Games based on sports have all been getting mixed reviews over the years, especially when it comes to games based around the Olympics Games. In 1996 Konami released a 3D update on their original title Track & Field which was released on both arcades and on the Nintendo NES which was released around the same time as the 1984 Olympics, which ideally Konami wanted to release this around the time when the Olympics were about to kick off.
For International Track & Field adds in extra events with a total of 11 to choose from unlike the original version released back in the 80's only had 6 events to choose from. You've got the option to select which country you want to play as and choose which event you want to do from 100m Sprint, Shot Put, Javelin, Long Jump and many more. The gameplay controls are straight forward each event easily requires you to button mash both the Square and the Circle to sprint or keep your stamina up at a high level certain events require you to button mash and then tap the X button to finish or land perfectly especially if you want a good score. Each event will have a score you need to require you to beat if you want to move on to the next stage fail to do so will be a game over and you would have to restart it again.
It feels more like an arcade game in general when playing most of the event games for International Track & Field; the controls at certain events can feel a little broken but are easily ignored. Would say that it's more fun playing with 2 or 4 players if you have a Multi Tap Adapter, this is where you'll get the most fun out of International Track & Field when it comes to multiplayer games in general and knowing who is the best when it comes to Olympic sports. Playing the game alone isn't much fun it is with other players at least it tries to be a decent a sports games, looking at the game now and when it was first released I can see why it got mixed reviews on many reasons.
What I did like about International Track & Field is that the 32 bit sound and graphics feel quite impressive especially for a PS1 title. If you bought this back in 1996 just a few months after the PS1 was released you would have had an enjoyable experience playing this making you feel more interested in the Olympic Games in general. The graphics and visuals still hold up pretty well when looking at it over twenty years ago, with it feeling more of an arcade title it does have its replay value you can pick this up on the PSN Store to download either on the PS3, PSP or PS Vita so you can play up to four players if you download it on your PS3. Completing all events can take a few hours to complete overall it has its both good and bad moments just a shame we don't see more arcade style Olympic sports games either in arcades or on next gen consoles that much because there would be a fair few people that would enjoy it for the multiplayer side of gaming.