Chances are if you played either Deca Sports or Deca Sports 2, you ended up walking away greatly disappointed. These games, which featured a collection of sports to play, felt uninspired, lacked depth, and became tedious rather quick. Hudson Soft is at it again with the third entry in the series, and this title is no different than its predecessors. Deca Sports 3 features 10 events, online play, and Wii MotionPlus support. Having said that, there’s nothing in this package that warrants a purchase. Even the most casual Wii owners are better off sticking with something else such as the original Wii Sports or Wii Sports Resort.
The 10 events included in Deca Sports are lacrosse, racquetball, volleyball, fencing, log cutting, kayaking, air racing, snowboarding, springboard diving, and slalom skiing. There’s not a single event that is engaging. The basic control scheme has you either flailing the Wii Remote around or tilting it. Whether you’re doing downward motions to spike a volleyball, making rapid circular movements to perform tricks as you dive into a pool, or slowly pushing the Wii Remote back and forth to cut logs, the game never crosses the line of interesting gameplay. Even if you choose to use Wii MotionPlus, it’s hard to find any real substance out of this game.
You can jump right in and play each of the events in the game’s exhibition mode, or you can try one of three other offline modes. League mode has you playing all 10 of the game’s events against computer opponents to see how you stack up. In Tournament mode, you must take on other teams and score victories to climb the ladder and come out on top. Challenge mode features a number of minigames based on each individual event. So if you choose lacrosse, you are placed on a field where other players try to check you. Your objective: Avoid the other characters for as long as you can. None of these modes are exciting, and even playing alongside a friend doesn’t save Deca Sports 3 from feeling like an utter disaster.
The game includes an online multiplayer component, but if you attempt to play against other people online, chances are you won’t be successful. It seems not many people are playing Deca Sports 3 online, if at all. I spent a good amount of time sitting in front of my TV waiting to join a game. If you want to play Deca Sports 3 online, you better have a lot of patience. You can easily order a pizza in the time it takes to find another player. You can probably even start eating before you get a game going with someone else. Realistically, the only way you can put the game’s online mode to use is if you have a friend that also owns a copy of Deca Sports 3. But realistically, the chances of anyone wanting to play this game at all are very slim.
Just like its gameplay modes and online presence, the presentation of Deca Sports 3 is completely barren. Characters look like downgraded Miis, animations are stiff, the audience is terribly flat, and the music is miserably bad. Deca Sports 3 looks like a poorly crafted Wii Sports clone and sounds like an aerobics CD you’d find at your local bargain store. Given the game’s shortcomings in every other area, it’d be foolish to expect anything else from the graphics and sound.
Deca Sports 3 is a weak and lazy attempt on the part of Hudson. Similar to the first two games, this title is marred by boring gameplay, annoying waggle controls, and a total lack of charm. The game’s 10 events are weak. The online mode is practically nonexistent. Even creating teams is a total drag. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to buy this game. Even younger players are likely to get bored of the gimmicky feel and bland look of Deca Sports 3. Hudson, please call it quits on this franchise. No one is playing anyway.
