With "them" I mean publisher Big Ben Interactive and 10Tacle Studios. Both came together to bring the humble sports of Judo to the living room. To make this as realistic as possible they've used the expertise of David Douillet. The bulky Frenchy is with his many Olympic and world titles literally a heavyweight amongst judokas. This can't go wrong, you would think, the knowledge is there and there has to be a market for sich a game. After all, judo is still the most popular Asian fighting sport in Europe.

If you've never seen the insides of a dojo (the arena in which you fight) then Douillet will learn you the tricks of the trade. In an extensive tutorial he'll give you all the info you need in French (with subtitles) and the first lesson is one in humility. As judoka you need to show respect for your master and opponent and you do that by bowing. This immediately shows that the makers have chosen for a simulation and this is in my opinion the right choice. Don't expect arcade fighting with creepy arenas. Moderation is key and this you notice in all the details.

There's no music during the matches and you'll only hear the moaning of the fighters. Not really spectacular of course but it does provide a realistic feeling. Less good is the audience that looks like shit and constantly reacts the same. Especially the irritating "heeeaaah" that you get to hear every so many seconds made me look for the volume button. The surroundings in which you fight are also simple but not less accurate. The game doesn't let the PS2 sweat but the training- and match dojos glow in that typical Eastern calm and touch the right spot. All in all the atmosphere is pretty much correct and this gets even enhanced by the fine animations of the fighters. A large part of the (small) budget was used for motion capturing and the judokas therefore move very fluid over the tatami.

The fighting itself reminds very much of f.i. the dance missions with GTA: San Andreas. Showing your best moves on the tones of Nuthin' by a G Thang as Carl Johnson resembles the combat system in this game a lot. Simply said, at the bottom of the screen icons pass by that show which buttons you need to push at what time and then you'll drop your opponent on the floor or hold him down.
That way you score a Koka, Yuko, Waza-Ari or a game-winning Ippon. There's some more depth in this part (different attacks, countering moves, exhausting your opponent, ...) but I won't go any deeper on this.

Everything is about timing and this will consume all your attention. You're constantly looking at the scrolling icons and have hardly any idea of what's going on on the rest of the screen. This of course doesn't improve the experience and you'll never have the feeling you really know what you're doing. Timely pushing buttons also quickly bores and you'll understand that the gameplay of David Douillet Judo seriously lacks.