When I worked at Electronic Arts, one of my favorite things that I worked on was NFL Street. This was the first time our studio, EA Tiburon, had the opportunity to really branch out from straight simulation sports games. And thinking back on it, I realized how many EA Sports Big titles that released ended up being some of my favorite gaming memories from my time in the industry.
This video has been a long time coming - so let's get to it and rank every EA Sports Big video game that released, between 2000-2008...with two special dispensations made for games that released after the brand was sent out to pasture.
Thanks to AKA_The_Frankman and RadicalPlayerPSN for footage of NFL Tour and SSX 2012!
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NFL Tour effectively killed that series. Took something that felt like a pickup game and made it feel... I guess the word I would use is "corporate". Like it was completely developed in a board room with the question "what do kids think is cool, and how can we get as many sponsors involved?".
I'm pinning this comment. You absolutely nailed it. Thank you for watching!!
Yeah cause dropping 2 nfl streets in a year didn’t feel corporate lmao. Nostalgia is the main difference in some of the games being better than newer ones. Shocked no one ever thinks about this while rating video games
Yo, no doubt that nostalgia plays a part - I said as much in this video. But NFL Tour is hot garbage, my guy. That game is shit.
@@SquarePegs What do you think about NFL 2K returning making an arcade Football game?
@@Raiders-wm5kb What do I think? I'd pay money for that day one. NFL 2K is easily the best football series of the past 20 years.
I love these PS2-XBOX-Gamecube era titles that aren't infected with DLC, everything is unlockable through play.
That was EVERY GAME before the PS3/360 gen. You must be young.
I agree with this. It was a lot better. But logistically, you would sell the unlocks too if you knew you could make absolute bank off of it. Or if the company funding your game made you.
I said this to guy I work with the other day I'm 31 he's 22. I'm like man back in the day everything was on the disc you just had to do certain things to unlock certain modes,characters, venues etc. Now they give us intentionally unfinished games that they then sell us later down the road. Really miss those grinding day versus all the pay to win season pass stuff
That pick up and play game style was the best
I agree with that logic !
We were definately spoiled in what EA Big was bringing to the gaming community back then! I would love to see companies take chances like these once again.
I still have memories of setting the TV brightness low and playing on mute at night when I would play SSX good times
the gaming industry as a whole was super experimental in the late 90s-00’s. i miss when every game franchise was very different from each other.
We were spoiled with every thing back then these kids these days got it bad lmao
@@udokee7409 Even toys got so trash
I would argue that we weren't spoiled back then, we're just starved for games that have actual spirit and love in them now. EA used to have a passionate dev team that genuinely cared about making their yearly installment games better, and more depthy than the last. Then, Ultimate Team happened. And that, kids, is how EA went from an industry titan, to a laughing stock that doesn't know how to make new games. Just new ultimate team cards.
NBA Street vol. 2 is an absolute classic! Grew up on that masterpiece
My favorite in the series, by far shot.
An absolute masterpiece
Same
I literally have this game on display in my man cave….and Def Jam Vendetta lol
Hard difficulty on that game was a challenge 💪😎
Arcade-style sports games like these and Tony Hawk's need a huge comeback.
I honestly thought when we got the THPS 1&2 release a couple years ago we were about to see the return of these over the top sports games and then just...nothing happened. Super disappointing.
AND done RIGHT!
There are good indie sports games out there, but I fear the licensed stuff will never go back
Gaming gone corporate😊😊
Freekstyle was one of the most underrated dirt bike game of all time. Loved every minute spent playing it
The trick system in that game with probably never be matched.
Can’t agree more on this one! I just found this gem in storage a few months back and it was so much fun to relive!
Game was goated. Loved it and I wasn't familiar with Motorcross games at all but this game introduced me to it.
So hard to find a working copy these days 😢
i loved that game i probably still have it somewhere 😂
NBA Street Vol. 2 - the best there ever was. With all the legends, superstars and gamebreakers, absolutely loved it.
It's legit the GOAT.
This
Nba ballers is tied with street vol 2 as the legends in street ball games
SSX3 is probably the most important game to me. It gave me everything i loved about tricky and more. Expanded my tastes in music and was the first game i really wanted to get good at. I love it so much.
That's such an underrated aspect of these games - the MUSIC. So many talented artists that were either megastars already or on the cusp of blowing up got introduced in the BIG titles. SSX 3 is one of the GOATs in that regard!
