At this point, gamers have come to expect the onslaught of retro titles to fall into either the 'it's about time' or 'why did they do this' category. Konami's thumb-numbing Olympic inspired title, Track & Field would seem to fall into the latter. Well, at least before you start mashing those buttons again.
The game's concept is simple, compete in different Summer Olympic style events, against either an opponent or the qualifying distance or height. There are six events in total, but odds are most gamers will not see the sixth event until they have put in a little time practicing each event before it. If you fail to qualify in an event, it is game over, and you must restart the six-event contest from the start. It makes that first time you finish all six events feel like quite the accomplishment.
Gamers start with the simple 100-yard dash, pitting them against another opponent in a test of rapid-fire button smashing or stick flicking. The game's control scheme wisely allows players to choose between beating the B and X buttons or moving the left-stick between left and right repeatedly to build up speed. Although, using the stick in the game feels like one of the few times a left-handed player will have an advantage, leaving right-handed players better off flipping the controller upside-down to generate enough momentum to win events.
The game follows the dash with the long jump, where the player is really just competing to hit at least the qualifying mark. Fail to hit the mark within three tries, and the game ends there. The game's rapid sprinting comes into play again, but the long jump also requires gamers to pay attention to the screen rather than look down feverishly at their controller. Gamers must hit, and hold, the A button before the white foul line to select the correct angle (45 degrees works best). Releasing the button sends the jumper flying through the air, hopefully for a successful jump to continue the game.
The rest of the game works much in the same, with a combination of crazed button-mashing and carefully timed angles to complete events like javelin toss, hammer throw, high jump, and 110-yard hurdles. The game's trickiest event is also the competition's last, high jump. The jump requires gamers to actually adjust the angle of their jump midway through, tapping the button once to send their athlete jumping nearly straight up before holding and releasing it again to send them successfully floating over the bar. The frustrating difficulty of nailing the high jump will keep gamers in search of a successfully completed game for a couple of hours. Even after completing the game, there are world records to attain; which your friends on Live can see and strive to beat, keeping the game in your top played Arcade titles for weeks of one-upsmanship until someone finally calls 'uncle'.
The game's sound remains intact from the original, and really feels aged at this point. The sound effects and dated computerized "On your marks" are left just as lame as you remember them. The graphics have been slightly updated, but not to the point that you are going to feel unfamiliar with the game. For those with an affinity for the old-school look can easily change the graphics back to their original form in the options, but how often do you really play this game looking at the screen?
