Here’s a quick lesson: “deca” means a lot of things. The Defense Commissary Agency. Digital Electronic Countermeasures Analyzer. Delta Epsilon Chi. Dinosaur Electrician Club of America. OK, I made that last one up … but that would be pretty sweet, right?
In the case of Hudson’s upcoming Wii game, Deca Sports, the “deca” simply means “ten.” As in ten sports: Beach Volleyball, Snowboard Cross, Badminton, Basketball, Curling, Figure Skating, Archery, Supercross, Soccer, and Kart Racing. Available this summer, Hudson hopes Deca Sports will appeal to Wii owners who haven’t purchased a game since, well, buying the console.
“We have seen tremendous growth in the casual sports gaming market in the last few years,” says John Greiner, President and CEO of Hudson Entertainment, obviously referring only to Wii Sports. I mean, is there another “casual sports gaming market”?
In the press release (which can be read after the jump), Greiner goes on to tout the game as an “unrivaled” sports package, with “layers of depth that even hardcore sports enthusiasts will love to play.”
I had a chance to get some hands on time with three of the sports (Snowboard Cross, Archery, and Badminton) at last year’s Tokyo Game Show, and came away impressed by how fun it was in its simplicity. They also gave me a nifty sweatband, which I swear, didn’t color my impressions of the game. Neither did 83 scantiliy clad Japanese girls playing the game at Hudson’s huge booth. My opinion can’t be swayed that easily.
Deca Sports will be available this Summer.
REDWOOD CITY, CA – January 3, 2007 – Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm for HUDSON SOFT, today announced that it isbringing Deca Sports, a unique ten-sport game, exclusively to the Wii home video game system in Summer 2008. Combining ten sporting events into one addicting and fun-filled game, Deca Sports offers an immersive experience for fans of any age. The sporting events: Beach Volleyball, Snowboard Cross, Badminton, Basketball, Curling, Figure Skating, Archery, Supercross, Soccer and Kart Racing.
“We have seen tremendous growth in the casual sports gaming market in the last few years, and saw an opportunity that would be a perfect fit for the Nintendo Wii” said John Greiner, President and CEO of Hudson Entertainment. “With Deca Sports we wanted to offer a sports package that is unrivaled in terms of sheer number of available sports. More importantly, the game is easy to play, but offers layers of depth that even hardcore sports enthusiasts will love to play.”
Each sport in the game uses the Wii Remote in unique yet accessible ways. With a subtle swing of the Wii Remote players can hit and spike the ball in Beach Volleyball, while twists of the wrist produce a wild ride down the slopes in Snowboard Cross. In Figure Skating players need to keep to the music and properly time all of their jumps and
spins in order to impress the judges while passing the ball and lining up shots is essential in Soccer. All ten sports support both single player and multiplayer modes, in addition to a training mode to practice essential skills. The wide range of events and modes make Deca Sports the perfect game for players and sports fans of all ages.