10. Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions
Now for something completely different. Based on the classic manga series, Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions looks to blend football with roleplaying and quintessential anime madness. It combines a solid sporting experience with enough charm and heart to really set itself apart from it’s more simulation-based counterparts. Whether you’re a fan of the source material, or just discovering it for the first time, you’re sure to have a blast lacing up your vibrant, anime boots.
9. PGA Tour 2K21
A hardcore experience for hardcore players, if you’re a fan of golf you simply have to play PGA Tour 2K21. The precision it offers means it’s incredibly satisfying when you hit that perfect shot, and a thriving online community gives you every chance to earn bragging rights over your fellow putters. The graphics are also photorealistic, with some of the world’s most popular courses recreated in exquisite detail. And it taught us the difference between an ‘Albatross’ and a ‘Bogey’. Who knew?
8. Mario Golf: Super Rush
There’s something about throwing everyone’s favourite moustachioed plumber into a sports game that makes them so much more fun! This time around, the Mushroom Kingdom crew take to the golf course, adapting the classic game with all manner of different game modes, ranging from traditional to downright silly (but with Mario, that’s just par for the course). The story mode offers a great introduction to the wider game, but it really comes alive when you’re competing with friends in thrilling, chaotic multiplayer.
7. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Mario & Sonic team up once again run, jump, swim and ride their way to the top of the podium. Featuring a veritable smorgasbord of minigames, the 6th entry in the series now includes a Tokyo 64 mode (1964 being the last time Tokyo hosted the Olympics), in which characters and maps are transported back to their 8/16 bit roots. It’s a nice, retro-themed addition that helps make this a must buy ahead of the Summer games next year!
6. WWE 2K Battlegrounds
What’s better than sport? Sports entertainment! After the hot mess that was WWE 2K20, the developers have decided to offer a palette cleanser in the form of 2K Battlegrounds. A much more over the top affair, with arcade-style grappling, cartoony graphics and outlandish weapons, it’s a tonne of fun seeing these larger than life characters looking a little more larger than life. Plus you can throw your opponent into the mouth of a waiting crocodile - what more could you want?
5. NBA 2K22
Has the novelty of playing a fully-featured, mainline sports game on a handheld worn off for you yet? Nah, not for us either! NBA 2K22 is the latest entry in the basketball sim series, offering fast-paced, accessible gameplay, as well as full career and online modes to keep you slam dunking all year. For this entry, everything has been tweaked for the better, offering some of the most realistic ball physics to date, as well as improved facial animations that see us edge ever closer to crossing that uncanny valley!
4. Mario Tennis Aces
Mario Tennis Aces is an absolute blast. The gameplay is as fast-paced and as fluid as a Mario Kart title, with enough power-ups and special moves to do what Wimbledon never could… make tennis exciting! Mario themed sports titles are often overlooked gems, and Mario Tennis Aces is no exception.
3. FIFA 22
FIFA fans know what to expect from the newest instalment of the world’s most popular sports game. Improved graphics for sure, but what’s important is the development in how the gameplay feels - the new HyperMotion motion capture technology employed in FIFA 22 means the game feels more shockingly realistic than it ever has before. The multiplayer mode is as fun as ever, so expect to lose plenty of evenings to playing with your mates online.
2. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
The Tony Hawk Pro Skater series needs no introduction. Including some of the finest arcade sports titles of all time (although the less said about THPS 5, the better), they helped to shape the genre and reinvigorate the sport as a whole. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 remakes the first two entries with all the reverence and respect they deserve, adding in a few quality of life improvements while keeping everything familiar for long time fans.
1. Ring Fit Adventure
The spiritual successor to Wii Fit, Ring Fit Adventure takes the home exercise formula and throws in an RPG story. Only Nintendo… But seriously, what might seem like a gimmick really helps to keep you motivated. Performing simple exercises to take down nasty beasties is brilliantly addictive, and with intensity ranging from beginner to ‘making Joe Wicks wheeze’, you’ll be getting swole in no time!
