Five Best Sports Gaming Control Schemes of All Time

[RaychelSnr]

In today's world of ultra-realistic sports releases, there is nothing that can ruin a gaming experience quicker than a bad control scheme. With newer games featuring increasingly complex button layouts, it is pretty easy to become overwhelmed, even downright frustrated, when attempting to control your favorite virtual athletes.

Who has not experienced the dreaded throw-the-controller-at-the-wall syndrome brought on by a clunky controlling sports endeavor? It is times like these when I find myself dreaming about my favorite control schemes in a specific sports genre. I yearn for those special control schemes that are able to achieve a zen-like flow in my hands, making me feel like Jimmy in the blockbuster hit The Wizard.

In the history of sports gaming, I have gone hands-on with several wonderful control layouts. Of the schemes that have left favorable impressions, there are five that stand out from the rest. These fives games feature controls that set the bar for their respective genres, influenced their competition, and to this day, stand the test of time. Here are my picks for the five greatest sports video game control schemes of all time.

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[adayinthelife]

NHL 07's controls blew me away, I don't know how I ever played a hockey game with button controls before it came out..

[Kado456]

"The Good 'ol "Pure Swing System" of MVP 05 is without a doubt the best control setup for hitting it was the perfect gel of classic and progressive batting control to this day.

[Cryolemon]

Tiger Woods has got to be up there too.

[stlstudios189]

NHL, MVP and Tiger Woods for sure

[SDwinder]

Tiger Woods 09 has excellent controls on the 360. NHL 09 360 is outstanding with the controls. NBA Live 09 is more fun to play because of the control scheme and playability, even if the AI isnt as good as 2k9.

MVP 05 PC had outstanding control using the Logitech Rumblepad 2. The biggest thing that stands out to this day was the baserunning controls. I always felt I had complete intuitive control over all my baserunners, by telling which runner I had selected with the facebuttons, to run to the base selected with the D-Pad. Once a runner was selected with the facebuttons, the D-Pad gave you complete control over that runner and which base he ran to. Plus you could pre-load the runner with the D-Pad to take two or three bases, and then not worry about him. It was an ingenious design and I cannot believe having very similar controllers with the consoles, that this simple yet totally in control way to command your baserunners has not been implemented in the latest baseball games. It is such a gimme.

[WatchdogXC]

Actually, it was Start for the super punch in Mike Tyson's Punch Out!. I always loved the controls in Tecmo/Super Bowl. There was just something great about zig zagging down the field.

[SeaNNyT]

ummm...where's skate? Way better and more intuitive than punch out or T.Hawk 2.

[jsg]

Re: Five Best Sports Gaming Control Schemes of All Time

The Aki wrestling games on the Nintendo 64.

[tj1182]

I agree with MVP and Tyson's punch out. Never played those other titles.

[LetsGoPitt]

I totally agree with MVP '05. EXCEPT that it's also the main reason why I still suck at hitting in MLB '09. Going from the Pure Swing System to zone hitting is harder than I thought...

[matt8204]

Yeah, I could never go back to face button controls for a hockey game.

[teebee]

The hitting blew in the entire MVP series, instead of zone location you could just hold up and hit fly balls/HR's like mad

[ChaseB]

+1

[pontiacj]

I'm really surprised that not only did Fight Night and Skate get the snub, but they were also mentioned as needing to take cues from Punch Out and Tony Hawk.

I'm sure that some believe both games used the Right Stick for the sake of it, but in my opinion, both games peeled away the fourth wall in new and exciting ways. Both games give me a depth of gameplay, and a sense of nuance of control that not many games equal. Totally agree on the NHL and NBA games.