by
Ted Kritsonis
Faze Video Game Editor

The Olympics are almost certainly the sports world’s grandest stage, and in 2004 the event returns to the birthplace of the ancient Olympiad and the first host of the modern Olympics — Athens, Greece.

For starters, what Sony set out to achieve here was risky, especially when you consider the number of sporting events that take place in the Summer Olympics. Choosing between the various sports and events was probably made easier by the fact that events like archery, swimming and weightlifting haven’t really had a chance to shine in the gaming world. This is where Athens 2004 comes in.

You get the chance to compete in 25 events spanning seven sports, which include Track & Field, Swimming, Gymnastics, Weightlifting, Equestrian, Archery and Shooting. More to that, you have access to the Olympic teams of 64 countries and all venues are based on actual buildings that will be used in Athens.

Typically, 989 Sports’ games are usually off the mark in one way or another, but in the case of Athens 2004, that trend doesn’t continue at all. With all the sports featured, there’s plenty to learn and do here, but with an overall drawback of varying control schemes for each event, the kind of consistency you need in a game like this gets killed. With that being said, many pieces of this puzzle do come together quite nicely.

First, the multiplayer element makes this one of those party games that you can play for hours. You and your friends can choose different nations to compete for and then go for the gold. When you factor in the different events, there’s a lot of competition to go around. Second, the functionality with a Dance Mat can have you sweating just as much as the athletes would. This feature makes for an intriguing experience, especially for those who like to be active. Third, while not the best visual presentation out there, Athens 2004 certainly isn’t bad, although you could argue that the athletes don’t look as good as they should.

The lack of online play is a bummer, but there’s a lot to like about how this game handles the content its got. Athens 2004 isn’t a breakthrough game, but it does a solid job of showcasing the world’s greatest sports event.

Publisher:
989 Sports/Sony

Platform:
PS2

Rating: 8/10