Athens 2004 Hints (PS2)

If you ever had the urge to feel like you're an Olympic athlete, then clearly videogames are not the way to do it. Get outside and run a bit, play football or some other sport that has a spot on the Olympics - it will provide you with a more important experience than playing an Olympic Games-themed game. Get a ticket to the Olympic Games in China this year, if you can. Watch television. If all else fails, then you might want, as a last resort, to try and play Athens 2004, a game that aims to be a simulation of the Olympic games, but that rather fails in doing so.

The settings are done right, with places like the Athens Olympic Stadium and Panathinaiko Stadium simulated in medium detail. The player gets the ability to select which country in the world he wants to represent, but no anthems are played and the athletes are not in any way simulations of the real athletes coming from those countries.

Although 25 Olympic Games events are included in the Athens 2004 game, there's little actual replayability here, as most of the gameplay is very similar from event to event. The main issue is that you mostly get to do either long distance running or long distance swimming, with a few shorter events thrown in for good measure. The concept is mainly that of balancing the need for speed against the need to retain stamina, which is essential in order to finish a race.

I'm personally looking forward to a better Olympic Games simulation, which should come out as the world gears up for the 2008 Olympic Games in China.

GAMEPLAY HINTS

Easier Balance beam

Press Up, X, Square, Triangle, Left, Right, Select at the main menu.

Hint: Alternate controls

Hold the Right Analog-stick Up instead of pressing X and Circle.

Check out this great video of the game in action:



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