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IGN Review of Beijing 2008
Outside of Mario's track jaunt on the Wii and DS, it's been a long (long) time since we've seen a good, or even decent, Olympics or track and field game hit a console, but Eurocom and SEGA have earned a medal with Beijing 2008. Featuring nearly 40 events, tons of variety in terms of mechanics and nice presentation, the game gives digital Olympic hopefuls something to practice for. It's not perfect, but it's good, and given the history of the genre, that's certainly enough for us these days.
As with any Olympics or track and field title, the two most important aspects of the game are its event roster and the control mechanics therein. For the most part, Beijing 2008 delivers in both of these respects. The nearly 40 events span everything from the 100m dash to the hammer throw and discus toss, to diving events, archery, balance beam, floor exercises, parallel bars and much, much more. If there's a Summer Olympics event that you're hoping is in the game, chances are extremely high that it's in there.
The control mechanics are also given a high level of variety. Basics, like running, can be done by either alternating between two face buttons or waggling one of the analog sticks left and right. Swimming events allow you to use the two analog sticks to mimic your arms, with you rotating one clockwise and the other counterclockwise. These basics are spread across a number of different uses and mixed and matched depending upon the event. Weightlifting, for example, has you both build up power as furiously as you can, and then switch to subtle weight balancing to keep the barbell in the air.
There are some interesting twists thrown into what you might consider "classic" track and field game events. Straight-up race events, like the 100m dash, hurdles or swimming events, for example, have you start out with a launch mini-game. Rather than waiting for the gun to mash buttons, you need to use the triggers to manage a power meter and keep it as close to the red starting spot as possible. If you go too high, you'll jump the gun and be faulted (or disqualified), but if you play it too safely and keep it low, you'll get a late start and may have a hard time catching up to the pack.
This starting mechanic is a good idea on paper, but it's not quite perfect. When the gun does go off, you need to pull and hold the trigger until your meter breaches the red starting section of said meter. If you're not very close, this can take a second, and you're greatly penalized. It looks pretty bad when your sprinter is a good half-second or more late in getting off the line. I would have preferred to have seen your athlete automatically start a little sooner, with the meter acting as a bonus rather than a penalty.
While most of the events are fun, there are a couple that are either lackluster or annoying to play. Judo offers little to no help as to how to perform moves. Much of the time here is spent pressing a corresponding directional cue with one of the analog sticks, but then when a takedown chance happens you need to input a button combination to either perform or block the takedown. The game doesn't offer any help as to the button combinations, making it almost impossible to defend against anything. The manual just says to experiment and see what works best, which is not good.
Kayaking is another event that I didn't care for. The two analog sticks control your kayaker sort of like a tank, but your movement winds up just being awkward. While there are a few misses, most of the events offer at least a bit of fun, making the overall experience a rewarding one, and given the number of events at your disposal, a handful of throwaways doesn't wind up being a major drawback for the most part.
The game is broken up into two basic mode types: Competition and Olympics. Competition lets you hook up with up to three other players locally or seven online, and you can go through whatever events you want. It's pretty straightforward and works exactly like you'd expect it to. The game doesn't quite give you the big ending awards ceremony that you might hope for after all of the events are completed though. You can check your standings at any time, but there's no final "Player 2 Wins" screen or anything.
The other main mode, Olympics, does things a bit differently. Your team (country) goes through a series of events on a day-by-day basis. Each day has a certain goal, and you have to complete this goal to move on. Fail, and you have to try the day over again. The goals start out easy, like having to qualify for just one event out of four or five, to requiring you to earn a medal in multiple events in a day. For the most part it's not too demanding, but if you get to a day with a series of events that you're not good at, you're screwed.
Aside from the progression, the catch here is that your team has stats assigned to it, and you can upgrade your team's abilities after each day. You earn points to spend for finishing each event, with better finishes earning you more points, and bonuses for breaking records or doing things like getting a repeating score (70.70 meters, for example) or nailing a perfect 45 degree angle. You also need to manage your team's fatigue, which will build up after each day. You can spend points to reduce it, or you can opt out of optional Challenge Days to let your team rest. Participating in a Challenge Day will earn you more points to spend, but your team will also tire out a little more.
