Sports Games for a Family Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a holiday spent with family, food, and football. When the food runs out and the football ends, what does the sports gamer do with his family? Here are some suggested sports titles to check out this holiday season.

FIFA 15/ Pro Evolution Soccer 2015: Nearly any soccer game is great on the couch with friends, but this fall we’ve been given two stellar titles. Even the controls, at their most basic level, will work for the youngest sports fan.

Madden 15: Similarly, this year has produced an outstanding pro football title, at least on the PS4/Xbox One. Let the trash talking ensue as you replay all of the Thanksgiving matchups deep into Black Friday.

Home Run Derby (like that in MLB 14: The Show): Also perfect for both trash talk and casual play are home run derby contests. Make friendly wagers using pieces of pumpkin pie or leftover Halloween candy. If these seems too traditional, dig out The Bigs 2 for some home run pinball.

Disney Infinity: My daughter and I love designing crazy worlds in this family game, including some outlandish race tracks. There’s nothing quite like pulling off some crazy stunts as Iron Man astride the Muppet’s Electric Mayhem Bus. Also, the extra Disney Infinity figures make great stocking stuffers.

Nearly any arcade sports title from a previous generation: Thanksgiving is a natural time for reminiscing, so why not blow the dust off of your old consoles and relive the glory years. Games like Tecmo Bowl, Blades of Steel, WWE AllStars, and the Street series are easy to jump back into, assuming your copies still work!

Mario Kart 8: It seems like Mario Kart 8 might be one of the best reasons to own a Wii-U, while at the same time holding universal appeal to nearly every age group.

Happy Thanksgiving from Operation Sports!

What do you plan on playing with your family this holiday season?