PDC World Championship Darts
Encyclopedia
PDC World Championship Darts is a sports video game
, published by Oxygen Interactive and developed and designed by Mere Mortals. It was released for the PlayStation 2
and PC
. The game features ten professionals from the Professional Darts Corporation
, and five tournaments from the PDC circuit. A sequel was produced the following year, PDC World Championship Darts 2008
.
through the functions of the controller and the rules set within the game. A variety of modes are also available for play.
The game almost exactly follows the rules of the classic 501 darts game. Two professionals (one or two controlled by the player) throw darts onto the dartboard to decrease their score to 0, but they must end with a double. The only exception is the World Grand Prix where players must also start with a double. The dartboard's numbers are positioned just as they are in real darts.
Each player throws 3 darts at a time before the next player takes his turn. In standard rules, whoever reaches 0 first has won the leg. Varying amounts of legs comprise sets, a certain amount of which must be gained to win the match.
to pull back their dart and increase the power behind the throw. In 'Amateur' mode the power can be seen with a red bar that fills a power meter; in 'Professional' mode this aid is not present and the power can be seen via the movement of the character's arm. Once the desired amount of power is reached, pushing forward on the analog stick will throw the dart. Any deviation to the left or right while throwing the dart will also affect the dart's flight.
Sports game
A sports game is a computer or video game that simulates the practice of traditional sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport , whilst others emphasize strategy and organization...
, published by Oxygen Interactive and developed and designed by Mere Mortals. It was released for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
. The game features ten professionals from the Professional Darts Corporation
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
, and five tournaments from the PDC circuit. A sequel was produced the following year, PDC World Championship Darts 2008
PDC World Championship Darts 2008
PDC World Championship Darts 2008 is a sports video game, published by Oxygen Interactive and developed and designed by Mere Mortals. It was released for the PlayStation 2, PC, and has seen releases for the Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360 and the PlayStation Portable. The game features sixteen...
.
Gameplay
The game chiefly attempts to recreate playing real DartsDarts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
through the functions of the controller and the rules set within the game. A variety of modes are also available for play.
Rules
See also Playing darts and Scoring for full rulesThe game almost exactly follows the rules of the classic 501 darts game. Two professionals (one or two controlled by the player) throw darts onto the dartboard to decrease their score to 0, but they must end with a double. The only exception is the World Grand Prix where players must also start with a double. The dartboard's numbers are positioned just as they are in real darts.
Each player throws 3 darts at a time before the next player takes his turn. In standard rules, whoever reaches 0 first has won the leg. Varying amounts of legs comprise sets, a certain amount of which must be gained to win the match.
Controls
After aiming where they want to throw with the right analog stick, the player uses the left analog stick on the Dualshock 2 or keyboardKeyboard (computing)
In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
to pull back their dart and increase the power behind the throw. In 'Amateur' mode the power can be seen with a red bar that fills a power meter; in 'Professional' mode this aid is not present and the power can be seen via the movement of the character's arm. Once the desired amount of power is reached, pushing forward on the analog stick will throw the dart. Any deviation to the left or right while throwing the dart will also affect the dart's flight.
Modes
There are numerous modes of play within the game. Aside from a simple Exhibition between one or two players, a single player can also create his own character and begin a career to become the world's best dart player. Another mode allows any of the tournaments in career mode to be played individually.Party Games
There are 10 party games available to play for between 2 and 4 players. Instead of using the usual control style where the player manually aims and adjusts their power, all of these games must be played in one of three control mechanisms that generally involve the player confirming where they want to throw at just the right time as the aiming cursor moves around the board. This is to suit the sort of games that party mode contains:- Standard rules - Players utilise the different control mechanism to reach zero from scores of 301, 501, or 701. They must check out on a double
- Black and White - Player 1 aims for white numbers, Player 2 for black. Players take turns to throw 3 darts at their target number, scoring 1, 2, and 3 points respectively for singles, doubles, and trebles
- CricketCricket (darts)Cricket is a darts game that uses the standard 20 number dartboard with the treble and double rings. It is known by various names in Britain, including "Mickey Mouse", "Horse and Carriage", "Coach and Horses", "The Game", "Faldo" and "Beds and Bulls"....