This setup is interesting in that it gives you something to manage and it allows you to form a team to your strengths, but rather than boosting stats, you're actually just raising them back up to the normal level that you'd be at in the Competition mode. So, it's almost impossible to set a record in any event on the first day since your team is essentially underpowered.
©2008-07-11, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
As with any Olympics or track and field title, the two most important aspects of the game are its event roster and the control mechanics therein. For the most part, Beijing 2008 delivers in both of these respects. The nearly 40 events span everything from the 100m dash to the hammer throw and discus toss, to diving events, archery, balance beam, floor exercises, parallel bars and much, much more. If there's a Summer Olympics event that you're hoping is in the game, chances are extremely high that it's in there.
The control mechanics are also given a high level of variety. Basics, like running, can be done by either alternating between two face buttons or waggling one of the analog sticks left and right. Swimming events allow you to use the two analog sticks to mimic your arms, with you rotating one clockwise and the other counterclockwise. These basics are spread across a number of different uses and mixed and matched depending upon the event. Weightlifting, for example, has you both build up power as furiously as you can, and then switch to subtle weight balancing to keep the barbell in the air.
There are some interesting twists thrown into what you might consider "classic" track and field game events. Straight-up race events, like the 100m dash, hurdles or swimming events, for example, have you start out with a launch mini-game. Rather than waiting for the gun to mash buttons, you need to use the triggers to manage a power meter and keep it as close to the red starting spot as possible. If you go too high, you'll jump the gun and be faulted (or disqualified), but if you play it too safely and keep it low, you'll get a late start and may have a hard time catching up to the pack.
This starting mechanic is a good idea on paper, but it's not quite perfect. When the gun does go off, you need to pull and hold the trigger until your meter breaches the red starting section of said meter. If you're not very close, this can take a second, and you're greatly penalized. It looks pretty bad when your sprinter is a good half-second or more late in getting off the line. I would have preferred to have seen your athlete automatically start a little sooner, with the meter acting as a bonus rather than a penalty.
While most of the events are fun, there are a couple that are either lackluster or annoying to play. Judo offers little to no help as to how to perform moves. Much of the time here is spent pressing a corresponding directional cue with one of the analog sticks, but then when a takedown chance happens you need to input a button combination to either perform or block the takedown. The game doesn't offer any help as to the button combinations, making it almost impossible to defend against anything. The manual just says to experiment and see what works best, which is not good.
Kayaking is another event that I didn't care for. The two analog sticks control your kayaker sort of like a tank, but your movement winds up just being awkward. While there are a few misses, most of the events offer at least a bit of fun, making the overall experience a rewarding one, and given the number of events at your disposal, a handful of throwaways doesn't wind up being a major drawback for the most part.
The game is broken up into two basic mode types: Competition and Olympics. Competition lets you hook up with up to three other players locally or seven online, and you can go through whatever events you want. It's pretty straightforward and works exactly like you'd expect it to. The game doesn't quite give you the big ending awards ceremony that you might hope for after all of the events are completed though. You can check your standings at any time, but there's no final "Player 2 Wins" screen or anything.
The other main mode, Olympics, does things a bit differently. Your team (country) goes through a series of events on a day-by-day basis. Each day has a certain goal, and you have to complete this goal to move on. Fail, and you have to try the day over again. The goals start out easy, like having to qualify for just one event out of four or five, to requiring you to earn a medal in multiple events in a day. For the most part it's not too demanding, but if you get to a day with a series of events that you're not good at, you're screwed.
Aside from the progression, the catch here is that your team has stats assigned to it, and you can upgrade your team's abilities after each day. You earn points to spend for finishing each event, with better finishes earning you more points, and bonuses for breaking records or doing things like getting a repeating score (70.70 meters, for example) or nailing a perfect 45 degree angle. You also need to manage your team's fatigue, which will build up after each day. You can spend points to reduce it, or you can opt out of optional Challenge Days to let your team rest. Participating in a Challenge Day will earn you more points to spend, but your team will also tire out a little more.
This setup is interesting in that it gives you something to manage and it allows you to form a team to your strengths, but rather than boosting stats, you're actually just raising them back up to the normal level that you'd be at in the Competition mode. So, it's almost impossible to set a record in any event on the first day since your team is essentially underpowered.
©2008-07-11, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved