DecAthlete

The overall gameplay is largely based on quick, repeated button pressing for gaining speed, and timed single button presses for jumping and releasing projectiles, in a similar style to the 1983 Konami arcade game, Track & Field. The game differs with a slightly more advanced control system and 3-D graphics.

The player must select one of eight fictional international athletes. In all versions, the player competes in ten traditional decathlon events: 100 metres, Long jump, Shot put, High jump, 400 metres, 110 metre hurdles, Discus throw, Pole vault, Javelin throw and 1500 metres. In the arcade version, the player is required to meet a minimum set time, height or distance to qualify for the next event. The home console versions allow the player to compete in a full decathlon featuring all ten events without qualifying limit.

DecAthlete was developed by Sega AM3. According to producer Mie Kumagai, AM3's general manager Hisao Oguchi came up with the idea to create a polygon-based sports game as the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta approached. The team considered including swimming and gymnastics, but director Yoshitaka Maeyama insisted that the decathlon would suffice. The player's use of just one character to accumulate a point total was done to help differentiate the characters and to better resemble a video game score.

In a May 1996 interview with Sega Saturn Magazine, director Yoshitaka Maeyama explained that the team sought to balance rapid button-pressing mechanics with events requiring more precise timing. He also discussed the challenges of designing suitable camera angles, noting that visually impressive perspectives were not always the most practical for gameplay. Events requiring precise timing consequently prioritised clearer viewpoints, while simpler disciplines allowed for more dynamic camera angles.

In Japan, Game Machine listed Decathlete on their July 1, 1996 issue as being the most-successful arcade game of the month. In the United States, it was one of the top ten highest-grossing arcade games of 1996. The console port was among the nineteen best-selling Saturn games of 1996 in the United Kingdom, according to HMV.

A reviewer for Next Generation said that compared to its rival, Konami's International Track & Field, DecAthlete has far more polygons, producing characters which are "completely smooth, crisp, and full of life." He also praised the variety of events, strong selection of modes and features, heavy distinction between the playable characters, and emphasis on timing and skill over button-mashing, which he felt set it apart from previous track-and-field games. His one criticism is that it supports up to two players, compared to International Track and Field's four players. The two sports reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly both commented that the game rose above simple button-mashing and had a strong sense of realism.