Sports games make up some of the biggest series in the industry. Most have licenses with professional sports organizations, allowing you to harness the likenesses of real teams and players. Many of you buy the latest versions yearly to get roster updates, even if the core gameplay mostly stays the same.
Unlicensed sports video games may seem at a disadvantage as a result, but they can sometimes provide unique gaming experiences without a hefty licensing fee having to be paid. Typically, indie developers play a large hand in these, foregoing the yearly launches of bigger companies in favor of polished games that warrant a purchase.
8 Axis Football
If Madden has you bummed out about the state of football games, there is another. Axis Football has been slowly improving through the years, becoming something you should pay attention to. Sure, there is no NFL license, and the glitz and glam of Madden aren't in the game, but fans will tell you that this is one of the most true-to-life football games you can play.
There are also many customizable options, something Madden has lost its way on. Sure, there are some glitches, but Axis Football is both an affordable and valiant effort.
7 Saturday Night Slam Masters
This was the game to play if you were in the arcades in 1993, as we're not sure if pro wrestling games have gotten any better. This Capcom classic has a colorful roster of wrestlers who will be very familiar if you were a fan of major wrestling IPs of the time.
The controls are simple yet well done, as you can grapple, attack or jump. Like other fighting games, you can wear down an opponent's life meter and then try to perform a three-second pin. There are one-on-one and two-on-two matches, which ate up countless quarters without earning the attention of the WWE.
6 Super Mega Baseball 3
There is a bit of a war between the many MLB-licensed titles that launch, but one game lurks in the wings that could be better than them all. Metalhead Software's Super Mega Baseball series is fun. While it doesn't have Fenway Park or Aaron Judge, it has excellent gameplay that represents baseball and an engaging art style.
This series has had three titles, all without an inkling of big-league support. It fills the gap of an arcade experience that doesn't feel cheap, while MLB: The Show can bog you down with all the minute details of the national pastime. Despite being in the minor leagues, Super Mega Baseball is of Major League quality.
5 Blitz: The League
The evolution of the Blitz series is sad, since it had its NFL license ripped away from it unceremoniously. Midway's NFL Blitz was an arcade hit, while the home console ports of the game were a must-play back in the 1990s. By 2005, however, EA Sports had gained the exclusive rights to make an NFL football game, and Blitz had to pick up the pieces.
Blitz: The League brought the hard-hitting football title to the next generation of consoles. It also added a fantastic story mode and had online play. It was a worthy continuation of the Blitz series, even if you could no longer play as your favorite NFL squad.
4 Mutant Football League
Why don't you lean into the skid if you don't have an NFL license? Mutant Football League replaces football players with horror-movie equivalents. This game is in the same vein as NFL Blitz but adds a degree of "for adults" that is weirdly jolting and refreshing.
Digital Dreams Entertainment also went as far as spoofing the names of real-life players and teams. You could spend 60 dollars taking your beloved Seahawks to the Super Bowl in Madden, or cracking some skulls and ripping off limbs in Mutant Football League.
3 eFootball Series
FIFA has become a powerhouse with the licensing of thousands of players and hundreds of teams. It has sucked up a lot of oxygen in the soccer video game universe, but the ISS/Pro Evolution Soccer and now eFootball series are undaunted.
While the latest eFootball entry has been panned, for years the Pro Evolution Soccer series was beloved by fans who would often download files that would import all the FIFA-licensed teams into their game. Now, the Konami brand is beginning to make up ground, snatching up some club team and league licenses. While less extensive than FIFA, it's an exciting video game brand battle to watch.
2 All-Pro Football 2K8
The 2K NFL football games were awesome, but with the NFL rights being taken away and given solely to EA Sports, 2K Sports had to get creative and did just that. There was no NFL license, but you were probably more thrilled that the beloved 2K football gameplay was still available.
The hundreds of retired NFL players in the game helped too. This is still considered one of the better football games out there, but that is because we're still pining for new 2K football games that once set the Dreamcast on fire.
1 Blades Of Steel
Blades of Steel was such a good unlicensed game that it eventually got the NHL license. The praised gameplay and advanced voice samples made this a memorable title for the NES.
Konami made the gameplay speedy — like playing on ice — and added in fighting. Many kids remember this title growing up which is why the series got brought back later in life on the N64, Game Boy, and PlayStation. Those new entries, however, were widely panned, despite finally getting that NHL license.