If you grew up pre-2010, arcade games played a major role in your childhood. Before the rise of simulation and hyper-realistic games, we had arcade games. Fast-paced, fun, and otherworldly mechanics. Arcade sports games were known as easy-to-pick-up versions of their real-life counterparts, which increased their attractiveness significantly.
But, while most arcade sports games had pretty basic mechanics, some weren’t as simple. You could throw on a quick game and understand the mechanics, but getting good took more time. Simply put: low skill floor, higher skill ceiling. These are the games I’ll be talking about today. Whether it’s from racing, football, basketball, or other sports, I’ll be including any game from the arcade sports genre.
Arcade Sports Games With Big Learning Curves
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Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road
Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is perhaps the perfect example of what I mean by a game being easy to play, but hard to master. Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is the latest iteration in the Inazuma Eleven video game series, and was released just two months ago.
The core game surrounds the basic principles of football: keep possession of the ball, shoot to score, and defend your goal. But actually getting good at it takes a lot more practice. With every character having different stats and archetypes, forming your own team can seem like an enormous task. Not to mention synergising roles to build chemistry amongst the team.
But all this seems worth it when you play with the flashy graphics and over-the-top mechanics. Using special moves and skillsets to get the ball through the defence and into the opposing goal. Unlike games like EA FC and FIFA, you don’t have to go through the transfer window, overloaded managerial decisions, or extreme physics of tackles. Just pick up a controller and dive right in.
Mario Strikers: Battle League
If the arcade sports genre needed good representation, this is it. The cover for Mario Strikers: Battle League perfectly sums up what arcade sports games are all about. Fictional characters, insanely cartoonish graphics, and a major sport to bind it all together. Mario Strikers: Battle League is a sports/action game that was released back in 2022 by Nintendo.
The game features the cast of Mario (Bruiser, Luigi, Princess Peach, etc) battling it out on the pitch to gain supremacy. It follows the rules of street soccer, meaning no penalties or fouls, so go crazy with those tackles. Players are matched into teams of 4 with five characters per team (4 players and a goalie). Items and special moves are included to make the game more interesting.
Similar to Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, the game is straightforward to learn. Synergy doesn’t play a big part here, since each player only controls their character. It also has an online Strikers Club mode that allows players to host and compete against other clubs to see who comes out on top. All the flashy abilities and underhanded tactics are what make the game enjoyable, but also add a layer of complexity to the gameplay. Definitely make sure to check it out.
NBA Street Vol. 3
Here’s one for all the older gamers here: NBA Street Vol. 3. This is one of the oldest games on the list since it was released way back in 2005. The interesting part is that it’s still going strong today. NBA Street Vol. 3 has a 9.4 rating on IGN and 89% from Metacritic, both figures deserving of praise. The game is based on street basketball rules, but includes notable figures like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
Some would argue that this game falls awfully close to simulation games with real-life players included, but since it uses street basketball rules, I’ll allow it. Each game has 3 players per team with no out-of-bounds, fouls, or game clock. The game ends when one team reaches 21 points. Each shot from within the three-point radius counts for one, while a shot from beyond it counts for 2.
There are also several additional mechanics, such as Gamebreakers. You can play with different rules, will have a selection from 12 courts, and are free to try out different game modes. NBA Street Vol. 3 might seem easy at first, but as you keep playing, you’ll realise the skill ceiling is actually quite high.
Rocket League
The final place on today’s list goes to Rocket League. Now, I don’t think anyone’s going to argue with me on this: Rocket League is one of the hardest arcade sports games out there today. It has amassed a massive playerbase and holds regular competitions as well. What do you need to do in it? Just push the ball into the opposing goal. Seems easy enough. Just that you’re a car, the goal is 10ft off the ground, and the ball is in the air for 95% of the game.
A bit about Rocket League itself, though. The game was launched in 2015 by Psyonix and is widely played on consoles, PC, and even mobile. You wouldn’t classify it as a racing game, even though the main characters are cars, but closer to a football arcade game. Not your typical football game, I know. You’re split into teams of two, and you need to work together to bounce the ball into the opposing goal.
Unlike the other 3 entries here, Rocket League is not, by any means, an easy game to get into. It has a moderate skill floor that does require practice getting used to. This isn’t because of the game mechanics, but simply how unique the movement is. You’re on four wheels, and you need to position and launch yourself into the air to hit the ball.
As you gain experience, you can perform various tricks and complex combos to manipulate the ball better. Rocket League is definitely something everyone should try to see if it fits their taste.
