http://d-bug.mooo.com/automenus.php?s=31&e=31


Daley Thompson's Olympic Challenge by Ocean, Crack by Was (Not Was)

Growth by Axxiom, Crack by Was (Not Was)

Daley Thompson's Olympic challenge


Why is it that after Activision's Decathlon in the early 80s almost nobody else got it right?

I guess it's because everyone thinks that making a sports game is really easy, so they tend to focus 99% on the presentation and then they forget they have to put a game in there. And that's what this game's development cycle looks like: Instead of having a good time while playing it, it really felt like a chore. As if they blew all the development money on digitizing Daley Thompson (whoever that guy is, never heard of him) and the rest on hookers and blow.

Firstly, why on Earth do you have to replay all events from start when you lose in one? Why can't I play all events through a few times so I can get a feeling of them instead? Who thought that this would add replaybility value to the game? It makes me want to cheat to get to a level instead of playing it again and again.

Then, to begin with, we get a 2 mins training session, where you simply have to waggle the joystick for Mr Thompson to train. Well, yeah, this is fun, especially if you have to do your 4th replay of the game. NOT. Totally pointless.

The digitised graphics look a bit crap too. I'm sure it took a lot of time to clear them up after digitising, but it looks like they were taken at half the vertical resolution, then stretched to get to the proper aspect ratio, and then left as is. Oh well.

Then, the events themselves include even more digitised pics and instead of providing you with reasonably big sprites so you can see what you're doing, you're left with teeny tiny sprites that only leave you guessing.

I dunno, I'd be hardly be pressed to play this thing again, only in a session where we boot shit games and laugh at them (usually at computer parties). Then it'd be really fun!