DecAthlete

Last updated
DecAthlete
AthleteKingsBox.JPG
European Sega Saturn cover
Developer(s) Sega AM3
Publisher(s) Sega
Director(s) Yoshitaka Maeyama
Producer(s) Mie Kumagai
Programmer(s) Shinobu Hayashi
Artist(s) Seiichi Yamagata
Composer(s) Saeko Sasaki
Platform(s) Arcade, Sega Saturn, PlayStation 2
ReleaseArcade
May 1996 [1]
Saturn
  • JP: July 12, 1996
  • NA: July 17, 1996
  • EU: September 1996
PlayStation 2
  • JP: July 29, 2004
Genre(s) Sport
Mode(s)Up to 2 players simultaneously
Arcade system ST-V [2]

DecAthlete, [lower-alpha 1] released in Europe as Athlete Kings due to a licensing issue, [3] is a track-and-field themed arcade sports video game. On its unveiling, the gaming media generally described it as a modern clone of Daley Thompson's Decathlon . [2] [4] [5] Released in 1996, it was developed by Sega AM3 and produced by Sega. A home port was released on the Sega Saturn in 1996, largely identical to the arcade version, due to the similar hardware of the ST-V hardware and the Saturn. It was released on the PlayStation 2 in Japan only as part of the Sega Ages 2500 series. Compared to other decathlon based games, Decathlete has a more comic and cartoon-like style. A sequel followed in 1997, which was the winter sports-based Winter Heat .

Contents

Gameplay

Screenshot of DecAthlete during gameplay. Decathlete screen.gif
Screenshot of DecAthlete during gameplay.

The overall gameplay is largely based on quick, repeated button pressing for gaining speed, and timed single button presses for jumping and releasing projectiles, in a similar style to the 1983 Konami arcade game, Track & Field . The game differs with a slightly more advanced control system and 3-D graphics.

The player must select one of eight fictional international athletes. [3] In all versions, the player competes in ten traditional decathlon events: 100 metres, Long jump, Shot put, High jump, 400 metres, 110 metre hurdles, Discus throw, Pole vault, Javelin throw and 1500 metres. In the arcade version, the player is required to meet a minimum set time, height or distance to qualify for the next event. The home console versions allow the player to compete in a full decathlon featuring all ten events without qualifying limit. Despite a potential for a multiplayer gameplay, the game is limited to two players at a time. In a one-player game, the player competes against one AI-controlled opponent, chosen from the list of playable characters. The only exception to this is in the 1500 metres, where six generic athletes also participate in the race.

The PlayStation 2 port still allows only up to two human players to participate, but all playable characters appear in the sprint and dash events.

Characters

Development

DecAthlete was developed by Sega AM3. According to producer Mie Kumagai, AM3's general manager Hisao Oguchi came up with the idea to create a polygon-based sports game as the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta approached. The team considered including swimming and gymnastics, but director Yoshitaka Maeyama insisted that the decathlon would suffice. The player's use of just one character to accumulate a point total was done to help differentiate the characters and to better resemble a video game score. [6]

DecAthlete was released on the PlayStation 2 in Japan as part of the DecAthlete Collection with Winter Heat and Virtua Athlete . The collection is the 15th volume of the Sega Ages 2500 series. [7]

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Decathlete on their July 1, 1996 issue as being the most-successful arcade game of the month. [13] In the United States, it was one of the top ten highest-grossing arcade games of 1996. [14] The console port was among the nineteen best-selling Saturn games of 1996 in the United Kingdom, according to HMV. [15]

