/boss fights). We earn credits based on victories, which we then use to either upgrade our existing autos or purchase new vehicles for our garage. Better cars equal more victories and we endlessly repeat the cycle ad nauseum. We nerds are a micromanaging bunch.

Would suck if:
Graphics were subpar, Motorcycles were added, “Dragula” was part of the soundtrack again


 
14 Comments
Order Comments: Newest First | Oldest First
suicidalstickman  - 1 year 2 months ago 
The weapons in WWE smackdown are funny.
andyAK47  - 1 year 2 months ago 
i know nerds who play smackdown
danny343  - 1 year 2 months ago 
wrestling is ace
mr_brightside  - 1 year 2 months ago 
lol mario kart! i wasnt thinking of that! very nice!
DanAmrich  - 1 year 2 months ago 
NBA Jam: Live by the turbo, die by the turbo. I used to play that on Xband on Genesis and in the NYC arcades. Oh man.
drunkenfish  - 1 year 2 months ago 
Lol I'm no nerd but I gotta check these out... spell 2 words...Kirkby??
SOLIDSNAKE1983  - 1 year 1 month ago 
Mutant league football was EXCELLENT!!! I remember the witty comments after each player was killed or scored a touchdown!
Heathan  - 1 year 1 month ago 
You guys completely missed the best nerd game ever: Base Wars! I mean how can you beat robot baseball. WIth upgradable weapons, and the ability to attack other players in battles to the death, the game was great fun, and I hate baseball.
iceman1987  - 1 year 1 month ago 
wrestling is for kids its totaly fake
GRwarrior  - 7 months 19 days ago 
lol mario kart rules
WouldYouKindly  - 3 months 14 days ago 
@iceman unless you watch National Geographic all day, most TV shows YOU watch are fake.
Ultar  - 2 months 30 days ago 
Whats that? a British journalist missed a baseball game in his list? Oh wait that actually makes sense!
Turkeykilla7  - 2 months 30 days ago 
I knew Mario Kart had to be one. Those games are just the best.
BodyDamage  - 7 days 10 hours ago 
disappointed to not see NFL blitz on the list. best NFL game of all time.
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