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A playthough of Konami's 1989 sports game for the NES, Track & Field II. Played through the Olympic mode as the USA team. Contrary to what its title implies, Track & Field II is not the second title in the series, but the fourth. Track & Field (1983), Hyper Sports (which the NES version of T&F was based on, 1985), and '88 Games (1988) all preceded it. It is, however, the second NES game, and this one is a system exclusive. Track & Field II was originally released in 1988 for the Famicom under the name “Konamic Sports in Seoul,“ referring to the Olympic games held that year in the South Korean capital. I'm playing the American version here, which was released the following year. You can find the NES Track & Field here: And the arcade '88 Games here: After the arcade smash Track & Field became a major best-seller when it was brought to the NES in 1988, it would've only made sense to follow it up with something even bigger and better. Konami was firing on all cylinders on the NES in 1989, and their games were quickly starting to stretch the 8-bit hardware to its limits. While Castlevania III, Contra, and TMNT 2 tend to grab the most attention when people talk about Konami's impressive NES games, they often tend to overlook this gem. It wouldn't too difficult to mistake it for a 16-bit title at first glance, much like The Immortal or Batman: Return of the Joker, with its huge character sprites, heavy use of digitized voices, and flashy TV-style presentation. It includes many of the events from the first Track & Field, and then throws in a boatload more - now we get swimming, taekwondo, fencing, and diving, in addition to a bunch of bonus games (like a Zapper-compatible shooting gallery a la Hogan's Alley as an exhibition event, and the 2-player arm wrestling match ups), and the returning events have all been nicely spruced up. This one is so much harder than the original though. As amazing as their NES games were, Konami had a period where they made all of their games mercilessly difficult, and Track & Field II sits smack in the middle of that trend. Just like Bayou Billy, TMNT, Rollergames, Mission: Impossible, and Top Gun 2, Track & Field II is capable of provoking gamepad-smashing fits of rage, not to mention the bloody thumbs. The variety in game types is certainly welcome, but a few too many of them land squarely in the mold of mashing A as fast as humanly possible to fill a gauge. The variety also takes away some of the simplicity that really sold the original game - the controls take some effort to learn in this one, especially considering since the Olympic mode leaves little room for hesitation or error. Still, it's a fantastic multiplayer game that is nearly as exciting to watch as it is to play thanks to Konami's unwillingness to yield to hardware limitations. If you need something to tide you over until the 202X Olympics (if/when they happen), this is a great way to spend a few hours not remembering that you're stuck in your house. _____________ No cheats were used during the recording of this video. NintendoComplete () punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!