A reviewer for Next Generation said that compared to its rival, Konami's International Track & Field , DecAthlete has far more polygons, producing characters which are "completely smooth, crisp, and full of life." He also praised the variety of events, strong selection of modes and features, heavy distinction between the playable characters, and emphasis on timing and skill over button-mashing, which he felt set it apart from previous track-and-field games. His one criticism is that it supports up to two players, compared to International Track and Field's four players. [10] The two sports reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly both commented that the game rose above simple button-mashing and had a strong sense of realism. [9] Rob Allsetter of Sega Saturn Magazine highlighted the 60 frames per second animation, and agreed with Next Generation and EGM that, while DecAthlete does involve some button-mashing, it emphasizes skill conspicuously more than other games in the genre. He also agreed that the game's one shortcoming is that it does not support more than two players. [11]

In 1997, Electronic Gaming Monthly listed the Saturn version as number 95 on their "100 Best Games of All Time", calling it "the ultimate sports game for people who aren't into sports games." They cited its excellent graphics, control, and camera angles, and the humorous characters. [16]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: デカスリート, Hepburn: Dekasurīto

Related Research Articles

<i>Virtua Fighter</i> (video game) 1993 video game

Virtua Fighter is a fighting game created for the Sega Model 1 arcade platform by AM2, a development group within Sega, headed by Yu Suzuki. An early prototype version was location tested in Japan by August 1993, before the complete game was released worldwide in October 1993. It is the first game in the Virtua Fighter series, and the first arcade fighting game to feature fully 3D polygon graphics. The game has been ported to several platforms including the Sega Saturn, Sega 32X, and Microsoft Windows.

<i>X-Men vs. Street Fighter</i> 1996 video game

X-Men vs. Street Fighter is a crossover fighting video game developed and published by Capcom. It is Capcom's third fighting game to feature Marvel Comics characters, following X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel Super Heroes, and is the first installment in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. As the title suggests, the game includes characters from Marvel's X-Men franchise and the cast from Capcom's Street Fighter series. Originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1996, it was ported to the Sega Saturn in 1997 and the PlayStation in 1998.

<i>Street Fighter Alpha 2</i> 1996 video game

Street Fighter Alpha 2, known as Street Fighter Zero 2 in Japan, Asia, South America, and Oceania, is a 1996 fighting game originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware by Capcom. The game is a remake to the previous year's Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams. The game features a number of improvements over the original, such as new attacks, stages, endings, and gameplay features. It was followed by Street Fighter Alpha 3.

<i>Battle Arena Toshinden</i> 1995 video game

Battle Arena Toshinden, also transliterated Toh Shin Den, is a weapons-based fighting game developed by Tamsoft and published by Takara and Sony Computer Entertainment in 1995 for the PlayStation, followed by 1996 ports for the Sega Saturn, Game Boy and MS-DOS. It was one of the first fighting games, after Virtua Fighter in 1993 on arcade and console, to boast polygonal characters in a 3D environment, and features a sidestep maneuver which is credited for taking the genre into "true 3D."

<i>X-Men: Children of the Atom</i> (video game) 1994 video game

X-Men: Children of the Atom is an arcade game that was produced by Capcom and released on the CP System II arcade hardware in 1994 in Japan and in 1995 in North America and Europe.

<i>Primal Rage</i> 1994 arcade video game

Primal Rage is a fighting game developed and is released by the group of Atari Games to an arcades in the year 1994. The game takes place on a post-apocalyptic version of Earth called "Urth". Players control one of seven large beasts that battle each other to determine the planet's fate. Matches feature many of the conventions of fighting games from the era, including special moves and gory finishing maneuvers. Ports were released for home consoles and personal computers. Efforts to perfectly emulate the arcade original have been unsuccessful due to the use of an unusual copy protection method. Toys, comics, a novel and other merchandise tie-ins were produced. The game sold more than 1.5 million copies.

<i>Olympic Summer Games</i> (video game) 1996 video game

Olympic Summer Games is an official video game of the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. It is the successor to Olympic Gold and Winter Olympics. It was the last "Olympic" video game released for the fourth generation of consoles, as well as the Game Boy.

