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PS2 | Sports | Athens 2004

Boxart for Athens 2004
Athens 2004 42 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.0
  • SOUND: 4.0
  • CONTROL: 3.5
  • FUN FACTOR 3.5
  • AVG USER SCORE n/a
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 2.8

Review: Athens 2004

Review by Bones | 07/12/2004 | 12:49:03 PM PST

Athens 2004 puts on a competitive showing in a collection of over 25 events, but is there enough variety to win your gold medal?

As the officially licensed video game of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, Athens 2004 attempts to capture the size and prestige of the world?s largest international athletic competition by giving gamers the chance to take part in over 25 individual events. And although this may seem like a lot, the actual variety among the different events is rather low, a problem that stems in large part from the repetitive, button-bashing nature of most events (likely a result of the difficulty in translating complex sports into an accessible video-game format). Most of the events also come from the same general areas (13 from track and field, four from swimming). As a result, the furious fingering quickly grows tiresome, while ?fringe? events (like equestrian jumping and skeet shooting) feel more like roster-expanding filler than enjoyable competitions.

Button Buster
Like its Track & Field predecessor from the NES heyday, Athens 2004 basically boils down to blistering button mashing. Most games are played by simply pressing [X] and [C] in rapid succession to gain speed or build up a power meter. Athens 2004 is dance mat?compatible (which makes for some sweaty/smelly fun), but only 10 events are playable with this fat-burning peripheral. Up to four can play simultaneously with either joypads or dance mats, and the competitive element greatly expands the Fun Factor of this title.

Athens 2004 scores high in terms of realism with excellent motion-captured character animations and authentic uniforms. Detailed stadiums (based on actual architectural plans for the Athens facilities) add to the already appealing graphical presentation. Players can choose from any of the 64 competing countries (with 800 different athletes), but the game lacks a character-customization feature. Every sound effect, from the clank of the metal weights to the crunching of the runners? spikes, is dead-on, though in a strange twist, the Olympic theme song and national anthems are inexplicably absent.

Stuck in the Starting Blocks
Yet for all its imperfections, Athens 2004 is just plain fun?to a point. Button-breaking bouts of sprain-inducing gameplay can be very enjoyable for a short time, but most events feature only slight variations on the same monotonous control scheme. Unsurprisingly, the fun tends to tucker out after a few hours, making Athens 2004 an excellent choice for a weekend party rental but not quite a contender for the gold?or your hard-earned cash.


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