by N1ntendo
For most Nintendo Wii fans, Deca Sports was a great compliment to the Wii Sports series. It never set out to copy any of the activities, and instead added a new plethora of sports to enjoy on the console and remains to be one of the best compilations of sporting events on the Nintendo Wii. Deca Sports DS from Hudson Entertainment releases into the fray with its own group of sporting events to choose from to attempt to garner the success of its console counterpart.
Graphics. Deca Sports DS closely resembles the console version with its use of Mii-like characters and sports suits that each team wears. Each of the 10 sports are treated like one on its own as events such as golf give a virtual tour of each hole, and rugby even pans around a fan-packed stadium to get you pumped. The 3D models are done very well in Deca Sports DS and animate very smoothly despite the limitations of the DS hardware.
Control. Here is where I am going to break down each event in terms of control. In some events the touch screen and or button controls work wonderfully, other events will leave you wondering why they chose such an awkward control scheme that just leaves you placing last in the event.
GOLF: Great touch screen controls here as they mimic classics like True Swing Golf from Nintendo. Stylus is touched to the screen to indicate strength and then with one fluid back and forth motion, your on-screen character swings with force. Putting is done in the same manner and works very well.
PING PONG: Touch screen is used here as you swipe in different directions to utilize different shots. Buttons are not used. Another good choice.
BOBSLED: Button controls used here. Nothing fancy as buttons are pressed to pick up running speed to begin the bobsled event and d-pad is used for steering. Simple yet effective.
RUGBY: You either love this event or hate it. Be prepared to button mash a lot as possession of the ball involves a lot of this when there is a scrimmage for the ball. No touch screen controls as buttons are used to pass, short kick, long kick, and tackle. Not the easiest game to score in either through my many playthroughs.
WALL CLIMBING: Perfectly controlled with the touch screen. Touch the left or right side of the touch screen to grab a hold from your left or right hand to ascend the wall and change over to rubbing the stylus back and forth when needing to regain your composure or pull yourself up a tough part of the wall.
ARM WRESTLING: Simple touch controls but easy to lose if your not ready to for it. Rub the stylus back and forth to build up strength, and then touch the screen at the right moment to use as much of your power as possible. Quick and simple.
CLAY SHOOTING: I tried this many times and got mediocre results. Touching the screen displays a target on screen, and for me tapping to shoot would have been ideal. Instead you must awkwardly swipe your stylus across the screen to shoot in the trajectory of the clay pigeon. Very cumbersome and for the most part, difficult.
CHEERLEADING: Hey, I am playing a rhythm game! In the vein of Elite Beat Agents, another fine title to emulate, you are tapping circles as they shrink down to line up to the inner circles, creating music and showing your cheerleading routine on screen.
SKY DIVING: Not much to do here as you are swiping the stylus to fly towards your designated spot in the sky diving formations, and then use the stylus to rotate your team member into the proper angle. Goes by fast and makes you wish you had some rings to fall through.
EPAK TEKRAW: Really?!? How many Nintendo DS gamers out there even know what this sport is? Looks like volleyball to me if I am not mistaken. Button controls are utilized here to serve, block, and spike the ball to score points.
Sound. Each event is complimented with the sounds of the event such as birds chirping in the clay shooting event, the roaring crowd in rugby, the wind whistling past you as you descend in sky diving, or the pumping tunes getting your cheerleaders through their routine. Music is boring at best unless you are cheerleading but the sound effects and little musical nuances help you feel you are at the locale of each event.
Gameplay. Deca Sports shines in this category as they have enabled single card multiplayer for up to six players in 4 of the events: Golf, Clay, Cheerleading, and Skydiving. And single card 2 player in the other 6 events. You can practice each event single player or go head to head in a tournament by yourself or with a friend. I agree with the fact that not all 10 events are available to all players as some events are meant to be one on one and would be tedious and long with a longer list of players, such as ping pong and sepak takraw, which are based on winning after a set number of points.
Overall. Hudson Entertainment has successfully taken the series to a portable level with Deca Sports DS. While I do not agree with some of the event choices (rugby & sepak takraw specifically) as they will be confusing to younger gamers, the other events still round out an entertaining group of games that are sure to keep players busy as they strive to beat the best score or their friend’s best score or time. Olympic fans, as well as rugby fans and speak takraw fans out there wherever you may be, keep an eye out for this one. These are full events and not mini-games as most compilation games on the Nintendo DS turn out to be.
