REVIEW: Top Darts [PS3]

What’s It All About?
We really enjoyed the recent PDC World Championship Darts: World Tour on PlayStation 3, and perhaps our biggest trail of excitement for Top Darts lent itself to how the two games compared. Both games utilise Sony’s new PlayStation Move motion controller, but in Top Darts it is required unlike PDC’s optional support.
Where PDC World Championship Darts shoots for a realistic, televised approach, Top Darts is much more party focused. This is emphasised by the game’s focus on goofy player avatars (captured using the PlayStation Eye camera) and a slew of party game modes. Traditional darts modes are on-hand for those who want to dabble in them, but having had a belly full of PDC World Championship Darts already, it’s the fresh stuff that got us excited.
What We Liked:

• PlayStation Move mechanics. We didn’t get on with Top Darts’ PlayStation Move implementation at first. The game doesn’t do the best job explaining control mechanics, despite a chunky tutorial sequence. The PlayStation Move controller needs to be held like an over-sized dart, with your index finger lying across the Move button and middle-finger on the Triangle button. It’s a clunky setup but it works, allowing you to accurately recreate the motion of throwing real darts. Pointing the PlayStation Move controller at the dart board controls a cursor, while the Triangle button can be used to zoom in on a specific portion of the board. This make it easier to line up shots in certain sections of the dart board. The cursor can be locked in place using the Move button, and from here it is a case of making a throwing motion to release the dart. The dart’s trajectory depends on motion of the throw. A smooth, straight throw will hit the target, while slight alterations, jerks and pulls will mean shots fall short of the target. It’s a more challenging set up to get to grips with than PDC World Championship Darts’, largely due to the level of accuracy Devil’s Details has crammed into the mechanic. There are various levels of assist available, adding a real layer of depth on the harder difficulty settings.
• Board physics. Top Darts is a much more challenging game than PDC World Championship Darts, and that partly plays into the way in which Devil’s Details’ title handles board physics. Darts already in the board will affect the path of other darts, altering their course dramatically and sometimes even causing bounce-outs. It adds a level of realism to the experience.
• Party darts. Alongside Top Darts’ host of traditional game modes (501, Cricket and Around The Clock are all on offer), Devil’s Details has also created a range of party modes that take the concept of darts in a new direction. Stack Up is the real stand-out, which is a cross between Tetris and darts, requiring an encyclopedic knowledge of the dart board. The aim is to clear a constant sequence of falling blocks by hitting the targets written upon them. It sounds simple (and it is), but the pressure really starts to build as the blocks pile up. To give the game added party appeal, there are pick-ups available all over the board that add a rick-reward dynamic to the gameplay. Other mini-games include simultaneous multiplayer types such as Bomb Darts and Cat & Mouse. Bomb Darts requires you to knock opponents darts off the board before they explode, while Cat & Mouse is a chase game requiring speed and precision. Both game types are great fun in multiplayer but are, sadly, limited to local play only. There are no online features in Top Darts.
• Pretty darts. Where PDC World Championship Darts opted for a televised visual style, Top Darts is all about the graphical splendour of its locations. Rendered in 1080p, Top Darts’ exotic darting locations are breathtaking, with neat visual effects adding to the atmosphere. Dust swirls in front of the board, while thrown darts leave holes in the board that actually stay there through the course of entire tournaments. It sounds silly, but it’s a ridiculously satisfying visual trick.

What We Didn’t Like:

• Voice Of Darts. Ahead of Top Darts’ release, much was made of the inclusion of darting commentator Sid Waddell. Unfortunately, a limited array of dialogue caused us to switch Sid’s vocal acknowledgements off. It’s a shame because Sid is clearly the most entertaining commentator in sport. Hearing “Player One to the oche,” every six darts is not exactly the best demonstration of his ability.
• Explain. Even coming off the back of PDC World Championship Darts, we had a real hard time getting to grips with Top Darts. Despite a fairly lengthy tutorial explaining the game of darts, Devil’s Details gloss over the most important aspect of the gameplay — the controls. It took us a good while to figure out exactly how the game wanted us to hold the PlayStation Move controller. A little more transparency would have been nice.
• Dry single-player. Clearly Top Darts is a game designed around its multiplayer modes, and the extremely shallow single-player component best demonstrates that. Without a tournament license, Top Darts relies on a basic league structure for its campaign mode. It’s shallow and boring, but at least it gives you opportunity to brush up on your technique ahead of a big multiplayer session.