Summer Games II

Summer Games II expands its predecessor's successful concept with a new set of Olympic events, adding seven more competitions to the Atari 800/XL, including kayaking, javelin throw, long jump, equestrian show jumping, and triathlon running. As in the first game, the player chooses individual events or goes through the whole ceremony from opening to medal presentation, and can compete alone or with two players on one computer, which made the game popular at parties and among friends who took turns event after event on a single joystick.

The control scheme stays true to the first game — success in each event depends on quick switching of directions, precise timing of button presses, or smooth handling of the joystick, so the game emphasizes motor skills and reflexes rather than strategic decision-making. The graphics on Atari use the same fresh style as the previous title, with colorful backgrounds and legible athlete animations, and the musical accompaniment again evokes a festive Olympic atmosphere, thanks to which the game maintains a sense of real competition even between events. The new events also emphasize different types of reflexes than the first title, so the game as a whole feels more varied, spread between endurance and explosive events.

In the mid-1980s, Summer Games II was one of the titles that confirmed Epyx's position at the top of the sports genre, and many players consider it more balanced and varied than the first game thanks to the greater variety of events. Today the game functions mainly as a nostalgic party affair — simple to understand but pleasantly demanding to master — and as proof of how well Epyx could repeatedly mine a proven formula without the sequel becoming a mere repetition of the first game.

Why play it: For fans of the first game who want a more balanced and varied sequel with greater variety of events, in the same pleasantly demanding party fun.