ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 review (Xbox)

While the events you can compete in are varied enough to be fairly entertaining in theory, the graphics in ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 fall short in comparison. The 16 characters are fairly generic looking, and they have a stunningly low number of animations during each event. Each collision on the downhill course looks identical to the last, and the figure skating doesn't have quite the same character that the real-life skaters bring to their performances. During outdoor events with snow effects, like the bobsleigh, the snow absolutely drives in, although it doesn't seem to vary throughout the course of the race. Some of the smaller touches are rather nice, however, like the flipping medal award after a good performance or the postevent scene at the figure skating competition, during which the skater sits on the bench and watches the scores unveil. Each of the individual events features play-by-play commentary, which is adequate but doesn't bring much to the game experience. Ambient sound is downplayed for the most part, although the skiing effects and the way collisions are relayed audibly are fairly well done. The music is a mixture of disco dance tracks and other upbeat themes that, although generic, don't offend. While ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 is by no means the ugliest or worst sounding of games, it doesn't come close to matching what has already been produced on the Xbox, looking and sounding nearly identical in all regards to the PlayStation 2 version.

From a control standpoint, the game suffers greatly. Many of the events are simple enough, but almost deceptively so, because of the way the events control. The Xbox controller's directional pad doesn't lend itself well to precise movements, so you're left with the left analog stick for most events, although analog control isn't supported. During the snowboarding competition, if your stick is tilted at a slight angle, an error is recorded, and you lose precious fractions of a second while it recovers. Precise turning isn't possible during the slalom, as your options seem limited to either turning sharply or turning very sharply. Some of the pre-event instruction sessions seem to be missing crucial pointers, like how to jump out at the start of the slalom, which is necessary for a competitive time. Performing tricks in the moguls is also achieved through trial and error. While the gameplay mechanics in ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 are predominantly easy to learn, actually controlling each athlete properly during the many events can be extremely frustrating.

While ESPN International Winter Sports performs admirably as a modern-day translation of the classic NES Track and Field games, the gameplay mechanics that proved oh-so-satisfying more than a decade ago fail to impress today. Coupling lackluster graphics, a paltry selection of events, and shoddy controls, ESPN International Winter Sports can be recommended only to the most die-hard of winter game enthusiasts or those who desperately desire a throwback to the button-mashing gameplay of yesteryear.