Numan Athletics

Last updated
Numan Athletics
Namco Numan Athletics.png
Japanese promotional sales flyer
Developer(s) Namco
Publisher(s) Namco
Composer(s) Nobuyoshi Sano
SeriesNuman Athletics
Platform(s) Arcade
Release
  • JP: September 1993
  • NA: 1993
Genre(s) Competitive sports
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Numan Athletics [lower-alpha 1] is a 1993 competitive sports arcade game developed and released by Namco. It runs on the company's NA-2 hardware, and has eight unusual competitions to test the strength and might of four mutant athletes called "Numans" (Sharon L'Alles, Harry Boffin, Masaemon Nakamura, and Bongo Tembo). Up to four people can play simultaneously (or, depending upon the event, alternately). The game later went on to spawn a sequel, Mach Breakers: Numan Athletics 2 , in 1995.

Contents

Gameplay

In-game screenshot of the "Interceptor" event. Numan Athletics screenshot.png
In-game screenshot of the "Interceptor" event.

Each of the eight events takes place in a different country, and the Numans' journey is charted by a Knuckle Heads -style compere (along with his two "bunny girls", who come up from the bottom of the screen when a Numan succeeds in some, but not all, of the events). If a player gets the best time (or distance) in any event, it shall be a "world record", after which the player is prompted to input their initials. The events are:

Reception

Numan Athletics was one of the most popular arcade games in Japan in the month of October 1993. [1] Electronic Games commended the game for its fierce, competitive nature and strange concept, saying that it would "test anyone's physical endurance". [2] Italian publication Computer+Videogiochi agreed, further praising the game for sticking out among similar titles for its outlandish design, entertaining gameplay, and amount of in-game events. [3] They also liked its colorful visuals and soundtrack, alongside its multiplayer components. [3]

Reviewing the Japanese Wii Virtual Console version, Nintendo Life praised Numan Athletics for its competitive nature and uniqueness, and found it to be a surprising "treasure" for the service. [4] They wrote: "Numan Athletics is the distilled essence of what makes arcade games so exciting – it’s over the top, noisy, bold – and fun". [4] Retro Gamer gave a similar response, comparing it favorably to Sega's DecAthlete and Konami's Hyper Sports for its unique and outlandish concept, alongside its entertaining, button-mashing gameplay. [5] They concluded their review saying: "The premise doesn’t change a whole lot in gameplay terms – at the end of the day, you’re still going to spend most of your time hammering away at buttons – but it’s as tight and enjoyable as the best in the genre, holding up well alongside the likes of Hyper Sports and DecAthlete". [5] Game Watch applauded its "exhilarating" gameplay and "gorgeous" presentation, and said that its 4-person multiplayer made it a great party game. They also liked the techno soundtrack and responsive controls. [6]

Notes

  1. Japanese: ニューマンアスレチックス, Hepburn: Nyūman Asurechikkusu

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References

  1. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 460. Amusement Press. 1 November 1993. p. 25.
  2. Carter, Jay (April 1994). "Insert Coin Here". Decker Publications. Electronic Games. pp. 22–23. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Killed Games - Numan Athletics" (in Italian). No. 31. Gruppo Editoriale Jackson. Computer + Videogiochi. November 1993. pp. 136–137. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  4. 1 2 Brunskill, Kerry (29 December 2013). "Matters Of Import: Welcome To The Bizarre World Of Namco's Numan Athletics". Nintendo Life . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  5. 1 2 Retro Gamer Team (25 September 2014). "Numan Athletics". Retro Gamer . Archived from the original on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  6. Inamoto, Tetsuya (27 February 2018). "【特別企画】まもなくサービス終了! Wii「バーチャルコンソールアーケード」のススメ". Game Watch. Impress Group. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.