Beijing 2008: The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games

Pros

• It'll make sure your controller is sturdy.
  

Cons

• It will also wear out your controller.
• Mediocre graphics, bland gameplay, no substance.
• Laggy online component.

The reason I gave Beijing Olympics two stars is simple: it's not broken. Granted, it's repetitious, tedious, and boring; but not complete trash. (Cheers to you, Jumper!) I have not kept up with recent releases of the Olympics games, but knew they were not up to par. The main gameplay functions of this game revolve around a similar game that's about twenty years old, give or take a few years. You'll bash, mash, and stab yourself to the finish line.

Problems arise when you first begin the game. You realize, without doubt, whatever you rented/bought was totally not worth the price of admission. Beijing 2008 is a simple game at it's core, split into different events: field, track, gymnastics, etc. Although each event is presented somewhat differently, your primary buttons are mostly the same. Usually you will gain speed through alternating A/B button presses, the triggers will commonly be associated with actions, and the analog and other face buttons will come into play occasionally, say, gymnastics for  context button presses.

A couple modes are also thrown in for "variety." There is a Olympic mode where you go through 17 days of events, challenging you to consistently throw your controller into a wall. The problem is there are qualifiers, and while the save system is nice, it's frustrating to lose a mostly luck-based event and have to do the entire set of activities over again. Also present is a training mode, Decathlon (and the sort), as well as Competitive Mode [which is versus]. Probably the biggest godsend is that you can activate a tutorial at the beginning of each event in case you have never played it, or need a refresher.

Graphically, the game is not impressive. Expectations aren't at a peak when looking at a game such as this, but standards are standards. The character models are of course different between countries, which is only a big factor when looking at Japan compared to America, per say. When it comes down to it, the character models are fine but the crowd, locations, and overall small touches are void of looking remotely more than a blob. Songs of the represented countries are in the game which is a nice touch, thankfully you can skip such scenes (let's be frank, you won't listen to it). Honestly, my favorite sound was the gun going off, what a fantastic sound. For anyone who did not catch that, when the sound of a gun at the beginning of a race is a winning factor, that means the rest of the sound sucks.

That's about it. The story mode is basically the Olympics, 17 days of lackluster entertainment. There are probably 20+ events or so, but since they are so comparable it makes it all the more underwhelming. The online component works great, for the host, and if you are in the unfortunate spot of the guest have fun dodging Judo moves two seconds too late.

They dropped the price below the average of $60, to an amazing deal of $50. Yet, this title would not be worthy of even a $30 price tag. For 400 MS points you could grab the same title off the marketplace with the same mechanics and a more nostalgic feel.

Fun Facts

• You will average 300 button presses per event.
• You will also average 5 broken controllers per week.
  

       Pros

• Nice opening ceremony
• Online isn't horrible...

       Cons

• Horrid experience
• Doesn't capture the greatness...at all!
• Annoying controls
• Frustrating gameplay
• Repetitive events

Single Player:1 and a half star
Controls:0 Stars(Yes, I actually give 0 stars)
Multiplayer:3 and a half stars
Lasting appeal:Half a star
Final Score:1 Star