19. NFL Blitz
Platforms: Arcade, N64, PlayStation, Game Boy Color, Windows
Top Stars: Deion Sanders, Dan Marino, Barry Sanders
Hidden Gems: Thurman Thomas, Corey Dillon, Zach Thomas
Midway Games made a lasting impact in the video game industry in the 90’s, and struck gold with their football counterpart to NBA Jam with the NFL Blitz series. In a different time, NFL Blitz may have never hit the shelves. With the NFL shifting towards “improving” player safety and providing a family-friendly product on the field, the bone-crushing late-hits that made the Blitz series so great would never have passed censors. Fast-paced, seven-on-seven action with some of the NFL’s all-time greats delivering the aforementioned brutal late-hits made this N64 and Arcade game an absolute classic.
18. NCAA Football 13
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Top Stars: Wisconsin HB #28 (Montee Ball), Notre Dame MLB #5 (Manti Te’o), Michigan QB #16 (Denard Robinson)
Hidden Gems: Nebraska HB #22 (Rex Burkhead), Florida State HB #4 (Chris Thompson)
NCAA Football was typically a year “behind” Madden in most respects. Any gameplay feature displayed in Madden would make an appearance the following year for NCAA games, pushing consumers to believe that the college game was a lesser product. That wasn’t the case with the 2013 cycle of games, as NCAA reigned supreme. With Madden fumbling to polish their patented Franchise mode, NCAA showcased a beautifully-made Dynasty mode that was packed with countless hours of gameplay.
It was taken up a notch further when EA allowed users to create online dynasties with friends and foes that made for the complete, competitive experience. There’s nothing like snagging the highly-coveted running back recruit from Georgia from your friend that’s the AD at South Carolina. So satisfying.
Image Sources: Emuparadise, PlayStation