With plenty of cartoon-y sporting events vying for gamers attention, The Game Factory's upcoming sports title for the DS is a more realistic take on track and field. World Championship Games' realistic approach brings some new events to the handheld and is a sincere offering of gameplay-centered fun. Each of the fourteen events varies in difficulty and nuance. In addition to all the events themselves the titles offers three different play modes, robust multi-player options and even some unlockable rewards.
With all the options on hand, a good starting place is with character customization which allows changes to your character's sex, flesh tone, hair color, attire, name and body build - though since you are an athlete, the final option is pretty much "athletic" or "taller athletic". It's true, in the current build the effects of the changes aren't drastic but they are enough that you can pick yourself out of a line-up.
There are three single-player gameplay modes: Quick Play, Tournament and Decathlon. Quick Play allows you to hone your skills in a given event, or simply work out the kinks in one you just can't get a grip on. Decathlon is the game's version of career mode that pits you against other athletes in, yes, ten events. Your goals in each are to achieve a new personal best, catch the world record, and of course land some gold medals. Tournaments allow you to choose from a list of countries where you will compete in events based on the location with the aim of besting the other competitors and earning trophies for your game's trophy case. In each of these modes there is the opportunity to choose from three difficulties: Rookie, Pro or Advanced, which makes for very a well-scaled game.
There are a total of four multi-player options: single-card, multi-card, WFC and single DS which makes for some very flexible multi-player gaming. Single card limits access to four of the events, but the options remain pretty robust. Multi-player does take the players' familiarity with the events for granted; unlike the other modes it does not review the controls before each event.
The track events include the 100 and 400m sprints, 1500m run, and the 110m hurdles. The 100 and 400m sprints are the most straightforward, and have you tapping footprints as they cross a horizontal bar on the lower screen while the top screen shows your progress with the rest of the field. Think of it as Guitar Hero for runners, and while you can use your stylus or your thumbs to similar effect, the stylus gives you greater precision - tapping the center of the footprint as it crosses the bar with accuracy gives a greater boost to your speed, and just to make sure you edge out the competition, use either trigger as you cross the finish line to push forward.
This basic method of running is carried over to other events like the long jump, and of course hurdles. Before you tackle hurdles, I recommend you train one of your eyes to operate independently from the other. Hurdles are an insane kind of tricky as you have to tap the footsteps while keeping an eye on your progress above to jump. The 1500m requires an element of strategy, as a flat-out run will only deplete your stamina. Instead of tapping footsteps you control speed by dragging the stylus downward on the screen, and you will have to moderate your stamina, progress and speed to do well.
Long jump, high jump as well as the pole vault build on the foundation of the running events, typically calling for you to hit a trigger button at the right time for ideal results. In the high jump you advance your character toward the bar by rubbing the stylus back and forth, followed by tapping a trigger to jump, sparking a progress meter, and a meter that controls how you bend as you try to clear the bar. This last bit is perhaps the most critical since failing to bend will pretty much guarantee a knocked pole and disqualification. The pole jump follows the same pattern, with B or down on the D-pad planting the pole.
The throwing events feature shot put, hammer, javelin and discus. In shot-put, discus and hammer you rub your stylus and monitor the momentum in a progress bar. Once the power is at its ideal level, tapping one of the triggers pulls up a meter to control your throwing angle and release. Javelin is a bit trickier than these, though it begins innocuously enough with scratching the screen to build up speed, while a progress meter increases to determine your throwing angle. Down or B lowers this angle, and keeping a good speed while the javelin stays level is difficult. Once the angle and speed are set the 180 Degree Progress meter starts its ascent, and you tap a trigger to throw. Events as complex as this take a little practice to get the knack.
Archery, running target and rapid pistol fire comprise the targeting component, and are as straightforward as the running events. The stylus aims while the trigger controls firing - in archery, for example, the trigger pulls the focus in and releasing it releases the arrow. Wind is also a factor in archery, and the laser site is a shaky thing, making it the most challenging of the three. In rapid pistol fire timing is a more precious issue as an early draw or failure to lower your weapon in time results in a foul. Running Target equips you with a rifle and you fire at moving targets. Up on the D-pad or X for us lefties steadies your aim, however you are allotted fixed "accuracy stamina" that drains away as you steady.
Visuals in the game are best described as realistically presented, if not realism itself. The key words here are professionalism and accuracy, as the Track and Field strives to portray events more seriously than cartooon-y predecessors. This approach is reiterated in the camera angles, which have the feel of news casts from the Olympics. In the build I played the characters did have a bad case of spatula-hands, but the game's physics are solid. The sounds from the crowd are fittingly enthusiastic, if a little limited at this stage - I heard a voice say "Can I help you?" with amazing persistence.
A collection of addictive mini-games, World Championship Games; Track and Field Events is gameplay-centered. In this way, it is not the typical time-killer, though it certainly could make for easy to pick up and play title. The controls require a little dedication, and events with essential action on both screens are the most taxing (I'm talking 'bout you, hurdles!), but it's this very same level of challenge that will give the game staying power with track and field fans.
