ESPN International Winter Sports 2002

by Konami

Product Features

• Nine events
• eight countries
• awesome gameplay
• incredible graphics
• four-player action

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005UNW1
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: January 29, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,426 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: Game Boy Advance

From the Manufacturer

Konami's multievent game tries mightily to capture the energy and glamour of a certain winter-sports festival that takes place every four years. Hmmm. Wonder what that could be?

Championship Mode shapes up as a chilled decathlon, with a limited roster competing in eight events (for men) or seven (for women). Each athlete is rated for power, jump, technique, speed and "quick" (acceleration). Don't expect a single athlete to be a master of such disparate pastimes as the 120-meter ski jump and curling. The venues and athletes are all fictional.

Trial Mode is basically an exhibition mode, with all events opened from the get-go. Two players can compete in split-screen or alternating modes.

Downhill skiing is the most compelling event, with a simple but well-designed course and elementary controls making for plenty of vroom-vroom. The controls aren't quite up to the demands of the far more precision-oriented slalom. Acceleration isn't an option after the start of a bobsleigh run. Instead, you tweak the Control Stick left or right to avoid banging the sides of the track. Halfpipe snowboarding calls on you to duplicate overly complicated button sequences, while the 500-meter speed skating event will leave your thumb sore after one lap.

The women-only Figure Skating event is a surprisingly fun dance game on ice that would be much more enjoyable if two players could compete simultaneously, rather than taking turns.

Each of seven countries--the United States, Japan, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, France, Germany and Austria--has a male and female representative. It's disappointing, to say the least, that glorious winter-sports bastions such as Russia and Norway were omitted.

Graphically the game feels rushed, with 2D trees and low polygon counts on the athletes. Next to the glistening curling rink of Konami's Nagano Winter Olympics '98, ESPN Winter's ice looks as lusterless as low-fat milk. With complicated controls in so many events, pause screens that explain controls would eliminate much frustration.

With the sterling exception of the Mario Party series, multievent games tend to spread themselves thin. The result is a decent, if not compelling, game experience. If you find yourself watching lots of winter sports on a TV with picture-in-picture, you'll find ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 provides passable diversion during all those interminable commercials and boring profiles.

Progress is saved to the Memory Card 59 (not included). ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 requires three memory blocks.

Product Description

As for the Winter Olympics rapidly approach, ESPN the Games invites gamers to experience all the thrills, chills and spills of cold-air competition with the only multi-event winter sports game available on any platform - ESPN International Winter Sports 2002. Boasting fast-paced events such as Downhill Alpine Skiing, Freestyle Mogul Skiing, Speed Skating, Bobsledding and more, ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 is fully-loaded. Cut through the gates at death-defying speeds in the slalom or bust some big air ski jumping as ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 provides the ultimate gaming experience for the most timid snowbunnies to adventurous hot dogs alike.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, May 15, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 (Video Game)

Awesome! Got hooked immediatly. There are 10 events, but Snowboarding Slalom and Luge are the hardest. Must buy for any winter sports fan!

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars FUN AND WAY COOL, April 10, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 (Video Game)

This is very fun but it does get boering after a while. =) I just bought the game and the system and the mutiplayer is Great.

2 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars awsome!!!!!!!!, January 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 (Video Game)

this is possibly the best game i ever played. so much is in it!!!!!!!!

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