The idea behind Athens 2004 is simple: It’s the Olympics. You play all the 25 games that are given to you, and that’s about it. Try to get the highest score or even beat the World Record or Olympic Record.

This game isn’t a graphical showcase, but it also isn't a complete letdown. I, personally, would of liked a little bit more detail on the player models but feel the physics put into the gameplay more than made up for it. The games can be affected by nature, like wind blowing your arrow off course as you shoot it in archery, which I found pretty cool. The more powerful the wind blows, the harder it makes it to get a bullseye. But don’t worry, you can always tell the force of the wind by looking at the flags around the arena. The more they are being blown and the direction they are being blown in help you to find the perfect way to shoot the arrow.

The UI is good. The game tells you exactly what you must do when you need to do it, either coming up at the bottom of the screen when you need to press a certain pattern of buttons to perform a move or you having to pause the game and go to the HOW TO PLAY selection, or having to fill up a bar so you can lift weights. Once again, I had no problem with it and found it very easy to follow.

The controls were one of the components of the game I found a little … annoying. First, not all of the games have the same controls. For example, in the 100m race, all you really have to do it press X and O to make your person run, the faster you press, the faster he runs; but in the 1,500m race the person runs for himself, and all you have to do is direct him with the left analogue stick and control his speed with the right. Most of the games are button mashing, which can become very annoying at times. In Hurdle Jumping, you must worry about both running and jumping over the hurdles at the right time, or running into them pretty much forcing you to lose the race. There are all different kinds of controls, a different kind for each event, some easier than others. One very cool add on, in my opinion, is the ability to use the Dance Dance Revolution pad for the Women’s Floor Exercises. This is played just like a Dance Dance Revolution game, having to hit the arrows at the right time, except, how you do affects how your player does in her routine. If you mess up, you both might fall on your ass. It can also be used during the races, but, I don’t recommend that. It's much easier just to use the controller.

The setting for the events take place are designed well. The judges are sitting right there, moving, and interacting with what’s around them. You can see the other events set up, though not taking place at the same time. In outside games, the trees and grass all look very good, and the pool for the swimming events are built well. The only problem I have is the audience - just a bunch of paper cut-outs thrown into the seats. I felt as if diminished the immersiveness of the game. A more believable and reactive audience would have heightened my excitement and engery just as if I had been competing in an Olympic event. They do move and clap but just don’t "feel" real.

The sounds are great — exactly what I would expect to hear at the Olympics. The clapping and cheering from the audience is believable, and the sounds of your player hitting the mat or swimming or running all sound how you'd expect. There really is no music, except for the menu screens.

The replayability of this game is dependent on exactly how you're playing. This game seems to lack a strong single-player mode. It gets very repetitive and once you beat an event, your only choice is to try to best your own personal records. You never actually get to see any other countries play, just yourself. On the other hand, if you are playing with friends, this game can be played for hours! In multiplayer, it truly shines. Just the fact that you are competing against your friends to see who is the best gives you the urge to keep playing.

Difficulties for the events vary just as they would in the Olympics — dependent on the type of game you are playing and how you are playing it. Take weightlifting for instance. The less weight you have on, the easier it is to lift the bar up to your chest and then over your head, but if you have more weight, it becomes harder to mash the buttons fast enough to be able to do any of that. I myself am unable to lift 150 kilos in this game. Other events are successful based on your timing. In the Equestrian Horse track, if you press the R1 button in time, you will make a perfect jump over the obstacle, but, if too early or late, you will either hit the object you are jumping or your horse will refuse to jump. (This is probably the hardest one to complete perfectly. It's near impossible to go through the whole course without hitting or knocking over half the obstacles). Others depend on aim, like Archery and Skeet (shooting clay discs with guns). I guess it all depends on how comfortable you are with the controller in your hand. Fast fingers and a good eye are a definite must have for this game. Like the Olympics, the game is based on speed, skill and dexterity.

Overall, I found Athens 2004 to be very fun. If you don’t enjoy button mashers, this might not be the game for you, but, if you enjoy a great party game, then this is a good choice for a possible future rent or buy. Once again, be prepared for some arguments between you and your friends on who won or how it was unfair, but its all in good fun. I give it a thumbs up.