The Collection Chamber: ATLANTA 1996: OLYMPIC GAMES + SOCCER

Olympic Games

Official licensed product of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, Inc.
The first true 3D multi-event sports game.
15 action packed sporting events.
Arcade and Olympic game style tournament mode.
Multi-player option. 1 to 4 player simultaneous action.
Compete against athletes from 30 countries.
Events mirror the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
Motion captured athlete animation.
TV style camera views of all events and commentary of by Radio's Alan Green.
              • 100 Metres    • 400 Metres      • 100M Crawl
              • Javelin            • Hammer    • Discus
              • Long Jump    • Triple Jump      • High Jump
              • Pole Vault    • Fencing    • Rapid Fire Pistol
              • Weight Lifting    • Archery    • Skeet Shooting

~ from the back of the Olympic Games box

I've always been a bit baffled by how the Olympics have been represented in mini-games. No matter the event, it always boils down to button mashing. It's a test of endurance and carpel tunnel resistance over any actual skill and it hasn't changed since Konami's Track & Field hit the Atari 2600 in 1983. Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games was the first 3D attempt to hold the official licence from the Olympics Committee. With the Paris held event just ending, even I got sucked in enough to play - ugh - a sports game! And I even got a hold of Olympic Soccer in there too.

With 15 events from a variety of disciplines, it's commendable that the many track races don't overwhelm the package. I'd even go so far to say they're the least interesting part. Archery, Rapid Fire Pistol and Fencing each drew me in, though their controls are so particular they're tough to succeed let alone master. At least these save unnecessary tear on your controller. Archery is my favourite, tasking you with aiming at the bullseye while taking wind speed and direction into account. The longer you take to aim, the more erratic the crosshair will behave as the archer's stamina drops and begins to struggle to keep the bowstring taut.

The Discus event. Tap to spin fast, then hold Action to throw. Fail and it'll comically fall on your head (left).
Swimming has you pay attention to stamina as well as speed. Button mashing will only wear you out sooner (right).

Rapid Fire Pistol is pretty much the same, except you aim at a human-shaped target with only a few brief seconds given to each. Fencing is perhaps the most complete event, asking you to lunge and parry in a slow and methodical game of rock-paper-scissors. For a 3D game in 1996, I'd have to say the animations are rather smooth and nicely done, but when placed upon faceless un-textured polygons it quickly delves into the uncanny valley.

You have three buttons which do different things for each event, though the game itself won't hold your hand at all. Even though a manual for the PC version has yet to be sourced, I have included a brief explanation of each in the Chamber Notes making it a must-read. Of the three buttons, two are usually assigned to tapping while a third becomes a generic action. For example, for Pole Vaulting, you must tap Button 1 and Button 2 as fast as you can until you reach the right spot to plant your pole where you'd slam down on Button 3. Unfortunately, this event features no accurate ball physics.

Pay attention to the wind speed and direction as you aim in the Archery event (left).
A throw in during a game of Olympic Soccer (right).

What does have ball physics is Football. The same year at Olympic Games - 1996 in case you couldn't guess - the British developers at Silicon Dreams Studios also gave us the heretically named Olympic Soccer (most likely monikered for world-wide appeal despite the DOS port only releasing in Europe and Brazil). It's football, so my nerd-mind couldn't sit well with it but I'm reliably informed that is was one of the best of its kind for the era. It was the progenitor of a well regarded and long running series of sports sims that would jump around licences with abandon. Some years, UEFA was attached to it, while famed Liverpool footballer Michael Owen lent his name to the 1999 iteration. If you like the sport, I guess you could do a lot worse.

I don't often release straight-up sports sims from the Chamber vaults as it's not exactly a genre that appeals to me. Add aliens, a futuristic dystopia or beheadings and it'll more likely peak my interest. While Atlanta 1996: Olympic Games did offer some enjoyment, it is more or less a bunch of mini-games designed to test your controller's durability as well as your own patience. It's a formula that must've been popular as to this day the interpretation of the event has rarely been designed differently (swap tapping for wagging and the Mario & Sonic games are basically the same). Here for historical purposes and sporting enthusiasts only.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses the DOSBox-X build of DOSBox to bring the game to modern systems. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 330 Mb. Install Size: 462 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

Download

OLYMPIC GAMES