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Nagano Winter Olympics '98

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This article is about the video game. For the 1998 Winter Olympics, see 1998 Winter Olympics.
Nagano Winter Olympics '98
Developer(s)Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka
Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo
Publisher(s)Konami
Director(s)Satoshi Kushibuchi
Designer(s)Masaki Hosoe
Composer(s)Soshiro Hokkai
Akira Yamaoka
Keiko Fukami
Platform(s)PlayStation, Nintendo 64
Release
  • JP: December 18, 1997
  • NA: January 29, 1998[1][2]
  • EU: February 1998
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Nagano Winter Olympics '98, known in Japan as Hyper Olympics in Nagano (ハイパーオリンピック イン ナガノ, Haipā Orinpikku in Nagano), is a multi-event sports game from Konami. It is based on the 1998 Winter Olympics and features 10 Olympic events including skating, skiing, luge, bobsleigh, slalom, curling, halfpipe and snowboarding. The game is part of the Track & Field/Hyper Sports series and would be the last licensed Olympic video game released on a Nintendo home console until Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games about nine years later.

Gameplay

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There are two modes of play, Olympic and Championship. In the Olympic Mode, the player selects an event and competes in order to win the gold medal. In championship, the player competes in seven events, with points being awarded for performance in each event. The athlete with the most points at the end wins gold.

Events

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  • Alpine Skiing - Downhill, Super G (PS1 only[3]), and Giant Slalom
  • Snowboard - Giant Slalom and Halfpipe (N64 only[3])
  • Speed Skating - 500m and 1500m
  • Short Track (PS1 only) - 500 m and 1000 m
  • Bobsleigh
  • Luge
  • Ski Jumping - Large Jumping (PS1 only), K90 (N64 Only) and K120 (N64 only)
  • Freestyle Skiing - Aerials
  • Curling

Playable nations

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Playable countries

There is a total of 16 playable countries per version of the game. They are:

Development

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Both the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 versions of the game were developed by Konami's Japanese branch, but by different divisions of it.[4] A playable demo of the Nintendo 64 version was exhibited at the September 1997 Tokyo Game Show.[5]

Reception

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Nagano Winter Olympics '98 received unfavorable reviews. The Nintendo 64 version and PlayStation version respectively held a 48% and 49% on the review aggregation website GameRankings,[6][7] but those critics which compared the two versions unanimously declared the Nintendo 64 version the superior one, citing faster play, shorter load times, and better graphics with less polygon breakup and draw in than the PlayStation version.[11][21][27][28] GamePro went so far as to give the Nintendo 64 version a positive recommendation, giving it 4 out of 5 scores in graphics, control, and fun factor, and a 3.5 in sound. The reviewer argued that while the game has substantial flaws, such as lack of a practice mode and difficulty select and the passive controls of some of the events, the fun of the multiplayer competition makes it a good value.[27] Next Generation called the PlayStation version "a mixed bag. The graphics and sound are great, and about half of the events are dead on, but the rest rarely rise above mediocrity. All multi-event discs have clunkers, though, and the fun delivered by other events makes this game worth a look in the end."[24]

Other publications were more negative. The most commonly cited problem, regardless of the reviewer's overall opinion of the game, is that the controls for many of the events are so simplistic that the player feels no connection to the action occurring onscreen.[11][18][19][22][24][27][28] GameSpot described the resultant gameplay as "about as tough as answering a phone when it rings" and summed up the game as "an unmixed bag of terrible, underdeveloped games whose feeble, undernourished gameplay comes down to timing one or two button taps, not just per race, but per event".[18] Crispin Boyer wrote in Electronic Gaming Monthly that "Most of NWO '98's 12 difficult events are neither fun nor exciting, and much of the blame falls on the uninspired control setups."[11]

IGN and GamePro both praised the sound effects in the Nintendo 64 version, with IGN's Peer Schneider commenting, "The sound effects are as good as they get, with accurate stereo separation, surround effects, and clear samples. The bob sleigh and ski noises are especially convincing. Without a doubt, Nagano Winter Olympics is one of the best sounding games on the N64 yet. Too bad the gameplay lags behind."[22][27]

