Here is a release to celebrate the successful conclusion of the 2004 Olympic Games. A very interesting release from Dynamix, Caveman Ugh-lympics is one of my favourite olden-day sports games. To this day I find the game very original and fun to play.
The game takes the Olympic Games idea and moulds it into a Flintstones-esque mass of fun and enjoyment. Up to six people can play the game -- and be ready to crush your keyboard till there is nothing left.
You start the game by choosing the number of players, and then each player chooses a character to play with. There is nothing more enjoyable than watching yourself hold the club over the head of one of the characters, and see them looking to see whether you’ll club them (read: select them) or not. Once you’ve chosen a character, you go to the game's main menu, where you have to choose between practicing and starting the actual Ugh-lympics. The Ugh-lympics are made up of six games:
Saber Race:
In this game you run against one opponent, and the aim is to outrun him while there is a saber-tooth tiger running behind both of you, just waiting for one of you to slip up. The race is made more interesting through certain obstacles in the way which you need to jump over, and of course your opponent, who pushes you backwards if he catches up with you.
Mate Toss:
Similar to discus, in this game you have to spin your mate and try and throw her as far as you can. I find the keys to be a bit strange and hard to master in the game, but it’s always funny when you see her land too short and give you the thumbs-down.
Firemaking:
My all-time favourite game is firemaking, where you race against an opponent to create a roaring fire. The two of you sit next to each other and race to rub two sticks together to make sparks. Once there are enough sparks on the wood, you need to blow on it to start the fire. This is again made more difficult by giving you and your opponent a certain amount of breath which, if it runs out, requires a couple of seconds of recuperation to continue. Aside from that, you can also hit each other with the sticks; which could buy you some time, or make you lose time if you miss.
Clubbing:
A favourite of mine when playing against another human is clubbing. In this game you face off against each other holding clubs on a cliff. The point is to club each other off the cliff's edge. This game is split into two modes: the intimidation phase, and the clubbing phase. In the intimidation phase you need to growl, jump and perform all kinds of funny stances to try and intimidate the other player. This lasts for about a minute, after which the clubbing starts. This is pretty simple as you don’t appear to have a lot of moves and the real skill seems to be in dodging your opponent’s attacks and clubbing them on the rebound.
Dino Race:
This one is pretty straightforward: You sit on a dinosaur and race against an opponent. The trick is to make the dinosaur race faster and jump over the obstacles in its way.
Dino Vault:
I found this one the hardest to master and you will definitely need a new keyboard after playing it. It is a basic game of pole vault, with one simple difference: The rewards are higher! There is a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex at the end, which you need to vault over, and it is just waiting for you to make a mistake.
Aside from the graphics, which were pretty good for the time, the atmosphere and style of the game are superb. It’s always easy to see what you are doing and there is no mistaking anything. I would have loved to see this game in full VGA, though, and can only hope they will make a sequel.
The sound is probably the only disappointing aspect of the game, although it does keep you informed about what you are doing and how you are doing it. I will also never forget that opening tune from the game, even though that’s probably just nostalgia talking.
All in all, this game is a wonderful addition to the sports genre and I’m sure that everyone will find something to like about it. Enjoy!