Summer Games
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article refers to the Epyx video game series. You may be looking for the Summer Olympic Games
Summer Games is a sports video game developed by Epyx and released by U.S. Gold based on sports featured in the Summer Olympic Games. Released in 1984 for the Commodore 64, it was also eventually ported to the Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari XL/XE and Sega Master System platforms. Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Atari ST versions were also created for inclusion in compilations. In 2004 it would be "re-released" on the C64 Direct-to-TV. It will also be available on the Wii's Virtual Console [1].
The game was presented as a virtual multi-sport carnival called the "Epyx Games" (there was no official IOC licensing in place) with up to 8 players each choosing a country to represent, and then taking turns competing in various events to try for a medal. On most versions, world records could be saved to the floppy disk.
[edit] Events
The events available vary slightly depending on the platform, and may include:
The game allowed you to compete in all of the events sequentially, choose a few events, choose just one event, or practice an event.
[edit] Legacy
Summer Games was followed by a sequel, Summer Games II, which featured additional sports such as equestrian, fencing and cycling. The Games series was also spun off into the Winter Games, World Games and California Games franchises.
Later, Epyx continued the series (featuring USOC licensing) under the banner of The Games. With the demise of Epyx in 1989, U.S. Gold took over the line, releasing officially licensed games for the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics and the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. U.S. Gold's 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics game was the last title they would release.
