Sydney 2000 Member Review for the DreamCast

I figure that I might as well start a new review seires. My 360 Launch extravaganza (3 games in total) as well as my Final Fantasy Series were fun to do, and I wish I had more time to write out my usual, detailed reviews, but the following reviews are all from memory.

It is time to honor the classics from the Dreamcast....well, some of them at least. Jet Grind Radio is one, and while Sydney 2000 is far from a good game, it does serve the purpose of being a fun diversion for a few hours when your bored and don't feel like eating or playing guitar hero.

Like most of those old olympic games, you pick your country and duke it out in 12 different summer olympic events, ranging from track and field to diving to skeet shooting. The variety of events is pretty decent in this game, although after you master them, there is really little point to play anymore.

What gives the game longevity is the fact that you can go through the trials of practice and practice by preforming in various mini-games, giving you the illusion of training for the olympic events. And it actually shows up when you participate. In the 100 meter dash, for example, you run faster if you went through training, which will help in getting through the first few heats to the medal round. This type of gameplay does give you a goal, despite how minor it is, to shoot for.

The best events by the way are the skeet shooting and the track and field events. The track and field events are all simple, press an alternating sequence of buttons and mash your way through the competition. While old and archaic, it still has a charm, alibiet a small charm, to it's mechanics. Skeet shooting is perhaps the best event in the game. You can shoot the clay pots as they come from the sides, and it turns into a version of Duck Hunt in the end. The detection on the gun makes it the most accurate mini-game.

The worst games, however, are the button-sequence games; which include diving and swimming. Also, the weight lifting mini-game, while the same as track and field, is too strenuous to preform. They made it way to hard.

Graphically, the game is ok, considering this is 2000. The polygon count is kind of low, but it has it where it counts, on the nameless athletes and occasionally their equipment. Nothing pretty, but nothing bad either. The sound in the game is pretty bad though. The announcers are bad, the music is painful to listen to (except the country anthems, which are a nice treat. Ever hear the anthem of Singapore?) Otherwise, the game could be silent, which thankfully it mostly is.

Sydney 2000 is the typical bargin bin game, and should only be picked up in one. I myself bought it for $5.00 for the dreamcast in 2002, becuase I was bored and thought, why the hell not. There are worse games out there at the very least.

Final Score- C