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 a collection of ten different sports simulations controlled with the Wii Remote.

Deca Sports
European box art
Developer(s)Hudson Soft
Publisher(s)Hudson Soft
SeriesDeca Sports
Platform(s)Wii
Release
  • NA: May 13, 2008
  • EU: June 6, 2008
  • AU: August 19, 2008
Genre(s)Sports

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]

There are 10 different sports listed,[7] each of which having its own control scheme specific to the Wii Remote. For Beach Volleyball, the game controls the movement of the player and the teammates as the player pulls the Wii Remote to return and pass the ball to the opponent's side of the court. Different variations of serves and volleys can be performed.[7] In Figure Skating, the player uses the Nunchuk's analog stick to skate along three different predetermined routines which are tied to music. While navigating the skater along a line with yellow dots, large circles that differ in color type will appear. Once they enter those circles, shaking the Wii Remote will execute the maneuvers.[7]

  • Archery: The player holds down the B Button on the Wii Remote and pulls it back to draw the arrow, then aims with the pointer. The player must release the B Button within ten seconds to launch the arrow at the target.
  • Badminton: The Wii Remote is used as a racquet in this sport. The player must swing the Remote with good timing to return the shuttle towards the opponent, and can also control which way the shuttle goes by moving the Remote left or right after a downward swing.
  • Basketball: The player uses the Nunchuk's analog stick to move a player, while using buttons to pass to or control teammates and Wii Remote gestures to shoot or steal.
  • Curling: The player holds down the B Button, which causes a power meter to increase and decrease, before flicking the Wii Remote right at the moment the desired power level is reached to launch a stone down the ice. If the stone needs to coast further, the player shakes the Wii Remote to sweep the ice in front of the stone.
  • Football (soccer): The player uses the Nunchuk's analog stick to move a player, buttons to pass to or control teammates and Wii Remote gestures to pass and shoot.
  • Kart racing: The player holds the Wii Remote sideways as if it were a steering wheel and tilts it to steer while using the number buttons as pedals.
  • Snowboard cross: The player points the Wii Remote at the lower part of the screen to accelerate down the slopes, while twisting it left or right to steer and being careful not to over-turn and wipe out.
  • Supercross: Controls are similar to that of go-kart racing, but the player can also shake the Wii Remote to execute tricks or roll it backward or forwards to make a good landing after a jump.[6][8][9]

Development

The game was initially revealed at TGS 2007 under the title of Deca Sporta, a planned December due date in Japan.[10] A representative for Hudson claimed that the studio didn't anticipate high review scores, noting the simplicity and graphics quality as "typical complaints of Wii games".[11] In April 2008, the game went gold with an announced release date of May 13 for North America.[12]

Mike Samachisa, the head of Hudson's console team, mentioned that localizing Deca Sports for the English version made sense, as the sports contained are played around the world.[13] The idea was to combine sports events from Summer Olympic Games, Winter Olympic Games and X Games, creating a compilation game that would have a wide appeal. Every mode is unlocked within the game right from the beginning as everything was designed to be accessible. Adidas signed a partnership with Hudson, allowing its logo to appear in-game.[14] The in-game text utilizes DynaComware's propietary font.

The developers opened a poll on the Deca Sports' official website, where people were able to decide which events would appear in the next title of the series.[14]

Reception

Deca Sports got generally mediocre to negative reviews. GameSpot gave Deca Sports a 3.5/10.[16] IGN gave it a 4.5/10.[18] 1UP gave it a D+.[22]

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.[23] Deca Sports was nominated for "Worst Game Everyone Played" by GameSpot in its 2008 video game awards.[24]

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, in Australia in June 4, 2009 and in North America on September 29, 2009.[25] 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. 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,[26] citing awkward controls and shallow gameplay. IGN gave it a 5.3/10.[27] Metacritic gave it a 49 out of 100.[28]

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.[29] 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 [30] The game has nine 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.

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.[31] 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
  1. Deca Sports for Wii - Deca Sports Wii Game - Deca Sports Wii Video Game
  2. Get Your Game On This Summer With Hudson Entertainment’s Deca Sports For The Nintendo Wii
  3. Deca Sporta confirmed for North America, Hudson asks you to name it
  4. Hudson's New Game Needs A Name! Choose It!!
  5. Konami unveils first Wii pair from Hudson Soft...
  6. Gamespot: Deca Sports Updated Hands-On
  7. Hinkle, David (April 21, 2008). "Wii Fanboy hands-on: Deca Sports". Engadget. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  8. TGS 2007: Deca Sporta Hands-on
  9. IGN: Deca Sports Preview
  10. Harris, Craig (September 20, 2007). "TGS 2007: Deca Sporta Hands-on". IGN. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  11. Hatfield, Daemon (April 3, 2008). "Hudson's Low Wii Expectations". Destructoid. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  12. Sarkar, Samit (April 3, 2008). "Wii owners, start your decathlon training: Deca Sports is now gold". Destructoid. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  13. "Wii Fanboy Interview: Hudson's Mike Samachisa on Deca Sports". Engadget. April 1, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  14. "Nine questions answered about Deca Sports". Siliconera. April 23, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  15. Kim, Tae (May 13, 2008). "Review: Deca Sports". GamePro. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  16. Thomas, Aaron (May 19, 2008). "Deca Sports Review". GameSpot. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  17. "Deca Sports Review". GameTrailers. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  18. Harris, Craig (June 5, 2008). "Deca Sports Review". IGN. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  19. rivaol (June 5, 2008). "Test : Sports Island". Jeuxvideo.com. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  20. Barker, Sammy (May 8, 2009). "Deca Sports Review (Wii)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  21. Red, Carmine (November 2, 2008). "Deca Sports". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  22. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-03-18. Retrieved 2009-12-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. "2 million Sports Island and counting". P-Nintendo.com. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  24. "Worst Game Everyone Played". GameSpot.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-23. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
  25. http://wii.ign.com/articles/971/971888p1.html
  26. http://www.gamespot.com/wii/sports/decasporta2/index.html?tag=result;title;0
  27. http://wii.ign.com/objects/143/14339574.html
  28. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/wii/decasports2
  29. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2019-11-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  30. http://wii.ign.com/articles/108/1082673p1.html
  31. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-12-01. Retrieved 2011-01-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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