New International Track & Field Takes 1st Place For Me
OK so this game for me turned out to be somewhat of a sleeper hit. When I first acquired it I wasn't really expecting it to be anywhere near as good as it is. The game is remake of the classic 80's arcade game Track & Fi)eld. However, this new version has a lot more events and longevity than the original.
On your marks
To begin the game you must first choose your character. A suitably crazy bunch of athletes are on offer ranging from powerhouses to speedy weeds. My personal favourite a basketball loving speedster called Ashley. He has a great afro. In total there are 8 characters available to play as from the start along with 6 secret characters that can be unlocked as you progress through the game.
Get Set...
Once you've chosen your character you can being playing the game properly and compete in the first of 6 tournaments. As you complete each tournament the next one is unlocked. Bronze is good enough to unlock the next set of events, but serious players will always be aiming for gold.
I won't list all of the events available as I don't want to spoil them for players, but suffice to say in additon to the standard track and field events there are also a range of less common ones, all of which are fun.
You play most of the events by sliding the DS sytlus rapidly over a bar on the screen and then using the buttons to execute a throw/jump/shot etc. (think back to the original track and field and replace the joystick waggling with stylus sliding).
GO!
The game is packed with features including single player, multiplayer (both local and wifi), achievements (yes, they're actually called achievements), trophies (yes, they're actually called trophies), secret characters, online rankings and leaderboards and a full online community where regular tournaments are held on a special site devoted to the game.
Playing with a group of friends is a hoot and things get competitive very quickly, whilst remaining fun the whole time.
Finishing straight
If you're after a new game for your DS then I can't recommend this game enough. It's got everything a good game should have, the graphics are great, the replayablility is immense and addictiveness is second to none. This is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best multi-event sports game I've ever played (and I've been a gamer since the days of the spectrum and c64)