Tuesday open thread: Which football video game was your favorite?

It’s video game week at SB Nation, and what better topic with all the time we have in quarantine. Folks are dusting off the old discs and consoles and reminiscing on what used to be. Whether that’s EA’s Madden series, the discontinued NCAA Football series, or the similarly discontinued NFL 2K series, there are many to be found on memory lane.

Question of the day: What was/is your favorite football video game?

My answer: I’m feeling nostalgic, so I’m gonna say NCAA ‘14.

It’s easy to shut down that argument—Madden has come a long ways since 2014 in their graphics, physics, and accuracy of the real game. However, as anyone who plays an EA game will tell you, it’s turning into a money grab and year to year they’re consistently failing to improve the game.

NCAA on the other hand has aged in a way that makes us appreciate its flaws. While Madden can get too competitive and lead to rage quits over minor glitches in a game of inches, NCAA gives the opportunity to bask in sheer idiocy when a quarterback launches a 40-yard behind-the-back pass to the corner of the end zone while getting sandwiched by two defensive linemen.

Those faults have made it not just a relic but a treasure, and one we value even more now that there aren’t college football games any longer. That’s just the gameplay too—NCAA always packed a quality storyline that Madden has failed to match, and taking your customized high school player all the way to the NFL was an unmatched emotional journey.

Your turn.