4 great arcade sports games that made your childhood awesome

Sports games are an incredibly popular genre that people have loved to play throughout the years. However, one sub-genre of sports video games that had a broader audience and generated a lot of excitement was arcade sports titles. These games took the concept of playing a particular sport and greatly exaggerated the best parts of it, not focusing on being a simulation of the sport itself. The big plays are bigger, the crazy moments are crazier, and the hype is greater than any traditional sports game. Some of the greatest sports titles of all time have been arcade sports games that have a reverence for the integrity of the sport, but manage to be great fun in every aspect of their design.

So, what were the best arcade sports titles that people grew up playing? Many players have fond memories of spending quarters playing NBA JAM, or diving headfirst into a long stretch of NFL Blitz with friends, or even flipping out while playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater on the PlayStation. In the 90s and early 2000s, arcade sports games were a big part of video game culture. And the best part was that you don't have to be a big fan of any specific sport, or even play them in real life, to get into the action that these sports games have to offer. Here are four great arcade sports games that helped make your childhood awesome.

4 NBA JAM

He's on fire!!!

There were sports games before that had arcade-style controls and gameplay, but NBA JAM from Midway Games is really the first release that made the arcade sports sub-genre a mainstay in video games. Before its release in 1993, many basketball games did their best to emulate the real game in interesting ways, even the titles that mixed up the style of basketball they highlighted. But NBA JAM takes all the details you know about playing basketball and throws them out the window. It's all about the jams, the big shots from downtown, and the hot streaks. The spectacle of basketball and the absolute monster moments that make the sport a fun time to watch are what are placed at the forefront of the experience. A player who was on fire would quite literally have a basketball that was on fire, boosting their shots and becoming a factor in the game. But it was the monster dunks that drew a lot of attention, with players flipping into the air and dunking the basketball into the hoop, only to be followed by the excited voice of Tim Kitzrow on commentary.

NBA JAM was a big hit in arcades, which led to an updated version of the game being released in 1994 titled NBA JAM: Tournament Edition, with updated team rosters and other additional features. Both games would be ported to Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis home consoles, while the series would continue in arcades under the name NBA Hangtime. Games that were released after would get different name changes, but the gameplay would be the same as the original. Other NBA JAM games would be made by various studios that would attempt to change the formula of the series, with varying degrees of success that still didn't reach the heights of the original game. NBA JAM was rebooted for the Nintendo Wii in 2010 and was later ported to other platforms. However, none of the original team worked on it.

3 NFL Blitz

They're going postal

What NBA JAM had done for the sport of basketball, the same could be done for NFL Blitz for the sport of American football. Midway Games had a similar approach to NBA JAM when trying to make an exciting football game that players would want to see. NFL Blitz was released for arcades in 1997 and was later ported to the Nintendo 64 and original PlayStation. The hard hits and the big passes within a game of football are what make it such a tough sport to play, but exciting to watch. Those same aspects are what make NFL Blitz so much fun to play. Simple arcade-style controls and a collection of real NFL teams with real NFL plays are the recipe that makes this football stand apart from popular simulation games like Madden NFL Football.

While the NFL Blitz gamesare played with 7-on-7 teams, there are no penalties or intricate rules that are normally found in football. Once you pick your play and snap the ball, it is pure football chaos as the offense tries to go for a touchdown, while the defense does everything they can to stop them. This means ridiculous tackles, insane dropkicks, and everything else in between are allowed. One of the popular parts of NFL Blitz was the ability to continuously hit players after a down, making for some genuinely funny moments for everyone. Originally, the NFL wasn't a fan of this and worried that the violence would make their brand look bad, but negotiations between Midway Games and the NFL led to a compromise, and NFL Blitz was released to a very positive reception. The series went on to have multiple sequels, with the last entry being released in 2012 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

2 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

The skateboard craze was real

Not all sports are done with teams or a specific kind of ball to carry to a goal. The extreme sports of the 90s also managed to get some attention in video games, and became a big trend following the release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater for the PlayStation. There were definitely skateboarding games before its release, but Tony Hawk's Pro Skater pushed extreme sports video games into the mainstream spotlight. Tony Hawk was a massive celebrity because of his accomplishments in professional skateboarding. Still, the lucrative venture of his merchandise and the game's release made him a household name, even to those who did not skateboard. To date, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is one of the essential PlayStation games that people say is a must-own for the console.

What the game did so well was simplify a skateboarding game. The controls for doing tricks were not complicated at all, and they were complemented by an assortment of challenges, interesting stages, and a unique sense of style that spoke to the younger generation. Other professional skateboarders like Chad Muska, Bob Burnquist, and athletes were also part of the game as playable characters. While getting big scores was a major part of the experience, with linking tricks together for massive multipliers, completing challenges scattered across the stages was a lot of fun. Getting all the tape challenges completed within a single level opened up more areas to skate on and other customization options for one's skateboard. The series would have great success and go on to release multiple games, as well as a few spin-offs that focused more on skateboard culture.

1 NBA Street

Bring it to the streets

While professional basketball was a big part of NBA JAM and why it was so popular, another part of basketball culture did not receive much shine in games until the early 2000s. NBA Street put a heavy emphasis on the style and flair of street basketball, with a unique presentation that revered the NBA and its connection to hip-hop culture. This was part of the new approach to sports games that Electronic Arts was releasing in the early 2000s under the title of EA Sports BIG. These were sports games that weren't like their well-known simulation titles, but alternative games that still had a heavy focus on specific sports. Out of all the games released under EA BIG, NBA Street was the most successful.

The game is played with 3-on-3 rules for street basketball, but there's more beyond that. Outside the basic rules, the game can shift momentum when players land big shots and generate style points for incredibly cool-looking dunks. Dribbling the ball and passing in unique ways generates more style points that can lead to a Gamebreaker shot, earning more points and winning the game. The overall gameplay is very similar to NBA JAM in its structure, but the approach to basketball is unique compared to other sports games. This would be a very popular game among NBA fans and would eventually be followed up by three sequels on different home consoles. The concept of street-style would also be applied to other sports under EA BIG, such as games like NFL Street and FIFA Street. However, none of them would achieve the same level of success as NBA Street or any of its sequels, mainly because the street-style goes so much better with the game of basketball.

Great times with arcade sports

Some people will always love playing their favorite simulation sports game that recreates what they love to watch on television. But many people grew up playing video games that took some of the best aspects of the sports we know and tried to make them ridiculously fun to play. The focus was on the excitement and the fun factor, rather than trying to emulate real life in a video game. Some of the greatest arcade sports titles from our childhood are still heavily played today, even though simulation sports games are still popular in their own right. We love seeing crazy plays and over-the-top moments from the sports we play and being in control of them. It's very charming to know that when we're on fire while playing a sports game, we can literally be on fire because of it.