Bob Kollars: For me it has to be Sony's MLB: The Show. Now I'm not suggesting that franchise mode in The Show is perfect, but with the ability to see your potential "stars to be" down in the minors, it actually pushes you to want to get through a season or two to see how their involvement in the big league club will play out. Not only can you see your future potential unfold over time, you also have the ability to play as those prospects using their respective minor league club before they reach the majors, which is something very few sports games offer.

Along with having full access to your minors, you have a very detailed and realistic simulation of what happens throughout the MLB season. The game allows you to play the MLB Home Run Derby and All-Star game, and includes such features as the Rule 5 Draft and the MLB Draft as well. There are still a few things missing, and some elements are not entirely accurate or truly represent what happens in real life, but the overall package is detailed and robust -- all while maintaining a high level of immersion and fun.

Caley Roark: I'd like to agree with Bob, as MLB: The Show is the franchise mode I play the most. I think it's got a good core set of features, but misses on some aspects that make it a real joy to play.

To be honest, I've enjoyed Madden's franchise mode for the past few years. In some ways, it has moved away from a true sim and created what is essentially a sports RPG. Your players earn points for doing good things, including de facto "quest goals." Yes, despite its problems and its critics, I liked the new drive goals as they encouraged diversity in play calling and created some variety (albeit artificial) in every drive. I know this system isn't the most organic, but it is a clean and fun way to represent player development.

I also like the relocation options, though I wish they were more varied and allowed greater customization. The biggest thing missing for me is some kind of highlights show, whether visual or auditory, that we first saw two generations ago.

Chase Becotte: Before this season, and assuming Football Manager and Out of the Park Baseball are the assumed actual title holders, I would have gone MLB: The Show. However, after dipping my toe back into NBA 2K16's MyGM mode, it's hard to argue against it at this point. It's just turned into a monster in terms of the options provided to each user.

I don't actually like much about the media aspects or "storylines" that are fabricated throughout the mode, but just the core GM options and ways you can shape your franchise are really solid. Whether you want to relocate, or re-brand, or make trades or just build a new identity, there's clear ways to do all these things and many of them are a challenge to accomplish. There's so much potential here, and it seems like that development teams understands that you should embrace the minutiae of being a NBA general manager, and just try to figure out a way to make it interesting in the process.

Chris Sanner: I actually don't think there's any question that it is NBA 2K's MyGM mode. There's literally no comparison when it comes to the depth of options, management of player personalities, and the actual team management involved. Being able to do tasks like relocate, re-brand, etc. as Chase mentions above are just amazing features.

Unlike Chase I am a fan of the storylines -- as I think story is the one aspect sports games really are missing. I think the potential to have to deal with real drama between teammates and your organization is soemthing that is just under-utilized, even in NBA 2K (more on that later).

The Show is definitely second in my book, but really the menus just now came around to being good and its missing the more critical personality aspects that NBA 2K at least incorporates. Regardless, you'll find both experiences to be pretty top notch.