Blood Bowl II

Despite the carnage-filled title, this high-impact football simulation is a surprisingly deep sports game. True, the on-field violence is stronger than other football games because you can stun, injure, or even kill opponents with punishing hits. But under the blood sport (which shows very little blood), there's a lot of strategy waiting to be found. In fact, a roll of the dice affects every action you take, so you may need forethought, planning, and luck to succeed. This can be both exhilarating and infuriating at the same time. If Lady Luck is with you, your squad can create large opportunities on offense or defense, but one bad roll could cause you to cough up the ball, miss a throw, or get one of your star athletes brutally injured. You can influence these dice to a degree (and even purchase re-rolls for catastrophically failed attempts), but the simple fact is there are no guarantees.

This level of unpredictability makes gameplay shockingly even among every team, even though they all have their advantages and disadvantages. Sure, some teams (such as the Chaos squad or the Dwarves) may attempt to cheat or cripple your team, but even their violent tendencies can be overcome. If you find yourself consistently losing against a particular squad (especially if you're in the midst of a losing streak in a league), you can always attempt to upgrade your athletes or purchase special inducements to make your squad stronger. If you're a football, fantasy, or Warhammer fan, Blood Bowl II could possibly be your new favorite sports game.