Love it or hate it, the Nintendo Wii is home to a lot of mini-game compilations. The motion-sensing console was designed to attract the traditional non-gamer, so they had to develop titles that would simultaneously grab their attention and not intimidate them with complex controls. Generally, non-gamers want no part of something like Splinter Cell or Madden NFL 2008. They’re just too complicated.
Following in the tradition brought on by titles like Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games comes a sweaty compilation from the good people at Hudson Soft. You may know Hudson best for its Bomberman franchise. While there are no explosions in Deca Sports, we do get treated to some comical cartoon characters and no fewer than ten different events for your family to enjoy. There are also several teams, each of which is comprised of six characters. These characters each have relative sizes and attributes.
Let’s go through each of the ten events one at a time.
Badminton
“Wait, isn’t this just Wii Sports: Tennis?”
That was my initial reaction to the Badminton event in Deca Sports. The gameplay mechanic is nearly identical to the Tennis event in Wii Sports. Your character automatically gravitates to the shuttlecock and you are only responsible for swinging the Wii Remote at the appropriate time. Forehands are generally more powerful than backhands, and you have the option of using either style for serving. When the birdie glows red briefly, this presents an opportunity for a smash. Smashing is alway satisfying.
The controls, while very similar to Wii Sports: Tennis, weren’t quite as responsive. Whereas the tennis players swung every time you waved your Wii Remote, the badminton players have a tendency to “wait” for the right moment. As a result, swinging too early can make you miss the birdie altogether.
Kart Racing
“Wait, isn’t this just Mario Kart Wii?”
Are you starting to see a trend here? Deca Sports also offers a go-kart racing event. The Wii Remote is held sideways (like an NES controller) and then you tilt it to steer. Unlike the lack of response in badminton, the controls were a little too sensitive in kart racing.
It took a while to get used to the sensitivity level, but what was the most disappointing about Deca Sports kart racing, aside from the lack of red shells and other weapons, was the quality of the graphics. The backgrounds completely lacked in detail and they were totally blurred out.
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Curling
As ironic as it may sound, I found the curling event in Deca Sports to quite possibly be the best event in the compilation. Curling is not a fast-paced sport, so there is a good deal to be said about having precise control and great strategy. You can set the direction, strength, and curl of each shot. You also control the sweepers.
Strangely, the teams are only comprised of three characters, so you only get six rocks per end. Real curling has teams of four and eight rocks per end. There is no explanation given as to why Hudson decided to make this change to the official rules. Even so, curling here can be quite enjoyable… assuming that you have some patience and the least bit of interest in curling in the first place. I just wish the timing of the strength control was a little more accurate.
Snowboard Cross
If you enjoyed titles like SSX Blur, you may be a little disappointed with the lack of depth offered by this mini-game. Twisting the Wii Remote is used for steering and then you can perform tricks by shaking the Remote during jumps. Snowboard cross in Deca Sports is not terrible, but it also suffers from the poor graphic quality experienced in kart racing.
I can see how the multiplayer aspect of this event can offer some family-friendly fun, but the controls may frustrate those who are more accustomed to a conventional control scheme involving a directional pad or analog stick.
Archery
How good is your aim? The archery event places a bullseye off in the distance and you compete against a single opponent to see who can get the best score. You can select the number of shots and then the total score is compared to declare the winner. A bullseye is worth 10 points and each successive concentric ring is worth one fewer point.
To prepare the shot, you yank the Wii Remote toward you. Then, you hold the Wii Remote as steady as possible, trying to line up the on-screen reticule with the target. There is a travel arc and the wind to consider as well. Deca Sports: Archery is terribly repetitive, but it may help you conquer your shaky arthritic hand syndrome. Too much coffee…
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Supercross
Seemingly combining elements from kart racing and snowboard cross is the supercross event. You hop on a dirt bike and navigate your way around the track, surrounded by your competitors. Controls are much the same as with kart racing, except you can also tilt the Wii Remote to determine the angle of your bike in mid-air. You don’t want to land too heavy on either the front or back tire, because there’s a possibility of slowing down or even wiping out.