- See article for rules
- Fives - Players throw 3 darts aiming for a score divisible by 5. If they do they get a fifth of the score in points. Whoever scores 50 points first is the winner
- Killer - Each player has a 'life number'. Every time a player hits their life number they gain a life; when a player obtains 3 lives they become the Killer. The Killer can use their darts to aim for the opposing player's life number, thereby killing them
- Knockout - Players begin the game with 3 lives. They take turns to throw 3 darts at the board, aiming to achieve a higher score than the previous player. If the player fails in this, they lose a life; the game is lost if all lives are lost
- Odd Man In - Players throw 3 darts at the board aiming for an odd score higher than 10. As soon as they fail to do this they are out of the game
- Round the Clock - Players hit each numbered section in turn, from 1 to 20. The first to reach 20 is the winner. Variations include reverse Round the Clock and hitting the doubles and trebles of each number
- Shanghai - The players throw 3 darts at a board aiming to hit the single, double, and treble of the same number with those three darts. The winner is the first player to successfully do so
- Twenty One - Players take turns to throw 3 darts aiming for 10 and 11. A single on either number scores 1 point, a double 2 points, and a treble 3 points. They are only awarded points when at least one dart each hits both the 10 and 11. First player to reach 21 points is the winner
Professionals
Ten professionals were included within the game (listed along with their achievements at the time of production):- Phil Taylor - 'The Power' - Fifteen-time World Champion and arguably the greatest player of all time
- Raymond van BarneveldRaymond van BarneveldRaymond van Barneveld , nickname Barney is a professional darts player. He is a five time World Darts Champion, and two time UK Open Champion. From January to June 2008, he was the PDC world number one ranked player...
- 'The Man/Barney' - Five-time World Champion, including 2007, the year the game coincided with. Holland's greatest darts player
- John PartJohn PartJohn Part is a Canadian professional darts player, who is nicknamed Darth Maple.Part is one of only five players in darts history to be a three time World Champion...
- 'Darth Maple' - Two-time World Champion (1994, 2003) and Canada's greatest darts player
- Dennis PriestleyDennis PriestleyDennis Priestley is an English professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively...
- 'The Menace' - Two-time World Champion (1991, 1994)
- Colin LloydColin LloydColin Lloyd , nicknamed Jaws, is an English professional darts player on the Professional Darts Corporation circuit. He is a former world number one ranked player and he has won two major television titles in the PDC - the 2004 World Grand Prix and 2005 World Matchplay...
- 'Jaws' - World Matchplay champion (2005) and World Grand Prix (2004) champion
- Peter ManleyPeter ManleyPeter David Manley is an English professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He is nicknamed One Dart as he is known for hitting doubles with his first dart...
- 'One Dart' - Las Vegas Desert Classic champion (2003) and three-time World Championship finalist (1999, 2002, 2006)
- Alan Warriner-LittleAlan Warriner-LittleAlan Warriner-Little is an English professional darts player. He currently lives in Crosby, Cumbria and plays with the nickname The Iceman...
- 'The Iceman' - World Grand Prix champion (2001)
- Mark DudbridgeMark DudbridgeMark Daniel Dudbridge is an English professional darts player.-Darts career:He started playing in his very early teens, citing Dennis Priestley as one of his heroes...
- 'Flash' - World Championship finalist (2005)
- Wayne MardleWayne MardleWayne Mardle is a darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation, and former player in the BDO. He now lives in Romford...
- 'Hawaii 501' - World Championship semi-finalist (2004, 2005, 2006)
- Adrian LewisAdrian LewisAdrian Lewis is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation who is the reigning PDC World Darts Champion...
- 'Jackpot' - World Matchplay semi-finalist and Taylor's protege
Tournaments
Five official PDC tournaments were included within the game. They can be played individually or chronologically as in Career mode, and tournament progress can be saved between rounds. All tournaments are standard 501 double-out games except where noted.- PDC World Darts ChampionshipPDC World Darts ChampionshipThe PDC World Darts Championship is a world championship competition for the sport of darts, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation . It was introduced following a dispute in 1994 with the British Darts Organisation, which has run its own world championship since 1978...
- The most prestigious tournament. Six rounds of set play as the first player to win 3 legs wins a set
- PDC World Grand Prix - Players are required to hit a double to begin as well as to end the leg. Five rounds of set play with 3 legs to win a set
- Las Vegas Desert ClassicLas Vegas Desert ClassicThe Las Vegas Desert Classic was a darts tournament, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and was held each year in July from 2002 until 2010...
- Five rounds, the first round being first to 11 legs while the remaining four are set play format with 5 legs required to win a set
- PDC UK Open - Eight rounds of 301 games. The tournament is matchplay format ranging from first to 5 legs to first to 17 legs in the final
- Holland Open - Five rounds played in matchplay format ranging from first to 3 legs in the opening round to first to 15 legs in the final