Some reviewers found the selection of events uneven. GamePro, reviewing the PlayStation version (which, unlike the Nintendo 64 version, they suggested as a rental only), said that some events are boring.[28][d] Critics overwhelmingly said that the curling is the best event, with most commenting that this is rather unexpected given what an obscure sport curling is.[18][19][22][21][24]

Notes

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  1. ^ Two critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Nintendo 64 version each a score of 4.5/10, one gave it 5/10, and the other gave it 5.5/10.
  2. ^ In GameFan's viewpoint of the Nintendo 64 version, one critic gave it 65, and the other 69.
  3. ^ In GameFan's viewpoint of the PlayStation version, one critic gave it 60, and the other 58.
  4. ^ GamePro gave the PlayStation version two 3.5/5 scores for graphics and fun factor, 3/5 for sound, and 4/5 for control.

References

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  1. ^ "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 is Out". IGN. Ziff Davis. January 29, 1998. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  2. ^ "Bring the Nagano Winter Olympics home". Konami.com. Konami of America. January 29, 1997. Archived from the original on July 5, 1998. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Nagano Winter Olympics '98: Get your Fingers Ready for the Olympics" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 102. Ziff Davis. January 1998. p. 73. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  4. ^ "Nagano Winter Olympics '98: Classic Gameplay with an Olympic Theme". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 102. Ziff Davis. January 1998. p. 39.
  5. ^ Ogasawara, Ken (December 1997). "Tokyo Game Show '97". GamePro. No. 111. IDG. p. 78. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  8. ^ McCall, Scott. "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 (N64) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  9. ^ "Nagano Winter Olympics '98" (PDF). Edge. No. 55. Future Publishing. February 1998. p. 90. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  10. ^ "Nagano Winter Olympics '98" (PDF). Edge. No. 56. Future Publishing. March 1998. p. 102. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d Boyer, Crispin; Kujawa, Kraig; Smith, Shawn; Rickards, Kelly (March 1998). "Review Crew: Nagano Olympics '98" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 104. Ziff Davis. p. 116. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  12. ^ "Review Crew: Nagano Olympics '98". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 104. Ziff Davis. March 1998. p. 122.
  13. ^ "ハイパーオリンピック イン ナガノ 64 [NINTENDO64]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  14. ^ "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 (N64)". Game Informer. No. 59. FuncoLand. March 1998.
  15. ^ "Nagano Winter Olympics ['98] (PS)". Game Informer. No. 58. FuncoLand. February 1998. Archived from the original on September 13, 1999. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  16. ^ a b Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; The Rookie (February 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics ['98]". GameFan. Vol. 6, no. 2. Metropolis Media. p. 83. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  17. ^ Carnevale, Jason C. (February 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 Review (PS)". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on February 5, 2004. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  18. ^ a b c d Smith, Josh (June 18, 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on December 11, 2004. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  19. ^ a b c Smith, Josh (June 16, 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on November 3, 2004. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  20. ^ a b Cheung, Kevin (April 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98". Hyper. No. 54. Next Media Pty Ltd. pp. 44–45.
  21. ^ a b c Schneider, Peer (February 4, 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  22. ^ a b c d Rignall, Jaz (January 30, 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  23. ^ Davies, Jonathan (February 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98". N64 Magazine. No. 12. Future Publishing. pp. 40–43.
  24. ^ a b c d "Nagano Winter Olympics 98". Next Generation. No. 39. Imagine Media. March 1998. p. 111. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  25. ^ "Nagano Winter Olympics '98". Nintendo Power. Vol. 105. Nintendo of America. February 1998. p. 93. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  26. ^ Rybicki, Joe (March 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 6. Ziff Davis. p. 92. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  27. ^ a b c d J. Boogie (March 1998). "Catch Olympic Fever with Nagano N64" (PDF). GamePro. No. 114. IDG. p. 104. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  28. ^ a b c Air Hendrix (March 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98". GamePro. No. 114. IDG. p. 106.
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