Stiq Figures, June 16 - 22: I miss action sports games edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter.
Between serious simulators and strap-on-your-face VR devices, video games can mimic real-world experiences pretty well. Still, it's great to have options, you know? Not everything needs to be an extensively-technical representation of reality, and that point is probably best proven if we look at the sports category for a second: remember when over-the-top, arcade-style representations of sports were about as prominent as the straight-forward Madden and NHL games?
Yeah, it reads a bit like the "back in my day" drivel, but I guess that's what it ultimately is. It's neat to see developers turn out more technically and visually-impressive sports games each year, but it's tough not to miss the Tony Hawk series' million-point combos and the full departure from reality that was the San Francisco Rush series. That sort-of lost style probably waned with the totally rad attitude that was predominant in '90s culture, it wouldn't exactly be awful if it had its turn at coming back into fashion.
It's not like lighthearted sports games are entirely extinct, but it would be nice to see a little more of the style that supported things like the JetMoto series. Settling for a new Burnout game wouldn't be too rough, either. Is there an old sports game you miss that was more focused on entertainment than roster stats? Tell us about them – maybe we'll have to track down a copy for ourselves – once you check this week's Japanese hardware sales after the break!
3DS LL: 21,459 [UP] 192
Vita: 11,937 [DOWN] 1,362
Wii U: 10,715 [DOWN] 1,534
PS4: 7,009 [DOWN] 1,386
PS3: 6,339 [DOWN] 225
3DS: 4,852 [DOWN] 456
PSP: 2,335 [DOWN] 1,990
Vita TV: 1,444 [UP] 8
Xbox 360: 214 [DOWN] 17
[Image: Midway]