The soundtrack was one of them. The creativity that this game have is astounding. The unrealistic snowboarding tricks you can pull off that isnt realistically possible, with each and every peaks you go through gets difficult and chaotic, with 3 ways you can advance through the mountain (by racing, tricks, or earning enough cash) and the ability to pull off normal and uber tricks while also purchasing and buying some more tricks meaning that you can customize your own tricks. (They are also required if you want to pull off monster tricks) and even though the gear customizing isnt anything special, it is kind of fun to customize your characters whatever you like. Istg this is THE BEST snowboarding game EVER RELEASED. And that really says a lot since i was playing this since i was 7 or 8. And im especially glad that it got the transition to XBOX one. Nothing can ever come that close to topping ssx3 really. Everything is there, its quite a perfect game to enjoy. Hat tip to you sir.
SSX 3 is my favourite game of all time. Every time I play it I’m blissfully and truly happy and no other game ever gives me the same feeling
@@hunterbeatbilly9836SSX just traslated that arcade style xtreme sport gameplay from the Tony Hawk games better than Activision did with their own snowboarding title
The soundtrack was so fire the combos so fun
The EA Big Series was a fantastic moment in gaming. Very fun times! A few points: You undersold NFL Street, the game is S tier, and I still play it till this day. (Part of the holy trilogy: Super Tecmo Bowl, NFL Blitz 2003, and NFL Street.) NBA Street doesn't age as well as you learn to dribble a lot to build up your meter. (Also Double Game Breakers hurt both NFL Street 3 and NFL Street 2.) Final note, you actually have to play Def Jam Vendetta and Def Jam New York in order. Def Jam New York's story line picks up EXACTLY where Vedetta leaves off, and the story is actually good.
blitz 2003 is the best nfl ever
Def Jam Fight For NY was EA Games. EA Big wasn’t on that title.
@@bigdawg3429 I don't that really matters since we both know it's an over the top sports game, hence, it's an "EA Big" title in everything but name. (EA Big is just a label, the people that worked there weren't fired just because they stopped making "EA BIG" games.)
@@KemocloutThat game was not EA Sports BIG game
NFL Street 2 is my favorite football game of all time. Also there’s a group project bringing back the NFL Street 2 online servers so I’m definitely gonna be playing that a lot like I used to back in the day lol!
I hope they bring them back entirely.
Great video. I think its a shame we dont see more games like these anymore. Everything is either a AAA game that takes 5+ years to make or a small indie game. I feel like the PS2/Xbox/GC and PS3/360 eras were the golden age of gaming. It was all about fun stuff like this.
Yup it’s almost like people forgot games were meant to be just that, games.. the wackyness of the ps2/xbox/gamecube era was what made these titles so fun and why we still go back to them
God I miss this era of games. We were so spoiled! I miss this quality of games being released consistently.
Me too, man. Right there with you.
nba street vol.2 and ssx3 are the best games on this list. absolute classics
Street Vol 2 is my favorite game of all-time. That intro just brings up so much nostalgia it almost makes me cry when I boot it up today. It aged so damn well to me. Just a legendary game and wish we could get a remaster. Like don't change anything, add any new players just give us the same experience from 2003 with slightly polished graphics and add online to it.
I'd love for that to happen.
You were def apart of history. Thank you for helping to make these classics
Thank you for playing them!
While I agree nfl Street 2 should have came out a year or 2 later. It also had an extra create mode, along with the extra teams to be unlocked. And they added those wall moves which were a game changer. And its tied for Street Homecourt as my favorite of the whole series
Honestly NFL Street 2 getting a B- is heresy
@@andrewhunter3724 agreed with you. For my money it's right up there at the tip top of the pyramid
@@andrewhunter3724I agree. I think NFL Street 2 is nearly objectively perfect. Thousands of hours in it with my friends. I enjoyed Street 1 and 3, but 1 felt a little lacking, and 3 felt too bogged down with new stuff.
I miss games having this really fun arcade-style. They're not games you play 5+ hours a day, but you can pick them up and kill an hour or 2 and just have a good time.
Amen, man. There's so much lost now by having to sink hours upon hours into a game just to make a dent in progress. I loved arcade experiences like this where I could just hop in, play a couple of games for that quick dopamine burst, and then go about my day. Thanks so much for watching!
they're games you cannot play for 5 hours... Lmao some of us were sitting and gaming nonstop for at least 12 hours brother
@@SquarePegs could you imagine if all of ea big games where remastered & how good will that be if ea announced it
They do this cause people will drop money for half assed games but it looks pretty and sucks you into this long dragged out process they make a few games a year throwing money into these repetitive games simple minded people keep buying. Every year it’s a buggy glitchy rushed game that’s why I throw money into my old game collection I have no interest in this new bullshit
Fifa street 2 is absolutely amazing, I have many great memories of playing it with my friends back in the day. And I've gotta say, Ronaldinho was a beast!
