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As a decades-long fan of EA Sports games, I’m comfortable enough saying it’s tough to beat the classics. Nostalgia aside, they were simply entertaining, especially for their time. The selection these days can get a bit stagnant. But with the revival of College Football (formerly NCAA Football), there’s a hopeful breath of fresh air on the horizon. Early reveals of gameplay improvements are already a good sign.
All that does, though, is create a new question: what other classic titles can (and should) EA Sports reawaken? There’s no shortage of vintage games that veteran players like myself will enjoy seeing on next-gen platforms. Plus, it’s a great way to welcome new players.
Mutant League Series
Monsters and sports? What could go wrong? Well, Mutant League proves that everything can go wrong in the best ways possible.
Both Mutant League Football and Mutant League Hockey graced the sports gaming world in the early ‘90s, and they quickly became standouts. They spun traditional sports gameplay on its head. Mutated monsters roamed the earth and took up football or hockey. The field and ice respectively were a mess. You could even die during a play if you weren’t careful.
Could you imagine if EA updated these sports games? The graphic improvements alone could draw in the horror crowd. Rather than keep things too heavy, the games can easily have a dark humor-like feel. It’s a great way to pay respect to such classics while elevating them for this generation. Until then, fans can still enjoy the spiritual successor Mutant Football League made by the original creator of the iconic game.
Street Series
Football and basketball are tried and true successes in the sports gaming world. EA would do well sticking with those sports games, but it never hurts to put a spin on it like the classics did. Like Mutant League, the Street series brought something new to traditional gameplay. Gone were the usual rules in a stadium or basketball court because the streets had no rules.
NFL Street was far more aggressive than anything seen on Madden. And you needed to show off moves that would look silly if not on the streets. Style points meant everything. Same with NBA Street.
If you weren’t performing ridiculous dunks and moves, you weren’t enjoying the overall theme of the EA Sports BIG label: fun. Just pure, unfiltered fun. Returning to these titles means bringing a more lighthearted feel to the sports gaming world.
Fight Night
Let’s venture away from the usual go-to sports from EA and focus on the one that doesn’t always get its fair share in the games department: boxing. With MMA, boxing can sometimes get pushed to the wayside. EA Sports proved that it’s just as profitable and enjoyable with the release of Fight Night.
The boxing was realistic, intense, and as brutal as the real thing. It had an exciting career mode function, and it easily immersed you into the action. Fight Night Champion especially felt like it was far ahead of its time.
If EA faces any issues reviving Fight Night, it’s the inescapable comparison to UFC. Similarities are unavoidable, but anyone who wants straight-up fighting without relying on different styles or grappling can appreciate it. Plus, modern boxing is becoming even more popularized thanks to the famous YouTube matches. Perhaps now’s the best time to capitalize on that fame.
SSX Series
It’s time to pivot back to the EA Sports BIG label with the game that started it all (and one of my personal favorites): SSX. Out of the EA classics, SSX brings back some of the most epic childhood memories. Playing with my brother, laughing at all the ways you can succeed and fail at the stunts and tricks had never been more delightful.
For its time, it had plenty of awesome personalization options from choosing your character to your outfit and your board. There wasn’t much more you could ask for from a snowboarding game.
It was loud. It was in your face. And it’s something that’s hardly replicated to this day. Seeing as what would have been a spiritual successor of the game by the creator Steve Rechtschaffner fell through, now’s a solid time for EA to do something with this IP rather than just hold onto it.
EA hasn’t scored many hits with sports these past few years, but College Football aims to turn that around. Whether it will be successful is up in the air. But if things do work out well, it would be nice if they return to some of their best sports games. Maybe even revive EA Sports BIG while they’re at it. Balance out the more serious games with ones that are larger than life. It’s a nice nostalgic-filled dream. All we can do is wait to see if it’ll become a reality.
