TRACK & FIELD (NES)
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Publisher: Konami.
Developer: Konami. Released: 1987. Genre: Athletics. Other versions: AMI; C64; SPC; GB. Posted 13th August 2012. By Tom Clare © 2012 |
No game during the 20th Century came as close to recreating real sport as Track & Field. It didn’t achieve this through any great adherence to realism, or for that matter attention-to-detail, and it didn’t employ fancy motion controls or pseudo-athletic equipment to get pulses racing. Track & Field took what was (and has largely remained since) a chiefly cognitive pursuit and turned it into a brutal, physical challenge. For once, the task was not about memorising levels, enemy patterns or anything like that; it was about channelling the player’s effort and exertion, the sum total of which was greater performances within the game. Or an arm-chair heart-attack.
And all of this stemming from the devilishly simple task of hammering the A or B button as speedily as possible. Konami’s athletics classic may have heaped on the polygons when it was reborn in 3D in 1996 with PlayStation favourite International Track & Field, but the core concept, exhausting highs and lows and mega-addictive multiplayer were already entirely realised in the eighties, with the ’87 NES version proving an outstanding experience.
So whilst most representations of sport in gaming essentially find the player working cerebrally to outwit the A.I. in order to attain ultimate victory, Track & Field was, and will always remain, an enduring challenge because of how physically challenging it becomes. Can you dig a little deeper, maintain the frenetic button-bashing for that split-second longer to improve your 100m time? It’s not Wii Fit when it comes to the cardio side of things but then, it’s primary aspirations of competition, enjoyment and challenge eclipse the lifestyle goals that permeating more casual-friendly titles.
Some of the most satisfying events mix the button-bashing with elements of risk and judgement. The Long Jump is a great example; if you’re two jumps down and still haven’t reached the qualification distance, how close to the board do you dare go? Too late, and you’ll foul. Too early, and you risk losing precious centimetres. The same 'tightrope' ethos applies to the superlative Javelin and Triple Jump disciplines, which require you to gauge angles of release/take-off too. These events are an absolute pleasure because of how sprightly the controls are, and there’s a huge amount of satisfaction when you get everything right together.
It’s consistently good too. 110m hurdles mixes button-hammering with the occasional, deftly-timed jump with the Up button, whilst the Archery makes for a superbly-crafted change of pace; challenging the player to release an arrow so it strikes the moving target – holding the button also changes the angle the arrow travels at, so there’s that, and wind strength and direction, to consider too. The only event that’s a little bit of a downer is the Skeet Shoot; here the player must time shots so that the clay pigeons are within a square aiming reticle, but mistakes are heavily punished and it’s a bit hit and miss; sometimes you’ll do it easily, sometimes you’ll be nowhere close, so it’s harder to enjoy than the athletics events.
Some of the most satisfying events mix the button-bashing with elements of risk and judgement. The Long Jump is a great example; if you’re two jumps down and still haven’t reached the qualification distance, how close to the board do you dare go? Too late, and you’ll foul. Too early, and you risk losing precious centimetres. The same 'tightrope' ethos applies to the superlative Javelin and Triple Jump disciplines, which require you to gauge angles of release/take-off too. These events are an absolute pleasure because of how sprightly the controls are, and there’s a huge amount of satisfaction when you get everything right together.
It’s consistently good too. 110m hurdles mixes button-hammering with the occasional, deftly-timed jump with the Up button, whilst the Archery makes for a superbly-crafted change of pace; challenging the player to release an arrow so it strikes the moving target – holding the button also changes the angle the arrow travels at, so there’s that, and wind strength and direction, to consider too. The only event that’s a little bit of a downer is the Skeet Shoot; here the player must time shots so that the clay pigeons are within a square aiming reticle, but mistakes are heavily punished and it’s a bit hit and miss; sometimes you’ll do it easily, sometimes you’ll be nowhere close, so it’s harder to enjoy than the athletics events.
Most of the World Records, displayed tantalisingly in the top corner of each event, require herculean efforts to get anywhere close (archery remains the only WR I was able to break), but this is how it should be. There's a sense of accomplishment in setting personal bests, improving bit by bit with practice, and exhaustion trying to nip inside 11 seconds in the 100m. It can be pretty unforgiving; you may get three attempts at the jumps and the javelin, but miss-time on of the jumps in the 110m Hurdles and it’s as good as Game Over right there.
Whether you’re able to reach the dizzying highs required to thrive deep into the one-player setup isn’t really relevant in the end, because it pales into insignificance next to the marvels of two-player Track & Field. Beating your friend has rarely been so energy sapping, rarely so frantic. Different days will yield different outcomes, but it's always totally absorbing seeing who wants it the most in a joypad joust, and the multiplayer is fabulous.
Despite an assault of perky greens and blues ramming home that summer games atmosphere, Track & Field looks pretty basic by NES standards. Sprites are small and unimpressive (except for the moustaches, of course), even if the animation is smooth, with everything flowing well enough. Backdrops lack variety and are utterly sparse (usually comprising of a one-tone blue backboard and the name of the event), but the hyperactive colour schemes do infuse Track & Field with energy. There’s the odd little flourish here and there, such as athletes passing the field following your third Javelin, but there’s little that will see your NES breaking sweat over.
You may never develop the repetitive reflexes to thrive at Track & Field, but what’s important is it’s always a huge amount of fun, and against a mate, its shelf-life is extensive. A timeless game with a timeless concept, and much as with Tetris, sometimes the simplest of ideas can count among the most enduring.
Whether you’re able to reach the dizzying highs required to thrive deep into the one-player setup isn’t really relevant in the end, because it pales into insignificance next to the marvels of two-player Track & Field. Beating your friend has rarely been so energy sapping, rarely so frantic. Different days will yield different outcomes, but it's always totally absorbing seeing who wants it the most in a joypad joust, and the multiplayer is fabulous.
Despite an assault of perky greens and blues ramming home that summer games atmosphere, Track & Field looks pretty basic by NES standards. Sprites are small and unimpressive (except for the moustaches, of course), even if the animation is smooth, with everything flowing well enough. Backdrops lack variety and are utterly sparse (usually comprising of a one-tone blue backboard and the name of the event), but the hyperactive colour schemes do infuse Track & Field with energy. There’s the odd little flourish here and there, such as athletes passing the field following your third Javelin, but there’s little that will see your NES breaking sweat over.
You may never develop the repetitive reflexes to thrive at Track & Field, but what’s important is it’s always a huge amount of fun, and against a mate, its shelf-life is extensive. A timeless game with a timeless concept, and much as with Tetris, sometimes the simplest of ideas can count among the most enduring.
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"...it’s always a huge amount of fun to
test yourself, especially against a mate. A
timeless game with a timeless concept, and just as with Tetris, sometimes the simplest of ideas can count among the most
enduring"
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VERDICT
Visual: 4/10
Audio: 6/10 Gameplay: 9/10 Longevity: 9/10 OVERALL: 9/10 |