Smile UK Store - Beijing 2008 (PS3)

List Price: £49.99
Our Price: £39.98
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Manufacturer: Sega

Average Customer Rating:

Binding: Video Game
Brand: Sega
EAN: 5060138438552
Label: Sega
Manufacturer: Sega
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
Publisher: Sega
Release Date: 2008-06-27
Studio: Sega

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Editorial Reviews:

Embrace the competitive spirit of the world’s most prestigious sporting event and represent your country and bring home the gold

Appearing on next gen consoles for the first time, Beijing 2008 delivers an entertaining and immersive Olympic experience. The superior graphics capture the fine emotional detail of each event where a fraction of a second means the difference between winning and losing. The Innovative game mechanics challenge a player’s time, speed and co-ordination. Compete for glory with up to seven friends online; strive to break records as you lead your country to victory. This summer show your patriotism and bring home the gold!

38 Official Events: Across ten Olympic disciplines, represent the country of your choice and compete for honour in Track and Field, Aquatics, Gymnastics, Cycling, Judo, Table tennis, Kayaking and many more.

In depth Career and Competition modes: Organise your daily schedule and customize your chosen team with agility, power, stamina and speed for competition in over 38 events. Or in competition mode participate with up to three friends in either a single or multi-event challenge.

Innovative Gameplay Mechanics: Use a variety of controls across all the events including a time based system where timing, power and angle are essential, rhythm based play that requires skill of increasing and maintaining speed, and a targeting system to assist in aiming.

Global Online Competition: Choose your country and become a member of the Olympic team and face challenges from across all nations. A multitude of online features such as exhibition events, ghost times and leader boards will allow players to prove themselves before the world.

Capturing the Olympic Spirit: The official video game of the Beijing Olympics 2008 offers full branding, realistic recreations of the official Olympic stadiums. The game offers you a chance to soak up the atmosphere of this prestigious worldwide and bring home the gold!

Tagline: One World, One Dream, One Game

Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: Shallow fun
Comment: This is a classic old school athletics game. In essence it's not really changed since the old Daily Thompson game on the Spectrum. There's a whole lot of waggling and button mashing.

There's nearly 40 events, but a lot of them are very similar. The more unique ones (table tennis) are have been done very quickly and somewhat poorly. The highlights being the sprint running.

THere's an amount of randomness and lack of skill in many events. THe 1500m you can be far behind up to the last lap and still easily win. There's little strategy.

This does have online for up to 8 players, which is where it becomes more fun. This is the kind of game that comes into its own in large groups, with a couple of beers.

I wouldn't suggest buying this if you like epic, play alone games. If you're a casual gamer, you'll have fun. Wait for the bargain bins.

Customer Rating:

Summary: beijing 2008 not for part time gamers
Comment: I bought this game after being caught up in olympic fever, if you work full time and only play games occasionally i would not recommend this game at all. It's far too hard, with no adjustable skill settings. If you dont have the time to spend days and weeks honing your finger speed then all you'll end up with is 15s 100m runs and 3m long jumps. Yet some disciplines are a lot easier than others, my first throw on the javelin was 92m yet i cant win single point at table tennis. A lot of inconsistency, but mainly towards the difficult end of the scale.

The only time i get enjoyment out of this game is in 4 player mode with friends, then it does get interesting as times against the CPU's worlds best don't matter.

Another thing that annoys me is in training mode after every run it loads up the world leaderboard, i wish there was an option to turn this off (without unplugging my modem from the wall) and speed the game up a bit. Same goes for high jump and pole vault, unlike the weightlifting, you cant simply up the height you want to attempt and have to go through many menus at 2cm a time...

Overall, a good game to play with friends, but not enough skill settings to keep me competitive enough to be interested long term

Customer Rating:

Summary: DO NOT BUY
Comment: Why is it that people who make these games seem to fail on every single one. The controls on this are awful. I actually tore the palm of my hand open playing on one of the running events. The other option is to button bash which makes me thing back to my days of playing Daley Thompsons Decathlon on the ZX Spectrum.That says it all the controls on this game were rubbish 20 years ago so button basher games like this still suck now, so why not create a new control set? The fact that this game is actually very hard and as I have also said the controls are terrible there is absolutely no fun to be had in playing it. I only hope that in 2012 an olympics game is made that we can be as proud of as we are of Team GB in 2008.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Not good enough to medal...
Comment: What is really disappointing about this game is that it has not moved on. Yes, graphics are a big improvement, but pretty pictures do not make a good game. It is just a modern day version of the old Decathlon Arcade Classic. And this is where it falls down.
Gamers should expect more than button bashing. If you want co-ordination games get Guitar Hero. If you want a sport game get one of the countless boxing / football / golf sims. This is none of them.
If you want an endless stream of second rate playablilty boredom, get this.
Good for 10 minutes, with a group of mates.
Rent it - don't buy it.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Good but the running races are really difficult
Comment: Really good game, great fun. Took me a while to get used to the controls but now I no them most of the events are easier. But I just can't get the hang of the running no matter how much I toggle the analogue sticks or mash x and o the runner won't go any faster and I always come in last place. Anyone got any tips on how to go faster??

But overall a very fun game glad I bought it.

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