Deep Route

Football, America's new past time. The most popular sport in the country. So it goes without saying that there's an overabundance of online simulations. There are some you can play solo. Some where you can be an individual player. And somewhere you can have complete control over a franchise over multiple seasons. The first one I've chose to bring to your attention is Deep Route.

What separates Deep Route from other simulations is the sheer amount of detail into the game. You are in control of everything possible player wise. This means all personnel decisions...decided by you. Situational play calling....decided by you. Contract signing.....decided by you. Drafting.....decided by you. Your decisions make or break your team.

Seasons fly by incredibly fast as you have two options, everyday or 3 days a week. It's amazing to see the every day leagues as they have close to 50 seasons of history. Really gives you the strong sense of tradition. To further the history lesson, complete historical statistics and standings are kept for you to take a peak at. Unfortunately a Hall of Fame is not available, but should be in the works.

So how much does a game like this cost? There's no cost to start up. You can play multiple seasons of mediocrity and never have to pay a dime. Eventually one of three things will happen. You start to win the leagues, which will bring in more tokens for you to sign up for future seasons. You'll pay for extra tokens (the ideal scenario since it also helps keep the website running). Or you'll go home to mommy and quit playing.

I strongly recommend this game to fantasy football junkies who love stats. I also recommend this to advanced football fans. The level of customization might be a bit overbearing for those who are just becoming familiar with football or even football simulations.

MMA Tycoon

Mixed Martial Arts is considered one of the fastest growing sports in the world. The explosion in popularity of the UFC has helped grown the sport stateside. While in other parts of the country, such as Thailand, it's considered a cousin to the nation's pastime (Muay Thai). What makes the sport so popular is the fact that it's not just boxing. It's not just boxing & wrestling. It's a mix of all the various disciplines out there. Matches are extremely unpredictable. You could have a 10 second KO or a 5 round epic match showcasing the finest in ground game warfare.

With this sports rising popularity, it was only a matter of time before we as sports fans were given a realistic online MMA simulation. That's where MMA Tycoon comes in. In my opinion, MMA Tycoon is the most realistic MMA simulation game I've come across.

As a free member, you are a manager, with your own customizable profile, who's able to take control over 4 fighters based out of 12 different locations across the world. You are able to customize every statistic of your fighters (name, nickname, hometown, age, weight, etc.). You assign points to 4 styles of fighting (Boxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu). Additionally, there's various skill ratings for you to customize as well.

Once you have a fighter created, now the real fun begins. You start out in the Quick Fighting Championships. Basically a center for rookies. You can have up to 4 matches in the QFC, but the offers from better organizations (created by fellow users) usually start coming in.

Training? What about training? Glad you asked. In each city, gyms (created also by fellow users) are available for your fighters to assist them in transforming from scrubs to superstars. Just like in reality, some gyms are better then others. Some cost more then others. Some are invite only. Take time and pick the best gym for your fighter.

Training costs money. Supplements (available from user-created companies) cost money. How can I get more money? Fighting is one answer. Sponsorship is another more lucrative answer. Each city has a host of clothing companies (also user-created) which can sponsor your fighter. Usually they give you a per diem to spend on their items at a discounted rate. You also get a lump sum at the beginning of your sponsorship. The better your fighter (or hustling skills), the better the payout.

But you said "as a free member".....does that mean there's a paid membership? And how do I create one of the various companies that you mentioned? VIP status is what you're looking for. In additional to the ability to create a company, you also get 10 fighters instead of 4, the ability to customize your fighters' avatars, access to a plethora of statistics to make your fighters better, and much much more. Becoming a VIP member is incredibly cheap (only $10 for 3 months). You are given a opportunity to do a 7 day trial of the VIP membership when you sign up. Highly suggested to take advantage of that offer.

Overall, you will be hard pressed to find another MMA simulation which compares to MMA Tycoon. I strongly recommend this game to those who are die hard MMA fans & to the casual viewers. I also recommend this to boxing fans looking to get more involved in MMA.