It's fair to say that the sports genre of gaming isn't in the best place right now. Fans of the genre's leading franchises like FIFA, NBA 2Kand Madden have become frustrated with the yearly products. Many feel that only minimal improvements are being implemented year on year, while players are being pushed towards modes like Ultimate Team, which reward those who pay for microtransactions. Because of this, the sports genre is often dismissed when it comes to discussing some of the greatest games of the month, year, or decade.

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However, this dismal is unjust, as the genre has provided the gaming industry with some of the best and most enjoyable games ever released, from many of the world's different sports.

10 Wii Sports

Tennis match in Wii Sports

When gamers first got a glimpse of Wii Sportsnot many would have guessed that the party game would one day be considered alongside games like Halo: Combat Evolved and Super Mario Worldin terms of its acclaim as a launch title. Whereas Combat Evolved proved that the Xbox would be a serious competitor to Sony's PlayStation 2, Wii Sports ensured gamers that the Wii's motion controls weren't just a gimmick and that they were going to provide endless hours of fun.

Wii Sport's gameplay is simplistic, yet its mechanics are so well-crafted that many people would continue to boot up the launch title years after its initial release in 2006.

9 NBA 2K11

Blake Griffin with the ball in NBA 2K11

As mentioned before, the NBA 2K series isn't in the comfiest of spots right now. The latest entry into the yearly series, NBA 2K21, received backlash from fans, exemplified by its brutal 0.8 User Score on Metacritic.

Thankfully, the NBA 2K series hasn't always been a disappointment. NBA 2K11, in particular, was a fantastic entry in the series that many players still revisit today despite it releasing over a decade ago. The game had an incredibly strong roster of players and also featured the memorable Jordan Challenge mode, which let players revisit some of Michael Jordan's most legendary moments.

8 MVP Baseball 2005

Batting in MVP Baseball 2005

Currently, the MLB: The Show series is the dominant force in baseball gaming, a trend that looks set to continue following the latest game's inclusion on Microsoft's Game Pass service. However, before The Show debuted with MLB 06: The Show, sporting juggernauts Electronic Arts released MVP Baseball 2005.

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Granted, improvements have been made to baseball games in the last decade and a half, but MVP Baseball 2005 stands out for perfecting the formula that the MVP Baseball franchise had been working towards, making it enjoyable to pick up and play even to this day.

7 Madden NFL 2004

Cover for Madden NFL 2004

Much like with MVP Baseball 2005, NFL video games have been improved and fine-tuned since the release of Madden NFL 2004. However, the game nailed all of the fundamentals of a football video game.

Madden NFL 2004 featured significant gameplay improvements such as Playmaker Controls, which offered players a more immersive and seamless experience as they could now change plays on the fly. Furthermore, the game added Owner Mode for the first time in the Madden series, allowing players to manage the business side of an NFL team instead of just the sports side.

6 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003

Tiger Woods about to drive a shot in PGA Tour 2003

The mid-2000s were clearly a great time to be a sports fan, as Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 is the third game in a row on this list from that time period. Although golf games are starting to make a comeback, they have all struggled to improve upon the foundations that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 set, with its simple yet engaging swing and putting mechanics that have proven difficult to improve upon. Electronic Arts have recently announced its return to the golfing scene, though topping the publisher's 2003 effort will be a tough task.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 is one of this list's most critically acclaimed entries, exemplified by its whopping 92 Metascore.

5 WWF No Mercy

wwe no mercy- in-ring fighting gameplay

Of all of the recent sporting franchises that have been lambasted in recent years, the WWE 2K series has arguably had the most significant downfall. Criticisms from fans and reviewers came to a head with the release of WWE 2K20, a buggy mess that caused 2K to take a break from the series' simulation-style for a year and release the stop-gap WWE Battlegrounds. 

WWE's recent gaming hardships are a great shame, as the wrestling brand has been responsible for some of the best sports games of all time. Classic arcade title WWF Wrestlefest is a contender for best wrestling game and consequently almost made this list, but the attitude era's WWF No Mercy narrowly beat it to the punch. The fighting game did exactly what any good sports game should strive to do, as it encapsulated gamers who weren't previously fans of the sport.

4 FIFA 10

Header in FIFA 10

FIFA is yet another series that has received backlash in recent years. Many fans have pointed to FIFA 10 as evidence of their lack of interest with recent releases, as the 2009 release is seen as the last game that made significant improvements. This is evidenced by the fact that the game barely shows any age today, and still feels great to pick up and play.

Moreover, FIFA 10 was one of the last games to make noticeable changes to the Career Mode, as today's flagship mode Ultimate Team was still in its infancy at the time.

3 Football Manager 2012

Football Manager 2012 title image

Sports Interactive's Football Manager series has provided a convenient alternative to those who have reached the end of their tether with EA's FIFA series. As the name suggests, Football Manager differentiates itself from FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer by focusing purely on the management side of the sport.

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Unlike many of the other mentioned franchises, the Football Manager series is still considered to be making good progress today, with the latest title receiving an impressive 85 Metascore. However, Football Manager 2012 is the game that makes this list, thanks to its significant improvements to the scouting and transfer features.

2 Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!

Knockout in Punch-Out!!

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! certainly isn't the most complex or layered game on this list, though its simplicity is precisely what made it such a hit in the '80s. This factor is also what makes it enjoyable to play today.

Along with the simple yet enjoyable gameplay, Punch-Out!! is iconic for its cast of characters. Although Mario appears as the referee, it's the competitors that have the spotlight, led by memorable names and faces like Glass Joe, Bald Bull, and, of course, Mike Tyson, who is still considered to be one of the greatest final fights in gaming history.

1 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

Skating gameplay in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is currently the joint second-highest-rated game on the review aggregator site Metacritic, with an eye-watering score of 98 that has only ever been beaten by the classic Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV and Namco's SoulCalibur are the only other games to share Pro Skater 2's near-perfect rating.

The iconic skateboarding game was recently remastered as part of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, letting players experience the classic title with modern visuals.

NEXT: The 5 Best Mario Sports Games (& The 5 Worst)