I partied my first two years of college. I promised myself I wouldn’t miss a class for my final two years. I was achieving that goal until I got my hands on NBA Street. I couldn’t put that game down! I kept my promise to myself by walking into class and walking out after 15 minutes.
I really miss those Ea Big days. Booting up the ps2 with some friends, play fifa street, ssx on tour or downhill dominator, guitar hero, all the fun in the world
SSX3 is ingrained into my childhood. As a kid, I always thought it was amazing to be able to ride down the entire peak seamlessly. Btw, you mentioned you worked on NASCAR 2005, and that is another all time classic for me. The career mode was excellent, prob my favorite racing game growing up. You and your team did such a good job!!
Thank you so much! The development team was incredibly passionate about NASCAR, and they were really striving to make something great with Chase for the Cup. I think we made something pretty special, and it was a great game to have in test with a wonderful team that worked really hard on it. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for playing it!
I had Freekstyle as a kid on my ps2 and I actually have some positive memories playing it! Looking back it's incredibly early 2000s aesthetic is hilarious and I probably wouldn't enjoy it now, but at the time it entertained kid me.
It's very much the game that screams 2000 the most on this list! It's still got its charms though, I'll say that! Thanks for watching! :)
It's cool to hear about your personal experiences and memories working on and enjoying some of these games. EA Sports Big has certainly had an impact on my gaming life as NBA Street 2 And SSX 3 are legit two of my favorite video games of all-time. Love your channel.
Thank you so much!
I put countless hours into NBA Street vol. 2 and SSX 3. SSX 3 has a really special place in my heart and I wish that franchise never died. It was awesome hearing you reminisce over your time working at EA. Reqlly wnjoyes this vid. Thanks for putting it out there
SSX Tricky and NFL Street were two of my favorite games as a kid back in the early 2000s
Great games to have on the favorites list!
I absolutely love this video. These games are my childhood. NFL Street 2 & DJFFNY are 2 of my fav all times sports & fighting games. Great to know you worked on some of these BIG titles. Thanks for the video. EA Sports... BIGGG
Thank you so much for checking it out! I appreciate you taking the time to watch the video. :)
Freekstyle is one of the hardest racing games I've ever played. If you mess up once or don't know all of the shortcuts, you will NOT get 1st place. The rubberband AI is ridiculous and you need to get 1st to advance to the next course. I really wished it was the BMX version of SSX but it's got issues. The NBA Street series was basically a love letter to NBA Jam fans and is what put EA Sports Big on the map for many people as you say. Why wasn't Sled Storm on the PS2 called Sled Storm 2? Where they trying to start over? The original PS1 game sold enough to make GH so it seems odd they wouldn't call it 2 if it's a sequel. SSX Tricky is the best snowboarding game ever made even though I prefer the original slightly more. I disagree that SSX 3 is better. They did away with the linear race tracks and made it more open ended and because of that it feels more generic. It didn't have the same flair as the two previous games. There are some things I still like about it like the Big Air half pipe competitions where you get some crazy air time. The other issue with the 360/PS3 gen EA Sports Big games is that they run at around 30FPS which takes away from the smooth 60FPS arcade style gameplay. Fun video. I hope arcade style games make a comeback someday.
I was significantly disappointed with Sled Storm on the PS2. I'm glad it didn't tarnish the reputation of the much superior PS1 game by bringing over the "2".
NBA Street 1 did have gamebreakers. I still remember winning games with shaq hitting 3 pointer gamebreakers 🤣🤣. SSX Tricky was such a fun game, i got everyone to grandmaster rank. everytime i booted up the game, i always watched the intro. I always had a big ass grin on my face watching the intro because when this game was announced and saw pics of all the crazy tricks you can do, it blew my mind. I never played ssx 3 because by then i gave my gamecube to my younger brother after i got the xbox 360.
Yeah, I messed up on the Gamebreaker bit, that's what I get for not scripting my video. :D Thanks so much for watching!
This was so much fun to watch and always cool hearing others who are/were in the game industry and their stories. I need to pick up Def Jam, it's been on my list for a while. The Street series of games were quite interesting and I enjoyed the FIFA ones. SSX 3 holds up so well today I love it so much. Its too bad 2012 SSX didnt have the same charm to keep the series going. Thanks for sharing, loved this!
God SSX3 still looks amazing. Loved that game so much. Great video!
It holds up SO WELL. I was really afraid of going back to it and it falling apart, but it's just a killer game. So good! Thank you so much for checking the channel out!
