Sydney 2000

by Brian Wright
September 05, 2000 00:00 AM PST

Virtual Olympians can test their button-mashing prowess in Sydney 2000, a game that goes for the gold but comes home with the bronze.

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In the dawn of computing, someone created a program to see who could move a cursor across the screen faster by tapping two keys as rapidly as possible. As technology advanced and graphics improved, the cursor became a runner and the decathlon-style game was born. Strangely, this game style has appeared on every single gaming platform to date and shows no sign of going away.

The latest incarnation is Sydney 2000, where players can represent one of 32 competing countries and show off their button-mashing skills in 12 Olympic events, including the 100-meter sprint, triple jump, and weight lifting. Each event requires a slightly different combination of wild button pounding, but for most the formula remains the same: tap as fast as you can.

Sydney 2000 features three main modes of gameplay: Arcade, Coaching, and Olympic. Coaching mode takes you through the controls of each event and Arcade mode lets you test your skills in any single event. In Olympic mode, you guide 12 virtual athletes through each of the events, from training to qualifying, right up to the Olympic Games.

Controlling your Olympians is as about easy as hammering on the keys gets, although some of the virtual exercise (sit-ups and leg presses, for example) require a combination of tapping and pressing the action button that can be as troublesome as actual exercising. The repetitive action of banging on the keyboard can also become irritating and at times painful. The menu system, meanwhile, shows its console roots with its lack of mouse support. For shame!

The motion-captured animations are fluid and realistic, but the lack of detailed textures in the game gives the environments and character models a cartoonish look that some gamers may find unappealing. The sounds have been faithfully recreated, consisting mostly of the roar of cheering fans, and entertaining-but-uninspiring techno music drives the action. The generic professional commentary, while accurate, lacks color.

It seems that as long as computers continue to exist, companies will continue to release decathlon-style games. The button-mashing game mechanics may appeal to novice gamers or those on a nostalgia kick, but the familiar and repetitive gameplay means that Sydney 2000 doesn't get the gold.