Sports video games often get a bad rap for the tendency to recycle most of the same game every year with little more than a roster update and perhaps a new mode to attempt to justify the accompanying sixty dollar price tag. What people often forget is the high quality that usually comes with big-name sports games.

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Not every sport has produced high-quality titles yet; sports such as handball, lacrosse, rugby, and cricket have yet to prove that they can sell video games. But for the sports that do sell, plenty of money and developmental effort has clearly been put into improving the games. For this list, we'll only include the top entry from each franchise.

10 NCAA Football 11- Xbox 360 (86)

One of the last editions to the beloved college football franchise, NCAA Football 11 featured popular Florida Gators quarterback and pop culture phenomenon Tim Tebow on the cover. The only American football game to make this list, NCAA Football added several features to enhance realism and improved the popular Dynasty Mode.

Part of what made the NCAA Football games so great was the ability to choose from so many teams and either continue the transcendent legacy of powerhouses or turn the fortunes of struggling teams. In addition, it served as the only real competition of Madden, even though both franchises were developed by EA and NCAA rarely saw the developmental attention its counterpart did.

9 Fight Night Champion- Xbox 360 (86)

Individual sports such as boxing are often forgotten about by non-fans whenever there is not a potentially legendary matchup or the latest edition of the Rocky franchise. Yet despite the somewhat niche appeal, Fight Night Champion can serve as fantastic entertainment to both the fanatics and the uninitiated.

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Fight Night Champion shined by bucking the trend of mediocre storytelling in sports video games. The career mode received wide praise from reviewers, setting the bar for the style of play. Champion ranks as one of the best boxing games of all time.

8 UFC Undisputed 3- PS3 (86)

ufc 4 head kick brock lesner

UFC Undisputed 3 is not the easiest sports simulator for novices of fighting games to learn. But for those familiar with the octagon, Undisputed offers MMA fans one of the best gaming experiences available. In fact, almost anyone willing to learn will find this to be an exciting chance to spar with worthy opponents.

Most sports games are tailored to entertain fans of the particular sport depicted. UFC does this, of course, but proves capable of drawing in non-fighting fans as well with its quality combat.

7 Pro Evolution Soccer 2016- PS4 and Xbox One (87)

The FIFA franchise may have more name recognition and the official license of hundreds of association football, but don't let that fool you into thinking that Pro Evolution Soccer is lesser in quality. Many soccer fans believe that PES is the superior franchise solely based on the actual gameplay mechanics, making up for the fact that Konami has failed to secure a license for some of the biggest leagues in the world.

After languishing for several years in FIFA's shadow, PES 2016 marked the renewal of the rivalry between the two series. PES provides hope for other smaller franchises, such as NBA Live and Super Mega Baseball, that they can find a consistent place with gamers alongside the marquee sports series.

6  Super Mega Baseball 2: Ultimate Edition- Switch (87)

Unlike most games on this list, Super Mega Baseball lacks an official license for any league associated with its sport. The indie production toes the line between being a simulator and an arcade-style title and unquestionably ranks as the best baseball video game on the Xbox One and Switch.

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Part of the appeal of Super Mega Baseball is the lack of baseball alternatives on two of the three major console markets. With the impending expansion of MLB: The Show to other platforms, look for Super Mega Baseball to find a way to distinguish itself from the higher budget competition.

5 NHL 11- PS3 and Xbox 360 (88)

Hockey may not have the same immense popularity as basketball, baseball, American football, or soccer, but the NHL series remains one of the best sports sims on the market. Despite the smaller fanbase for the sport, NHL proved dominant over its NHL 2K counterpart, cementing itself as the definitive hockey game available for purchase.

While sports games are notorious for slow changes to gameplay, NHL 11 distinguished itself with a new engine, putting itself in the discussion for the best hockey game of all time.

4 FIFA Soccer 12- PS3 and Xbox 360 (90)

Fans of the sport are lucky to have two superb franchises to choose from. For those who care deeply about being faithful to reality, FIFA features perhaps the most comprehensive licenses in sports gaming, with dozens of leagues and national teams for players to choose from.

In addition to the fantastic licenses, FIFA has been one of the leading sports franchises in nontraditional modes such as Ultimate Team, which bases itself on collecting athlete's cards to improve your roster. If the bells and whistles of a game are just as important to you as the core gameplay, FIFA is a fantastic option.

3 NBA 2K13- PS3 and 2K17- Xbox One (90)

As the popularity of basketball and the NBA have grown in recent years, 2K has unquestionably led the pack. College basketball games are firmly a thing of the past due to problems with payment of athletes, arcade titles like NBA Jam and Playgrounds (the latter has since been acquired by 2K) fill a niche market, and NBA Live will skip adding an entry at least one year for the third time this decade.

NBA 2K has proven so successful because of its aggressive stance towards improvement. While sports video games are often accused of complacency and being little more than roster updates, 2K has added features, such as a story within the career mode, that have become standard practice among AAA sports games.

2 MLB 10: The Show- PS3 (91)

PlayStation's killer app for baseball fans, The Show came into the last decade swinging. The Show shut out 2K's rival series early in the decade, eliminating one of the few franchises with the finances to create a viable competitor in the realistic baseball simulator market. 2K eventually abandoned the license, leaving its final entry to be torn apart by reviewers (2K13 rests at 48 on Metacritic).

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While other series would be content to rest on their laurels with so little serious competition, The Show has only improved, even if their changes have not resulted in as high of a score as their zenith to start the 2010's.

1 Out of the Park Baseball 17- PC (92)

One of the few baseball games that can hold a candle to The ShowOut of the Park is a completely different type of simulator. While The Show and most other games on this list attempt to put the player in the shoes of the professional athletes, OOTP is a text based management simulator designed for PC.

Although you may not be able to participate in the game in the same way that you can in The ShowOut of the Park Baseball is the gold standard for gamers who dream of running a professional sports franchise.

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