SSX Tricky was one of my absolute nostalgic gems 💎✨️when I owned a PS2. The snow courses, the slick tricks and the soundtrack made a huge impact to gamers in the 2000s thanks to EA Sports Big. Like Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 already released a few years ago, I will be thrilled if the original SSX games make a comeback by re-releasing or making a remastered edition from a different game company, not just for long time fans, but also for new generation of gamers so they can understand how early generations of gamers fell in love with these games 🎮 ♥️
Luke, I'd love nothing more than for EA to lean into their back catalog of IP and do that! Great idea!!
SSX Tricky is one of my favorite Gamecube games. It's probably the one I've spent the most time playing. Great video, it really takes me back.
Bro it was my first game. Got gifted my GC Christmas 04 and a couple days later brought it from movie gallery cause it was on sale having no idea what it was. My 5th grade self deserves a Pat on the back from the current me because goddamn he picked well. I STILL fire up my wii today to get in a race or two on tricky. Loved 3 as well but tricky will forever have my heart
A series i didn’t know i needed. This was sick!
Great video and I love the passion that you had for these games. Way too many good memories wrapped in the BIG titles.
Freekstyle, Ssx, def jam, nfl street, and, nba street were def some of my favorite games to play growing up😩 Definitely miss these😕
I wish we could step back and have those experiences again.
What a treat to have you discuss this and share some memories while at EA! I have not played Def Jam Vendetta but you've certainly sold me on it. I don't even think I was aware of Fifa Street as a series... Interesting. You nailed it with how it started for me..... NBA Street!! I remember getting a demo disc with this on it and playing it for hours and hours. I eventually got the full game and on the day that I received the game from my dad, I was invited to a birthday party in middle school where I brought NBA Street and we all just played it for like 10 hours straight. There was this really cool move where the guy bounced the ball and then roll under it and pick it back up. It's embarrassing how many hours I spent in my driveway trying to do the same thing... Haha. Similiar to NBA Street, I had a demo of NFL Street and remembered playing it a lot and being able to run on the walls for a hot second. It was a lot of fun! I'm really enjoying this video simply listening to the nostalgia coming from you and your time at EA. I had Sled Storm on a demo disc... man this is the third time I'm bringing up Demo Discs but I sure do miss them. I'd get them each month with my PlayStation Magazine. Anyway, I played Sled Storm a ton, I remember the first one introduced me to Rob Zombie. Speaking of PlayStation magazine I remember the covers of my PlayStation magazine with SSX on them... so nostalgic for me. As a kid, the only EA Big game that I had was NBA Street but I played it to death. As an adult, I've picked up a few more EA Big titles, specifically all of the SSX ones. I'll be on the lookout for Def Jam along with the others. What a treat this was, thanks for sharing your memories and giving me some expectations for each game! Awesome video, Jay!
Thank you so much, my friend!!
NFL Street 1 & 2 were so damn fun, nice video!
Thanks so much!
I love this episode. I grew up playing these EA sports games . You just brought so many beautiful memories . The snowboarding game was my favorite ssx
So happy I was able to bring you back some positive memories. Thank you so much for watching!!
SSX 3 is still the Best snowboarding game ever even today, tricky the second Nba street 1 was very impressive and fun, the second is legendary I think freekstyle deserve better rank even if it is not my favorite ea big game The ps2 era was the golden age of EA with EA big, fight for NY, LOTR, James bond games, The Sims, NFS and burnout series at their prime
It was certainly the golden age, no argument there! We got to make some killer titles and it was a great system to work on and develop for. I've gone back on Freekstyle and played it a lot more - and I legitimately think it's a fun game. I'd probably bump it up a grade at this point!
The only other snowboarding game that comes close is 1080 Avalanche on gamecube.
NHL Street would have been AWESOME and made so much sense. I would also say that not only is NBA Street Vol 2 one of the best EA BIG! games, but one of the best sports games of all time. That is an all time classic.
Hey really loved the video. One correction, at 10:00 you said NBA Street Vol.2 was the first game to introduce gamebreakers. They were also in NBA Street 1.
100% correct! My bad - thanks for the correction, and thank you for watching! :)
Correct, they introduced Level 2 Gamebreakers. Full cinematic cut scene finishing moves, loved doing Lv2GBs with Yao Ming and watch him do the Harlem Shake afterwards 🤣, CERTIFIED HOOD CLASSIC!!! 🔥✊🏽
They were also in NBA Street vol 1
EA Sports Freestyle
Man i miss this era of gaming, these were my highschool years and we were addicted to ea sports big games, along with the seemingly endless amounts of other great studios/games. Sometimes I look at the industry now and just think "what's happened to us" lol. Cool story here, my mom ran a vacation rental company in a popular northern cali tourist town for 15 years and one of your executives from EA was one of her clients. I cant remember the woman's name but she used to send my brother and I a box of new EA games once a year before the holidays. I remember in 2005 she even sent us SSX world tour (love that game) a week before it launched lmao. She was a really nice thoughtful lady
i still play nfl street 2 and nba street 2 and 3 on emulator to this day, those games were just masterpieces and some of the best parts of my childhood. that nba street 2 soundtrack lives in my head rent free 😂 awesome video man!
