Nagano Winter Olympics '98

Good graphics, great sound effects and simple play control mark Nagano Winter Olympics '98 as a fun way to while away those cold winter and hot summer nights with friends.Nagano's 12 events should appeal to all tastes. You have your choice of the classic (alpine skiing), the new (snowboarding), the cool (luge) and the unusual (curling). The complete list:Alpine Skiing, Downhill
Alpine Skiing, Giant Slalom
Ski Jumping, K=90
Individual Ski Jumping, K=120
Individual Freestyle Skiing, Aerials
Snowboard, Halfpipe
Snowboard, Giant Slalom
Speed Skating, 500 meters
Speed Skating, 1,500 meters
Bobsleigh, Four-man
Luge, Single
CurlingKonami did a first-rate job of capturing the excitement of an international sporting event. The bright graphics and festive palette glisten like new-fallen snow. Although the spectator sprites are flat and background textures tend to pixilate, the action moves so quickly you'll only notice these minor distractions in replay. Special kudos go to the excellent use of reflection mapping on the speed-skating and curling rinks, where you can see the athletes' reflections shimmering on the ice.While the musical fanfares are unmemorable, the sound effects are nothing short of brilliant. The reverberating PA system on the outdoor events and the rising-and-falling crowd noises are perfectly realized. Official Nagano event logos and mascots add to the you-are-there feeling. The athletes' names are fictional, but you can change the name You can change the fictional name of your athlete.Maps help you find your way down the bobsleigh and luge courses, but have been left off the alpine skiing and snowboard giant slalom courses. There are no weather options and only one difficulty setting, which makes sense, given that these are supposed to be world-class athletes. There is no practice mode, either.Simple play control makes Nagano a fun multiplayer pak. It helps that you're shown how the buttons are used before each event. A few oddities aside -- in the ski-jump events, the Control Stick is used both to start down the hill and to jump -- the button sequences neatly mirror what it must be like to participate in the actual events. For example, you can't accelerate in the snowboard giant slalom, only steer with the Control Stick and slow down by applying your board edge with the A Button. However, the snowboard halfpipe event requires you to mimic complex button sequences if you want to pull off hair-raising stunts.The degree of challenge varies from event to event. In 500-meter speed skating and the 90-meter ski jump, you're quite likely to grab the gold and set an Olympic record to boot. Jump onto a luge or bobsleigh, though, and you'll find that just getting to the bottom or the run without overturning might tax your patience. While most of the events follow Olympic rules by alternating players, the lack of a split-screen mode lessens the excitement of the speed-skating events.In Olympic Mode, you follow authentic Olympic rules in your bid to snatch the gold from a field of 16 nations. In Championship Mode, your goal is to beat the field over seven events.All in all, Nagano Winter Olympics '98 shapes up as a nice alternative for those who couldn't afford plane fare to Japan.

Source:

www.nintendo.com

GO FOR THE GOLD!™

The NAGANO WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES are here! Experience all the thrills, spills and "chills" as you compete for glory against the rest of the world. It's time to find out what you're made of... Can you bring home a medal?

• 12 exciting OLYMPIC events!
• 16 different countries!
• 1 - 4 player action
• Set new world records and save them to your Controller Pack
• Real-time motion captured athletes

Source:

Back of Box - Nintendo 64 (U.S.A.)