Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

This presentation of the various games for the international competition was a lot of fun. While the menu system of Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a little busy and convoluted, it didn't take long to dive into some solo matches, and then feel confident enough to go online in a private game or public match to test your skills against others. There's also a Practice mode that teaches the basics per sport, including rules and controls. The button-heavy mechanic is easy to pick up, with some matches requiring you to tap super fast, which is reminiscent of the Konami's classic 1983 Track & Field arcade game. While you might be looking at poor or average scores the first few times you tackle an event, you'll no doubt learn the nuances and upgrade from, say, Cs to As, for each performance. The A.I. isn't too challenging, which is likely what Sega wanted, in order to appeal to all kinds of gamer skill levels and ages.

That said, you won't be able to button mash for all events, like 100m Dash. More analog stick work and timing -- and keeping an eye on your stamina bar -- are all key to success in several other events in the roster. In fact, there's more depth than expected, and not just breadth with the 18 events, avatar creator studio, and multiple game modes. Practice, as they say, makes perfect. The production values are also impressive with attractive graphics, smooth animation, and decent music and sound effects. For fans of the real Olympic Games, the announcers do a good job with reporting on the game, while loading screens show useful information about what's happening in Tokyo, as well as the history of the Olympics, and other fun facts. Ideal for players of all ages, Sega's Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a fun and accessible arcade sports game, with a lot of variety in the events. And at about half the cost of many other new games today, this multi-platform title is worth the investment.