Deca Sports

Deca Sports (Deca Sporta in Japan, Sports Island in Europe) is a sports video game for the Wii developed by Hudson Soft. It is similar to Wii Sports in that it is a collection of ten different sports simulations controlled with the Wii Remote.

The game was released in Japan on March 19, 2008, and was released in the rest of the world later in the year.^[2] In late 2007 Hudson conducted a poll to determine a new title for the Western release.^[3][4] The game features sponsorship by Adidas.^[5]

Gameplay

Deca Sports features a number of different game modes:

• Open Match: A quick start match that allows you to immediately jump into any of the 10 available sport events.
• Tournament Mode: Tackle one individual event to become the champion at that particular sport.
• Deca League: Take on a number of different teams at every sport available in the game.
• Deca Challenge: Test yourself at each sport in specialized events designed to hone your skill and control.^[6]

Deca Sports does not feature the use of Miis. Instead, eight different teams (Average Joes, Speed Strikers, Hard Hitters, Crusaders, Boost Force, Mad Maidens, Team Thunder and Disco Knights) are available for selection in the various sporting events. Each team is made up of small, medium and large players of both genders. Small athletes are nimble, but are not too strong, while large athletes are powerful, but are slower and a little harder to control. Medium-size players provide a compromise between speed and strength. Team member size becomes more important during Deca League, where playing one team member for too long will result in fatigue and decreased performance.^[6]

Sports

Deca Sports features 10 different sports listed here, each of which having its own control scheme specific to the Wii Remote.

• Archery: Hold B on the Wii Remote, then pull the remote backwards to draw your bow, arrow nocked. This sport requires a steady hand to be accurate.
• Badminton: The Wii remote acts as the racket. Swing with the right timing to hit the shuttle back to your opponent's court. You can also place your shots depending on which direction you flick your wrist.
• Basketball: The Wii Remote and Nunchuck are both used, with the nunchuck used for player movement.
• Beach volleyball
• Curling: To push the stone down the ice, first hold the B button down, then move the Wii Remote forward at the right time to throw. Twisting the remote to the left or right will add additional "curl" to the stone. As the stone moves down the ice, you can sweep the ice in front of it by wiggling the Wii Remote back and forth.
• Figure skating: Follow the set path with the Nunchuk's analog stick, and flick the Wii Remote close to the center point of the trick circles that appear to perform tricks.
• Football (soccer): The Wii Remote and Nunchuck are both used, with the nunchuck used for player movement.
• Kart racing: Control the kart by holding the remote horizontally. The 2 button acts as gas, and the 1 button is brakes. Drive by tilting the Wii Remote left and right. (This is the same as in Mario Kart Wii)
• Snowboard cross: The Wii Remote is pointed at the screen, and turns are executed by twisting the controller left and right.
• Supercross: Control your motorcycle by holding the remote horizontally. The 2 button acts as gas, and the 1 button is brakes. Control the pitch of your bike by tilting the remote forward or back, to minimize your speed loss when landing jumps. You can execute tricks when jumping by waggling the remote.^[6][7][8]

Reception

Deca Sports got generally negative reviews. GameSpot gave Deca Sports a 3.5/10.^[9] IGN gave it a 4.5/10^[10] 1UP gave it a D+.^[11]

In spite of the poor critical reception, the game has reportedly sold well. Hudson Soft, the publisher of the game, announced it sold 2 million units of Deca Sports since launch.^[12] Deca Sports was nominated for "Worst Game Everyone Played" by GameSpot in its 2008 video game awards.^[13]

Sequels

The game eventually spawned a trilogy on the Wii and three spin-offs on different platforms, but the two sequels that followed the original title failed to repeat its commercial success.

Deca Sports 2 (Deca Sporta 2 in Japan, Sports Island 2 in Europe) was developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Wii. The game was released in Japan on April 16, 2009, in Europe on May 15, 2009 and in North America on September 29, 2009.^[14] The game has ten sports: Downhill Skiing, Bocce Ball, Tennis, Ice hockey, Kendo, Darts, Dodgeball, Speed Skating, Synchronized swimming and Motorcycle Racing. Three of the ten sports, ice hockey, speed skating and mogul skiing, coincidentally were in the 2010 Winter Olympics set to take place in Vancouver, Canada several months after the game's release, although the developers did not intend to promote such event with such choice of sports. Unlike the original title, this sequel allows players to create players and teams, and utilizes the Nunchuk's motion sensor. GameSpot gave it 4.0/10,^[15] citing awkward controls and shallow gameplay. IGN gave it a 5.3/10.^[16] Metacritic gave it a 49 out of 100.^[17]

Deca Sports DS (Deca Sporta DS in Japan, Sports Island DS in Europe) was developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Japan on December 17, 2009, North America on March 2, 2010 and in Europe on May 7, 2010. It is based on the original Wii release.^[18] The game has ten sports: Arm wrestling, Wall Climbing, Skeet shooting, Cheerleading, Skydiving, Ping Pong, Bobsled, Rugby, Golf and Sepak takraw.

Deca Sports 3 (Deca Sporta 3 in Japan, Sports Island 3 in Europe) was developed and published by Hudson Soft. It is the fourth video game in the Deca Sports series. The game is compatible with the Wii MotionPlus. Deca Sports 3 was released in Japan on September 16, 2010, Europe on October 15, 2010 and in North America on October 26, 2010 ^[19] The game has ten sports: Air Race, Slalom skiing, Springboard Diving, Kayaking, Logging, Halfpipe Snowboarding, Lacrosse, Racquetball, Indoor Volleyball, and Fencing. The latter four support online play, the others have online leader boards. The fatigue system is removed in this installment, and teams now consist of six athletes as opposed to five. This installment appears to be geared towards high school and college students, as four of the chosen sports, volleyball, springboard diving, lacrosse and fencing, are frequently played by them, although it is unknown whether the developers intended to target such audience.

Deca Sports Freedom (Deca Sporta Freedom in Japan, Sports Island Freedom, in Europe) was released for the Xbox 360 on November 18, 2010 in North America, Europe on November 26, 2010 and in Japan on December 16, 2010.^[20] It was developed by Hudson Soft. The game requires the Kinect for controller-less gameplay. It also contains online multiplayer using Xbox Live. Xbox Avatars can be used in Freedom. Deca Sports Freedom has ten sports: Tennis, Paintball, Boxing, Archery, Beach volleyball, Dodgeball, Kendo, Mogul skiing, Snowboard cross and Figure skating.

Deca Sports Extreme (Deca Sporta: 3D Sports in Japan, Sports Island 3D in Europe) was developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Nintendo 3DS. It was released in Japan on April 28, 2011, Europe on June 10, 2011 and in North America on September 13, 2011. The game has ten sports: Soccer, Tennis, Basketball, Ice hockey, Bowling, Snowball fight, Sumo Wrestling, Snowmobile Racing, Blowguns, and Trampoline.

References

External links

• Official Japanese site