Everybody loves the Olympics. And if there’s something that gamers know, it’s that game developers are all over anything popular. If people like it, you can bet it’ll somehow be turned into a video game. 49Games and Conspiracy Entertainment have teamed up and skirted around SEGA’s official license of the Olympic Games to churn out an Olympics-esque title that is more disappointing than Alicia Sacramone failing to medal in women’s vault.
Though it lacks any reference to the 2008 Olympics, Summer Athletics clearly revolves around the international sporting event. The title is a compilation of more than 20 different summer-themed sports games, from swimming and cycling to javelin-throwing and track-and-field events.
Summer Athletics does deserve some recognition for doing a few of the events well. But it really does seem that for every sport the game gets right, it gets two wrong. Some events are incredibly repetitive. For example, the adaptation of sprints is all about timing the start and then performing the same repetitive action over and over again until you cross the finish line.
Some of the other events, however, are a lot more interesting. Of course, even some of the more exciting events are largely meter-based; you’ll time button presses and specific actions that, if performed correctly, will allow you to execute an event well. The complex events are generally more fun, but there’s a big catch.
The problem is that while the more complex events are typically more enjoyable, they’re also incredibly difficult to get the hang of. Consequently, Summer Athletics has a pretty intense learning curve, a problem made all the worse by the fact that this is a game clearly geared toward a more casual audience. When you’ve got to be constantly lining up items, filling up meters, and performing context-sensitive actions, you’re already going to be confused. But Summer Athletics never really tells you what you’re supposed to do. You’ll have to run through an event several times before you finally get the hang of it.
Summer Athletics is also a pretty terrible-looking game. It doesn’t vary much from platform-to-platform; no matter where you play it, it’s going to look ugly. Character models are blurry and unimpressive, and animation for some of the events is done quite poorly. It looks like a game from last generation and, frankly, that’s just unacceptable. Plus, graphics are something that are often more important with sports titles than in other genres of games, so the visual shortcomings are even more pronounced.
The Wii controls for this title end up being both a good and bad thing. The Wii does allow for a lot of game immersion, especially with sports games. It’s a pleasant surprise to realize you’ve broken a little sweat from playing this game for a half-hour or so. But on the other hand, the controls can sometimes be unresponsive, which is, of course, never a good thing. I’ve found events like swimming generally work well and are pretty fun. However, something like javelin-throwing, which has you thrusting the remote forward, among other actions, is often not picked-up. The hit-or-miss quality that’s present among these different events is a big downside for the game.
There are some other noticeable issues throughout the game that definitely hinder any chance of enjoying it. For example, the difficulty is very skewed. Opponents are often much more competent at any given event than you might be, which, in and of itself, is annoying. You’re given the chance to train your character in between events, but it’s hard to customize your training for the coming event because you’re given no notice as to what the upcoming event actually is. Then throw the incompetent in-game instructions into the mix and you’ve got yourself a recipe for frustration. Again, for a game that’s geared toward children and families, there are some serious issues with Summer Athletics.
And then, out of nowhere, you’ve got something called Arcade mode. It’s an optional setting that essentially gives you a set number of advantages to use during an event (a speed boost is one “power-up” that comes most readily to mind). With a game that attempts to be Olympic-esque, this whole power-up system feels severely out of place. I get rather sick of seeing this done over and over again in sports games. If it’s Mario Tennis, that’s one thing. But a title that emulates the Olympic Games shouldn’t have this sort of mechanic included. Pure mode is the alternative, and it’s definitely a good thing that Arcade is only an option. Playing with Pure, while generally more challenging, is also more satisfying.
Rounding out the package is a decent multiplayer mode that allows you to compete with up to three other players locally. But frankly, Summer Athletics wouldn’t even really be that good of a “party game” thanks to its rather questionable control scheme. Progressing through the three different stages of the game, which culminate with the Summer Athletics (the non-licensed Olympics), is a fairly boring task and is often too frustrating to spend much time with. Overall, Summer Athletics is a disappointing game, and if you’re looking to get into the Olympic spirit more than just enjoying them on TV, try Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games or SEGA’s recent officially licensed offering.
RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 2.6 Graphics
They look last generation and some animations are pretty bad. 2.4 Control
The sense of immersion is countered by sometimes unresponsive controls. 1.7 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The game has next to no music and some shoddy commentary. 2.4
Play Value
Some events are decent; others are downright terrible. Multiplayer can be okay, but the learning curve is too steep for the title’s intended audience.
2.4 Overall Rating – Poor
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.
Game Features: