Athens 2004 E3 2004 Preshow First Look

989 Sports is currently developing Athens 2004, which, as the name suggests, is based on the upcoming Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Athens 2004 is the only current console game licensed by the International Olympic Committee, and it will feature 25 events, including discus, javelin, skeet shooting, archery, hurdles, and various swimming and track sprint races. Seven different stadiums are modeled in the game, such as the Panathinaiko Stadium (which was used in the original 1896 Olympics), the Nikaia Weightlifting Hall, and the Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre. You'll be able to choose from 800 different characters, hailing from 64 countries ranging from traditional Olympic powers like the United States and Russia, to smaller states like Senegal, Fiji, and the Bahamas.

Five different game modes supporting up to four players will be available in Athens 2004: practice, single event, challenge, party, and competition mode. You can earn points by doing well in single-event mode, which can be used to unlock special items and features. Challenge mode will let you compete against real-life world records, while party mode enables the use of dance mats for competition in 10 of the events, including the hurdles, 100m freestyle swimming, and gymnastics floor exercises.

Currently Athens 2004 is slated to ship for the PlayStation 2 in July. We'll have more information on the game as it becomes available.