Fantastic video! I love the EA Big line, but honestly didn't realize there were so many. I now need to track all of these down. I'm a big sports gamer, so these are right up my alley. NFL Street 2 is one of my favorites from Big, and the SSX series is fantastic. Great video! Thanks for sharing. Edit: Oh, damn! I love that you brought up Madden Arcade, and even better that you worked on it. That is such a forgotten game nowadays. I actually went back on my Xbox 360 last year to play that one again. I wish I could play that on modern consoles today, or that it had a physical release...such a shame because it will eventually be lost to time, I fear. Either way, really cool that you worked on that underrated gem.
Madden Arcade was the last thing I did in the industry, and if that's the bow on that part of my life with games, then it's a perfect bow. I got to work with some dear friends on a fantastic game that still holds up to this day. :) I'm so glad to hear that you enjoy it - that means the world to me!
I have never been much into racing games, but I bought Shox back in the day solely based on the fact that it was an EA Big game (plus it was cheap), and I was actually blown away by how good it was! I haven't played it in years now, but in my mind I still hold it as one of the best racing games I've ever played. I'm born in '88, so the PS2 was in its prime when I was getting into my teens, so many of these games are near and dear to my heart. I bought my PS2 in '02, and I got to pick 3 games, which were NHL 01, TimeSplitters and SSX Tricky. Needless to say, they set the bar pretty high, and I don't think many games on the PS have surpassed them in their respective genres, especially SSX Tricky. I'm sure that SSX 3 and On Tour are better from various standpoints, but Tricky has some magic to it that the others don't. Again, it could be that it was at the right place at the right time, but I think it'll be my favorite freestyle game of all time. I still regularly fire up my old PS2 and more often than not to play NBA Street 1 and 2, love them both. I also have SledStorm and Freekstyle, and while I like them a lot, they've never captivated me in the same way that Tricky or the NBA Street series did. Fifa Street 1 and 2 are tons of fun, they remind me of the indoor soccer from FIFA 97 on the Mega Drive, which was my favorite way to play Fifa. And being European, I have NFL Street (and apparently you to some extent) to thank for understanding the rules of American Football better (I had tried to watch it, and also tried some Madden games but they were just too chaotic and confusing). So yeah, my experience with EA Big ranges from tons of fun to some of my favorite games! I wish there was something similar released today. And I agree, I too was waiting for NHL Street!
I was actually on the def jam street team back then promoting for vendetta , spent many latenights playing that game while listening to the soundtrack. Nba street vol 2 , and ssx is the reason why i had to buy a ps2 back then. Those were definitely the best games in the EA big series. Love this ranking. Salute👊🏾💯
These games were a huge part of my childhood. Fifa Street 2 was a gift from my grandmother, NBA street (all of them but particularly 2) and of course NFL Street. Thank you for your work on NFL street these games have brought a lot of joy to a lot of people 🙂
I grew up on freekstyle and I loved it to death. I never finished it until recently cause it is a pretty hard game but i loved it. The bad voice acting gives it a lot of charm and imo the soundtrack is great. The tricks are super over the top but amazing and really well animated
I was the same 😂, I couldn’t beat it when I was a kid so recently got a ps2 and the game just so I could finally beat it 😂😂😂
I put in the work and beat that mub round 9 or 10 lol
@@yaboidmike - a rare breed fasho 😂
As someone who grew up on a lot of these titles, specifically SSX, I always love hearing older people talk about them because it reminds me just how f ing lucky I was to have these titles. also bonus for sled storm I loved that game as a kid
Thank you so much for watching! I appreciate it.
Awesome video, EA big always had those hitters that just worked like you said. This really takes me back! NHL HITS was really good, or at least i thought it was.
Thank you for being a part of developing the games of my childhood! I had the Gamecube and PS2 and I loved Fifa street!
It's also crazy that in my generation, video games are like music. Video games can take you back to a time, a feeling, hanging out with your friends. Video games have created core memories, at least in me
Therein is the key: if we did anything right with the games that we made back then, and it made a memory for you, then we've succeeded. Thank you so much for playing and enjoying those games - that's the ultimate reward. I appreciate you watching and for commenting, more than I can express. :)
Ssx 1 is cool but hard to control. Tricky was a huge improvement. SsX 3 is just perfection. Easy to pick up and play for longer than intented when revisting.
