Best Alternative Sports Game

The "alternative" sports genre encompasses those sports that don't get covered on the evening news--those with a slightly more freestyle slant, like skateboarding or other board sports, but also those especially over-the-top takes on standard sports. This genre of gaming really exploded several years back, and it seems to get bigger every year. Here are the finalists for the 2003 Best Alternative Sports Game:

NBA Street Vol. 2 (XBOX, GC, PS2)

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Electronic Arts
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"Any fan of basketball who isn't necessarily sold on the complexities of your average NBA simulation will find plenty to love here." - Jeff Gerstmann, from GameSpot's Full Review

NHL Hitz Pro (XBOX, GC, PS2)

Publisher: Midway
Developer: Next Level Games
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"Above all else, NHL Hitz Pro is just a lot of fun." - Alex Navarro

SSX 3 (XBOX, GC, PS2)

Publisher: EA Big
Developer: EA Canada
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"SSX 3 delivers a rush like few racing games or action sports games have ever achieved." - Greg Kasavin, from GameSpot's Full Review

Tony Hawk's Underground (XBOX, GC, PS2)

Publisher: Activision
Developer: Neversoft Entertainment
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"While the classic Tony Hawk gameplay is still fantastic after all this time, the new story mode doesn't make as dramatic of a change as it probably could have." - Jeff Gerstmann, from GameSpot's Full Review

WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain (PS2)

Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yuke's
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"Any fan of previous entries in the SmackDown! series should absolutely not hesitate to give Here Comes the Pain a try, as it is truly the best one yet." - Alex Navarro, from GameSpot's Full Review

And the Winner is...