Not quite a Gold Medal - but just enough to qualify!
Sadly not! With Beijing 2008 there is still an overwhelming emphasis on tapping the old A+B as quick as possible to get the best results (and trust me, you will have to give it some welly!) and frankly, it's not viable. 360 controllers just aren't built for that kind of abuse. So expect to stump up the money to replace your controller at some point!
That said, Sega have tried to put a bit more thought into the controls for some events and most actual work very well. Gymnastics is played out as a kind of dancemat routine, with the most successful getting results from accuracy and agility rather than on pure button-mashing. There's also an impressive range of events – Beijing 2008 hasn't stuck to the tried and tested Track and Field formula, but has branched out far into the Olympic spectrum with competitions in Archery, Diving, Kayaking, Pursuit Cycling, Table Tennis, Judo, Shooting and many more. You get the feeling that Sega have tried to make something for everyone.
Difficulty wise, it's a mixed bag. Some events you'll breeze through, and some you will struggle with and I think this is just about right – like a Decathlete, you can't be good at everything can you?
As the logistics go, with every type of this game – some events are better made than others. Those that work well far outweigh those that don't, although Judo is spectacularly bad I have to say and Table Tennis looks and plays awful. Similarly, the 1500metres and Circle Pursuit, are just tiresome & dull as they can last 4 minutes or more.
As an official game of the Olympics, it's obviously well presented. The graphics, although a bit too bulky on occasion, are well received, colourful and the game overall looks pretty good. I don't think anybody has quite mastered the mechanics of human movement properly, and sadly it does look like your athlete is waddling rather than running. As a plus point though, adding national anthems to the gold medal winners' ceremonies is a nice touch.
The career mode is a bit of a let down, I have to mention. You seemingly repeat events until you qualify – so if you can't get the knack of the Hammer, for example, you will be perpetually re-starting your career as an athlete. That could get rather annoying. But the expansive multi-player mode, where you can try and test every event from the moment you load up the game (all are unlocked, which is fantastic), more than makes up for the disappointing career. Online is probably best avoided, as it will probably remind you of the fact that "no matter how good you think you are, there's always a million people out there who are better than you".
Overall, I don't think Beijing 2008 quite takes the gold medal on this occasion. More like a plucky British athlete, it falls short of being a true great. However, there's enough substance and style within the game to keep you playing a few months after the real Olympic Games have ended.