2005 Sports Game of the Year

While Indie games seem to continue to struggle in finding their voice when it comes to Sport Games, this year like last yielded a handful of titles that stood out from even mainstream titles. 

Wonder what we're talking about?  Well let's just say that there are sporting experiences here that you won't find anywhere else.  Read ON!

5th Place - Future Pool

Developer: Cornutopia		Players: 1-6
Website			Purchase
System Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/XP/NT/2000, DX 8+, 500mhz CPU

In the future, the game of pool will be void of pockets, cue sticks, and rails. This begs the question, “What are we left with?” The answer is Cornutopia's Future Pool.

Future Pool is based on the same rules of your typical game of 8-ball. It’s head to head and the goal is to get all your colored balls off the table and then hit the 8-ball off before your opponent can do the same. Losing by scratching still applies, but you can hit your opponent’s ball before you hit your own. Either way what makes the game fun is the presentation and the different modes of play.

If you like pool then Future Pool should be right up your alley. Puzzle gamers might like this one as well.  All in all, Cornutopia accomplished what it appears it set out to do: make a quality game.

4th Place - Amju Super Cool Pool

Developer: Amju Games		Players: 1-2
Website	Download		Purchase
System Requirements: Windows 98/ME/XP/NT/2000, MacOS X(10.1+), DX 8+, 500mhz CPU, 128 mb RAM

AMJU Super Cool Pool is a perfect indie title. Instead of focusing on creating a life-like simulation, it  focuses  on fun. Fun is the name of the game and there are several different game modes that make for interesting fare. The main mode gives the player the chance to play pool with different rule sets, 9 ball and 18 ball are here along with a few other rule sets.

What makes this game really enjoyable though, is the other modes of play available, especially the trick shot mode that requires players to sink strategically placed balls in a set number of shots. In this mode there are animals and other obstacles placed in the board to increase the intrigue.

The graphics will remind you of a Mario game, and the cheery music and environment make this a fun relaxing game to play. AMJU Super Cool isn't a perfect game, the same physics of the table that allow you to do so many cool shots seem to also lead to the queue ball finding its way to the pocket more often than it should, but it does provide a fun experience that is distinctly Amju.

3rd Place - Tennis Elbow

Developer: Mana Games		Players: 1-4
Website			Purchase
System Requirements: Windows 98/XP/2000, DX 8.1+, 800mhz CPU

Tennis Elbow is one of two tennis games to favor us this year and it is honestly hard to say which is the better of the two games.  Tennis Elbow has immediately more long-term play options with hundreds of computer opponents and more than a hundred tournaments as you move up through the rankings list and eventually become the best in the world. 

Standard fair singles- and doubles-play is available in addition to the challenge of 2 on 1 play.  The graphics certainly seem a little dated and though there is good depth to the game play, the ball seems to have a propensity to always go to the same spots.  The sound in the game is absolutely superb and will lead players to cheer as they play due to the realistic crowd responses and solid voice work.

Still, Tennis Elbow has to be one of the most intuitive Tennis games to come out recently.  New players will immediately feel in control of the action on the screen and the auto-swing feature that is on by default will help you hit balls that you didn't know you were going to miss.  You probably won't even realize that the computer is helping you hit them. 

2nd Place - Dream Match Tennis Online

Developer: Bimboosoft		Players: 1-2 (local or online)
Website	Download		Purchase
System Requirements: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, 1 GHz CPU, 128 MB RAM, DirectX 9.0c+

Dream Match Tennis is fully rendered in 3D and is a game that really shows why sport games are so much better in the 3D realm.  Beyond having some absolutely gorgeous visuals, the 3D environments increase the realism of the game allowing for better placement of the ball on the court.

The game is not nearly as easy for a beginner as Tennis Elbow, but the physics results in a game that is much more rewarding to master. 

Dream Match Tennis comes in two variants, the very inexpensive ($4.95) original version and the new updated online version ($9.95) that adds online play to the mix.  Unfortunately the mix isn't large to begin with as the original only offers exhibition and tournament play.  Somewhere between the great points of Dream Match Tennis and Tennis Elbow is a Tennis game that could make a run against Virtua Tennis to be the best Tennis game ever released.  Until then we have two very solid tennis games this year that will each appease a different type of fan. 

2005 Sports Game of the Year - New Star Soccer 3

Developer: New Star Games		Players: 1
Website	Download		Purchase
System Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP, Direct X 7.0+

New Star Soccer 3 isn't much to look at. The graphics don't match up well against any Soccer game released this year, or even in the last 10 years. The pixelated images that fill the screen don't do much to give life to the game being played before you. However, players who take a look at the graphics and then walk away assuming that this isn't a good game are wrong. Dead wrong.

New Star Soccer is an unconventional game. At first glance it looks more like a soccer sim game than a typical action game. The game is filed with menus and meters to track progress. The first big curveball comes in the fact that you aren't controlling a soccer team in the game. Instead you are controlling a single character on the team (playing whatever position you choose).

While you are controlling a character, that doesn't mean you will actually be playing in the games. This is where the real depth of this game starts coming out. In NSS3 you must earn your minutes. Skill will only get you so far. You also have to balance your relationships with your team, your manager, your family, the media, your friends and even your girlfriend if you happen to have one. Where you spend your time and money will affect these relationships, often in opposite ways. Going out gambling with your teammates may improve your relationship with them while at the same time negatively impacting your relationship with your family. Gambling itself may turn into a vice as you find that the horse-racing simulator in the game is so fun that 30 minutes have passed and all of your money is gone! This, of course, shows up in another meter.  Your addictions may include alcohol and gambling, which might make you a media darling, but a lousy player. If your confidence takes too much of a hit from your girlfriend dumping you, your player won't be on the pitch no matter how good your skills are.

Another great aspect of this game is the training. In training you undertake specific tasks to improve your skills. However, unlike many games where your skills are just increased,  completing the training task in NSS3 means developing a real skill that you can use in the game such as heading the ball, kicking a one-touch volley or dribbling back and forth between cones in a specific time. In each case the additional skill won't just be an improvement in your player on the field it will also improve the gaming skills that you as a player need to succeed with NSS3.

All this then leads to the game itself where those pixelated bodies start looking pretty good once you start taking on the persona of your character and realizing just how much you can do in the game. If you are on a poor team you can raise them through the ranks from secondary to primary leagues while at the same time earning yourself a coveted position on the National team. Leagues from all over the world are represented so you can put in for transfers as you wish if you think your shoe contract and jersey sales show that your team isn't giving you the proper respect.  (of course as you age you may wish they wouldn't give all the game time to those hot young prospects!)

As a near-perfect blending of simulation and action, NSS3 gives the game of soccer a treatment that all sport games deserve and a treat that real sport fans will find themselves totally engrossed in. Those who walk away because of the graphics are missing out on a great game that is quite worthy of the Sports game of the year award.