Net Ten: E3 Scouting Report: Turf, Court, and Yard (page 1) Subscribe to this RSS feed

The Xbox 360 is the story of E3 2005, and sure--there are going to be mucho sports games for this system and other next generation consoles on the way. But what's a videogame sports fan supposed to do until then? Not an issue! Take a look at some of E3's slickest sports titles.

#10 And 1 Streetball - [ PS2 ]

This basketball game is infinitely intriguing because it's based on street ball, but it doesn't take the over-the-top route currently being mined by NBA Street, and it's among the first sports offerings from Ubisoft, a new player on this court. And 1 is based around the actual slick tricks, all-out free form style, and general in-your- face showboating street ballers are actually running out there on the playground. You can build a player and create your own signature moves with a move editor. Cool. Keep an eye on And 1 Streetball, a real contender to EA Sports's NBA Street V3.

#10 And 1 Streetball
91% average
critic
score

#9 MVP Baseball - [ PSP ]

The phrase "let's play two" takes on new meaning for PSP baseball fans. If you want to play baseball while you're watching baseball, MVP would't be a bad choice. This game is based on one of the best baseball games for console systems, so the gameplay appears to stand up very well for handheld duty. The graphics look razor-sharp, too, except that the mini-display that pops to show runners on base is smaller than Barry Bonds' strike zone. But wireless head-to-head gameplay is going to be very cool.

#9 MVP Baseball
63% average
critic
score

#8 Outlaw Tennis - [ ]

Put tennis rackets into the hands of the male and female "wrestlers" of the WWE and you inch a little closer to the concept behind Outlaw Tennis. But take away the outrageous outfits, the tatts, and the distracting cleavage. Well, okay maybe the cleavage isn't that distracting. You also get a good mix of modes including doubles and Canadian doubles (where two play against one). This is looking to be surprisingly fun. Look out for the land mines!

#8 Outlaw Tennis
N/A average
critic
score

#7 Road to Sunday - [ PS2 ]

The main comment flowing around Road to Sunday is: "What kind of game is this?" For the sake of this sports Net Ten, let's call it a football game with action-RPG elements.lots of them. But in order to get to the Underground Football League fields, your characters have to concurrently play through a fighting game, a gambling game (including poker), and an action-adventure who- dunnit game. The outlaw-style football itself showcases a new feature called Position Specific Gameplay, which isolates your gameplay view according to the position you're playing, for instance, wide receiver versus defensive backs or defensive end versus offensive tackle. This definitely qualifies as the Road less traveled.

#7 Road to Sunday
76% average
critic
score

#6 NBA '06 (PS2) - [ PS2 ]

In the race to add a career mode where you actually have to "play games to advance" (see Madden NFL '06 and NCAA Football '06) NBA '06 sounds like the most ambitious attempt yet. Although you can play regular videogame basketball, the game's "The Life" mode lets you create a point guard and play him like an action-RPG character. For instance, you start in rookie camp and you have to successfully complete all the drills or you don't advance to the next "level," which might be starting in the next regular league game. If you don't complete your "missions" during the first quarter of a game, you won't make to the second quarter until you do. Tough? It actually feels pretty cool, but there's not enough gameplay time at E3 to really check it out. We'll see.

#6 NBA '06 (PS2)
84% average
critic
score