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Athens 2004 PS2 Eurocom/Sony  With
anticipation for the upcoming Athens Olympics beginning to heighten,
what better time for Sony to release their video game representation
of this monumental world event? However, it was the nostalgic aspect
which captured my interest level right from the get go: as many of
the events which players can compete in 'Athens 2004' require a high
level of button tapping and thumb manoeuvring endurance, this returned
me to fond memories of childhood afternoons playing 'World Games'
and 'Summer Games' on my Commodore 64. Thankfully, however, there
have been a few advancements since then.On 'Athens 2004' players have the opportunity to participate in more than 25 different events: 13 athletics events (such as hurdles, discuss and javelin), four aquatic events and four gymnastic events, plus skeet shooting, archery, equestrian and weightlifting. As if the event choices aren't fulfilling enough, players can also construct their Olympic team from a selection of over 800 characters taken from 64 different countries and five continents. Given that this game was to be as real as possible, the backgrounds and stadiums were developed using the same architectural plans used to construct the actual buildings in Athens. Aside from the slight blockiness which is present with some of the motion sequences of the characters, visually this game is without fault. One specific aspect which some may find appealing is that the game is dance mat compatible. This option is able to be used with many of the athletic, gymnastic and swimming events, and should make group competition at someone's home much more interesting. Speaking of modes of play, Athens 2004 contains four different arcade and eight different competition modes, giving the player ample configuration options: there's nothing worse than playing a competitive sports game when all you have to choose from is training, arcade or two-player versus options. One thing that you are bound to acquire when purchasing this game, are many, many thumb blisters, but trust me: it's worth going through the pain to reap the spoils.  |
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