Track & Field
System: NES
Release Date: April 1987
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Sports
Well, the streak came to an end pretty quickly. We’re on to Track & Field on NES. It probably would have been better if I had gotten to this during the Olympics, but it was winter, so no loss. In a fun note, Track & Field was released in Europe in 1992 as Track & Field in Barcelona. I would have been pissed being sold a five year old game, hopefully it was at a bargain price.
You compete in eight events that basically boil down to mash the A Button and press the d-pad on occasion. You can pick which event to start with, but then move through the rest in order… as long as you qualify. We’ll start with the 100m dash. Mash the A Button, but don’t start until the sound of the starting pistol. Next up is the long jump. Bash the A Button and press the d-pad right before you get to the line until you get to about 45 degrees. You’ve got three tries to qualify.
Then we have the 110m hurdles. Mash the A Button and press the d-pad to jump the hurdles. Don’t knock over the hurdles! The Javelin throw is basically the same as the long jump. Skeet shooting tests your timing. Shoot right with the A Button, shoot left with the d-pad. The triple jump is the long jump, but with two extra jumps afterward. Keep them near 45 degrees to maximize your distance.
Archery comes up next. You set your wind speed and direction before starting, then must compensate to hit the target. Hold the A Button for the proper amount of time to set the angle of your shot. The last event is the hardest of all, the High Jump. Mash the A Button to run, but then at the last moment, press the d-pad to jump. Wait until you’re high enough, then press the d-pad again to arc your back, but you’re not done, once you’re over the bar, press the d-pad one more time to kick your legs up. I failed on this over a dozen times before I figured out how to do it correctly. Even then, I failed more often than not.
Once you beat them all, you get to do it again. And again. And again. There’s not a whole lot of variety in the gameplay.
Graphics: 1.5
Everything does what it’s supposed to, but it’s not particularly attractive.
Sound: 1.5
Same here with sound. It’s fine, but it isn’t good.
Gameplay: 2.0
The gameplay is very repetitive. Basically mash the A Button and sometimes jump with the d-pad.
Difficulty: 1.0
Can you press the button fast? Not so hard if you can.
Fun Factor: 1.5
There’s some fun to be had, but not a whole lot. I remember liking Track & Field II better.
Overall Grade: 1.5
Konami’s Track & Field on NES earns a C-. It’s serviceable, but not anything to write home about.