Olympic Summer Games Atlanta 96

THQ has assumed the task of bringing out Olympic Summer Games for the 16-Bit systems--perhaps the final Olympic title ever for the Super NES.

Ten Olympic events are featured in this game. The first eight are track and field events: 100m sprint, 110m hurdles, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, javelin, high jump and discus.

All of these events are depicted on-screen with an isometric perspective, which gives the game a rather realistic 3-D look. Heightening the pseudo 3-D effect are shadows cast on the ground by athletes in certain events. Overall, the graphics look surprisingly crisp for a 16-Bit game, in large part because most of the graphics appear to have been rendered on a high-end workstation before being converted to the 16-Bit palette--a process pioneered by Donkey Kong Country.

In the same vein as other track and field video games, most of the gameplay mechanics involve pressing two buttons rapidly to gain speed and power, while the directional pad controls jumping or hurdling.

The last two events are both shown in a first-person perspective: skeet shooting and archery. Of the two, the skeet event isn't too different from the one in Duck Hunt: When the skeet flies across the screen, move the target and shoot it down.

On the other hand, the archery event has somewhat more depth. Players must take wind direction into account when aiming. Another realistic touch is the effect of the Power button: The more a player stretches a bow for power, the more it will shake on screen, which lowers a shot's accuracy.

In a full game, players will compete in all 10 events. However, a Custom Mode lets gamers choose exactly what events they would like to take part in. In addition, the game features a Practice Mode--a good starting point for those who need help in a certain event.

The Super NES version of this game lets gamers choose from one of 32 countries. Each country has a list of athletes to choose from, but players also have the option of typing in their own name.

While winning the gold medal in all events is the main goal in the game, it's not the only one. This game also contains the actual Olympic records from these events, so players can try to set new records as well.

This game can use the Super NES multiplayer adapter, so up to four players can compete in the same event.

So, maybe you don't 24 have tickets to see an Olympic event. Maybe you do, but forgot to book a hotel room in Atlanta years in advance. If so, don't feel too bad--U.S. Gold has an impressive alternative.

If you can't come to the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, why not have the Olympics come to you instead? That's exactly what U.S. Gold has pulled off with Olympic Summer Games--the first such title ever for the 32-Bit platforms.

This level of gaming horsepower lets programmers achieve feats unheard of at the 16-Bit level. For starters, this game uses fully shaded 3-D polygon players, each with uniforms that exactly match their country's official outfits. The entire game was rendered on SGI workstations, which went a long way in giving the events an impressive, lifelike look. Adding to that are the 3-D arenas, which were modeled after actual Olympic sites in Atlanta, and motion-capture sessions that helped portray athletes' movements accurately in the game.

Some of the visual effects come off I as rather impressive. For instance, the discuss event ' (shown at top) features see-through fencing as well as light sourcing.

Olympics Summer Games offers 15 events. More than half are track and field events: 100m dash, 400m dash, pole vault, triple jump, long jump, discus, javelin and hammer. The rest of the events prove an eclectic mix: fencing, 100m swimming, archery, skeet shooting, rapid-fire pistol shooting and weightlifting. The diversity of these events should appeal to a wide range of gamers (even those who may not be Olympic fans) and keep the replay value high, assuming that the gameplay can match the promising graphics seen on this page.

In the true spirit of the Olympics, this game supports multiplayer adapters, so up to eight players can compete at once.

Three modes of gameplay are offered. The first is the Full Olympic Tournament, in which a player chooses a country and competes in all 15 events. There's also an Arcade Mode and a Challenge Mode, the latter of which presumably lets gamers set and break Olympic records.

U.S. Gold plans to have this game out just as the Summer Olympics gets under way. So why settle for just watching the games on television, when you can join in on the fun instead?

Olympic Summer Games stumbles across the finish line as though it were nudged by Zola Budd, ending up miles behind the gold-medal winning International Track & Field.

More Is Less

Three modes of play and 15 events, including the 100-meter dash, rapid-fire pistol, archery, and triple jump are included. Others, such as skeet shooting and weight lifting, are mere novelties that require little skill and provide no Fun Factor payoff. The 400-meter run and 110-meter swim are far too long, and the CPU opponents use superhuman speed bursts to blow by you for victory. You'll be able to shatter most world records the first couple of times you play, and the multiplayer competition is lame--sometimes you don't even race head-to-head unless you both qualify for the medal round.