<i>Virtua Cop 2</i> 1995 video game

Virtua Cop 2 is a light gun shooter arcade game, released in 1995 and developed internally at Sega by their AM2 studio. It was ported to the Sega Saturn in 1996, PC in 1997, and Sega Dreamcast in 2000. It was bundled with Virtua Cop in Virtua Cop: Elite Edition for PlayStation 2 in 2002.

<i>Die Hard Arcade</i> 1996 video game

Die Hard Arcade, known as Dynamite Deka in Japan, is an arcade beat 'em up video game released by Sega. It was the first beat 'em up to use texture-mapped 3D polygon graphics, and used a sophisticated move set by contemporary beat 'em up standards, often being likened to a fighting game in this respect. It also features quick time events, the ability to combine items to make more powerful weapons, and in two-player mode the ability to perform combined special moves and combos.

<i>Virtua Fighter 2</i> 1994 arcade video game

Virtua Fighter 2 is a 1994 fighting video game developed by Sega. It is the sequel to Virtua Fighter (1993), and the second game in the Virtua Fighter series. It was created by Sega's Yu Suzuki-headed AM2 and was released for arcades in 1994. Ports were released for the Sega Saturn in 1995 and Microsoft Windows in 1997.

<i>Virtua Fighter Kids</i> 1996 video game

Virtua Fighter Kids is an installment in the Sega AM2 Virtua Fighter fighting game series. A super deformed version of Virtua Fighter 2, it was released in the arcade and on the Sega Saturn in 1996. Unlike Virtua Fighter 2, it was developed on the ST-V board.

<i>Fighting Vipers</i> 1995 video game

Fighting Vipers is a 3D fighting video game developed by Sega AM2. It uses the same game engine as AM2's Virtua Fighter 2 but features enclosed arenas and an armor mechanic, and was targeted more towards Western audiences, using a U.S. setting and more freeform styles of martial arts. The game was released in the arcade in 1995 using the Sega Model 2 hardware. The game was ported to the Sega Saturn, and to PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in 2012. Though Fighting Vipers was not very popular in North American arcades, the Saturn version was one of the most high-profile games in the system's 1996 holiday lineup, and was met with positive reviews.

<i>The King of Fighters 95</i> 1995 video game

The King of Fighters '95(KOF '95) is a fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home consoles in 1995. It is the sequel to The King of Fighters '94 and the second game in The King of Fighters series. It is also the first game in the series to be ported to other home consoles besides the Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD thus making SNK a second-party developer, with versions released for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Game Boy.

<i>Virtua Fighter 3</i> 1996 video game

Virtua Fighter 3 is the sequel to 1994's Virtua Fighter 2 and the third fighting game in the Virtua Fighter series, developed by Sega AM2 and published by Sega in 1996. It was the first arcade game to run on the Sega Model 3 system board.

<i>Dead or Alive</i> (video game) 1996 video game

Dead or Alive is a 1996 fighting game by Tecmo and the first entry in Team Ninja's long-running Dead or Alive series. It was released first in arcades, followed by home ports for the Sega Saturn in Japan, and later for the PlayStation in all regions.

<i>Virtual On: Cyber Troopers</i> 1996 video game

Virtual On: Cyber Troopers is a 1996 video game developed and published by Sega. A 3D shooting and fighting game featuring robots, it was released in arcades and for Sega Saturn and PC, in both America and Japan. There were also two-player online versions of the game released in America and Japan for the Sega Saturn using the NetLink and XBAND services. Initially the game was to be released under the title "Virtual On" in Japan and "Cyber Troopers" in North America, but ultimately these two names were combined into a single title for both regions.

Virtua Fighter is a series of fighting games created by Sega-AM2 and designer Yu Suzuki. The original Virtua Fighter was released in October 1993 and has received four main sequels and several spin-offs. The highly influential first Virtua Fighter game is widely recognized as the first 3D fighting game released.

