Beijing 2008 - The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games

"Beijing Brings Home the Gold!"

Beijing 2008 features 38 different events from the Summer Olympic Games in different sports such as Track & Field, Aquatics (Swimming and Diving), Gymnastics, Shooting, and various other sports.

Gameplay:
Though many of the events are basically the same (The 200m is just the 100m for double the distance, etc.), people who either enjoy button mashing or compete in these sports in real life would have fun with this game. Beijing 2008 also introduces a new (but painful) alternative to button mashing, which involves moving the analog sticks back and forth. Though many claim that it's easier to do and more efficient than button mashing, you will get many VERY painful blisters from playing this way.]

Events such as diving are played by spinning the control sticks the way it shows you on the screen, gymnastics has you pressing buttons at specific times, and some are almost impossible to figure out such as kayaking.

If you've played the previous olympic video games, such as Athens 2004, many of the gameplay mechanics have changed. Though the general idea is the same (Button Mashing! Button Mashing!), The sprint events feature a new start, which is very difficult to get used to, some of the field events now involve setting the angle, etc.

Beijing 2008 also brings back an Olympic Mode where you can play as a country, qualify for different events, build stats, and eventually compete in the olympics. It's fun to play, but it would be nicer if there was more character customization, and you could use your olympic character outside of olympic mode.

Online:
Beijing 2008 introduces online play for the first time in an olympic game. Although swimming and track events are great to play online, field events or any other event where one person plays at a time is painful, because you might have to watch 7 people go through 6 jumps if you're in a full online game. Also, lag can ruin events that require timing such as gymnastics and hurdles.

Graphics:
Though nothing spectacular, the graphics are pretty good, but you'll probably be more focused on mashing the crap out of your controller than looking at the scenery.

Sound:
There's a lot of commentary-type things, but most people find themselves just pressing "Skip" every time they show a replay. The music is bearable, but after a while, you don't want to hear the same little song over and over again.

Replay Value:
As long as your hands aren't covered in blisters, you'll want to keep playing to get higher on the leaderboards, break world records (Achievements!), and it's GREAT to play with your friends.

Overall: 7/10
You'll love it if you're a track runner, swimmer, party game/button mash lover, but if you're not any of those, you should probably stay away from this game.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/30/08

Game Release: Beijing 2008 - The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games (US, 07/08/08)