From those that know, another look at Athens 2004

Sony PS2 title slated to release July 13

Reviewers can write about games from a certain perspective, but unless one has actually experienced the scenario involved, it is hard to really address the subject from that first-person viewpoint.

Back in the early part of June, GameZone had the opportunity to review Athens 2004, the Sony release for the PlayStation2 console system. That review (found at http://ps2.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r23631.htm) will not be supplanted by this story. The story stands, but we would be remiss if we did not mention some other views of the title.

On June 29^th, Sony hosted a launch event for Athens 2004 at the U.S. Olympic Committee Training Center in Colorado Springs. As part of that event, for a few short hours in the afternoon, some of the Olympians staying at the center dropped by, picked up PS2 controllers and had a look at the events.

For those who do not know, Athens 2004 features 25 Olympic events, held at cyber venues that replicate the actual Olympic sites. Developed by Eurocom, the title features 800 characters with athletes from 64 countries. Fully supporting the Dance Pad, the title also has challenge and party modes of play. With replays, commentary, customizable competitions, this is truly a terrific title.

Yes, there is some button-mashing involved, but for some events it is a matter of understanding the mechanics and using skills that would be applicable during the real-world events.

Take skeet shooting for instance. Watching those in the videogame business play the event was watching a hit-or-miss exercise. Then members of the U.S. Shooting Team, Olympic athletes, took up the controllers.

Not only was the game intuitive enough for them to dive right in, but they then started to apply the mechanics they would use in real events.

From the initial comment of “this is tough! – it’s much harder than in real life” from someone who participates in skeet shooting to smack-talking as the event competition heated up, watching Olympians dissect the game was a lot of fun, and nothing short of amazing.

Swimmers also remarked on the realism of the look of the aquatic events in Athens 2004. From the suits to the event animations, Athens 2004 was raking in top marks from the athletes. Naturally this had the Sony people beaming, and with good reason.

The game is clearly a step ahead of previous Olympic titles, using motion-capture to give the game a realistic feel. And while Athens 2004 does have its share of button-mashing moments, the game also takes the cerebral aspects into play with events that require you to think about what you are doing, not just blindly smacking buttons.

The title is scheduled to release to retailers on July 13. The Olympic Games in Athens are slated to run from August 13-29. This gives gamers a month to hone their skills and build up their Olympic spirit before settling down to watch the games.

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