The fully rendered athletes move smoothly, highlighted by nice details like runners stretching out before entering the blocks. Unfortunately, events like the discus and the long jump look 16-bit, the javeli-neer throws like Lammar from Revenge of the Nerds, and you can't even tell what's going on when you hoist yourself up for the pole vault.

As for the sounds, don't expect an intelligent announcer or verbal congratulations when breaking a record. All you'll find are constant cliches backed by a static crowd with no Olympic spirit.

The Torch Is Out

Individually, some events have their moments. Overall, though, this game needs more training before competing against world-class competitors like International Track & Field.

T-HQ has assumed the task of bringing out Olympic Summer Games for the 16-Bit systems--perhaps the final Olympic title ever for the Super NES.

Ten Olympic events are featured in this game. The first eight are track and field events: 100m sprint, 110m hurdles, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, javelin, high jump and discus.

All of these events are depicted on-screen with an isometric perspective, which gives the game a rather realistic 3-D look. Heightening the pseudo 3-D effect are shadows cast on the ground by athletes in certain events. Overall, the graphics look surprisingly crisp for a 16-Bit game, in large part because most of the graphics appear to have been rendered on a high-end workstation before being converted to the 16-Bit palette--a process pioneered by Donkey Kong Country.

In the same vein as other track and field video games, most of the gameplay mechanics involve pressing two buttons rapidly to gain speed and power, while the directional pad controls jumping or hurdling.

The last two events are both shown in a first-person perspective: skeet shooting and archery. Of the two, the skeet event isn't too different from the one in Duck Hunt: When the skeet flies across the screen, move the target and shoot it down.

On the other hand, the archery event has somewhat more depth. Players must take wind direction into account when aiming. Another realistic touch is the effect of the Power button: The more a player stretches a bow for power, the more it will shake on screen, which lowers a shot's accuracy.

In a full game, players will compete in all 10 events. However, a Custom Mode lets gamers choose exactly what events they would like to take part in. In addition, the game features a Practice Mode--a good starting point for those who need help in a certain event.

The Super NES version of this game lets gamers choose from one of 32 countries. Each country has a list of athletes to choose from, but players also have the option of typing in their own name.

While winning the gold medal in all events is the main goal in the game, it's not the only one. This game also contains the actual Olympic records from these events, so players can try to set new records as well.

This game can use the Super NES multiplayer adapter, so up to four players can compete in the same event.

Olympic Summer Games takes track-and-field competition to new uninspired lows, offering nothing original to anxious fans of the Atlanta games.

You compete in ten events, including the 100-meter sprint, javelin, and pole vault. All the events are controlled so similarly, though, that once you master a few of them, you've mastered them all, which enables you to shatter every world record in no time.

Strictly old school, the graphics lack detail and imagination. There are no footprints to help you mark your spot in the high jump or even any opening or closing ceremonies. Even worse, there are hardly any sound effects during gameplay -- only repetitious, annoying music that plays during almost every event.

If you buy this game you should be presented with a gold medal. Fool's gold, that is.

Track-and-field events, including archery, the triple jump, and discus, make their way to your Genesis. Unfortunately, the realism and excitement of the Olympic games weren't included.

Olympic's graphics fall far short of winning any medals. The simplistic look of the ten events, along with the bland colors, make you feel like you're watching the agony of defeat. Wretched music and a shortage of sound effects don't help matters, either. The repetitive controls, which often consist of frantically tapping buttons, quickly wear out your fingers and your interest.

Thankfully, the summer games come around only once every four years, giving you plenty of time to prepare to boycott the sequel. But if you must play the Olympics, the SNES version fares better than this poor outing.

Contains few sport disciplines, such as running, jumping, archery and so on.

For archery: Button A will be used to pull the arrow back and button B will be used to release the arrow.

Olympic Summer Games was the official video game of the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games with 10 events. Also there are no major differences between each event on different platforms.

Graphics are considered to be either worse or only slightly better overall than those of Olympic Gold. The lack of competitive events outside the "Olympic stadium" also does not help to reduce the poor impression of the graphics, as it makes the game even more repetitive.

Variety, yes. Excitement, no. If the summer games were really this uninvolving, they'd be held once a century.

Compete in ten events, ranging from archery to the hurdles. These Olympics exclude team sports and boxing, though. In eight events you perform solo to get your best score.

The graphics are good and change for each event, with side views of the races and behind-the-competitor perspectives of the shooting events. The athletes are big enough to show off nifty animations, like humorous sprawls when they stumble in the triple jump. But the game's minimal sound effects fail to pump up the overall ho-hum action. This is more like the Olympic Bummer Games.