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Olympic Summer Games (video game)
Encyclopedia
Olympic Summer Games was the 16-bit edition of the official video game of the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games
(the 32-bit/PC version being Olympic Games: Atlanta 1996). It followed the failure of Winter Olympics: Lillehammer 94
and was the last "Olympic" video game
released for 16-bit consoles
(Sega
's Mega Drive/Genesis
and Nintendo
's SNES
and Nintendo's Game Boy
.
It follows the already common button mashing techniques of previous (and future) games, with the usual exceptions.
It has 10 events (three more than Olympic Gold
), but only two aren't based on track and field
events, and unlike Winter Olympics, there are no major differences between each event on different platforms.
Graphics are considered to be either worse or only slightly better overall than those of Olympic Gold. While each nation (for a total of 28) has its own colour set, it was the only redeeming feature. The isometric view
on most events meant that most times only grass was visible, and although some backgrounds were animated, on some a few sprites were out of proportion with others; the athlete in the pole vault looks too short when compared to the background objects while in the high jump the opposite occurs (and also looks smaller after the jump). The lack of competitive events outside the "Olympic stadium" also does not help to reduce the poor impression of the graphics, as it makes the game even more repetitive.
The difficulty levels are terribly uneven. While in the high jump they can break the olympic record in easy and miss the 5.80 m barrier at hard, in skeet at easy, top computer players hit 3, in normal 4 and in hard 5. This also leads at an incredibly long medal-awarding ceremony, with four or five competitors in the bronze or silver medal. It's impossible to break the records on archery and skeet events, as the best possible result in skeet is 25 (5x5, the equivalent of only one perfect day) while the record is set on 200 points, and archery with a possible result of 180 (6 arrows in 3 rounds) and 338 points as the record. The remaining records are perfectly possible to be beaten by expert players. The lack of EEPROM
saving (which was already common in 1996) means the records are not logged inside the game, and as soon as the console is unplugged (rather than just reset), the default records return.
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
(the 32-bit/PC version being Olympic Games: Atlanta 1996). It followed the failure of Winter Olympics: Lillehammer 94
Winter Olympics: Lillehammer 94
Winter Olympics is the official video game of the XVII Olympic Winter Games that were held in Lillehammer, Norway in 1994.Published by US Gold...
and was the last "Olympic" video game
Olympic video games
"Olympic" video games is a name given to sport video games including more than one event and/or several sports. They are one of the older video game genres, having first appeared with the 1983 arcade classic Track & Field. Since then, numerous titles have been released, usually in the immediate run...
released for 16-bit consoles
History of video game consoles (fourth generation)
In the history of computer and video games, the fourth generation began on October 30, 1987 with the Japanese release of Nippon Electric Company's PC Engine...
(Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
's Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
and Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
and Nintendo's Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
.
It follows the already common button mashing techniques of previous (and future) games, with the usual exceptions.
It has 10 events (three more than Olympic Gold
Olympic Gold
Olympic Gold is the official video game of the XXV Olympic Summer Games, hosted by Barcelona, Spain in 1992. It was released for the Sega consoles, Mega Drive/Genesis and Master System, and Sega's handheld, Game Gear.Developed internally by U.S...
), but only two aren't based on track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
events, and unlike Winter Olympics, there are no major differences between each event on different platforms.
Graphics are considered to be either worse or only slightly better overall than those of Olympic Gold. While each nation (for a total of 28) has its own colour set, it was the only redeeming feature. The isometric view
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
on most events meant that most times only grass was visible, and although some backgrounds were animated, on some a few sprites were out of proportion with others; the athlete in the pole vault looks too short when compared to the background objects while in the high jump the opposite occurs (and also looks smaller after the jump). The lack of competitive events outside the "Olympic stadium" also does not help to reduce the poor impression of the graphics, as it makes the game even more repetitive.
Events
- 100 m sprint
- 110 m hurdles
- Pole vaultPole vaultPole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
- High jumpHigh jumpThe high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
- Long JumpLong jumpThe long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
- Triple JumpTriple jumpThe triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...
- JavelinJavelin throwThe javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
- DiscusDiscusDiscus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
- ArcheryArcheryArchery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
- SkeetSkeet shootingSkeet shooting is one of the three major types of competitive shotgun target shooting sports . There are several types of skeet, including one with Olympic status , and many with only national recognition.- General principles :Skeet is a recreational and competitive activity where...
Competition
As in the previous titles, there are three difficulty levels and both Olympics and mini-olympics (here called custom game) modes; however, the points table was removed, and the only way to compare results is by the medals' table. In the sprinting events, there are two qualifying rounds, and only the winner (out of only four competitors) pass to the next round. On long jump, triple jump, discus and javelin each player has three attempts; the best 10 progress to the final and have three extra attempts. The best result overall wins. In high jump and pole vault there aren't qualifying rounds, the players jump in turns until missing three consecutive jumps.The difficulty levels are terribly uneven. While in the high jump they can break the olympic record in easy and miss the 5.80 m barrier at hard, in skeet at easy, top computer players hit 3, in normal 4 and in hard 5. This also leads at an incredibly long medal-awarding ceremony, with four or five competitors in the bronze or silver medal. It's impossible to break the records on archery and skeet events, as the best possible result in skeet is 25 (5x5, the equivalent of only one perfect day) while the record is set on 200 points, and archery with a possible result of 180 (6 arrows in 3 rounds) and 338 points as the record. The remaining records are perfectly possible to be beaten by expert players. The lack of EEPROM
EEPROM
EEPROM stands for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory and is a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices to store small amounts of data that must be saved when power is removed, e.g., calibration...
saving (which was already common in 1996) means the records are not logged inside the game, and as soon as the console is unplugged (rather than just reset), the default records return.