PS3 Review – Vancouver 2010

Vancouver 2010 is a simulation of a host of events from the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, focusing mainly on the extreme speed of winter sports.. Including the all-new challenge mode and a variety of events to test yourself with, is Eurocom’s latest sports game worthy of a gold medal?

Vancouver 2010 is all about aiming for perfection in the 14 events you get in the main mode and the various challenges in challenge mode. This unforgiving game is all about timing; you can’t be more than a few seconds off performing the task at hand, otherwise you’ll have to keep restarting the event again to eventually pass.

Rather than a traditional sports game, Sega’s Vancouver 2010 is more a collection of arcade styled mini-games. The title includes a range of nationalities to choose from as well, with 24 different countries to select from. Just pick the country you’d like to represent, choose your event and prepare for a challenge.

Events such as the ski-jump do a decent job at simulating the thrilling sense of speed you’d feel if you were actually heading down the slope yourself. Breathtaking viewpoints are used to really make the environments believable, escalating the game’s excitement factor.

The career mode gifts you with 14 challenges. However, instead of providing an in-depth, Olympic-like career mode in Vancouver 2010, developer Eurocom forces you to either beat the time given to you for each event, or restart, which is frustrating, but at the same time challenging.  Challenge mode makes up for the short career mode with various arcade-style challenges. You’re given a specific challenge with a set time to beat.  This mode is more satisfying than the game’s main career event. It’s basically trial and error, but it is more rewarding then the main 14 events.

What really fits the mood and gameplay style surrounding the sports title is the online component. Going head-to-head with gamers all over the world mirrors the real event very well. There is also an addictive online leaderboard feature which will keep you coming back for more.

Visually, the game delivers. The animations are fluid and life-like. Judging solely by the impressive visuals in the game, Eurocom really gave it their best as you can see with the in-depth design.

There’s not much variety in the events, which mainly just involve skiing downhill or bobsledding. If you’re not interested in these events, you may feel the game falls short with the diminutive career mode. You can complete the game within hours unless you have interest in the game’s online mode. Additionally, while some may argue that they add more value to the game, the trophies can be very frustrating, forcing you to ace every challenge in the game.

Vancouver 2010 is an entertaining but flawed sports title. Ultimately, gamers who go into every event and aim for a gold medal will find it enjoyable. Gamers who are looking for more simulation type modes, on the other hand, will be given a rather shallow package. Even with a low price and the thrill of thrashing downhill at high speeds, this game does not do enough to warrant a purchase, but it should at least make for an enjoyable rental.

PlayStation LifeStyle’s Final Score

Short range of events in career mode

Entertaining online component

Challenging–for better or worse

5 out of 10

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