Sports Games of the Decade: Most Realistic Gameplay of the Decade

[RaychelSnr]

Gold: MLB '09: The Show

The long-term success of any baseball game is based around the perpetual nature of the pitcher-batter duel, and MLB 09: The Show nailed that aspect. Working the count, painting the outside corner and sitting on a fastball all felt quite fitting in MLB 09. In fact, you could even pitch the ball according to the signs the catcher put down. Beyond that element of the game, the sheer amount of in-game cut scenes added an incredible amount to the game. While a player shooting a snot rocket out of his nose has nothing to do with realism, it certainly adds another layer that player attributes alone can't quite nail. Of course the AI also played a major role in the realism. AI pitchers seemed to learn from what you were trying to do, and each game had a different feel to it because the CPU tried to keep you on your toes at all times. Simply put, MLB 09: The Show defined realism.

Silver: NHL 10

Board play and 360-degree passing were major developments in NHL 10, but Tuner Sets were what made NHL 10 great. The developers found a way to create a great game out of the box but then constantly improved upon it with tuners. These were not "patches" but rather simply tweaks that could be made by the developers on the server side of things. As users made recommendations or complained about certain things in the game, the developers were able to tweak and play the game without having to go through a long "certification" process. By the end of 2009, gamers were playing a title that had been tuned and calibrated to such a fine degree that it was hard to figure out what should be changed next. The day more developers start including "Tuner Sets" in sports games will be great moment for all gamers.

Readers Choice': MLB '09: The Show

It seems there was a tie in the Most Realistic Game of the Decade category -- between MLB '09: The Show and the rest of the field. The Show received 50 percent of the votes, which means it simply ran away from the rest of the pack. None of the other games in this category received as much love from fans, making MLB '09: The Show the choice between the staff and the readers.

[vln13]

Great choices, but I think you also have to talk about NFL 2k5. The fact that the game today still beats Madden in many core gameplay ways is astonishing.

[rudeworld]

Awesome choice....Go Jets... gameplay in 2k5 was very good..... a must have for sports gamers

[GlennN]

Never played The Show (as a 360 owner), but given the word on the street, a valid choice. NHL 10 is a great choice as Silver.

I, too, loved NFL2k5, but I actually find Madden this year to have closed the gap for me (for the first time since 2k5 came out).

[vln13]

Quote: Originally Posted by GlennN

Never played The Show (as a 360 owner), but given the word on the street, a valid choice. NHL 10 is a great choice as Silver. I, too, loved NFL2k5, but I actually find Madden this year to have closed the gap for me (for the first time since 2k5 came out).

I agree about Madden 11. Though people were disappointed with the feature set, I felt like the quality of the gameplay was overlooked. They had the biggest improvement gameplay wise on this generation. Locomotion was a game changer. However, to me, 2k5 is still a quality game that has value to play because of its gameplay, and the fact that Madden took 6 years to put out a product that really closed the gap as you said really says something. That's why I think it should also get mention. However, I agree about 09 The Show (one of my favorites, even though I am now playing 10 and 11 in a few months) and NHL 10 was great as well.

[vln13]

Quote: Originally Posted by rudeworld

Awesome choice....Go Jets... gameplay in 2k5 was very good..... a must have for sports gamers

Yes, GO JETS! Brady's going down, baby!

[jyoung]

The NHL series is real fun.

Probably the most fun sports series going right now.

But it's laughable to think that's it's also the most realistic.

Forza 3 or All Pro Football 2K8 should have gotten some love here.

[Shinyhubcaps]

The poll actually said MLB 10 and not MLB 09, so while the gameplay was pretty identical, it's worth noting that you had the wrong game in the poll since MLB 10 was released in the next decade.