<i>Last Bronx</i> Fighting game by Sega

Last Bronx is a 3D fighting video game developed by Sega AM3 on the Sega Model 2 mainboard. It was released in Japanese game centers in 1996. Home versions of Last Bronx were produced for the contemporary Sega Saturn and Windows systems. In Japan, Last Bronx was novelized and serialized into comics and radio drama. A VHS video documenting the motion capture process used for the game and introducing the characters was released in 1996. A year later, Takashi Shimizu directed the live-action movie (V-Cinema). On June 29, 2006, Sega released Last Bronx on PlayStation 2 as a tenth anniversary celebration.

<i>International Track & Field</i> 1996 video game

International Track & Field, known in Japan as Hyper Olympic in Atlanta, is a 3D update of Konami's Track & Field series, in which up to four players compete in eleven different Olympic events. The game was released for the PlayStation and arcades in 1996. The arcade version was released only in Japan as Hyper Athlete. A Game Boy Color game was released in 1999. It was known in Japan as Hyper Olympic Track & Field GB and International Track & Field in Europe and North America. In 2008 the game was released on PlayStation Network as a PS one Classic. All six events from the first game, 1983's Track & Field, are included, but only three events are taken from the sequel, Hyper Sports. International Track & Field uses the three-button control system of its predecessors and the eleven disciplines can be attempted in any order.

<i>Winter Heat</i> 1997 video game

Winter Heat is a sports video game developed by Sega AM3 and published by Sega for arcades in 1997, and for the Sega Saturn in 1998, featuring the license for the 1998 Winter Olympics that were celebrated in Nagano, Japan. It is the sequel to the 1996 Sega game DecAthlete. Winter Heat was released on the PlayStation 2 in Japan as part of the DecAthlete Collection with DecAthlete and Virtua Athlete. The collection is the 15th volume of the Sega Ages 2500 series.

References

  1. ↑ "DecAthlete". Media Arts Database. Agency for Cultural Affairs . Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  2. 1 2 "The ST-V Board in Surprise Resurgence Shocker!". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine. Emap International Limited (5): 119. April 1996.
  3. 1 2 Bright, Rob (August 1996). "Get on the Good Foot". Sega Saturn Magazine . No. 10. Emap International Limited. pp. 42–47.
  4. ↑ "Model 3: Sega Affirms Arcade Supremacy". Next Generation . No. 17. Imagine Media. May 1996. pp. 12–18.
  5. ↑ "And There's More...". Sega Saturn Magazine . No. 6. Emap International Limited. April 1996. p. 17.
  6. ↑ Kushida Riko (June 30, 2017). "ゲームプロデューサー熊谷美恵さんの「セガ子会社社長兼クリエイターとして」⎯⎯ゲーム業界、彼女の履歴書" [Game Producer Mie Kumagai As "Sega Subsidiary President and Creator" Her Game Industry Resume] (in Japanese). Red Bull GmbH. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  7. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop (20 August 2004). "Sega Ages: DecAthlete Collection Import Playtest". IGN . Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  8. ↑ "Decathlete (Sega Saturn) Review". Archived from the original on 15 November 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Box Score: Decathlete". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 86. Ziff Davis. September 1996. p. 142.
  10. 1 2 "Decadent". Next Generation . No. 22. Imagine Media. October 1996. p. 175.
  11. 1 2 Allsetter, Rob (September 1996). "Review: Athlete Kings". Sega Saturn Magazine . No. 11. Emap International Limited. pp. 66–67.
  12. ↑ "Power Unlimited Game Database". powerweb.nl (in Dutch). November 1996. Archived from the original on September 11, 2003. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 521. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 July 1996. p. 21.
  14. ↑ "Top Ten Arcade Titles for 1996: According to a recent report, both Sega and Namco had three of top ten grossing arcade titles in 1996". Next Generation . December 17, 1996. Archived from the original on 18 April 1997. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  15. ↑ "Editorial". Computer and Video Games . No. 183 (February 1997). United Kingdom: EMAP. 10 January 1997. pp. 6–7.
  16. ↑ "100 Best Games of All Time". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 100. Ziff Davis. November 1997. p. 104. Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.