Have you got the mettle to win a medal?

The Summer Olympic Games are almost upon us and Sony, in conjunction with Eurocom, will be releasing Athens 2004 in July. This is a game that will take sports fans into the heart of the action at these cyber Olympic games. The game features a host of events, sterling animation and challenges, as well the ability to choose the country and character you wish to represent you in this 25-event program.

While the game is not, per se, a title that engages the brain, you will have to use part of that to gauge certain aspects of the environment when competing.

The review copy that GameZone.com received was not the final master version. There were some minor items that were being worked on. Therefore, as they were acknowledged and were being worked on, for the purpose of this review, those minor faults will be ignored.

Athens 2004, an exclusive title for the PlayStation 2, features a wide range of events, spanning track and field, aquatics, gymnastics, shooting, weightlifting and equestrian. There are a variety of disciplines, like the hurdles, long jump, pole vault, 100m dash, rings, floor exercises, and five modes of play. Gamers can enter the practice mode, go into the single-event mode, have 1-4 players in challenge mode, or use the PS2 dance mat for a party mode. There is also the competition mode of play.

The games graphics are exceptional and with reason. The athlete model (even on the horses) were motion captured for authentic movement. The environments are impressive and you may have to factor in wind for some events – like archery.

The event breakdown is as follows:

• 13 track and field events: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, hurdles, long jump, high jump, pole vault, triple jump, discus, javelin and shot put

• 4 aquatics events: 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke and 100m butterfly

• 4 gymnastic events: floor exercises (men and women), rings (men) and vault

• Skeet shooting

• 70m archery

• Clean and jerk weightlifting

• Equestrian: jumping individual mixed

There are seven stadiums, each modeled on the actual Olympic venues in Athens.

With most of the events are reflexive in nature, there is a fair amount of thought you must put in. The dashes are a matter of holding a releasing the L1 or R1 button to take off, then pounding the X and O buttons to sprint down the track. But contrast that with the swimming events, which toss in the breathing aspect. While you are hitting the X and O for your speed, your breath meter will fall. You have to hit L1 to breathe, but do it at the wrong time and you slow down.

The gymnastics floor exercises are preplanned exercises in hitting the right buttons at the right moment to hit your marks. Archery is a matter of gauging wind effect and releasing the arrow for a aggregate flight score higher than your opponent in head-to-head competition.

Excel at any of these events, and you will be standing on the gold medal platform when all is said and done. The replayability of the game lays in achieving better marks each time you play.

There is a minor learning factor for the controls, but once you understand how to control the game, this is all about button mashing.

Superb sound and graphics make for a very entertaining experience.

Athens 2004 is a terrific piece of cyber-athletic entertainment. It is varied and while it may not capture the pressure the actual athletes will feel during the Games themselves, it does have a very Olympic presence. If you remember all the older PC “official” Olympic games produced by Eidos, and thrilled to those, pick up this title.
 

Gameplay: 9

This game only slows down as it loads for each competition. The actual events are seamlessly presented, and the control elements are not difficult to comprehend, but challenging to use.

Graphics: 9.1

The game looks terrific, from the animations to the environments.

Sound: 8.8

Not quite the grand feel one expects, but still a very good soundtrack.

Difficulty: Medium

This is a button-mashing challenge with a little cerebral work thrown in.

Concept: 9

Athens 2004 has depth of competition and that translates to replayability. The competition modes are varied, there are a great number of events and with more than 800 characters from 64 countries featured through the game, and this is a title with variety.

Multiplayer: 9

Going head-to-head (-to-head-to-head) with friends can produce iron-jawed concentration and a lot of laughter.

Overall: 9

Athens 2004 maybe mostly a button-mashers paradise, but the game is also a great deal of fun. If you like athletic competition on the console systems, this is an easy recommendation.