WORLD OF SPORTS
Publisher : Epyx
Release date : 1990
Genre : Sports
Players : 4
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"Four international events of death defying skill and endurance. Cliff Diving, Slalom Skiing, BMX Bike racing and Surfing from the masters of computer sports....EPYX."
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Programming :
Tiertex
Graphics :
Tiertex
Music/Sounds :
Tiertex
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Download ROM
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Download Manual
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Editors review...
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Multi-event sport games have had a mixed history on the 8bits. From the great (Winter Games, California Games) to the bad (Daley Thompsons Super Test), however they have provided a variety of different games in one package. At least, they should...
Here we have the one only game of this type on the GX4000 - World Of Sports. Except there's not much travelling around the world or indeed sports, as we're treated to a paltry 4 events! Yes! 4 EVENTS! And thus the rest of this review will consist of me ranting in disbelief at just how lazy Epyx were as it affects everything about this package. From the playability, presentation and lastability to the overall standard that should be expected for something released at a price of £24.99 back in 1990 - this is so poor it actually makes me a bit angry.
Ripping off customers is one thing, but damaging the already flakey reputation of the console at the time is something the Epyx management and game designers should be hung up and flogged with wire brushes for. This is one of the first batch of carts that got a release, and one designed specifically for the console. So in the plus column for this game we have lovely graphics, colours and smoooooth animation/scrolling using the assisted hardware of the Plus machines at least. But as something that wasn't part of the batch of re-released games on cart this stands out like the proverbial dog turd.
So what are the 4 events then? First up is BMX riding (yawn) which as the first game is a rather fiddly thing to get to grips with, pulling off stunts and racking up the points seems more like pot luck than it does skill. So not a great start. Up next, slalom skiing, a gameplay device as old as the hills - great! Does no-one remember Horace Goes Skiing on the good old Speccy? Wasn't that released in 1982? For what it's worth, it's done well and will provide a short burst of fun. Next we have surfing - and the best one in the package. It looks and plays marvellously, and will probably be the one game you'll come back to more than the others - once you get the knack of it suddenly you're pulling off some great leaps and skills out the water, but getting wiped out results in a giant wave washing you away which looks ace. This is more like it! Sadly, we're already onto the final event - cliff diving. It looks great and some really nice touches (like the water level bobbing up and down) but there's not a great deal of skill involved here, just a bit of timing with some seemingly sluggish controls. Just jump at the right moment, hold position as long as possible before moving into diving position at the last moment as you hit the water and pull up before you hit the bottom. Doesn't seem very responsive though, and it'd been nice to be able to pull of some moves like tucks and rolls whilst flying towards a watery grave. And then ... it's all over and done with. That's yer lot.
Things could have been greatly improved with some kind of medal ceremony or targets to reach, it might have improved the lastability. Presentation is simply sub-standard because of that, and the menus and title screens are just boring text. Lazy, lazy, lazy. Conclusion? Very poor package, so little meat on this bone to bite into this cart will be sent to the back of the pile and left there to collect dust.
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Graphics
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Graphics are marvelous throughout for what there is (not much), but lovely use of colours and nice animations.
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Music
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Title screen music, and individual music for each event - each being well made and constructive, inoffensive tunes that are a bit twee and drab.
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Sounds
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No SFX, purely music through out!
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Presentation
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Pretty minimalistic, with an average title screen leading into text only menus. Actually, its all rather poor. I keep harping on about there being only 4 events, but they could have livened things up with fun animated menus, some kind of awards ceremony that at least you have something to strive for.
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Programming
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Well each event plays well as it should, the BMX I found quite fiddly but each event has responsive controls and smooth sprites and scrolling. For what there is, it's done well again.
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Playability
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Again, each event is fine and quite fun in short burts, but with so little there and nothing to work towards an achievement it's just pure development laziness.
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Lastability
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You'll have gotten bored after about 10 minutes guaranteed, you'll have played through the 4 events a few times and you may have mastered them already or were crap and may want to come back again to it... but it probably won't be for a while until you're bored of your other games. Surfing is great fun though, and well 4 players can compete with each other but only in a turn based scenario.
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Concept
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Multi sport event games when programmed and presented well (eg Winter Games) will keep you coming back time and time again. Here we have a well programmed game with great graphics and passable music, but so little to do. Bad multi sport games have lots of events but badly done so here we have the opposite - its still a bad game though.
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AI & Challenge
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Decent enough challenge on each event, I didn't get on well with the BMX event but the surfing was great fun. Again, with only 4 events there's just not enough challenge to keep you coming back.
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GX4000 Features
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Fair dues here - great use of the extra colours and pallete, everything's silky smooth so I assume they're using the hardware scrolling and sprites.
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Summary
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Poor, lazy, half baked product. Makes you wonder why Epyx even bothered. Not necessarily a bad game, but one of the least value packages released for the console for your money. Buy as cheap as possible from Ebay if you must!
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Final Score
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55%
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Cheats...
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No cheats found.
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Further more...
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Amstrad Action final score : 72%
GX4000.CO.UK game ranking : #
Game value (boxed + instructions) : £10 - £25
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Credits...
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Manuals and some sleeve scans by mochilote at cpcmania.com
ROMS taken from NVG FTP Site maintained by Nich Campbell, see his other site - CPC Game Reviews
Cheats (various) taken from CPC Zone contributed by Hermol, cpc4eva, Malc and others
Inspiration generally taken from John King's PCW King GX4000 site
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