Beijing 2008 First Look

At its recent spring press event, Sega showed off a brief teaser trailer for its upcoming Summer Olympics-themed game, Beijing 2008. The movie was a mixture of classic Olympic footage from years past, with a sprinkle of actual gameplay thrown in for good measure. While we haven't had a chance to play the game, we did manage to snag a few details from producers on hand about what to expect from the game.

First of all, the lineup of events in Beijing 2008 looks to be pretty extensive. While you won't have team-based sports events like basketball, baseball, or softball, it seems like practically every solo competition will be in the game, including, but not limited to, track and field (100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m, hurdles, long jump, javelin, discus, shot put, hammer throw, high jump, pole vault, and triple jump), swimming and diving (including events for breaststroke, freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly), and more specialized event types, such as judo, skeet shooting, kayaking, archery, and cycling. There will also be gymnastic events, including floor routines, uneven bars, parallel rings, and so forth (though, curiously, no pommel horse event).

Though we didn't get to try the game out for ourselves, producers are promising interesting controls in the various events. For example, in the weightlifting events, you'll need to concern yourself not only with putting up the weight, but also with keeping your balance in the process.

While you'll be able to compete in all of these events offline, Beijing 2008 will also allow up to eight players to represent their country online. A host will be able to set the number and type of events, or set the event type to random and let everyone compete in whatever event pops up. The 2008 Summer Olympics are a few months away, and Beijing 2008 will arrive a scant few weeks beforehand in early July. Look for more on the game in the coming weeks.