Agreed on all parts.
NFL Street 3 was the first game I owned for my PS2 because of how much I loved the first two. I loved the idea of the "Gamebreaker Token" of smaller individual gamebreakers like the jump, spin, tackle. It was a really cool option that I would love to see in any new Street game that comes out.
I just have to say thank you for contributing to one of my favorite games of ALL TIME .. yup i said it .. NFL Street was so amazing for my friends and i when it dropped .. huge football and madden fans and this just gave us exactly what was needed , a break from the sim style of madden and it was just so well done ! The gameplay was absolutely chefs kiss. Assembling teams with fantasy drafts and having tournaments with my friends are s tier memories for me … creating custom teams, even the mini games were amazing ! I think we played kill the carrier as much as the main game lol but We spent days playing it non stop and weve been dying for a proper remake or remaster !! That game is a microcosm of what made the era great.. pick up and playability and couch co op with your buddies..
Thank you for playing it and enjoying it - and for sharing that memory in this comment! I Appreciate it. :)
I loved the Nascar 2005 career mode when I was younger, I liked how you had to earn the licenses before you could drive a new series and actually had to work your way through the lower tiers before getting a NASCAR seat.
NASCAR 2005 was legitimately one of my favorite games to work on in the series - I'm so glad you loved it!! Thank you for playing it!
@@SquarePegs I tried playing a modern NASCAR game a couple years ago and really didn’t enjoy in comparison . One of the funny stores about NASCAR 05 was when I was playing with my little brother, neither of us knew what rubber banding was at the time because we were both around 10 and I remember once he was very far behind and the rubber banding speed boost kicked in and he got up to 230 or 250 or whatever it was and we ended up fighting over using that car and driver later one because we thought it was inherently faster than the others because of that instance.
I will always tell my friends and anybody that is on the subject of EA Sports... EASPORTSBIG was and always will be THE greatest thing that EA has ever done man... The games were amazing and so much fun man!!! If I could go back to relive my childhood getting home after school or staying up late weekends playing hours upon hours of Def Jam, NBA Street, NFL Street, SSX.. my goodness what a time 🙏
It was such a treat to have the BIG titles releasing alongside the core Sports titles we worked on. Thank you for playing the games, and thank you for watching!
NFL Street 1/2, NBA street Vol. 2, SSX On tour are some of my favorites. It has been a bit since I've played tricky and need to play 3, so I will be praising emulators for that opportunity. Sled storm I remember playing as a kid, but can't quite remember how much I enjoyed it. This list was fun to see and loved hearing from someone who worked on these games and in that time frame of gaming in general. You and everyone at EA/Tiburon made my childhood. I really hope we can get a new breath of fresh air into these big titles again. I think the culture is there, music, attitude, etc. We just need devs and game makers to get it happening.
Just found this channel. What a GEM , keep up great work & great rankings. Also love the facts and details in the video
Amazing vid, love hearing about games you had your own personal input on. In my personal opinion SSX Tricky beats SSX3 every day of the week. There's just so much character and charm and fun in that game, everything about it even the menus. The gameplay of SSX3 is superior but for me the game as a whole feels a little toned down and cleaned up, plus I miss those crazy iconic stages from SSX and Tricky. Loved hearing your thoughts on these and amazing video once again!
Thank you, Toaster! I appreciate you saying that. Tricky is a spectacular game - I would love nothing more than a game that just mashed together the aspects from Tricky that I loved and the parts of 3 that I loved to make the perfect game. I felt like On Tour tried that, but ultimately fell on its face in that regard (despite still being a good game!)
I just bought ssx 3 today and it’s the 20th year anniversary tomorrow so after 2 decades this game still holds up on the ps2 I would love remakes to these games
NBA Street Vol. 2, Def Jam: FFNY & SSX 3 is the 3 best releases of EA SPORTS BIG of all-time! Absolute crown jewels! 🔥🔥 Great review! 👍🏾
Thanks so much!
Just found this video and I really enjoyed it! I have tons of fond memories of Def Jam Vendetta and NFL Street, very cool to hear from someone that was close to/on the development team for them. I've subscribed and I'm excited to check out the rest of your content!
Hey thank you so much! I appreciate it! I hope I can continue to earn that subscription and I provide you with some entertainment. :)
You made some of my best memories- thank you
Great Video!
Thanks so much for watching!
Had a little nostalgia tear in my Eye watching this video. I played every single one of these games as a kid and had the best time. Just sad that fun like this can´t be achieved for me anymore.
