GRcade

I'm currently looking some good, accessible sports games to play. Think games that are similar to Top Spin Tennis, NHL Hitz, Ready 2 Rumble, WWF Smackdown, International Track & Field, and Sensible Soccer from bygone generations. Essentially games that are easy to pick up and play, are fun(!), but that also have a bit of depth if you want to spend more time with them.

I have tried some of the modern 'sim' games like FIFA/NBA/NHL etc. but the focus on realism and RL licensing doesn't interest me. I've got the driving games sorted, so I'm leaving motorsport (and Rocket League) out at the moment. Also, I already own THPS 1+2.

Super Mega Baseball 3 seems to be well-received, but aside from that it seems to be pretty slim pickings? Are there any hidden gems out there?

Are we talking current gen or older? If you mean older games then Sega Soccer Slam is a great shout.

Cumberdanes wrote:Are we talking current gen or older? If you mean older games then Sega Soccer Slam is a great shout.

Ah sorry. My bad, I should have clarified. The games would be current gen ideally, or older games accessible via the Xbox Store. Although I have a PC, I'd prefer to play these sorts of games on the Xbox.

Madden is surprisingly easy to get to grips with. I'm playing 2022 at the moment - I think I need to up the difficulty because in my last game I beat the Arizona Cardinals 140-0 I have a basic understanding of how the sport itself works but no idea about plays etc - you can set it so the computer will suggest a good option for you. After doing most of the tutorials I'm pretty confident with how the game plays.

The Olympics tie in games will certainly give you variety if you can find them for a good price.

The New Star games (soccer and cricket) were a good casual option for mobile but I don't know if they're a bit pay to win now.

Windjammers 2 maybe?

Do you have VR? If so, Eleven Table Tennis and Walkabout Mini Golf are both amazing.

Do you have a Switch? It seems to be the home for games like you describe. Switch Sports, Mario Strikers, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis...

Like Yoshimi mentioned, Switch seems great for what you are after, has all the Nintendo based sports games it also has Track and Field if you fancy reliving that classic!

No VR I'm afraid, but I do have a Switch!

The current generation Mario sports games did pique my interest, but they seem a bit hit and miss from the reviews that I've read. I was probably looking for something not quite as OTT as a Mario sports game, but maybe I'm just asking for too much. It really does seem to be relatively slim pickings

I do remember hearing about Windjammers 2. I haven't played the first, but I did hear some reports of it not being as accessible as the first? It's on Gamepass so I'll set it up to download.

Thanks for the suggestions so far guys. Please keep any other recommendations coming!

If you like mountain biking Lonely Mountains: Downhill could be worth a look?

Big Rumble Boxing on Xbox might be worth a look.

Ready 2 Rumble Boxing type game using Rocky characters.

Is there anything like NBA Street 2 around these days? That was brilliant. I don't even care about basketball!

Rory McIlroy PGA Tour
Everybody’s Golf
That new Clap Hanz one on the Switch
SWOS is BC on Xbone

Unironically, GTA V has some really robust sports mini games inside of it. The tennis and golf are good enough to scratch an itch.

Golf Story (switch) is apparently good, my brother usually hates unrealistic sports games and he was uncharacteristicly impressed with it.

Matchpoint Tennis is a very pick up and go game. Simple enough to get to grip with and boasts two player options.

What's this Clap Hanz game on switch? Any good? I really don't like the Mario golf games. Everybody's Golf may be cartoony but it plays a great game of golf with realistic physics that puts all of EA's efforts to shame.

What's this Clap Hanz game on switch? Any good? I really don't like the Mario golf games. Everybody's Golf may be cartoony but it plays a great game of golf with realistic physics that puts all of EA's efforts to shame.