The Operation Sports Sports Game of the Year Award has been handed out for over a decade. Winning the award is the best compliment that could be given to a sports game. To win the award in unanimous fashion, without much of a challenge in a year full of good to great sports games, is almost unheard of. But yet, that is exactly what happened this year.

This year the voting for Sports Game of the Year was not even close. Given the fact that this year's winner is a PS3 exclusive, thus alienating half of OSers right off the bat, it is even more amazing the game won by the margin it did in both the staff and user voting. With a fantastic franchise mode (but with bad menu organization), the best player/career mode in Road to the Show, fantastic gameplay, presentation and the ability to consistently surprise and amaze you, MLB '09: The Show is without a doubt head and shoulders above the competition. Given the track record of the series, it might be back in the winner's circle come the end of 2010.

Sports Game of the Year: MLB '09: The Show

Caley Roark: The game I spent the most time with this year, and the one that I still feel is the most all-around polished experience, is hands down MLB '09: The Show. I think that the additions made to this game were small this year, but important in making this one of the best baseball games ever made. I put it up there with MVP, High Heat and the original World Series games. I think if the online portions The Show were a bit more developed, this would not even be a competition.

Jayson Young: Madden NFL 10 is not a great game. If you asked me to rate it, I would give it a 7. Technically, that would leave Madden rated behind my other favorite games this year, NHL 10 (8.5) and Forza Motorsport 3 (9). But while NHL 10 and Forza 3 were very safe sequels that made minimal improvements over last year's game, Madden 10 is the largest leap the series has taken since Madden 2005, specifically, with the long-awaited addition of the online franchise mode. The mode itself is incredibly limited and full of technical flaws (no salary cap?), but there is something about getting a league together with 32 of your rowdy friends that simply cannot be matched by any other game experience this year. It is the reason why I stopped playing NHL 10 and Forza 3 a month or two after release but still find myself playing Madden 10 regularly as my online franchise gets ready to start its second full season.

YankeePride (I need a name Matt/Steve): While every game on this list took great steps forward in improving overall gameplay, MLB '09: The Show remains an unprecedented leader in sports gaming. Its exceptional gameplay, stunning uses of light and shadow, realistic movements and remarkable grasp on artificial intelligence set a bar that all sports games only wish to touch. Every year the SCE Studios San Diego team finds a way to take what is generally considered a short development cycle and pumps out an enormous amount of improvements across the board. Out of the box, The Show is the closest to mirroring the real-life sport. There are very few games that can make sports fans of out gamers that do not enjoy the real sport -- skimming through the threads on OS reveals that MLB '09: The Show is one of those titles.

Christian McLeod: Madden 10 was my favorite game of the year, not to mention my most played. As a die-hard NCAA Football fan, I never have been able to get behind an NFL title since Madden 64 back in 1997 (sorry NFL 2K5). I am more than happy to say that not only is Madden 10 the best NFL game I have played in the last 12 years, but it is also the best football game I have played since NCAA 2004. I know there are many die-hard "sim" football gamers out there that will disagree, but Madden excelled on so many levels for me that it would be a crime to not give the game its just due. Pro-Tak made both offense and defense fun to play, the graphics were beautiful, signature styles and equipment added a whole new layer of presentation to the game, and the weekly wrap-up, halftime shows and in-game cut scenes were more than enough to immerse me in the NFL culture. The bottom line is that Madden 10 is a ton of fun to play and is still finding its way into my Xbox 360 on a nightly basis. Madden 10 is well deserving of my vote for 2010 GotY and deserves more praise than it gets on this site.

Dustin Toms: Madden 10. What an amazingly great game EA brought us this year. After four years of disappointment and glitches, the Madden development team came in and promised the best Madden game to date. Did anyone believe them? Of course not. However, once August came around that promise was not broken. Madden 10 improved in every aspect when compared it to the '09 version. The gameplay was greatly improved. Cut scenes, while annoying at times, give a little bit more realism to the game. My favorite addition to the game, though, was the speed setting -- it really added to my enjoyment, while at the same time kept NCAA Football 10 out of my console due to its quickness.

Lucian Junto - The FIFA series has made steady progress in the last decade. The game is a must have for any console owner -- footie fanatics will be happy, soccer haters will find themselves turning into fans. This year 360 degree player movement is the main improvement over FIFA 09. Also, in spite of the many Manager Mode bugs, the overall gameplay is addictive and outstanding. The controls are solid and responsive and the amount of teams and leagues will appeal to any fan.

TD St. Matthew-Daniel: I have said it all year, MLB '09: The Show is the best sports game pound for pound. What I mean by this is that The Show depicts baseball way better than any other sports game does within its respective sport. The graphics are among the best visuals you will see in a sports game, while the online play and franchise modes give The Show longevity. To round it out, the spectacular commentary and presentation makes MLB 09: The Show the grand slam choice for Sports Game of the Year.

Richard Chavez: MLB '09 and NBA 2K10 are both deserving of GotY. I have one problem with them though: They will be better next year. Fight Night Round 4 is all you can ask for in a sports game, let alone a boxing game. The graphics are astounding, the career mode is thorough and the gameplay is right in the middle of sim and fun. It is also continuously being updated to allow you to purchase new boxers and modes. Any gripes you may have had with the game at launch were fixed with the patch. Boxing may not be your cup of tea, but this is a quality game from any angle. The other games are great as well, but they will be outdated in a few months. FNR4 can last you at least another 18 months.

Jim Harris: You cannot really go wrong with any game on this list, but for my money, I would go with FIFA 10. Both online and offline the gameplay is excellent. The gameplay modes are varied and diverse, and the graphics and sound are very well done. Even if you are not a fan of soccer, odds are the strategic, non-stop, back-and-forth nature of the gameplay in FIFA will draw you in.

Matthew Coe: The final vote for me came down to two games that I enjoyed very much. One was Madden 10 and the other was UFC Undisputed 2009. I am split almost 50-50 on these two games. I wish I could vote for 1a and 1b, but since that is not the nature of an awards vote, I have to give the vote to the game I feel gave me the most for my money this year -- the game that gave me the most memorable experiences. The game that I still have spinning in my Xbox 360 disc tray is Madden NFL 10.

Reader's Choice

Winner: MLB '09: The Show

Voting Results: MLB '09: The Show (44%), NBA 2K10 (20%), Madden NFL 10 (10%)

Reader Comments: The Show is the most complete game of them all. The gameplay is very well done, there are two very solid modes to play (RttS and Franchise), and it has very few flaws unlike many of the other choices. - MrNFL_FanIQ

Having not played Forza, FIFA and The Show, I say NBA 2K10. It's a whole other game post patch. It is probably best basketball game I have ever played, with a deep feature set, amazing gameplay, good customization, great graphics and pretty good presentation. - BlueNGold

As much as I love basketball, the NBA and 2K basketball, I have got to give it to Madden this year. The game really bounced back with great gameplay this year. Even though NBA 2K10 has some of the best presentation elements we have seen, the fact that it took me a lot of time messing with the sliders to get the gameplay to a point where I really liked it hurt the game for me. If I had a PS3, I am sure The Show would have been a strong contender. What little I have played of it, impressed me a great deal. - boomhauertjs