| International Track & Field (Hyper Athlete) |
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European PAL cover art |
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| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, Arcade, PlayStation Network |
| Release date(s) | PlayStation June, 1996 Arcade
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| Genre(s) | Sports |
International Track & Field is a 3D update of Konami's Track & Field series, in which up to four players compete in eleven different Olympic events. The game was released for the PlayStation and the arcades in 1996. The arcade version was released only in Japan as Hyper Athlete.[3] In 2008 the game was released on PlayStation Network. All six events from the first game, 1983's Track & Field, are included; but tellingly, only three events (swimming, pole vault and triple jump) are taken from the less accomplished sequel, Hyper Sports. International Track & Field uses the three-button control system of its predecessors (two RUN buttons and one ACTION button per player) and the eleven disciplines can be attempted in any order. The available events are:
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IGN gave the game 7 out 10 praising the graphics as "awesome".[4] The Electric Playground gave the game 9 out 10.[5]
Due to the button bashing nature of the game, speed was of the essence in order to achieve a high score in the game. Due to the shape of the Playstation controller, the Otter Technique developed in an ergonomic fashion as the player started to adjust controller positioning during the game. To perform the technique the player must hold the pad slightly diagonally with the left hand holding the controller just above the action buttons to the right of the cable. The left thumb would be placed over one of the run buttons, while the fingers formed a fulcrum or balance point below the pad. The right hand would loosely grip the right hand side handle, with the right thumb placed over the second run button. As the player begins the 'run' the left hand remains still, while the right hand moves up and down.
As it does so, the balance point of the left fingers enables the pad to rock up and down at an electric pace, all the while allowing the run buttons to be pressed exactly one after the other repeatedly and at high speed. This effectively doubles pressing speed as each movement of the right hand will result in the static left thumb pressing the second button.
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