GOTD 5/7/2016: Track & Field (VCS)
There are a lot of really good versions of Konami's arcade classic, Track & Field. My first experience with the game was on a friend's Nintendo, and I dug it, though not enough to feel like I needed it. Years later, a buddy of mine and I got really into these multi-event button mashers and athletic competitions, spending evenings with Crash 'n the Boys, Gold Medal '92, and even Jackass. He was a life long fan of Track & Field, though, and while we've definitely played those NES games, about 3 years ago I stumbled across the Atari 2600 version at a local store with the controller for five bucks. I figured it would be a funny, low-grade farce good for a laugh... I was well wrong on that one. It's awesome.
When Atari converted the coin-op to their VCS in I believe 1984, they went all out and they did it right. All of the arcade events are present: the 100m dash, long jump, javelin throw, 110m hurdles, hammer throw, and long jump, and they use the same controls as the arcade. If you are using the bundled in arcade controller, it is an incredibly accurate experience outside of the graphics and sound downgrade, but I'll get to that. The button mashing, holding the action button for angles, the jump tilting in the high jump... it's all there, and even the timing translates really well. I was floored at how accurate of an experience it is.
The Atari version offers three difficulty levels, making it a very accessible play, and in the event that you might find a loose cart without the controller, it can be played with a joystick as well, or it's also super easy to build a custom controller. While the graphics naturally can't compete with the arcade version, they are quite good for a VCS game, featuring a great color palette, smooth animation, and solid character designs. I honestly prefer it over the NES version, as it is more accurate to the arcade in the gameplay department. It wasn't one I grew up with, but it may well be my second favorite 2600 game at this point.
Played it? Prefer another version? Any stories from this or any other version?
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