As with the other racing mini-games, the graphics in supercross are very disappointing. The crowd consists of a series of cardboard cutouts and there is no detail on the dirt path itself. Graphics aren’t everything, but this isn’t much better than a Game Boy Advance game. Now my question is, why does no one where a Motocross helmet? Again, it’s the details that make a game sometimes.
Beach Volleyball
You know how I said the badminton event in Deca Sports is much the same as the tennis game in Wii Sports? Well, the beach volleyball event is a further extension of this. The main added dynamic is that you’ll be playing in a team of two with a computer controlled partner. As before, your character automatically gravitates to the location of the ball; you just have to swing the Wii Remote accordingly to bump, set, spike, and block.
Beach volleyball doesn’t offer all that much variation from other “net”-based games and the graphics here will not please those who were more enamoured with DOA: Beach Volleyball. Not that I’m into that kind of thing.
Figure Skating
The first of three events that brings the nunchuk into the equation is figure skating. You navigate your character around the ice rink using the nunchuk’s analog stick, trying to skate over all over the yellow dots that define your path. Think of it as Pac-Man without the fear of being killed by a ghost. When you approach a larger blue circle, you’ll want to give the Wii Remote a well-timed shake. The closer you are to the center of the circle when you shake, the better. This results in some sort of trick. It could be a spin or a jump; you don’t really get to decide.
Figure skating is remarkably challenging, but it’s unfortunate that there are really only three routines to choose from. Where is the artistic expression? Despite what the image above may lead you to believe, this isn’t exactly “excellent.”
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Basketball
Team sports can be pretty fun, offering a potentially excellent venue for multiplayer gaming opportunities. With basketball in Deca Sports, movement of your character is done with the analog stick on the nunchuk, whereas all the other actions are mapped to movements of the Wii Remote. The game is played 3-on-3.
The AI, both on your team and your opponent’s team, is far from having level of sophistication, so you shouldn’t expect anywhere near the same kind of experience you’d get from, say, NBA Live. As before, the graphics are incredibly mediocre and the actual gameplay is brought down to its absolutely simplest level.
Soccer
Much like basketball, controls in soccer are mapped both to the nunchuk and the Wii Remote. The former takes care of character movement whereas the latter does basic actions like tackling, passing, and shooting. I think it’s a little weird that you can’t exactly select who you are passing to. Instead, the ball is kicked and you just switch the player closest to it.
Instead of an outdoor arena, this 5-on-5 game of soccer is played indoors. As you’d probably suspect, UEFA Champions League this definitely is not. The experience just feels shallow, especially with the amazingly low intelligence of the computer-controlled players.
Conclusion
When considering Deca Sports by Hudson Soft, you have to realize what kind of market they are approaching with such a game. The whole idea was that Deca Sports could be the second coming of Wii Sports, getting in twice as many events and offering the same level of ultra-simplistic controls. The trouble is that they went far too simple, stripping the events of any depth whatsoever and the controls are too simple. All you need is a couple of well-timed waggles of the Wii Remote.
With an MSRP of just $30, this means that each individual event in Deca Sports is only costing you three bucks. Some of the events, like curling, can be fun for a little while, but don’t expect to come back to Deca Sports again and again like how you would with something like Super Smash Bros. Brawl or Mario Kart Wii. The lasting appeal just isn’t there and the lack of eye candy doesn’t help either.
Pros
- Decent variety of events
- Wii controls are simple enough for everyone to play
- Impulse buy pricing at just $30
- Curling is surprisingly fun… for a while
Cons
- No Mii integration, no recognizable characters
- Graphics are mediocre at best
- Events are far too simple for even beginners
- Lasting appeal is fairly minimal
- Controls not as responsive as they could be
Overall Rating: 5.0/10
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