Beijing 2008 (video game)

Infobox VG
title = Beijing 2008


caption = Amanda Beard, Tyson Gay, Nastia Liukin and Reese Hoffa appear on the U.S. cover art for the game.
developer = Eurocom
publisher = Sega
designer =
engine =
released = vgrelease|EU=June 27, 2008|NA=August 5, 2008
genre = Sports (Olympic)
modes = Single-player, Multiplayer
ratings = vgratings|ESRB=E
platforms = Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
media = Blu-ray Disc, DVD
requirements = Recommended: Windows XP/Vista, Intel Core 2 Duo, 1GB RAM, nVidia GeForce 7800 or ATI equivalent

Minimum: Windows XP , Intel Pentium IV 2.4 GHz , 1GB RAM, 5.5 GB hard disk space, nVidia GeForce 6600 or ATI equivalent with support for Pixel Shader 3
input =

"Beijing 2008" is the official Olympic video game of the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing. Developed by Eurocom and published by Sega, the game is to be the second video game based on the 2008 Summer Olympics to be released, the first being the fantasy-based "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games" spinoff which appeared in late 2007; however, "Beijing 2008" is a realistic sports simulation.cite web |publisher=IGN |url=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/866/866604p1.html |date=2008-04-15 |title= SEGA Goes for Gold and Announces U.S. Cover Athletes for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Video Game |accessdate=2008-06-01]

"Beijing 2008" features 32 national teams and 38 events. [DOClink| [ftp://segapr.segaamerica.com/SEGA_GAMES/BEIJING%202008%20-%20THE%20OFFICIAL%20VIDEO%20GAME%20OF%20THE%20OLYMPIC%20GAMES/Gamers%20Day%20May%2008/Fact_Sheet/Beijing_Olympics_FACTSHEET.doc Beijing Olympics Factsheet] |71 kB, "SEGA". Retrieved on 2008-05-29.] In addition, a career mode similar to that seen in "Sydney 2000" returned, and for the first time in Olympic video games, an online mode is included.

Disciplines

The following events are in the game: [GameSpot – [http://www.gamespot.com/video/944510/6192773/on-the-spot--06-19-08 On the Spot - 06/19/08] (video, June 19, 2008) at 24:46. Retrieved on June 21, 2008.] In addition, the game supports competition in the male decathlon or the female heptathlon, 5, 10 or 20 random events, or all of the events. It is possible to take part in all male and female events individually. [Chiappini, Dan for GameSpot AU, [http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/sports/beijing2008theofficialvideogameoftheolympicgames/news.html?sid=6192774&om_act=convert&om_clk=newlyadded&tag=newlyadded;title;1 "Beijing 2008 - The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games Hands-On"] . Retrieved on June 21, 2008.]

Critical reception

Beijing 2008 received a wide range of reviews. 1up gave the game an "A+", IGN gave the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 a 7.5 but 5.6 for the PC version, commenting that "They scored big here with the authentic presentation and the great selection of events but then they married it to a series of mini-games with such poorly designed controls that favor luck and calloused fingers over skill and insight. Video games based on the Olympics always seem to rely more on the visibility of the actual games than about delivering inventive gameplay and Beijing 2008 is sadly no exception.". GameSpot gave the game only a 3.0 out of 10, stating that "rapidly pushing buttons is not fun." and pointing to excessive difficulty. [http://www.gamespot.com/pc/sports/beijing2008theofficialvideogameoftheolympicgames/index.html?tag=result;title;0]

See also

* Olympic video games
* 2008 Summer Olympics

Footnotes