He ain't Hype. I ain't Hype.
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| Source // YouTube |
There is a whole page in 1001 Video Games dedicated to Hyper Sports, with a big colour image topping the article. It looked awfully familiar to a game I'd already played, so I skipped back and tried to remember just where it was I'd previously seen Skeet Shooting. There weren't many games to involve such a level. One in fact. Track & Field.
We're already playing a bloody sequel to Track & Field. For those of you who have read and remembered my views towards athletics based games, you might already know whereabouts this little review will end up...
Frustrations
Unfortunately, I'm unable to play Hyper Sports, which is a tragedy because I simply don't know for sure whether it is as quirky and difficult as Track & Field. The video above at least shows the two games to be pretty damn similar, albeit with some slightly better visuals here.
Some sports are carried over but the new introductions aim to broaden the appeal away from the athletics track, including some gymnastics and weight lifting. I'd guess that the Long Horse works similarly to how the likes of Long Jumping did in Track & Field, but as to how you'd control the Weight Lifting with two sprint buttons and an action button is beyond me.
Final Word
I really can't comment too much on Hyper Sports. I can guess what it's like - same old for the single player, devilishly tricky to master, much more fun with friends - but can't stamp down a definitive answer.
Personally, I'm in no rush to track in down and find out either. The genre just doesn't grab me. It looks nice, of course it does, and the controls are simple to pick up, not that you'll get anywhere with them on your first few goes. I guess, like the Olympics, I can wait four years to see it all over again.
What's that? Rio 2016 this year? Nuts.
Fun Facts
The Japanese version of Hyper Sports carried an official license for the 1984 Summer Olympics, but isn't an official Olympics video game. That'd come in the form of Olympic Gold in 1992.
Hyper Sports, developed by Konami, first released in 1984.
Version watched: Arcade, 1984 (djblackeye)