In this reviewer's humble opinion, Blades of Steel was the best sports game of the 8-but generation, and thankfully, it's held up really damn well even to this day.

Like most other sports games of this era, there's not much in the way of strategy. Just pick a team and try to score more goals than the other guy. What set Blades of Steel apart (and still makes it a good game) is its' fast and smooth gameplay.

It's something that you can pick up in a few minutes, but it will take some time to become a true master at the game. There's also a nice bit of depth thrown in with a two-player mode, multiple levels of difficulty, and the ability to just pick an exhibition match or play a full tournament.

And, oh yeah, you can fight in the game. Like the rest of Blades of Steel, it's pretty simple stuff, but it breaks up the action nicely.

Combined with some very solid graphics and sound effects (including some of the first examples of digitized voice on the NES), Blades of Steel is a tremendous bargain at 500 points.