You are down 23-21 on their 36 yardline with 3 seconds left on the clock. You’ve battled your heart out all game and are determined not to lose the game. You bring in the kicking unit to try and bring home the win with the long bomb of a field goal. Your kicker puts it up, and time seemingly slows down.

Memorable games can be made by the way they end. But is that really the only way to have a memorable game in a sports video game? There are so many things going on that after the final horn, whistle, or bell goes off, you finally remember to breathe and realize you just had one of the greatest games of your gaming career.

EA tried to reward you by adding their greatest game feature into NCAA Football, and to a large degree, they got it right most of the time. The problem is, what actually defines a great game?

One example of what makes a great game is something like this most recent Super Bowl between the Giants and the Patriots. Many people had written this off as what would inevitably turn into the Patriots’ fourth Super Bowl win in seven years. Despite overwhelming odds, and an undefeated Patriots team, the Giants battled through, and after an amazing fourth quarter, pulled out the win.

Underdog stories always make for great games for the simple reason that not many people expect it to happen. But it’s not just the shock of the defeat, it’s the heart the underdog shows on the field. They never give up, no matter how much of a lead they might have going against them. They want the win, and they’ll take it at any cost.

The underdog story isn’t the only one that produces a memorable game though. Some of my favorite games in any sports game I have played have been all out battles.

Now by battles, I don’t mean necessarily high scoring affairs. What I mean are games where both teams go back and forth, never giving an inch, but taking as much as possible. It could be a scoring war ending with a huge finish or a hard fought defensive battle where nary a score could be put up on the board without having to practically sell your soul to get it.

Hockey often presents great examples of this. Countless games see goaltender battles where nothing either team does can actually win the game. They can do everything in their power, yet at the end of regulation, the score is still tied at 0-0.

That very type of tension ties into the next version of the greatest game, that’s an overtime thriller (extra innings for the baseball crowd). Overtime and extra innings always take a game to the next step. Tensions are higher, breathing becomes less and less frequent, and heart attacks become more likely as the game continues on. But that’s just it, the farther into overtime or extra innings the game goes, the more likely it will achieve that spot in your memory.

The thing that makes for a great game can’t truly be defined by an in-game rating system. It’s a gut sense that what you just took part in was something great. It has to be something that you’re proud to tell your friends afterwards. The tension brought on by these games is virtually endless, but while they drive you nuts, win or lose, you won’t likely forget the game…and that’s what makes for a great game.

So let’s hear your stories. Which category do your greatest games fall under? Want to get that amazing finish you had last night off your chest? Let’s hear it.