7 Best EA Sports Big Games, Ranked

During the 2000s, players were treated to one of the best eras of sports games, largely thanks to the efforts of EA Sports Big. The branch of Electronic Arts was, as the name implies, all about taking sports players know and love and taking them completely over-the-top. While you weren’t playing on the grandest stages, the arcade action was always a thrill, letting players show off their creativity with plenty of inventive moves. Unfortunately, EA Sports Big’s last game was released in 2008, as the publisher decided to move away from the label. It’s a shame we haven’t seen EA go back to these fan-favorite franchises, but they’re still some of the best sports games ever made.

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Here are the seven best EA Sports Big games.

7) FIFA Street 2

FIFA Street never quite translated as well as the NBA or NFL. That said, FIFA Street 2 got the closest to giving soccer fans their genre-defining arcade game. FIFA Street 2 switches things up by moving the camera to north-to-south, which feels more natural for the more intimate four-on-four gameplay. That unlocked more creative tricks to give FIFA Street 2 even more flair. Toss in a great career mode and the ability to unlock legends like Zico, Carlos Alberto, and Abedi Pele, and you have a solid arcade soccer game that EA has tried to replicate with Volta and Rush in modern EA Sports FC games. Sadly, neither of those modes has matched the success of FIFA Street 2.

6) NBA Street

The first NBA Street game lacks some of the polish and depth of its sequel, which I’ll be talking about in a few entries. That said, it’s still crisp arcade basketball that introduced the Gamebreaker. That mechanic can completely change a game, giving players a way to quickly get back into the competition even if they’re down a few points. EA Big also made the smart move to create street legends, giving the game even more personality. That would become a major factor for the series and developer in future games.

5) NFL Street 2

NFL Street 2 launched just a year after the first game, so there wasn’t much time to add new features. However, the developers did drop in a few key changes that improved the on-field action. The most notable of these is the new wall moves. Being able to wall jump over a defender and continue the play was a huge change, and the addition of Gamebreaker 2 added even more strategy to how you used your tools. NFL Street 2 also features a more robust character and team creator, letting you add your own style to your squad.

4) SSX Tricky

SSX Tricky saw the extra style NBA Street added to the mix and took it to another level. The colorful cast of characters set the tone, but the Uber Tricks upped the ante, letting players perform ridiculous tricks that have no basis in reality. Sure, many of the tracks are holdovers from the original SSX, but Tricky does so much so well that it felt like a completely new game. It also didn’t hurt that Tricky featured high-profile voice actors like Lucy Liu, David Arquette, and Billy Zane.

3) Def Jam Vendetta

Vendetta is not the best Def Jam game (that goes to Fight for New York); however, it is the only game published by EA Sports Big. Even if it isn’t the series at its peak, Vendetta is an exceptional fighter from AKI Corp. It doesn’t exactly fit in with the sports theme of the rest of EA Big’s catalog, but it’s good to have a little variety. If you’re a fan of games like WWF No Mercy, you’ll love Vendetta. It can feel a little button-mashy, but once you accept that, you’ll have a blast.

2) SSX 3

SSX 3 is the peak of the series, which is saying a lot for this snowboarding classic, because most of its games are, at worst, good. The open world is filled with impeccable course design, begging for you to perform gravity-defying tricks. And if you want to play it as a pure racer, SSX 3 is one of the best of the era, providing thrilling speed as you sprint down the mountain. It’s a total package that took everything players loved about SSX Tricky to another level. Fortunately, it’s also relatively easy to play thanks to a 2018 re-release on Xbox One.

1) NBA Street Volume 2

NBA Street Volume 2 isn’t just the best EA Sports Big game; it’s the best sports game of all time. Even if you don’t like basketball, you’re going to have a blast playing through this arcade masterpiece. The 3-on-3 action is near perfect, with a solid mix of showboating tricks and silky-smooth, fundamental basketball. Toss in the Gamebreaker 2 for even more strategy, and you have the best-playing arcade basketball game of all time.

It doesn’t end there either. You can unlock several NBA legends and a new selection of street legends, adding history and personality to the mix. The Be a Legend mode has you wandering the globe to create your own team of ballers and take down all comers. And don’t forget about that all-timer of a soundtrack. This is what a sports video game should look like.

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