5 BOROUGH SPORTS

Boom. There it is- the number one video game of all-time. Even though this countdown has been put together on a personal basis, there isn’t a game that can compare to NHL 95. It’s probably the most simplistic game, but it’s the most entertaining game I’ve ever played. In order to play, you only need to know how to do three things – shoot, pass, and check. In order to score a goal, you don’t need any dangle skills or rip slap shots from the blue line. All you have to do is move close to the net, move the puck to the right of the goalie, then to the left and shoot. It fakes them out every time.

Classic 1994 Stanley Cup Match-Up

Just like the NBA, I feel that the mid-90’s was the golden age of the NHL. Each team has a superstar and was in contention for the playoffs. (The only teams that sucked were the ’93 expansion teams). Some of the most fun teams to play with were the defunct franchises such as the Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and the Winnipeg Jets. Actually, the Nordiques had a stud team featuring Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and goalie Patrick Roy. My Islanders weren’t too shabby as well. Lead by NHL all-stars Pierre Turgeon and Ron Hextall, the Isles could take on anyone in the league. Plus, Isles’ forward Benoit Hogue was one of the fastest skaters in the game. Unfortunately, the Rangers were unbeatable in this version. Coming off their ’94 Stanley Cup, almost all of their starters are ranked over a 90 (Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Adam Graves, Steve Larmer, and Mike Richter were all Eastern Conference All-Stars in the game).

If you guys really know your hockey video game history, you’re probably wondering why I would chose NHL ’95 over NHL ’93. I know the ’93 version has fighting and has players’ heads bleed on the ice. But on a personal note, NHL ’95 was the first video game I ever owned. Plus, I still play the game today. So from the age of eight to present day, this game has been played non-stop on my Super Nintendo. Don’t get me wrong, I love NHL ’93, but I have to go with my first owned video game. Plus, why is the ice blue in NHL ’93? At least in ’95 the ice is realistically white. Plus who can forget “Hava Nagila” playing before face-offs? Classic.

So this concludes the top 10 sports video games countdown. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Stay updated for our next countdown – the top sports movies of all-time, which will be written by sammywestside.

“Hi this is Ken Griffey Jr. Let’s play Major League Baseball.”

Perhaps the most memorable line in video game history. This 1998 Nintendo 64 classic is the greatest baseball game of all-time…period. Like I’ve said before, the best sports games are the one’s with the arcade style of play. All-Star Baseball ’99 for N64, the game’s rival at the time, had much better graphics. But sometimes the games that are faster and less realistic are the ones that are more addicting. Just like our last two games on the countdown, the ballgames go by very fast. (Not as fast as NBA Jam and Blitz, but still fast enough). Also, everything in the game is exaggerated, which makes it even more fun to play. For example, Randy Johnson’s “Super Fastball” is consistently clocked at 106 mph in the game while Jamie Moyer’s “Super Change” is clocked at 46 mph. Plus, when you hit a homerun, the crack of the bat sounds like we’re in Hiroshima circa August 1945. And the best part of all, Derek Jeter is black.

Classic Matchup Between the Big Unit and Brian McRae

Ken Griffey Jr. Major League Baseball is also the first game to allow the user to have a home run derby. Up to four users can participate and one can choose any of the 700+ ballplayers for the derby. In the season mode, you can trade any players you want (the computer has to accept the deal). With the right trades, you can have the best team in the game. There are three types of hitters in this version – “small circles,” “medium circles” and “huge circles.” The small circle players are the ones who have a smallest hitter zones. The medium circles have an average size zone. Huge circles are the best in the game. When you stand up to the plate, you must locate the pitch and move the hitter’s circle to the right location. Then you must time the pitch to make contact. The bigger the circle, the easier it is to locate the pitch. There are only eight players who have huge circles – Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Frank Thomas, Paul Molitor, Larry Walker, Mike Piazza, Tony Gwynn, and Barry Bonds. Play the right cards and you can have all of them on one team in season mode.

Pitching is a lot of fun in this game, only if you know how to pitch. If you serve up ball in the zone, you will get killed. The key is to start the pitch way out of the zone, then move the joystick to bring the pitch back in the strike zone. In my opinion, the most unhittable pitcher is Roger Clemens of the Toronto Blue Jays. His splitter would start above the umpire’s head, then suddenly move down to the outside corner on the black. The two pitchers I could never hit were Tim Wakefield and Steve Sparks. Their knuckleballs would float in the air at 53 mph and I could never locate it, no matter how big my circle was.

If you’re in my generation and you’re a baseball fan, you know about the greatness of this game. Hope everyone’s ready for #1 tomorrow.

Don’t know who “Brotherly Love” is, but he’s got some good input during this video:

This game is amazing right from the very beginning- who wouldn’t get pumped if you see an iguana spinning a basketball wearing sunglasses? NBA Jam also arguably has the greatest music in any video game of all-time. It’s the official anthem of 90’s basketball (the golden years of the NBA). Even though Jordan isn’t in the game, there are some classic three-man rosters for each team. With the Knicks, you have the deadly defensive combo of Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and John Starks. But they’re not even close to being the best in the game. That would have to be either the Jazz with Karl Malone, John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek or the Sonics with Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf.

The Classic 20 foot Vertical

Similar to NFL Blitz, the gameplay for NBA Jam is fast, exciting, and energetic. It’s not as violent, but there are  no fouls. If you get hit, the crowd boos. That’s it. Plus, a full court shot isn’t that bad of an offensive strategy. The players in this game can make that shot like it’s their job. How can anyone not love a game where players who dunk jump 10 feet above the rim? When playing Jam, you will experience the fastest eight minutes of your life. Games go by quickly with two minute quarters, but you will find yourself with over 60 points each game. Plus, how can you go wrong with Dick Vitale as the broadcaster? The guy says the best lines in video game history (“Moster Jam!,” “He’s heating up…he’s on fire!, “Stolen!”, “Razzle Dazzle!”, “Slams it in!”). If it wasn’t for the awesomeness of Pat Summerall in Madden, Vitale would be the best video game broadcaster.

Personally, I owned the NBA Jam Tournament Edition for Super Nintendo. Having played every version of this game, I would say the best versions are the original 1993 NBA Jam for Sega Genesis and the ’94 Tournament Edition for SNES.