Best sports game for non fan of that sport

[Quom]

Odd question I realise. The video games I seem to be the biggest fan of are sports games. I don't know why, yes it likely makes me a social pariah in video game debates. I think it's because I stop playing other games for a few days, totally forget the narrative and then when I do play it again I'm confused about what has come before. Generally the only 'traditional' games I finish are the ones I can't stop playing and knock over in a few days. Anything else is generally doomed to spend the rest of eternity being forgotten about.

So anyway, the only sports of popular video game franchises I genuinely understand are football/soccer and basketball. I know all of the positions, I know what the players are meant to be doing and I understand how to create bench depth etc.

As such I can really enjoy the franchise type modes in those games as I can transfer/trade and sign players to improve my team and spend hours happily doing so.

NFL I know the basic rules of. I don't understand all of the positions and when to run and when to pass. I also spend a lot of my time only passing as if I run I only ever get like 2 yards max before I run into someone (especially since I have no clue where I'm meant to run through most of the time). I used to play basketball and used to run plays, but even when playing NBA games I generally don't bother paying too much attention to where my guy should be standing so I don't think something as scripted as NFL will suit.

NHL I have no clue. I used to play it on the mega drive/genesis and love it. I know icing and all that stuff. I don't actually get where players are meant to stand and how offence really works. Generally I get the puck as a defensive player, pass it forward as quickly as possible to a forward and just charge head on at the goalie. Having watched NHL it seems as if I'm meant to build slowly on offence. Beyond that I don't get line changes and how to create bench depth. So basically I have used it in the past as an arcade type game.

Baseball I get the basics of. Like I know there are nine innings, three outs and all that junk. But have no clue about batting order or any of that stuff.

I think basically what I'm after is a sports game that is fun to play for someone new to the sport. One that will teach me or motivate me to learn the rules of the game/how to create depth etc. and won't punish me greatly for not knowing these things initially.

I would recommend NBA 2k11 and FIFA to most people. They're easy and fun to play and do okay, but if you want to take it seriously you are rewarded as the game is quite deep. Basically what I'm asking is are the other sports games like this, or are the high review scores due to the reviewer knowing how the sport works so finding it a decent simulation without thought to a novice with no real idea of the intricacies? I guess I'm asking since to me Madden isn't a fun game since I don't get how it all works and I don't have the patience to learn. So am looking for a sports game that is fun and will encourage me to further my knowledge without getting too frustrated.

[OGpistolpete]

For sure its NHL 2011. Seriously, it's all that the cool kids play, usually everyone you meet around a good age plays the game, and if you are good you get mad props. It's super fun, especially when you're drunk, although I don't know about franchise mode. I don't follow the NHL closely and don't find franchise mode too appealing, but for playing the game itself, and for fun, NHL 11 ftw.

[Meacon Keaton]

I'm the same way when it comes to video games. I play pretty much sports titles only. But the difference between us is I love the four major sports in America, and soccer, and those are the five sports games I play. If you have any questions about positions or strategies or anything, let me know. I'd be happy to help.

[Cactus Drags]

This might help you with NHL:

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

My favourite sports game is Pro Cycling Manager - one of the LEAST non-sport friendly games in existence.

[Rocky]

The Tiger Woods series is very easy to get the grasp of for a non-sport fan.

[TCO]

I own NBA 2K11 despite not having a clue about the inner workings of Basketball and play calling. I feel severely out of my depth, I wish that wasn't the case because it's a fantastic game.

I always found the NHL games easy to get into despite having no knowledge at all, i.e can't name a single player. I'm obsessive with football (Association and American) so those games just come easy to me.I did once own AFL 2004 on PS2 that was quite fun and easy to enjoy but I guess I had some prior knowledge due to its similarities to GAA.

Speaking of which if nayone ever wants to try a different sporting game, try to find the GAA games that were released exclusively over here for the PS2. They're fairly poor compared to high budget productions but still playable and different.

[The Quasi Juice]

My favourite sports game is Pro Cycling Manager - one of the LEAST non-sport friendly games in existence.

Yeah, PCM can be fun from time to time, but you need to understand tactics within the sport of cycling which are harder to grasp than basketball or football I think. Ofcourse, if you lower the difficulty to Amateur or something a newbie might still win every course because stamina doesn't play a factor and the AI is retarded.

I'd say NBA 2k11 is the best sports game for non-fans. I don't follow the NBA, but I still enjoy 2k11 a lot. There's a decent learning curve, especially defending is hard at the start if you don't know shit about it. However, the atmosphere is amazing and you get the hang of scoring fairly quick, so I feel that's the sports game most non-fans would enjoy.

Edited June 12, 2011 by The Quasi Juice

[SeanDMan]

If you're a fan of FIFA, you should play NHL 11. The premise is basically the same; move play fowards and try and score goals. The goal and the surface of play are smaller, so there is a tighter margin of error, and if you are too aggressive you can get a counterattack scoring on you very quickly. Just go into settings and let the computer handle all line changes and you should be good to go.

[Berober]

Does Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars count?

[New Damage]

I don't know if they still exist, but back on the PS1 I loved NFL Blitz 2000. It was NFL, just fun and fast.

[Baddar]

Berober, you play SARB? ADD ME!!!

[The Quasi Juice]

NHL is decent (I'm not a fan of hockey), but I feel there's only so much you can actually do on a small field of ice with a puck. For the short while I played it, I did enjoy the NHL demo last time though, mostly because of being able to attack the opponent

[Berober]

berober2004, dunno how often I'm on when I share PS3 with my brother

[Herr Matzat]

You can always go for the more arcade side of a sport. NBA Jam for example always was brilliant to play with everyone that wassent afraid of using a controler. The iPad remake plays quiet well, so i asume the console remake issent total shit eiter. I don´t know how much that will teach you the sport, but at least it builds a conection of fun and motivation towards it wich shurly will help wen you tackel bigger games.

I know it can be quiet frustrating. PES usualy brings some good tutorials, but with FIFA they basicly expect you to play the game every year and non of the old stuff gets explained.

[Guest mr. potato head]

NHL is decent (I'm not a fan of hockey), but I feel there's only so much you can actually do on a small field of ice with a puck. For the short while I played it, I did enjoy the NHL demo last time though, mostly because of being able to attack the opponent

Who the hell calls it a field?

[Liam]

NHL is decent (I'm not a fan of hockey), but I feel there's only so much you can actually do on a small field of ice with a puck. For the short while I played it, I did enjoy the NHL demo last time though, mostly because of being able to attack the opponent

Who the hell calls it a field?

Quasi Juice. Duh.

[gunnar hendershow]

Baseball is, of all the American sports, the easiest to grasp. That said I think they're the most boring of the major sports titles. Madden and NCAA Football are not gonna be easy to learn as the playcalling is a skill that really comes from watching the sport for years, and beyond that there's the challenge of reading the opposing team before the ball is even hiked.

NHL will lend a lot to soccer, and that's the place I'd start. Similar philospohies and outside of a few major differences you should pick everything else up quickly.

[MDK]

I hate American Football but I can't get enough Backbreaker, its awesome fun to play.

The Skate series is pretty fun but I haven't played the most recent one.

[Berober]

Skate 2 hooked me for longer, but yes, the Skate series is a very good starting point.