Sports Games Turning 20 In 2025

Summary

• The PSP was at its height, with both Ridge Racer and Wipeout Pure.
• Project Gotham Racing 3 offered a challenging experience with rewards for skillful play.
• Fight Night Round 2 delivered a boxing experience with revamped controls and progression systems.

Two decades ago, way back in 2005, the year was marked by racing video games that set the tone for the upcoming decades. On top of ruling the entire year, they dominated the sports genre, offering an authentic approach to competitiveness and hours of fun.

Back then, online play was only just getting its start, and beating your friends locally was still the most popular way to play. What better way to prove our skills than through sports?

10

Ridge Racer

The PlayStation Portable took the gaming industry by storm when it was released, and part of its success is due to Ridge Racer. A racing game that managed to showcase all the prowess of Sony’s portable gaming device, highlighting the graphics, performance, and immersive gameplay that could only be delivered on PSP at the time.

Powerslides, nitro, and a great soundtrack made this game a joy to play on various modes it offered, whether it was a quick one-on-one race or the world tour, a series of races. Controls were sleek for that period, enabling turning on the analog or the D-pad, making the gameplay more challenging.

9

Project Gotham Racing 3

We know what you might think: does this game have something to do with Batman? No, it doesn’t; it is a pure, full-of-tricks racing video game that holds on its own just fine. Project Gotham Racing 3 is a game that rewards feints, air time, 360s, and break-neck speeds with a system of up to 16 Kudos that, in exchange, enabled the purchase of new cars, unlocking of new tracks, and concept art. And with higher difficulty comes higher rewards.

But don’t fool yourself into thinking this is an easy game; the computer-controlled racers and course tracks are unforgiving, often penalizing even the most minor mistakes. Project Gotham Racing 3 is one of the Xbox 360’s most enjoyable racing titles, and if you still have that console stashed nearby, it is worth giving it a shot.

8

Fight Night Round 2

Building upon its previous release, Fight Night Round 2 presents one of the pinnacles of today’s near-extinct subgenre of boxing video games. Revamped controls and mechanics give a better feel to a boxing match, and improved graphics and camera angles closely resemble real-life bouts.

Becoming a unified champion in Fight Night Round 2 (meaning that you hold all the available titles) immediately unlocks all the merchandise in the store.

What adds to the players’ immersion is a system of progression, where you take control of a boxer and then use financial resources that you can invest in various sorts of development (trainer, cutman, etc.) to achieve the best path to glory. This feature, combined with the customization of characters, allows for an authentic boxing experience on now-vintage consoles such as PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

7

Wipeout Pure

Another great racing title for the PlayStation Portable came as an unorthodox representation of this genre, as Wipeout Pure abandoned the conventional norms of racing games. A plethora of powerups, combined with various mines, missiles, and rockets, make the gameplay much more complex but also much more fun.

Speed alone is not enough to win the race. Players often must strategize and use a combination of offense and defense (shields) to outsmart and outpace their opponents in their rocket-ship-like racing vehicles.

6

Gran Turismo 4

The Gran Turismo series has always been about setting the tone for the racing genre. Gran Turismo 4 was successful because it used PlayStation 2 components and HDTV graphics in ways no other game was at the time.

The idea of coupling the visual experience with the sense of feeling was achieved through Driving Force Pro. This steering wheel allowed for immersive gear, handling, and speed transmission, allowing players to experience racing games like never before on PS2.

5

NBA Street V3

Other sports games needed to take an unconventional approach to match the racing games of 2005, and this is what NBA Street V3 did. A three-on-three street basketball video game release hit the sweet spot, as the roster of players was comprised of real NBA teams, but the surroundings were different.

The GameCube version of NBA Street V3 contains Mario, Luigi, and Peach as playable characters.

Breaking ankles and dunking is as fun as ever. Only this time, you would fill the meter with these kinds of moves, which, when filled, would allow for the execution of a “game-breaker” shot that, in addition to scoring points for your team, would deduct points from opponents. Talk about making the game of basketball unconventional.

4

Burnout Revenge

While most racing games emphasized speed and maneuvering, Burnout Revenge was all about taking out the opposition. Nothing is more fun than taking your opponent by slamming him into an obstacle or another oncoming car, sending them flying for hundreds of meters.

Burnout Revenge adds to this game aspect by adding modes like Traffic Attack. The track designs add to the mayhem, all while supported by some great songs from the game’s official soundtrack (The Doors, Fall Out Boy, and The Chemical Brothers, just to name a few of the artists that appear).

3

Mario Kart DS

Could a racing-genre-dominated year pass without Mario Kart? Of course it couldn’t. Nothing speaks better to the acclaim of this series than its ongoing releases, which, no matter the repetitiveness and numerous copies, still take home the crown of best party racing game.

On the other hand, the delicate balance between racing skills, speed, numerous weapons, and power-ups has been the recipe for success for over thirty years. Mario Kart DS is no different. What makes it different is its platform, Nintendo DS, which, with its double screen, often rewards those who pay close attention to both, as helpful cues usually pop up.

2

World Soccer: Winning Eleven 8 International

Being one of the titles that was a cornerstone in the transitional phase for football (soccer, if you like) video games, World Soccer: Winning Eleven 8 International (also known as Pro Evolution Soccer 4) holds up surprisingly well. Dribbling, shots, passing, and defensive techniques are all well-rounded in this title, while the speed and versatility of players make the game even more fast-paced than its predecessor.

In addition to national teams, Konami has greatly expanded the number of leagues and teams that are available for selection in World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International.

What turned out to be the revolution in football games at the time was the different approach computer-controlled teams took each time you faced them in WE8. Some opted for a defensive strategy, others attacked in numbers or patiently waited for a counterattack opportunity. All this made different game modes provide various outcomes based on tactics you and your opponents employ.

1

Forza Motorsport

2005 was a fruitful year for sports games, particularly racing games, which was topped off by the birth of the now well-known series Forza Motorsport. The ease of progress made this title stand out, with all the drive-aids enabled and the vast choice of cars available (over 200).

Forza Motorsport is among the first racing video games to implement the “suggested line,” which highlights the best path for drivers to enter the curve and maximize aerodynamics. The line changes color from green (speed up) to yellow (slow down) and finally red (brake), and when all instructions are followed, every player feels like a professional racing driver.