The video game playing world is rife with prejudices. No? Disagree? Let me run some typical knee jerkers past you, so you get a feel for what I'm talking about.
What about on-rails shooters? All rubbish, right? No freedom - right? Interactive movie. They are all dreadful - yes? US Gold. Synonymous with cheap, cynical cash-ins? Of cause. Game movie tie-ins - doesn't really need a comment. You're getting my point by now I'm sure.
We as gamers pass judgement before having played a game. I don't like sports sims. I don't like FPS'. I don't like 2D shooters. This was very much my opinion of games until recently.
Most likely these prejudices come about from having one bad experience of a particular genre or developer.
However, one thing I've learnt playing the games of the 3DO multiplayer is that much like people, it is unfair to tar all games of a particular type with the same brush, unless you have in fact played them all.
...and we, or rather I, am rapidly approaching the point where I have actually played every game on the 3DO platform. Which must place me in an infinitesimally small percentage of the human race. Less than 0.00001%? What do you think?
Todays game is rarer than a frog dressed up as a member of the G-Force team and harder than trying to wrestle a rastafarian away from a Dutch all you can smoke buffet.
It is of cause Olympic Summer Games Atlanta 1996 by US Gold. A combination of developer and genre that would trouble all but the strongest of hearts.
...despite the fact it is pretty damned good.
Good is not a word I use lightly and rarely in general but OSGA '96 has good everything.
Good introduction. Good graphics. Good selection of options and good game-play.
The games to play are as follows: Track events are the 100m, 400m. Field events are Javelin, Discus, Hammer, with Jumping events of long, high, pole, triple and also available is Fencing, Swimming, and Weightlifting. Not forgetting Rapid fire, Skeet and Archery.
All presented in stunning 3D. Well stunning for 1996. Actually it wasn't. By 1996 we had seen quite a lot better from a number of different platforms but for the 3DO multiplayer they aren't bad.
The tracks, fields, swimming pools etc., are well represented in their 3D glory. Complete with 3D adjudicators and opponents. Even if that means 10 or so fully 3D opponents. The frame rate is healthy and nothing about the presentation detracts you from the button mashing that running and swimming sports simulators usually entail. Suffice to say that the 3DO controller couldn't even manage to upset this game.
Each event, regardless of what it might be, is really easy to lose I initially found. I astounded myself time-and-time again with my ability not to win. Those silly Americans and Chinese racking up the gold medals when obviously the objective is to come last. Try to remember I'm British. If however you feel the urge to play the Olympics like Johnny come-lately foreigner and actually try and come first, then the learning curve is somewhat trickier.
However, not impossible.
With a little bit of effort I was a dab-hand at skeeting and the 100m and I was getting to grips with high jump admirably. I still wasn't gold, silver or bronze but I was not last either and the game was rewarding me sufficiently to make me want to try again. I could smell victory, although I couldn't actually see it.
Each sport is reasonably detailed and the game displays a true understanding by the developer of the challenges faced by the real life athletes.
For a sports sim, of the Olympics, developed by the now defunct US Gold this is actually pretty good. Not once do you feel that you are playing a series of mini-games. The design effort, overall polish and presentation do give you the feeling that you are participating in a Real(tm) 3DO Olympics and to be fair it is 'good'. Very good.
It's also a nice show case for what the 3DO was capable of.
Excruciatingly rare. Trust me on that.
3DO Kid.
Excellent review. I would love to get my hands on a copy of this.