Written by: Bryce Jackson

My first console was the Nintendo 64. The first game I played was Crusin':Exotica. Other games I got that day was NBA Courtside and NBA Showtime. My entry into video games was rooted in sports and racing and probably molded my love of them today. Through console generations, some titles leave a lasting impression and yearning to go back and play no matter how janky the graphics look compared to today's standards. I've thought up a list of my 7 of my favorite sports titles that I owned. Sports titles will include racing games even if it leans more arcade-y

I stress "own" because I wasn't able to pick and choose what titles I played as a kid and what I got to play and was limited to that fact that until 2009, I was a Nintendo kid and not every title was made for the N64 or Gamecube. So classics and cultural favorites may not be on the list.

Honorable mention to NBA Street Volume 1. If I had Volume 2 it would probably knock one of these off the list.

7. Madden NFL 2006

I remember I got this game because I was impatient for another title and I wasn't leaving FYE without a new game so I just got it. Did not regret that decision. Before then I knew the game and played what I saw on TV, but I learned about formations and the actual names of routes, defensive schemes etc. I made 2 career mode players. One was a FB for the Patriots, the other was a nose tackle for the Chargers. If you know me in real life, you know that I an a Chargers fan and I'm more sympathetic to the Patriots than most. (I also played with the Ravens but I don't care one bit about them). It lead me to playing football in high school at the same position and really learning to appreciate the game. It was way more complicated than I may have been ready for at that age with the ability to switch around coach playbook on offense and defense among other things but I was still able to understand it. Minus Madden 09 for the PSP, That was the only console version of Madden I owned. Recently I've tried to pick up on Madden again, picking up Madden 17, but I couldn't find that magic I had back in the day so I may be done with Madden but remain grateful for the franchise.

6. NBA Courtside

Before there was NBA Live in the early 00s and NBA 2k dominating the market now, there was NBA Courtside. I credit NBA Courtside for my overall love and understanding of basketball and how to utilize people on the bench as well as the starters. I loved getting Nick Van Exel on the court and shoot 3s. Contrary to my peers who's favorites was Kobe Bryant, my fandom resided with Shaquille O'Neal and padding his stats and running over players was my main objective. It had player creation that allowed me to put myself and Virgin Islands newcomer Raja Bell in the game. It molded how I played the game in real life and how I understood stats and the expansive rosters. Most of the old school legends I know because of NBA Courtside because there weren't that many options to watch all the games. All of these things engrained in me allows Courtside a spot on the list.

5. F1 2012

As a kid, I watched Formula 1 sparingly. I knew of the dominance of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari and a memory of me watching a race either at Monza (Italy) or Canada in the rain is engrained in me. For the Gameboy Color, I had Formula 1 2000 but F1 2012 for PS3 is what I'll appreciate more. Like NBA Courtside, I used the game to understand the sport and used it to gain knowledge of the sport: The importance of pit strategy, tire compounds and degradation, the impact of weather, and how some teams are just weaker than others. (F1 2017 does team development better, but for impact, 2012 gets the spot.)

4. NASCAR Thunder 2003

The golden age of NASCAR video games was when EA had the property. The racing was true to the real life counterpart throughout the life of their contract. The '04 iteration in that subculture may be the better one, but I favor and owned '03. The season mode and ability to select different paint schemes was true to life. The career mode and building my team from back-marker scrub to something competitive kept me invested. Race leaderboards were detailed, pit strategy gave me a gist of what it meant in real life, engine failure and crash retirements also mimicked the sport. The damage models in that game looked better in that game than they do in any of the recent NASCAR games. The added challenges that unlock extra paint schemes, fantasy, alternate layout, and historic tracks and historic drivers are something that is sorely missed in todays gaming market as a whole. Thunder 2003 just got so many things right.

3. FIFA 11

Like the some of the previous entries on the list, I used FIFA to learn the game. FIFA 09 was my introduction, getting absolutely manhandled in my friend's dorm room but never took the 6-1 losses to heart. I just learned how the game is played and how positions worked. This entry, along with the World Cup in the following year, fostered my interest in the game but it didn't push me over the hill. It wasn't until FIFA 11 when one of my best friends let me keep his copy so that I may learn proper tactics like attacking from crosses instead of only playing on the ground, the uses of each formation, player positions, etc. I played the career mode mostly. Getting acquainted with leagues around the world and building on bits and pieces of information until I traded in my PS3 to upgrade to PS4 late 2014. It was that summer during another World Cup cycle where I was formally introduced to soccer culture and when I went to a watch party for USA vs Portugal with friends. There, I was introduced to the American Outlaws, a US Soccer supporter group of which I am a member of today. They are fun to hang around and watch US Men's and Women's soccer with but I also learn about the intricacies of the game as a whole. All because of FIFA 11.

2. Midnight Club: Los Angeles

Everybody loves to rave about Need for Speed: Carbon and Underground. And for good reason. They are classics. There was something about Midnight Club LA that stuck with me. I didn't even own the game for a period of time. I loaned it from a friend periodically and finally decided to buy the Complete Edition. Sure it may be a clone of the aforementioned two but I got so invested in this game. Was it the soundtrack? Was it the selection of cars and the customization options? Yes. At the time, my dream car was a Chevy Cobalt SS. I have so many memories of racing the bosses who had cars that severely outclassed it and wrecking house to Tech Nine's "Move" People may rightly say the arcade racers of today were built on the ideas of NFS but to me, those ideas are align to Midnight Club: LA.

1. NBA Live 06

This was the perfect basketball game to me.

With my favorite basketball player on the cover, I believe Live 06 is probably the most value I've ever gotten out of one sports title. I did multiple play throughs of dynasty modes and that game had my favorite dunk contest mechanics. Dynasty Mode management in Live 06 was so much fun negotiating contracts, making deals, hiring staff, having full control in guiding the Heat to championships. (Please if anyone can let me know that I can do this in 2K's MyGM to this level. It never feels as great to me.) The superstar abilities were so much fun. There is nothing like controlling a Stopper like Alonzo Mourning when a Highflyer is trying to get a highlight and sending his shot back into their side of the court. The soundtrack is also great. I went to listen to the soundtrack to write this and there are songs that are different tiers of good but none I would say is trash. Compared to all the curated playlists in 2K today, you know you only can listen to a few of the songs. Not so with Live 06. All the bases just seemed to be covered with this game.