The main goal of most modern sports games is to create the most realistic experience possible so that players might get a tiny idea of what it feels like to be a pro. Over the years, these games have gotten really good at it, to the point where actual pros have claimed that playing these games has made them better at the sport in real life.

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However, not all sports games are dedicated to realism, which is good because not all gamers are massive sports fans. Some games simply use the sport they depict as a foundation for something decidedly different, and, sometimes, those games are just as much fun as the simulation-style titles. In fact, sometimes, they’re even better.

7 Mario Hoops 3 on 3

Roster of mario characters standing together

Mario's resume includes more than a few beloved sports titles, but Mario Hoops 3 on 3 is one title that has not gotten the love it deserves. Sure, fans enjoyed it when it came out on the Nintendo DS in 2006, but there was only one single iteration of it, and it’s not looking like there’s going to be a sequel any time soon.

Mario Hoops 3 on 3 offers a reasonable facsimile of actual basketball, but with that patented unique and addictive style of gameplay that has made other Mario Sports titles so successful. Players can grab familiar items, collect coins, use specials that would absolutely not be allowed in regulation hoops, and even pits Mario and his friends against Final Fantasy characters for good measure.

6 The Backyard Series

Batting in Backyard Baseball

For the majority of people on planet earth, pickup is the most common way that sports are played. Every day, there are people meeting up at local soccer fields, on basketball courts in the park, or on schoolyard baseball diamonds to play for the fun of it. With this in mind, why not make a sports title that recreates that rather than the pro game?

That’s exactly what the Backyard series does. It’s impossible to pick just one of the games because they’re pretty much all fun. No, it’s not a one-to-one simulation of the actual sport, but it definitely carries the spirit of pickup ball exceptionally well. The inclusivity present in the cast of playable characters also gives it some major points.

5 Mutant League Football

Mutant League Football box art

The sports game behemoth that is Madden was just getting its footing in 1993 when EA decided to run an entirely different route with Mutant League Football. It may have used the same engine as its more reality-based sports game cousin, but this title offered Sega Genesis and Mega Drive owners a far more creative, colorful, and unusual football experience.

With teams full of mutants, aliens, robots, and more, players would take to the gridiron in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, employing things like toxic waste, jet packs, and landmines in their pursuit of a very hard-earned W. This strange and awesome game was beloved enough to garner its own short-lived cartoon and a 2018 spiritual successor for Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

4 Michael Jordan: Chaos In The Windy City

Michael Jordan Chaos in the Windy City gameplay

The idea that Michael Jordan, the man widely considered to be the greatest basketball player of all time, would star in a video game that wasn’t necessarily about basketball is difficult to wrap one's mind around from the current vantage point. However, those who were alive for his reign know that MJ transcended the game entirely, which is why his Super Nintendo game was cut from a different cloth.

Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City does include plenty of dribbling, passing (directly into enemy’s faces), high-flying dunks, evil referees, and even some loathsome sports journalists, so it is kind of a sports game. In reality, though, it’s more of an action platformer with basketball themes. The result was not on par with, say, Super Mario World, but it offered plenty of fun to basketball fans and gamers nonetheless.

3 NHL Hitz 2003

NHL Hitz 2003 check gameplay

Midway has created several sports titles that disregarded convention for something more exciting, fun, and decidedly wacky. NHL Hitz 2003 is one of the studio's best, and it could use a little more credit than it gets. Why limit the teams a player can select to NHL franchises when you can let them play as zombies, pirates, clowns, and knights? Why confine the game to a familiar rink when players could instead be allowed to venture into Brooklyn, Maui, or even a full-on graveyard?

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NHL Hitz 2003 brings players all of these things and more, nailing a fascinating balancing act between realistic hockey experience and zany arcade romp. It’s the exact type of game a non-sports fan needs to play if they want to get an idea of why the world is crawling with full-on sports fanatics.

2 Super Baseball 2020

Super Baseball 2020 cover art

While the Backyard series definitely deserves plenty of credit for its inclusivity, Super Baseball 2020 actually beat it to the punch by six whole years. This weird once-futuristic take on America’s pastime trotted out teams of men, women, and robots, which was rather forward-thinking for a 1991 sports title.

The rosters in Super Baseball 2020 are not the only thing that differ from games like MLB The Show, though. The rules have also been updated, with things like armor and jet packs not even getting a second thought from the umpires. The field has been redesigned as well, only allowing for balls blasted directly forward to qualify as home runs and anything else bouncing back onto the field. This allows for a lot of unpredictability, which gives the game a unique feel that players still remember fondly, even if its predictions about the year 2020 ended up being very off.

1 NBA Hangtime

NBA Hangtime Wolf

Many gamers are familiar with NBA Jam. Midway’s fast-paced two-on-two arcade-style take on NBA basketball is not just a classic sports title, but also a classic game, period. Oddly enough though, the absolute best version of NBA Jam isn’t an NBA Jam title at all. It’s NBA Hangtime.

Hangtime has all the best elements of its predecessor. Players can jump out of the gym and throw down ferocious acrobatic dunks that disregard gravity or hit enough consecutive shots to literally catch on fire. There’s also a madman announcer with all kinds of wacky catchphrases. No, it's not going to help pros hone their real-life game, but this different look at hoops is a whole lot of fun.

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