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Editorials   Ninten-Debates: The Best Sports Developer.
- By Travis Coats [Editor In Chief]

Ninten-debates continues with this latest chapter of mind numbing arguments. With one editor short, who will win this round? Keep reading to find out...





Travis:
Ok. The best sports game developer in my humble opinion is Camelot / Nintendo. (Or Came-Tendo as I like to call them) I mean take one look at Mario Tennis, and Golf, and tell me they aren't the most fun you’ve ever had.

Neal:
Truth be told, I have to agree that the Mario Golf/ Tennis combo is a potent one. It has consumed countless hours of my life, and driven both myself, and my friends and family to new levels of creative profanity usage during multiplayer.

Travis:
Heh... you said potent.

Mike:
Oh come on, Mario this and Mario that. The Mario games are good - but not enough to warrant a 'best sports developer'. Mario Tennis was good for a rental or two in my opinion. I mean even the multiplayer wore out after a while.

Travis:
That’s twice you have doubted the glory that is Mario. Now I will beat you repeatedly with a mushroom. Have at thee!

Mike:
Mmm... mushrooms.

Neal:
Mike, are you feeling OK?

Mike:
Yeah, I'm feeling fine.

Neal:
Just wondering. Because the words "Mario Tennis" and "multiplayer wore out" came from your mouth in the same breath. That is a first for me to hear.

Mike:
I'm just saying that just because Mario is in it doesn't mean we HAVE to like it. What's next - "Mario Curling?"

Neal:
If they captured it right, it would be fine.

Travis:
That sounds rather fun actually. Donkey Kong would kick some major tail in that game.

Neal:
Look, it isn't that Mario is in those games, it's that they are so intuitive to pick up and play.

Travis:
Yeah, Mario and Co. are just the icing on the cake.

Neal:
Exactly.

Travis:
Although, I must admit the idea that they are being remade for GameCube strikes me as a quick money ploy, but it’s nothing the competition hasn’t perfected.

Neal:
Well, the same could be said of SSB: Melee.

Mike:
Here's what I think - Midway is above and beyond the best sports game developer. Why? Because they don't go on the usual sports path, and they create some of the best 'extreme' sports games I've played. Mortal Kombat, NFL Blitz, Rush - those all are some of the greatest games ever made. Not to mention NHL Hitz.

Neal:
True, but you say that Mario is played out? Blitz, Hitz, Red Card Soccer, it's the same theory just applied to different sports. I'm not saying they're bad games, because I've also logged more time on Blitz multiplayer than any sane person should. Not that I have in any way claimed sanity.

Mike:
Well, I think that's a given. I'm just saying that the Mario character is being used for pretty much everything. Now if they had "Adventures of LoLo Tennis". That would be fun. Regardless, even if Midway games get a bunch of sequels, they usually always manage to outdo the previous title.

Travis:
Midway eh? I guess Hitz was fun. But I’ve never really been big on the extreme genre. I guess whatever floats your boat.

Mike:
Yeah, whatever floats my boat is the way to go. It’s about time you admitted that. I rule!

Neal:
We'll see how bad you rule at E3, Mike. Oh, wait...

Mike:
Grrrrrrrr...

Neal:
Sorry, had to get you off that high horse of yours.

Mike:
I'm still falling.

Travis:
What about you Neal? If Midway isn’t it, and neither is Came-Tendo, then who is?

Neal:
Well, personally I’m going for the safe route and will hop on the Sega bandwagon. Soccer Slam alone would be enough for me to say Sega, but add to that an all around lineup with the 2K series, and it's a little hard to beat.

Mike:
Sega does have some good sports games, I'll admit.

Travis:
I could never be called a die-hard Sega supporter, but Soccer Slam is a damn fun game, I’ll give you that.

Mike:
If you think about it, Monkey Bowling redefines the sports genre.

Neal:
Yeah good point. The Monkey Ball mini-games were an excellent diversion from another excellent Sega game.

Travis:
You know, I still need to get Monkey Ball. That, or wait until the sequel comes out. Then I could go out and buy a pair of Monkey Balls.

Neal:
(Rimshot)

Travis:
Thank you, thank you.

Neal:
He'll be here all week, folks.

Mike:
Unfortunately.

Neal:
Anyway, If Nintendo had a more rounded lineup, I could swing my vote that way, but until they expand on the Mario Golf/Tennis/Kart and NBA Courtside, Sega has to retain my vote. Though, if Mario Soccer hits us anytime, and does it well, I may have to switch by default.

Mike:
I'll just wait until Mario Wrestling comes out. They could call it the MWF.

Neal:
Now THAT would be the Nintendo difference.