Athens 2004

Athens 2004 Description

We're certainly awash with sporting fever lately, what with Euro 2004 in Portugal and the annual drizzly racket romp that is Wimbledon. Well, no sooner has England sensationally failed miserably in those two events, another international sporting celebration is upon us, refuelling the nation's somewhat diminished reserves of false hope and national pride. And that would be the Olympics - the four-yearly multi-event extravaganza that has returned to its historical roots, due to kick of in Athens any time now. Unsurprisingly, an accompanying officially endorsed video game is now available, so get warming up those 'Hyper Sports' button-bashing fingers. Athens 2004 has been developed in close cooperation with ISM and the organising committee of the event itself so as to give wannabe virtual athletes as authentic and realistic an experience as possible. As you would expect, the game features a diverse host of different events, which take place within seven different venues, each of which has been faithfully modelled on its real world counterpart using accurate architectural plans and photos. And so on to the events themselves, then. Aquatics includes the Swimming discipline, featuring 100m Backstroke, 100m Breaststroke, 100m Butterfly and 100m Freestyle events. Athletics includes Track and Field areas (including High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Discus Throw, Hammer Throw, Javelin Throw, Pole Vault, Shot Put, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 100m Hurdles and 110m Hurdles events), as well as the Combined area (including Decathlon and Heptathlon). On top of these, there's also a Gymnastics section - which includes Floor Exercises, Rings and Vault events - as well as an Additional section that features the likes of Archery, Equestrian, Shooting, and Weightlifting. Now you may be under the impression that you're going to be in for some serious arm and finger workouts with the above exhaustive roster of events but, thankfully, developer Eurocom hasn't lazily just tied each of them to the generic button-bashing control formula. Granted, the majority of the Athletics events utilise the X and Circle buttons to run, and the L button to jump/throw, etc. But, throughout the rest of the events, there are some quite innovative (and refreshing for such a game) control systems to master. For example, the Vault event sees you using X and Circle to build up a meter that, in turn, determines the time you're given to then pull of a button combo and successfully perform the manoeuvre. Also notable is one of the Gymnastics floor events, which basically takes the form of a level from Konami's Dancing Stage, complete with dance mat compatibility (which, incidentally, can also be used in the other events, ensuring both maximum exhaustion and extreme embarrassment). As with most similar games, Athens 2004 is guaranteed to provide plenty of fun, especially in multiplayer mode. Unlike most similar games, it attempts to steer away from the old tried and tested formulas and, as a result, presents you with a wide range of Dual Shock-based disciplines to learn and master. Which is both refreshing and sure to offer a bit more longevity in the long run.

Olympic License - Athens 2004 is the only official licensed video game product of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on console.

Events - Participate in more than 25 events including:

Thirteen Athletics (Track & Field) Events including: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, Hurdles, Long Jump, High Jump, Triple Jump, Pole Vault, Javelin Throw, Discus Throw and Shot Put.

Four Aquatics (Swimming) Events including: 100m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke, 100m Breaststroke and 100m Butterfly.

Four Gymnastics Events including: Floor Exercises Men, Floor Exercises Women, Rings Men and Vault.

One Shooting Event: Skeet.

One Archery Event: Individual 70m.

One Weightlifting Event: Clean & Jerk.

One Equestrian Event: Jumping Individual Mixed.

Stadiums - Modeled on architectural plans, authentically crafted 3D event arenas approved by the IOC were generated for Athens 2004. Those stadiums include:

Olympic Stadium - Home to Athletics (Track & Field) events.

Olympic Aquatic Center - Main Pool - Home to Aquatics (Swimming) events.

Olympic Indoor Hall - Home to Gymnastic events.

Panathinaiko Stadium - Home to Archery events. This stadium was used during the original Games in 1896.

Nikaia Olympic Weightlifting Hall - Home to Weightlifting events.

Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre - Home to Shooting events.

Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre - Home to Equestrian events.

800 Characters from 64 Countries and Five Continents - South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Morocco, Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Gambia, Senegal, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, People's Republic of China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan, Philippines, People's Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, United States of America, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Bahamas, Colombia, Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Greece, Russian Federation, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Israel, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Czech Republic, Turkey, Ukraine and Serbia and Montenegro.

Four Arcade and Eight Competition Game Modes ranging from Practice to the Official Decathlon and Heptathlon combined events:

Practice Mode - Athens 2004 offers a player to practice events with unlimited attempts at each event in a non-competitive environment.

Single Event Mode - In addition to playing for medals, Single Event Mode awards players based on a point system. Players can then take their points to The Olympic Store where points can be exchanged for hidden items and features.

Challenge Mode - A simulation section that reflects the spirit of the Olympic Games. 1-4 players compete against real times, and real world records in real Olympic scenarios.

Party Mode - Athens 2004 is truly an interactive experience while competing in Party Mode. Players can display their athletic ability by using the Dance Mat while competing in 10 different events including Hurdles, 100m Freestyle, Gymnastics Floor Exercises plus many other challenging events while chasing the gold medal.

Competition Mode - Individual, Decathlon, Heptathlon, Athletics (Track & Field), Aquatics (Swimming), Gymnastics, Champion and Custom.

Dance Mat Compatible - Dance Mat makes Athens 2004 a truly interactive experience as gamers attempt to run faster, swim stronger and jump higher, all while competing on the Dance Mat.

Motion Capture From Some of the World's Top Athletes - Athletes from Athletics (Track & Field), Gymnastics, Archery, Weightlifting and even horses for Equestrian were motion captured in an effort to deliver animations and realism to this category like never before.