10 best Football video games ever

“The Beautiful Game,” as they call it, football is more than just a game and to be honest, football video games aren’t too different either. Football video gaming has reached from a stage where gamers looked to emulate real-life action on their screens to one where the on screen action is at times better to look at. Over the years, football has undergone several advancements and so has the football gaming industry. Games like FIFA and PES hasve been a phenomenon, bringing in fans of the world’s most popular sport, involved in the game they love like never before. Here are the 10 best football video games ever.

#10 Super Mario Strikers

Super Mario + Soccer Strikes! Well, it does seem to be great but Super Mario Strikers is not a game for the faint hearted. Despite starring Nintendo’s lovable kid-friendly mascot, it is one of the most violent and brutal soccer games ever. The game mostly feels like Super Smash Bros., except on a soccer field.

Players can tackle and punch their opponents into the dirt, even if they're not in possession of the ball and there’s hardly any stopping. The gameplay is decent in terms of the fun factor, with the ‘Super Strike’ shots adding a dash of strategy to proceedings. The game also saw a sequel released in 2007 – Mario Strikers Charged.

#9 Kick Off 2

Kick Off 2 (1990) was more of an identity for the football gaming industry before the FIFA & PES games came along. It was one of the first games to incorporate proper football tactics and an accurate representation of the pitch.

Moreover, everytime a goal was scored, your in-game avatar would do star-jumps and back flips, much to the annoyance of the losing player. Kick Off 2 was released on pretty much every format going, including Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Amiga, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum, and the Nintendo NES and was widey regarded as the best football video game at that time.

#8 Virtua Striker 2

Virtua Striker was easily the most accomplished soccer franchise to hit arcade parlours until better things came into existence. Released in the year 1997, the game initially looked astonishingly realistic, much like its siblings – Virtua Fighter, Virtua Cop & Virtua Racer.

The game was very well accepted by players due to its streamlined gameplay, with controls that for long pass, short pass, shoot and tackle. Well, Virtua Striker 2 might not have been a deeply tactical experience, but it was fast and entertaining and quite definitely an engaging affair.

#7 Sensible Soccer

For footy fans growing up in the 16-bit era, Sensible Soccer was a phenomenon. It stripped the core mechanics of soccer down to their purest elements and achievied sheer bloody perfection in the process.

The game also introduced the innovative bird’s eve view which changed quite a few things altogether apart from several other additions. Released back in the year 1992, the game went on to be a huge success and is still counted as one of the best ever. In 2007, it was named one of the 1o most important games of all times in a Stanford University report for the US Library of Congress.

#6 International Superstar Soccer Pro \'98

The game came out back in 1998 at a time when realism was a dream for football gaming enthusiasts. The game has been often termed as ‘addictive,’ primarily due to the amount of realism it managed to get into the game and also due to the brillant gameplay at that time.

The game managed to reflect intense rivalry between opponents, resulting in fistfights, frayed friendships and endless hours of sledging. Moreover, the ability to play in a single match, exhibition mode or in a full season against the computer or your friends was thrilling at that time. The only drawback for the game was that the names of the players weren’t authentic and you had to spend an hour editing them if you wanted them to be correct.

#5 Football Manager 2010

Football Manager 2015 completely revolutionized the FM series with the improved graphics on the 3D pitch engine. Managing a football club hadn’t ever been so gripping and realistic until this game came into existence. Several unprecedented enhancements like the ability to shout touchline instructions for the first time during a game, made the simulation of being a manager very realistic.

Moreover, the ability to add leagues to your database via the upgraded editor also made it a stand-out in the series. The current FM games may be a lot more realistic but this version truly modernised football management games.

#4 PES 5/ World Soccer : Wiining Eleven 9

PES 5 or World Soccer : Winning Eleven 9, as it was more commonly known as, is a game that is still remembered for its game engine. The unparalleled purity of the gameplay along with its ultra realistic graphics made the game a cherishable one.

Referred to as the last best game football game from Konami befor PES 2015 came into the picture, PES 5 introduced online play for the first time ever whcih was a revolution in itself. The only problem with the game were the licenses which continue to prevail till date but that is totally insignificant.

#3 FIFA 08

FIFA 08 was a game which was kind of a revolution for football gaming. The gameplay jumped up to another level with this game along with the visibly enhanced graphics and sleek player dynamics which were far better than its predecessors.

Recognized as the first ‘next generation’ FIFA game, FIFA 08 saw the introduction of the ‘Be a Pro’ mode for the first time. Apart from that the game had 30 licensed leagues which was the highest number for any football video game till then. Ever since FIFA 08, FIFA has been on the rise which is destined to continue.

#2 Pro Evolution Soccer 2015

Until 2014, Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer was lost somewhere in the shadows due to the resounding success and popularity of the FIFA Franchise. To be critical, the PES games in recent years just weren’t upto the mark and hardly qualified as a competition for the FIFA games.

However, with PES 2015, the company is ‘almost’ back with a bang. The game has seen immense improvements in just about each and every aspect of it. A genuine competition for FIFA 15, the game has received great responses from all over the world and has been liked a lot.

#1 FIFA 15

Undoubtedly, the best football video game that has ever existed is FIFA 15. Be it the gameplay, technical advancements, visual enhancements or the reach, FIFA 15 is a game that has checked all the boxes bringing the game to life in the process.

There has been a steady growth in the realism and quality of FIFA games over the years but FIFA 15 has marked a huge leap. Football gaming hasn’t felt so good ever before and this is set to get better and better with every oncoming game of the EA Sports FIFA Franchise.