Video Games : Summer Athletics (PS2)

Rating: - Requires More Skill Than Button Bashing!
Normally most Olympic video games are just button mashing games (not that there's anything wrong with that really, but my fingers hurt after Beijing on the PS3!) however this ones more balanced.

Yes you've still got some of them but the swimming events are more to do with timing and spinning the analogue sticks at a certain rhythm which I found really hard for some reason. The field events are about timing as well as button mashing and there are some other random sports too.

Overall this isn't a major step on from say Athens or Beijing but for anyone after their button mashing, simon says gameplay you get a bucket load here. Its got a nice career mode too but is best played with a multi tap!

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Rating: - Had to check I wasn't playing on a Commodore 64
I absolutely loved Athens 2004 and it's a great fun Olympic game to play with friends - in fact after playing it I briefly started training myself for the 08 games with regular runs to our local chip shop once a week. So 4 years later of being a hermit I waited patiently for Beijing Olympics 2008 - but hold on - no new Olympic game for the Playstation2 - Beijing 2008 is only available on the PS3 and Xbox.

Ok after a few tears and a little disappointed I discover Summer Athletics for a rather good price - Unfortunately now I can see why it was so cheep!!!!!

It looks like this game has been put together in a couple of weeks by the same people who made games for the VIC-20. The graphics belong in the early eighties, the sound is poor and the game play is just completely naff, in fact a threw it in the bin.

So I wondered if I was being too harsh and so got the game out the bin removed the vegetable peelings and popped it back in the PS2 - No it's still god dam awful - this game should have not of been realised it's not even worth a Tenner - Sony you should be ashamed. Also be aware that the pictures on the box are illustrations and look nothing like the in-game graphics - a bit of a con if you ask me?

Looks like I may have to upgrade my system and buy the proper Beijing 2008.

The game did come in handy as a rather nice coffee cup mat so I did do my bit for re-cycling you'll be pleased to know.

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Rating: - not bad
the game is overall very fun with a large variety of events and a certain amount of skill needed in some of them. however the graphics are not so hot and it is quite hard to get a realistic time in a lot of the events

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Rating: - 4.5 out of 10
this game is very poor in gameplay sound is ok graphics are very bad as well.


graphics 3/10
sound 8/10
fun 4/10

bad points:
the controls are very hard to get use to
very bad graphics
not very realistic
very dark game e.g on all the track events whenever you go round a corner it is very dark like if they havnt put any lights on in the stadium
the stadium is very small
no real athletes

good points:
some of the events are good
sound is good
for some reason it just feals as it is a good game which is why i would rate it 4.5 out of 10

if you are looking for a good athletics game i would probaly recomend athens 2004

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Rating: - great game, lots of fun and addictive
offers lots of variety and good for multiplayer as well with friends, controls take a bit of getting used for some events but worth practicing a few times to get the hang of it, graphics ok for a ps2, could do with better atmospheric sound effects and commentary but on the whole a gud game for the casual gamer, would recommened to those who have got the olympic fever! and who enjoy sporty games that are a bit different from the ordinary footy games