We've all been caught crouched in the corner of our bedrooms, illuminated by the glow of sweaty bodies on our televisions, as our wrists work overtime and our faces contort in anticipation of impending pleasure. We are, of course, referring to winning gold in Konami's revered International Track & Field – a PSone sporting classic that's still entertaining even today.
With the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (officially) getting underway in a matter of hours, and no sign of a PlayStation 4 title to mark the occasion, we figured that we'd whip out our sweat bands and revisit this 1996 favourite in celebration of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad. It's not like there's anything else to write about this summer, after all.
Known as Hyper Athlete in arcades, International Track & Field was the first entry in Konami's summer games series to release on the PSone. As its name alludes, the title focused on athletics, with only one of its 11 included disciplines stepping outside of its Atlanta-inspired stadium to tackle the 100 metre freestyle in the Olympic pool.
"International Track & Field took a herculean leap forward in terms of presentation"
Gameplay, as in previous entries, was built around a very accessible control scheme: square and circle managed power, while triangle was reserved for timing-based activities, such as releasing objects or launching jumps. You could play with up to four players, and because of the turn-based nature of most events, didn't even necessarily need multiple controllers or a Multitap.
While its moment-to-moment action didn't really evolve what was already available on the NES or computers, though, it really took a herculean leap forward in terms of presentation. Cinematic camera angles framed all of the action for maximum drama, and innovative (at the time) features such as replays and working stadium screens really heightened the authenticity of the experience.
Above all, though, it was amazing fun competing against friends and family trying to smash World Records. Everyone had their favourite events – though we're yet to meet any fans of the javelin – and that made for extremely entertaining competitions, as everyone worked against each other trying to secure the best possible score.
With just a handful of events and only two modes – an Olympic campaign and a practice option – International Track & Field was derided at launch for its lack of content. But even today its rudimentary polygonal presentation and vibrant art style make it an appealing local multiplayer option. Just remember to roll down your sleeves so that you don't lose any skin while rubbing the run buttons.
Do you have golden recollections of International Track & Field, or is this one game that's been disqualified from your memory? Ready, set, go in the comments section below.
Comments 28
actually i have played it, i used to own it (the only PS1 games i still own now are the Final Fantasy series, the Resident Evil series and the Tomb Raider games)
Have I played International Track and Field? Just a bit! Got this with my PS1 in the 90's. Was pretty good at it but could never do the Javelin. Still can't. Need to use my toe
Also I never really mastered the art of using my tshirt over my thumb to scrub the buttons quickly, or smashing the buttons against a hard surface as I've seen done lol.
I'd grown tired of this sort of button masher by the PS1 era, but I have fond memories of the arcade version that run pretty deep. I bet I could still mash out a good 100m sprint, or long jump without any 'performance enhancers'. Remember kids, real winners button mash clean.
https://youtu.be/ozcE8qzTdHo
Has nothing on the NES power pad and World Class Track Meet!
(move feet up and down as fast as possible within the shortest distance, unlike actual running......)
@sub12 Haha, amazing!
Much MUCH prefer this kind of article over the seemingly endless 'this month on PS+' ones. Unfortunately these articles don't seem to get the same number of clicks and comments lol.
@kyleforrester87 All about balance and allocating (limited) resources effectively.
International Track and Field is legit one of my favourite games ever. Me and my mates used to play it regularly, and hilarity always ensued.
My strategy was always to put a sock on my hand and then slide my thumb, frictionlessly (not a word), across the buttons for extra speed. Worked a charm.
@get2sammyb sure, you gotta do what you gotta do, and you do good. I appreciate certain articles require a lot more time and effort to make and it's not always worth it if people don't read them lol.
Only other game that came close was Athlete Kings (Decathlete) and Winter Heat, great games on Saturn.
The original Track n Field in the arcades was a great 10p eater (yes i'm old)...
@johncalmc it is a word anyway, pedantry aside I used to do exactly the same thing with my socks! Man I loved this game back in the day
@johncalmc & @Mergatro1d I thought me and my mate were the only sock users. Sometimes the bottom of my baggy t-shirt would do the trick. We developed the technique on the NES but it worked better on PS pad.
The end of a spoon was another option you could use.
One of my mates used to use a pencil and rub it over the buttons.
And we all had that one mate that swore he could do it just as fast using only his thumbs, right?
Played this long before the PS1 game existed!
@Enigk I wasn't prepared to ruin a t-shirt in pursuit of glory
I thought London 2012 on the PS3 was surprisingly excellent to be honest.
@get2sammyb what a game this was and its subsequent iteration on the ps2. I also agree with the fact that the balance of articles has gotten more varied of recent, havent you an article of mine ready to publish also (if time allows)
@DJ-Silver It's still in my inbox! Sorry!
Ooooo played this game? I love it. The button smashing aaaaah. I just want to play it, but i dont have it.......
Yes my fingers are still getting therapy to this day because of this game. Also I never understood why the British runner had to wear some silly hat.
@get2sammyb I never did play International Track & Field...
But I did play the London 2012 Olympics game. That was absolutely hilarious with a few friends
Still got an original Hyper Sports, but got rid of T&F a couple of years ago , and have the MARP MAME record for HS. Working on the TG one, but love button mashers!
@dellyrascal both the saturn games were amazing. & if anything needs hd reboot its them
I'm sure this was on the Commodore 64 first...
@Dodoo Yea me too on my Spectrum and in the arcades. Wasn't it called Hyper Sports . Ah memories , California Games by US Gold , Daley Thompson's Decathlon. Just finished watching Stranger Things tonight , brought back so many memories of my friends and BMX's.
@MinerWilly Actually can't remember the name of the game I played but do remember California Games and Daley so could have been one of those. Showing our age here though mate!
@get2sammyb oh deary me. And heres me refreshing the news feed every few hours in hope lol. Not that the articles presently havent been stellar.
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