Ranking the Next-Gen Sports Games - RaychelSnr's Blog

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RaychelSnr's Blog

Ranking the Next-Gen Sports Games Stuck

Posted on August 21, 2013 at 10:41 AM.

(11)

Yesterday, we got a date.

November 15, 2013 is when the PlayStation 4 will launch in North America.

I would suspect the XBox One will launch in a similar timeframe, which means we are just a couple of months now from the launch of a new generation of consoles and gaming experiences. With that in mind, and to assist you in your buying decisions on launch day -- I'm going to run a periodic power poll of the next-gen sports titles based upon what I feel are the best looking titles at this point.

Here are my rankings as of Mid-August:

1. FIFA 14 - Has shown the most substance out of all of the sports games thus far and everyone who has played it has raved about it. This seems like a surefire winner on launch day.

2. Forza Motorsport 5 - Game looks good, it's smooth, and will offer the best racing/driving experience on the new consoles. Unfortunately, it's XBox One only.

3. NBA 2K14 - We know just about diddly squat about 2K14 as of this writing on next-gen consoles. It's a good bet the next generation of NBA basketball from 2K Sports will offer a great if not familiar experience though.

4. Need for Speed: Rivals - Autolog, the multiplayer where you can join in at any time -- it sounds like a load of fun. Count me in as ready to play the latest NFS.

5. Madden NFL 25 - This is Madden's biggest release ever. The game has so many legacy issues and so many promises that all it needed was a next-gen console to fix them. I'm cautiously optimistic.

6. NBA Live 14 - The folks at EA are quietly confident that they have the formula for a winner and eventually a plan to dethrone 2K. It all will have to start with a very solid game of basketball this year.

7. Powerstar Golf - Microsoft's Xbox One only arcade golf title has potential to be pretty solid. People who played it at E3 loved it.

8. Driveclub - The PlayStation exclusive will be free to play for PS+ subscribers on launch day. That in and of itself is a bad sign for the product. I hope it's good though, the uber detailed cars sound like a collectors dream.

9. Pool Nation Extreme - I have no information on this game except it appears on PS4 launch day lists. It's a pool game, but it's predecessor Pool Nation received fairly good reviews. A true sleeper in every sense of the word.

Way Too Early 'Which Console is Better For Sports Gaming' Recommendation: Until we find out if Major League Baseball will be on the XBox, sports gamers still have to lean towards the PlayStation 4, despite it's weaker sports launch lineup.

Comments

# 1 brza37 @ Aug 21

I agree with your list for the most part although I think there will probably be a huge drop off from the top 3 to the rest. And I have a hard time believing NBA Live will ever be good again.
Also, Gran Turismo 6 is set to release December 6th. Thats still regarded as launch window and should probably be added to the list.

# 2 RaychelSnr @ Aug 21

brza37, I'll be adding in launch window titles in my next rankings. For this one just including games which will drop on launch day!!

# 3 CoreySA @ Aug 21

Great rankings. I think we agree on almost every title. FIFA is clearly the one to get at launch and Forza is a must own for XOne owners.

I think Powerstar Golf is my wild card at this point. Not much is known about it, but if it comes close to matching Hot Shots Golf on the Xbox platform than it could be a great day one digital purchase.

# 4 Yrogergj24 @ Aug 21

Like we should believe the EA Gamechanger because he has a totally unbiased take on NBA 2K14

# 5 Eski33 @ Aug 21

I would put Live a little higher. 2K will be a port. My interest in Live increases the closer we get to launch.

# 6 CoreySA @ Aug 22

LOL. I actually love NBA 2K. Have for years. Call me what you wish my friend. I think it's perfectly slotted at #3. Did I come in here saying Live should be higher? Your argument has zero validity. Another reason why I normally avoid commenting. Enjoy your day!

# 7 RaychelSnr @ Aug 22

Appreciate your comment Corey...IMHO Live is my wild card. If it's solid, I have played 2K so much over the years I'll probably end up playing Live more this year just because it's fresh and new. HOWEVER, 2K14 might be so good it's impossible NOT to play it. Exciting to think about!

# 8 Eski33 @ Aug 22

My comment wasn't so much that I think Live will be better. I believe Live has more to gain and possibly us gamers as well if it provides a solid experience. I have no doubt that 2K will be solid. In terms of ranking games based on interest level Live will definitely have eyes on it.

# 9 Saviour @ Aug 23

2K14 has one thing to do on the next gen consoles...Implement a real time physics based gaming engine. Their current animation based engine has run its course and they cannot continue to hide its flaws with scripted gameplay. I cannot believe that we still do not have in air contact after all of these years.

# 10 wampler13 @ Aug 24

Gran Turismo 6 isn't next gen. We probably wont get next gen Gran Turismo for another 4 or 5 years. The demo felt and looked just like 5 to me. I hope there are a lot of changes that just don't show up in the demo. GT 5 was a little bit disappointing.

# 11 geisterhome @ Aug 24

fifa 14 will probably be the best ea sports title this year but it shouldnt be on top of the list. nba2k14 would claim that place for me. after that forza and fifa as 3rd. and thats about it when it comes to decent games. madden will be mediocre once again as will need for speed. wont talk about the rest, well yea maybe nba live will be a surprise but i got little hope.