To look at us, one wouldn’t get the idea that we’re talented athletes. Well, we’re not.

We do, however, love sports all the same. This love of sports seeps into our passion for video games, with titles like “Madden” and “Fight Night” getting plenty of spin in our respective systems.

But what about gamers who just don’t like sports games? They are often missing out on quality gaming experiences, just due to lack of interest. Luckily for them there are plenty of sports games out there that not only provide a great sports experience, but also will please even the most selective gamer.

As a side note, we do realize that over half of our list is comprised of titles created by EA. Basically, it’s just impossible to argue with the solid game play found in EA’s titles.

NFL Street 2 & NBA Street V3

While “NBA Jam” and “NFL Blitz” may have satiated many a gamer’s desire for extreme reinterpretations of sports they could never play in real life, the game play in either proved fairly static and simplistic. With the two “Street” titles, EA Sports-BIG literally brings the game to the streets.

Rather than appealing to the hardcore sim crowd, the “Street” titles are designed for the non-sports-fan gamer. With the over-the-top game play and superhuman feats your team is capable of, these games play completely differently from their more serious other halves.

“NBA Street V3” ends up playing like an interesting mix of “SSX” and a game of basketball, while “NFL Street 2” is somewhat more traditional, but vastly faster paced and more exciting than the more intricate, conventional titles.

If your idea of a good game involves fast action and intense competition but you lack the patience for obsessing about what pay grade your wide receiver should be at to stay within your budget, check these titles out.

Tony Hawk Series

Activision first began the “Pro Skater” series back in 1999 on the Playstation. After the first title’s unparalleled success, the company suddenly had a blockbuster game on their hands.

The best aspect of “Tony Hawk” games is easily the control. In fact, it is so well done that every board-oriented title released since ’99 has mimicked the scheme.

The career mode is also rewarding, as it’s easily accessible for starters but deep enough to always offer new challenges.

Innovating yet again, the soundtracks of the games have featured quality, licensed music throughout, long before “EA Trax” was ever around.

Grinding and jumping all around expertly designed levels may not sound like much fun, but the arcade-like feel of the series lends itself well to fast and frenzied gaming.

Burnout 3: Takedown

There is little debate that the current king of realistic racing titles is none other than the illustrious “Gran Turismo 4,” featuring hundreds of real-world vehicles almost perfectly realized in the digital realm. However, sometimes reality should take the back seat to entertainment, and nowhere is this more beautifully realized than in one of the greatest arcade racing titles ever created, “Burnout 3: Takedown.”

Eschewing authenticity for fun, “Burnout 3” is the not only the fastest racing game involving modern vehicles, but also one of the most intense. Taking other cars out gains you boost power, giving the player every incentive to get violent. Indeed, the aptly named “Road Rage” mode, in which the sole purpose for racing around the track is to score as many takedowns as possible, stands apart as one of the most enjoyable racing experiences ever seen on a console.

And that’s before you even get to the ever-enjoyable “Crash Mode,” whose name alone gives away the obvious purpose of that game-play type. But damn, it sure is fun.

WWE: Smackdown! vs. Raw

Wrestling may be fake, but the entertainment value of people pretending to beat the crap out of each other is quite real.

Yukes and THQ have been slowly refining the game play of their “Smackdown!” franchise over the years, with their latest offering coming close to perfection. Utilizing controls that allow players to perform amazing physical feats with the push of a couple of buttons, “Smackdown! vs. Raw” is one of the more party-friendly sports games.

What is easily the coolest part of “Smackdown! vs. Raw” is the game’s create-a-wrestler mode. Gamers can craft the grappler of their dreams or even put a frighteningly accurate version of themselves into the ring. Better yet, a group of friends could all create their own wrestler and fight out any aggression.

Matches like Hell in a cell, cage, royal rumble, elimination chamber, ladder and hardcore rules allow for a startling level of variety when playing. Players can sit with this game for hours on end, having a completely unique style of fight for every single match.

Ryan Gauthier ([email protected]) and Zach Stern ([email protected]) are hopelessly addicted to video games. Zach is keeping busy with “Devil May Cry 3” and “Brothers in Arms.” Ryan has been playing unhealthy amounts of “Fight Night: Round 2.”