How many of you still remember good old television games? Well, when playing sport games, there is no doubt that you will remember titles such as Konami`s Track & Field.
This title was somehow able to find a competitive streak in everyone. Not only did it make players lose their nerve, it also made players beat their controllers into a state beyond functionality.
Of course, I am talking about some good old button mashing. Even though 20-odd years have passed since the days of Track & Field, this amazing finger training technique has stuck with almost every version of Olympics games ever released.
Going for Gold
Pushing the console version of Olympics to a higher level of maturity, Athens 2004 has managed to combine two important points when it comes to sports games - fun and competition.
Apart from the fact that you are given a choice of 64 different countries and 800 different competitors to choose from, this instant action tournament covers a total of 25 of the most popular events, which are evenly distributed between swimming, track and field, gymnastics and events such as archery and skeet shooting.
To top everything, you are even given a choice of different modes, including a custom mode in which you can select 10 of your favourite events and play till you drop. It is hard to say how exciting this game can get if you were to play it on your own, but I know that the moment you try playing multiplayer, you will be hooked.
Up to four players can be involved in a game, which opens up the door to a perfect blend of fun and competition. Even though there is no particular explanation as to why Athens 2004 does not have an online multiplayer mode, it still manages to release the furiously competitive nature in everyone.
Of course not all of the events are based on angry button bashing. Some actually take patience, precision and even rhythm. By pressing start at the beginning of each event, one can easily select the 'How to play` option and learn all about the controls that should be used when playing that particular event. This feature is really helpful when it comes to gymnastics and some field events, where more than one set of keys is used during the course of a single attempt.
When it comes to the design of the character and general look of the stadium, there is not much to criticise.
Both male and female contestants have been carefully designed for an appropriate sporty, Olympic look and have all the curves a sports person of such calibre should have.
Eurocom has managed to incorporate lifelike characteristics into the animation of Athens 2004 without trying to look overly realistic and has given this game an excellent new look and feel.
Without trying to persuade anyone to buy this exciting title, I would like to point out the obvious. On a long journey to the real thing, Athens 2004 is definitely a giant step forward for the sport game genre.
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