I don’t think it can be understated the dirty awful things that I would do to get an nfl street 2 remaster with modern rosters. Imagine climbing walls to throw a 100 yard pass with Josh Allen
Josh Allen would absolutely wreck shop in a remaster. I'd love it if EA resurrected this imprint and brought these games back!
SSX 3 is by far my most favorite game of all time. I have a friend who owned a PS2, the only one in my entire village, and one day I decided to get him a game for his birthday. And there it was, a single sealed copy of the game, for just 200 Russian rubles (around 6$ at that time, which was in 2010). Don't even know how it ended up in a Russian Ashan store in 2010, but I thought that it looked cool with that boxart and all, so I bought it. We never stopped playig since, not until his PS2 died. And after that we continued to play it on PC through PCSX2. I'm not even joking when I say that this was a lifechanging experience, which made me even more curious about game development and programming, which in turn made me one years later. SSX 3 is surely a masterpiece for me. Still playing it till this day (and still can't perform monster tricks reliably lol).
I just wanted to thank you for sharing this story. THIS is why games are great, and I'm so happy SSX 3 brought you to becoming a game developer. The industry is better because of your passion that led you there!! (I can't do the monster tricks reliably, either!)
I hate to rain on your cool story but I hated dat game. Now SSX Tricky however 😳💯
I love the video and these games! My only gripe is with sequels in NFL street. You mentioned that there wasn't any new additions, but the wall run mechanic is HUGE. I used that so much as a kid. Might be small, but a huge addition in my eyes. Love the video!
NBA Street 1 also had the game breaker but it didn't have the gamebreaker 2 system. Nor did it take more than 1 point from the opponent
Freekstyle is still, by far, one of my favorite games of ALL TIME. Top 10 easily
I gotta say, Freekstyle was not the game I picked as having it's hooks in me the deepest after recording this video a couple months ago. But no lie, it's probably the one I've played the second most behind Sled Storm.
@@SquarePegs I'm sad that my emulator of it seems to have loads of invisible walls everywhere and make it unplayable. I would play it on original hardward, but my PS2 recently decided it was time to stop working
I feel like a new NFL/NBA Street game would fit perfectly into how games are designed for profit nowadays. Selling all sorts of cosmetics and emotes/celebrations around fast pace gameplay in online multiplayer. They would do well if there’s still an audience for more arcade style sports games
rly cool insight to one of the most unique eras in mainstream gaming. nice!
I agree mostly. I have a few things that I experienced as a gamer/customer/fan of EA big. I think SSX Blur Killed SSX. It was one of the few games that I returned within an hour of purchase. The game was just not what I wanted/expected from SSX. Even the GameStop employees did not recommend it and said it was bad. SSX 2012 was a step back in the right direction and is a great game but unfortunately the damage was done. I truly miss EA big and their over the top insanity arcade sports titles. I would gladly welcome them back if they did an SSX collection for the 9th and 8th generation.
Yeah SSX 2012 (or Deadly Descent as its working subtitle) was an A-tier game with way more depth and great asynchronous multiplayer challenges and just so much to it. It had a few blemishes and 720p30 is really hard to go back to and that game was way more hardcore than I remembered trying to play, easily the steepest learning curve of any game on this list, but man it was great. Too bad it sold like crap.
@@Parker-- I loved the hell out of SSX 2012, definitely doesn't hit the highs of SSX 3 but great in its own right. The biggest issue I had with it was the courses were designed with the "instantly end your run bottomless pits" a lot and the deadly descents kinda seemed antithetical to the idea of SSX in general. The wingsuit was fun as hell to play with though once you got the hang of it.
@@gwakamoley Yeah the learning curve was steeper than the game's mountainsides lol.
3 on 3 NHL arcade was a really fun game on ps3/360 it was developed I think under EA’s label and not the ea big label and it was over the top fun. Fifa street games were cool but never grabbed me. My favorite nba street game was vol 3 because of the inclusion of Mario, Luigi and peach and it was so much fun and the street series was also great because it was a step above nba jam. My biggest problem with home court was including indoor courts?? The game is called street. NFL street was too busy being blitz . I never heard of shox and I am stunned . The Ssx series was absolutely amazing, I can play them anytime and miss the series. Tricky was epic with the soundtrack. 3 is the better game though . I think the failure when we got to next gen on ps3 and 360 cause they tried to do too much. Fifa intregrated the street ball into its main game without the over the top fun unrealistic stuff . Great list though
Thanks for your work on some of these titles! my childhood wouldn't be what it was without these games.
