Top 10 CRAZIEST Sports Games

#10: “Mutant League Football” (1993)

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It takes a certain type of individual to step on the gridiron to take some gnarly hits. Mutant League takes that abuse to 11 and then tries its best to push past that. Set in a post-apocalyptic future where the world’s population has been transformed into mutants, football has become a death sport. Instead of grass or turf, teams like the Monsters and the Slashers must contend with harsher fields of play made of ice, rubber, and toxic waste. Each field also contains several death traps and even the refs can be bought off to gain an advantage of a bogus penalty. The game proved so successful it spawned an equally gruesome hockey spin-off.

#9: “NHL Hitz 2002” (2002)

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Speaking of spin-offs, NHL Hitz 2002 took the stripped down, aggressive gameplay of NFL Blitz and applied it to professional hockey. Playing 4-on-4 match-ups, goalies included, players can fight their opponents and cause them to be permanently ejected from the game. Should players score three goals in a row, they become “on fire” where they become even more formidable. Should this hat trick of scores be done by three assist scores called one-timers, the whole team gets lit up. Without injuries and fewer penalties and players to manage, the hits kept coming with two sequels.

#8: “NBA Street” series (2002-07)

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Putting more emphasis on an urban flavor, the stars of the National Basketball Association are taken from the court to the concrete for 3-on-3 street ball. While not the craziest offering on our countdown, in-depth realism has been pushed to the side for gameplay with swagger. With the series signature gamebreaker meter, players can do flashy dunks and use defensive and evasive skills. The series also offers options to create and customize players and, in Street V3, entire basketball courts. Throw in some entertaining commentary and this game is a slam-dunk.

The game that takes a simple game of frisbee, throws in some tennis for good measure and then takes it to the extreme. Six unique characters from across the world compete in 1-on-1 matches on six different styles of terrain. The disc used can ricochet off walls and be powered by special energy from the thrower. Three to five points can be scored if the disc hits the opponent’s goal with two points gained if the thrower fails to catch the disc if it’s tossed up. Fast-paced, fluorescent, and totally radical, Windjammers puts the ultimate in ultimate frisbee.

Set in an alternate version of the Warhammer universe and based on a board game of the same name, Blood Bowl takes football and sets it in a mystical fantasy world. With three games under its belt, the series provides a turn-based spin on a genre usually played fully in real time. Teams are comprised of the various races in Warhammer including the verminous Skaven, various classes of Elves, and Humans if you’re into that sort of thing. As implied by the title, buckets of blood are spilled as players can be horribly injured or even killed. A team can annihilate their opponents and still take the win giving sudden death a whole new meaning.

#5: “Super Mario Strikers” (2005)

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When Mario gets together with his friends and enemies in the Mushroom Kingdom to play ball, any sport they do will usually be pretty crazy. What sets Strikers apart, however, is it’s unique spin on the beautiful game. With fun gameplay, awesome cutscenes and amazing super strikes done by the team captains, this soccer stand-out brought more attitude than Mario fans are used and it paid off. If Nintendo sought to make an insanely entertaining sports game, then they defiantly scored that hard-earned goal.

#4: “SSX Tricky” (2001)

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Arguably the peak of the SSX series, this second installment takes the extreme snowboarding aspect of the first game and ups the ante. Tricky saw the addition of the Ubertrick system that offers up a temporary speed boost in exchange for insane, often gravity defying stunts. Returning characters also developed over the top personalities with some even being voiced by celebrities like Lucy Liu, David Arquette, and Billy Zane. While many of the early SSX titles would be right at home with this list’s madness, SSX Tricky rocked and was right on time.

#3: “NFL Blitz” (1997)

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While the Madden series shows what the National Football League can be as a near perfect simulation, this Midway classic pretty much was the opposite. Along with having the extra point after the touchdown as an automatic feature, Blitz had quick and less restrictive gameplay with an emphasis on knocking the opponent’s block off. The defense can careen into the ball handler with sheer force, and even leg drop downed players with no penalties to slow down the action. Add in those classic codes to make the game even crazier, the reception for Blitz was nothing short of a touchdown.

#2: “NBA Jam” (1993)

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Boomshakalaka! Midway’s first endeavor with a real sports league, NBA Jam, like Blitz and Hitz afterward, contained condensed and streamlined gameplay. Playing 2-on-2 games on the hardwood, the game featured over the top dunks, the ability to set the ball on fire after three consecutive dunks, and no penalties ever. All of this happens before the game’s cheat codes amps up the insanity even further. From boosting player abilities to dunking from anywhere to playing hidden characters like the Fresh Prince and Mortal Kombat's Scorpion, each code is zanier than the last. Be it the ballin’ b-ball or the razzle-dazzle, this game invites players to slam and welcome to the jam.

#1: “Rocket League” (2015)

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This number one proves that on occasion the second time is the charm. The sequel to the little-known “Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars”, Rocket League took its predecessor’s concept by playing soccer with rocket-powered battle-cars and a gigantic metal ball and improved it in every way. The games description alone is a little bit out there, but then these cars can be outfitted with over the top power-ups and various hats. The color and dynamic visuals also do well to highlight the insanity, including the ball blowing up in a puff of smoke once a goal is scored. With its unique concept and presentation, this surreal soccer sim is in a league of its own.