Virtua Athlete 2000
Score: 90% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Agetec Developer: Agetec Media: GD/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Sports
Graphics & Sound: As a gold medal is to the athlete, Virtua Athlete 2000 is to the Olympics genre of video games. VA2000 is quite simply the best looking game of its kind. Textures are incredible and framerate doesn't suffer a bit. It is simply amazing how good this title looks! Although there isn't much in the way of sounds, what is present is very well done. Grunts and groans, cheers and jeers ... all are crisp and clear. There's just something about hearing the roar of the crowd as you wipe the competition off the face of the earth!
Gameplay: The absolute and ONLY real downfall in VA2000 is the lack of events. Unfortunately, Agetec decided to only publish 7 events. But even at only 7, these events are the best of the best (at least in my mind): 100m Dash, 110m Hurdles, 1500m Run, Shot Put, Javelin, High Jump, and the Long Jump. All of the events are a blast to play... Agetec's got a winner here! Like every other Track 'n' Field game since the original old school Arcade/NES title, Virtua Athlete 2000 takes button-mashing to the max. This time some of the events have a new feature of saving some stamina for the end (a.k.a. 1500m Run). Gameplay is simple to get into, so don't worry, you'll have bloody fingers before you know it.
Difficulty: Virtua Athlete 2000's difficulty varies from easy to hard, depending on how fast your fingers are. There is also a bit of technical skill involved, so you 'thumpers' out there still have a shot at gold. World Records seem to be set at a reachable, yet not easily reachable, goal for each event. VA2000 is a game that almost anyone can play.
Game Mechanics: With fingers flyin' and buttons tappin', Virtua Athlete 2000 is a great addition to the new set of Olympic games hitting the market. Not only will you have to have speedy fingers, but also quick reflexes to proclaim yourself as 'The World's Greatest Athlete!' As an added bonus, VA2000 supports logging on and downloading/viewing other people's statistics!!! Hopefully the next installment will allow for competitive Internet play. And even though there are only 7 events (the reason for not giving a perfect score), this game is a must rent for any sports fan... possibly even a must buy.
-Woody, GameVortex Communications AKA Shane Wodele
Tokyo Xtreme Racer 2 Demolition Racer