I'm glad you talked about Fifa Street 3, it felt like ice skating, the controls felt delayed or unresponsive. I was borderline obsessed with the first one, but then 2 and 3 felt so strange
To me freakstyle is an A. Loved that game
It'd be an A for me now as well, actually! Been a couple months since I released this video, and Freekstyle is the one I keep coming back to from the games featured here. I completely whiffed on the rating for it!
I feel like Freekstyle should definitely be an A because the trick system in that game was like no other, the modes were great, tracks were great, each character was different and the bikes were cool and top of that you could customize the characters. Definitely deserves at least an A
I gotta be honest - since I recorded this video a couple of months ago, Freekstyle is the one game I've gone back to more than any of the others. If I recorded today, it'd hav an A. I admit my mistake on that one. :)
I've played a vast majority of these games for many many years and I still go back to them from time to time. I still own a PS2 to this day because of many of these games! If I had to rank my personal top 5: 1. NBA Street Vol. 2 2. SSX Tricky 3. NFL Street 2 4. NFL Street 5. NBA Street these games all literally shaped my idea of what a good video game should be like and also were huge contributions to what kinda music I like. definitely helped shape my life. thank you for doing this! 🙏🏿
Thanks for the video! Brings so many great memories 😅 EA Big was very good at twisting sport games and giving them that special feel 👌
It was a special time in the industry, for sure!
Madden NFL arcade is one of my favorite games of al time because how arcadey it felt and how many memories we made by playing it, especially knowing at the time I wasn't into football at all yet was hooked on this game with friends. Wish I could find some way to play it again
I wish this series would come back! I hate sports in general but love these types of games with friends.
Great content! made me so nostalgic for games I forgot I even played like the NFL street series! thanks man!
Thanks for watching!
I'm having a lot of fun with XXS3 on my OG Xbox! Great video 🤘🕹🎮🍻
I’m definitely about to go buy these for the ps2 collection. Loved these growing up
First off, thank you for the work you did with EA and for this video! The only score I have issue with is nfl street 2, to me that was the best. It is super similar to 1 except for wall running and gamebreaker 2s, but I feel those were important enough to justify the doubled up release that year, other than that, spot on. SSX 3 is definitely the best EA big game and probably a top 3 game for me in my life
I cant even guesstimate how many hours I put into NBA street vol 2. From the graphics to the gameplay it was a masterpiece. It just goes to show that the whole "just do that again, but better" rarely works in execution because that game was truly lightning in a bottle. Also Fight For New York is the best brawler/fighting game ever made and ill die on that hill.
I loved this video, especially hearing about you working at EA and spending your breaks with Rob playing Def Jam Vendetta. You seem like a cool dude, subscribed :)
Freekstyle! Had it for the GameCube growing up and me and my brother literally almost got into fist fights over the rage! Loved it
Loved this video and I love your additional insight. Also, thanks for working on some games I love, :)
Loved seeing NBA Street Vol. 2. talked about. The gameplay, the music, the aesthetic, the characters. It nails ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING. Still my favorite sports game of all time (followed by NFL2K5).
Bro thank you for your work on NFL Street I can't tell you how many hours of fun that brought me and my brother growing up. Even though we played the NFL Street 2 more LOL
I grew up on NFL street. Will sub since you’ve made a positive impact on my life
Thank you, Miclo! I appreciate you being here!
Amazing video man! Nba street 2 is my childhood but I really enjoy 3 as well
Street 2 is almost unfair to have on this video because it's so good - everything gets skewed by how great of a game it is. :) Thanks for watching!
Thank you for bringing NFL street to us that game was my childhood back in 2004
EA BIG franchise played a big part of my childhood gaming experience and I'm glad I was the perfect mid-teen age to enjoy all of them when they released. I actually just bought a copy on SSX3 on my series X... pure nostalgia. The soundtrack brings me back to early highschool. Love some Yellowcard.
Honestly thank you for this vid. I'm 31 now and this gave me soooooo many nostalgic memories. 10/10
31 gang 😤
Just stumbled upon your channel. Really enjoyed the video.
Thank you so much for checking it out! I appreciate it. :)
Fifa street 2, and need for speed carbon was the two games i played most back in 2007/2012 in playstation 2, but Fifa street 2 was special to me, i started listen to drun and bass because of the game, idk the nostalgia even these days got me every time. Thank you for beeing part of it.
Thank you for playing them! I've gotta check out Carbon, I missed out on that game. Worth going back to?
@@SquarePegs of course, the car games now for me, just are what they are because carbon, the community always releases redux and texture packages, totally worth It. I promisse you gonna enjoy.
Alright, you've sold me on it. Grabbing it!
Great video and insight!
Thanks so much! It was a fun time to be in the industry. :)