As competitive as real-life sports are, video games based on sports are just as popular as the sports they are based on. From the likes of Madden to compilation games like Wii Sports, if there is a sport out there then chances are there has been a video game based on it at some point in the past.

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While the likes of NBA 2K and MLB: The Show have been going strong, there are a plethora of sports games franchises that still have fans anxiously waiting for any news of a possible new release of some kind. Some dormant franchises with a confirmed sequel and/or reboot of development, like with Skate and NCAA Football, and as such are not included.

10 Backyard Sports Series

If you were a kid and owned a computer in the late 90s and early 2000s, chances are you played at least one of the Backyard Sports games. The games featured kids, each with their own attributes and strengths, competing against one another in different sports across different locales. It was fun and it had a lot of charm to it that made it a solid series.

The series though has been M.I.A though possibly due to publishers having a stranglehold on sports licensing which the later games relied on greatly. This is a shame too since kids these days will never know the greatness of Pablo Sanchez, arguably the best character to pick for a team.

9 The Street Series

The Street series was an arcade-like series of sports games that reimagined players of different sports leagues, namely the NFL, NBA, and even FIFA, that reimagined those players as guys playing a game on an everyday street.

Published by EA Sports Big, the series was fun, full of odd guest appearances, such as rapper Xzibit in NFL Street 2, and appealed even to those who were uninterested in sports games. With a lack of sillier and goofier sports games these days, now would be a good time to bring that back.

8 NFL Blitz Series

Speaking of over-the-top sports games, when it comes to over-the-top football games, people will often think of the NFL Blitz series. Unlike Madden, Blitz drastically simplified things and even let you do just about whatever you wanted on a football field - get ready for some over-the-top moves.

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With Madden appealing to strategists and still needing some fixes of its own, there is an untapped market for those just wanting to let loose and not overthink things. A new NFL Blitz could do just that.

7 MLB 2K Series

Before MLB: The Show became the dominant MLB game, of which once competed with the MLB 2K series. Think what 2K did with the NBA, but it did just that for the MLB. While it may not have been as good as the show, it did show signs of greatness, including an in-depth franchise mode and some fun game modes to play with friends.

The series was discontinued after the release of MLB 2K13, with the passage of time though, perhaps it's time to give this series a revival.

6 Fight Night Series

Previously known as Knockout Kings, Fight Night has really been the only boxing game based on the actual sports and did a solid job in not only depicting what makes the sport so beloved but also its brutality. It also appeals to both older and newer boxing fans by having some of the best boxers of all time playable, along with some of today's best.

The most recent entry, Fight Night Champion, received near-universal acclaim too, with its darker tone and sensational story, called Champion mode - which makes it all the more surprising we haven't seen a new entry since.

5 NFL 2K Series

Remember when Madden wasn't the only main football game around? Almost two decades ago, 2K gave Madden a run for its money with the NFL 2K series and arguably did a better job than Madden at realistically portraying football.

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Players move and have a weight to them that does not feel too far from the real thing, but what really makes the games special are the different game modes. You can build your own dream team and compete against other celebrities' teams, and it even lets you recreate classic NFL moments such as the Ice Bowl.

4 College Hoops 2K Series

Ever imagine what NBA 2k would be like if it was set in the intensity of college football all the time? Well, College Hoops 2k was just that, and so much more. The last game of the series, College Hoops 2k8, showed us just what 2k could do with the license, had it kept going.

It featured over 300 Division I NCAA teams, a customizable roster, and Legacy mode which let you build up lower-ranked teams into a college hoops powerhouse, and let you recruit players from high schools and junior colleges. A lot could be done with the game and a new entry would surely blow people's minds.

3 SSX Series

A lot of snowboarding games have made for some solid video games, but the undisputed king of snowboarding games is, without a doubt, the SSX series. With its arcade-like gameplay, unique and original characters, great soundtracks, and uber tricks, few games have been able to get as broad an appeal as what SSX had.

With Ubisoft having Steep and the upcoming Riders Republic under its belt, EA should revive the series to compete with it. After all, we saw what a modern SSX game would be like with the 2012 release, which showed that the series could still be great while changing things up.

2 NBA Jam Series

In terms of true arcade-like sports, few have managed to receive the level of popularity that NBA Jam had. NBA Jam pitted your choice of any two players from one of the NBA teams against another duo as you duked it out on the court.

Not afraid to have a little fun at the expense of realism, the game lets you hit gravity-defying dunks and play as some truly odd special characters while doing it. Did you know you could play as Bill and Hillary Clinton in one of the games? With modern graphics and NBA players continuing to change the game, it would be fun to see how they would do in an NBA Jam type of environment.

1 Punch-Out Series

A boxing game and a sports game like few others. Even decades after the release of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out on the NES, it still remains one of the best sports games of all time. In Punch-Out you play as underdog boxer Little Mac as he tries to become the World Champion of the fictional World Video Boxing Association (WVBA).

Mac takes on a number of different opponents that seemingly get zanier than the last. Figuring out the tricks to taking down each boxer effectively added a strategy element to the game that really makes you think fights out. Despite Little Mac appearing in Super Smash Bros., there hasn't been a new game since 2009. Punch-Out has definitely been long overdue for a sequel and revival.

Next: The Best Arcade Sports Games Ever, Ranked