Track & Field Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]

Game Info
---------------------------------------------------
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami (Centuri)
Year of Release: 1983

Game Review & Impressions
---------------------------------------------------
Responsible for arthritic fingers and crippling RSI, Track & Field is one of Konami's earliest arcade releases, and it's remarkably impressive game for its time. This recreation of track and field athletics is well realised, and competing to set world records in each event is incredibly addictive.

There are a total of 6 events in each competition: 100m sprint; long jump; javelin; hammer throw; high jump and 100m hurdles. Players much meet the required score to qualify for the next event, which becomes progressively harder to meet with each successive round of the competition.

Track & Field lacks any kind of joystick, with the player operating three buttons to control his or her athlete. The 100m sprint consists of little more than hitting buttons as fast as possible, which is sure to test your own endurance as much as the athletes themselves. The long jump and javelin throw require more coordination, with one button controlling speed while the other controls trajectory. Perhaps the most involved of all events is the high jump, which involves timing skills to Fosbury Flop your way over the bar successfully.

What really sets Track & Field apart, other than its incredibly simple concept, is the presentation. The graphics and animation are brilliant for 1983, and the speech synthesis for the announcers would have seemed amazing for the time. Flourishes like the umpire who measures the distance of the player's long jump and brief excerpt of Vangelis' Chariots of Fire are finishing touches to a game as brilliantly simple as it is simply brilliant.

Information & Trivia
---------------------------------------------------

Video Notes
---------------------------------------------------
- I made it to round 3 of the competition before my fingers couldn't take any more!

Related Longplays & Videos
---------------------------------------------------

Chapters
---------------------------------------------------
00:00 Round 1
08:00 Round 2
15:43 Round 3