Since I labeled this section Sound and Graphics, for some unknown reason, most of my reviews start with the sound part. This review will be different; graphics shall take the spotlight.

My first encounter with an Olympic-like video game was a very long time ago on the original Nintendo. While the idea behind the 100 meter dash has remained the same (be first to cross the finish line), the graphics have come long way since those ancient times. I’ve skipped the last few Olympic games, and what I can say about Beijing Olympics 2008 is WOW! I was speechless. This game did its job when it comes to graphics.

First of all, the athletes look awesome. The programmers and the graphic designers did a great job of implementing some great graphics that also work well. I’ve starred at this game for a while (testing over 30 events is hard work), and I still get captivated by the animations, the stadiums, everything. The stadiums are also designed remarkably well. I’m not an expert on the Olympics, so I can’t comment on the authenticity of the stadiums, but I can say is that the look great in this game. And now for my favorite part of the graphics – the fans in the bleachers cheering on their team. The camera effect is just phenomenal. The athlete is in clear focus while the background is out of focus. The way the out of focus blur effects are done causes the image to look realistic, this actually being the game with the best looking cheering fans by a long shot.

As for the sound, one again, I’m about to sound like a broken record. Yes, there is sound in the game. Is there anything special about the sound in Beijing Olympics 2008? The answer would be no.

While the commentary is part of this game, I’m just going to give you an example that will cover the basics of this commentary. For this example, I will use the Archery event. Once you hit the target, the commentator calls your score (between miss to a perfect 10. Yes, there is sound, yes, somebody comments on something that you’ve done, but that’s where it stops. Special is a word I would not use for Beijing Olympics 2008.