Who were the video game athletes that WERE HIM? The ones that were so good they forced new, unwritten rules that meant you could not play with their team or as their character.
Below we have taken a look at five of the best to do it. All great players in real life, but when on a console they morphed in a wholly different beast.
Adriano In PES 6
The golden age of Pro Evolution Soccer and Adriano's brief prime intersected with PES 6, where the Brazilian, who was also on the cover of the game, became one of the most unstoppable video game athletes ever.
His all round stats were excellent with 90 acceleration, 98 balance, and 90 attack, but it was his shot power of 99 that made him a legendary cheat code.
Such was his ability from long range that there was often a rule between mates that they couldn't play as Inter Milan or Brazil.
Brian O'Driscoll In Rugby 06
Another banger game from 2006, featuring the undisputed best ever virtual Irish athlete.
BOD's rating of 99 overall and stats are certainly more understandable than Adriano's, given that he was one of the top two or three players in the world at the time.
However, even the most fervent Leinster fan would admit that he was not as totally unplayable as he was in this game.
While he peaked in Rugby 06, he was also a beast in Rugby 08, and like with PES 6 there was often a rule that you couldn't play as Ireland.
Michael Vick
Before he was disgraced for illegal dog fighting, Michael Vick was a young maverick for the Atlanta Falcons, with his insane speed and agility for a quarter-back.
This translated to Madden 2004, where his running ability, combined with bullet passes, made him unstoppable and created the 'Vick Rule', as the man himself explained:
People will still come up to me all the time and want to talk about it. They’ll tell me about the 95 speed rating … the 95 agility … the 97 arm strength … by now I know it all by heart. People love — man, love — to tell me their “Vick in Madden” stories. About how they ran for 500 yards in one game. Or about how they broke the touchdown record in a season, 10 times over. They’ll tell me that I was like a blur of a blur. That I was a human cheat code.
I was so dominant that apparently kids created a rule, like almost a nationwide thing, known as “the Vick Rule.” I think it varied from place to place, but it was basically: If you were playing against your friend, you could pick any team you wanted … except for the Falcons. Because if you picked the Falcons, then you got Vick. And if you got Vick … then it was game over.
Bo Jackson In Tecmo Bowl
Although we never played the 1987 arcade classic, some quick internet research will tell you that Jackson in this game is probably the most unstoppable video game athlete of them all.
In real life, Jackson was something of a mythical figure with his otherworldly athleticism, and the game dove head first into this narrative and created monster.
As you can see from the clip below, it is comical how overpowered he is.
Peja Stojakovic In NBA Ballers
Peja is one of our favourite entries in this list, because, like Adriano, while he was very good in is prime, he had not right to be the best in an NBA video game.
Ballers was released in 2004 and was designed as a mostly one-on-one street ball game, where a players' handles and moves were showcased.
However, Stojakovic happened to be the best three point shooter in the games, while also being 6ft 10in, and could back players down, meaning he could win games easily and efficiently without having to dribble.
Also, according to SB Nation, he had a 'hot spot' on the court where he could not miss from.
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