Left, right, up, down. Left, right, up, down. Left-hand shake, right-hand shake. You’ll find yourself developing your own “Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party” mantra, in this fun to watch, fun to play game from Konami. If you’ve been locked up in a shell somewhere then you won’t know what I’m talking about. The swarms of crowds at the local mall arcades awaiting the next epic battle between two dancing foes. The slip-up from one competitor because the stabilizer dance bar just got too sweaty. This is a classic depiction of the infamous dance competition that will determine the swift footed champion, from the two left footed reject.
The “Dance Dance Revolution” genre has been available for console game systems for about six years now in North America with the first version coming out from Konami for the PSOne. So if you haven’t gotten your hands on a copy of this game yet, then read on for a brief preview of the already popular arcade game.
Do the Hokey-Pokey and Turn Yourself Around
When you first reach inside the box you’ll find this portable, compact dance mat along with the game. If you were one of the many Wii-ers who expected leg strap-ons so that you can perform dances similar to the hokey-pokey, then you’ll be pleasantly disappointed. There are four ports for Gamecube controllers on the system itself for up to four controllers. Since the mat plugs into one of these four ports, it means that you can have a maximum of four dance mats for the Hottest Party on the block!
Doin’ the Disco
Firstly, the choreography of the anime dancers is flawless. Of course you expect this from programmers and graphic designers. So flawless in fact that no matter how much you actually suck at dancing, they’ll still dance exactly the same way! You take that in combination with the perfectly synchronized background dancers and you’ll find yourself watching a music video that could rival the best on your favourite music channel on the boob tube.
Secondly, some of the dance stages reminded me of the glowing stage that John Travolta (notice the ground-to sky pointing in the picture above) grooved on in Saturday Night Fever. Some of the stages could rival the colourfulness of the latest and greatest disco night clubs found in Asia. Whichever way you want to spin the dance floor, I was still unimpressed with the lack of uniqueness from venue-to-venue.
Thirdly, the best visual of all was watching your friends, family, and loved ones make a complete fool of themselves as they trip on their own feet trying to keep up with the damn arrows flying past your T.V screen. Another funny thing is when they don’t realize that a simple flick of the wrist will activate the hand triggers and instead they attempt a knockout style punch that could rival Mike Tyson’s left-right jab to the mid section.
Crank up the Tunes
There’s not much to say about the sound quality that comes from the game. The songs play as well as any high bit rate mp3 that you can play off your home computer. The music does get pretty up-beat when you really get into it, and a high quality stereo system will help ensure that the foot stomping is drowned out properly.
There isn’t a lack of variety of music in this game. The music selection varies from soul music all the way to some house/dance music that will get you sweating in no time. You’ll find yourself singing along to some familiar songs, but you may not recognize some of the artists. I sense that this game doesn’t actually have the full rights to the songs from some of the original artists, but you’ll find music from the 80’s, to 90’s, to the present day that should give you enough of a challenge to keep you busy.
How to Groove?
Alright, time for the meat and potatoes. Where to start? I’ll start with the music. Each song has a rating system called Beats Per Minute (BPM). This indicates how fast the foot stomping has to occur and usually the higher the BPM’s the more difficult the song. However, the BPM’s can differ within the same song from various skill levels. For example, one song when played in the beginner skill level had a BPM in the mid 80’s but once you select difficult or expert, the BPM’s jumps to well over 100. Also, I found that even though the BPM’s for some of the songs were pretty low; it was difficult for me to actually keep the beat, because the music in the background would actually subconsciously move my foot and step down somewhere. You’ll also find that one songs basic skill level was similar to another songs expert skill level.
The game does seem to be fairly easy when you’re on the beginner mode, but that’s for rhythmically challenged persons like me. Once you get the hang of it you actually look like a zombie taking small steps to conserve energy. Moving onto the basic skill level it gets somewhat more difficult with a few extra steps and movements where there wasn’t in the beginner mode, but I found that for some songs, it was much easier to dance in the basic skill level than the beginner. Moving onto the difficult level, you’ll find yourself having to stop in some areas because it’s too crazy and regrouping for the next massive combo your feet and hands have to master. For the next level I can’t even tell you how difficult it is, because I had “accidentally” chose expert for a high BPM song and before I even stepped on the pad I was GAME OVER!
The single player mode is fairly challenging and there is a sense of re-playability for the single mode. I had finished the beginner/basic levels of the game, and then it calls for you to redo the competitions in the difficult/expert levels. I could tell you right now that if you found it difficult to master some of the basic levels, you’re not going to enjoy passing it with the expert level. But if you’re really into the game and your feet fly like the dickens then you’d enjoy battling the computer controlled dance masters, which you have to beat by obtaining a higher score while they send over gimmick arrows that could range from double-stomps, to foot destroyers. Now, it’d be cool if the dance mat actually destroyed your foot, but no luck there.
The game also has a Workout Mode. Basically you input a few minor details about yourself and dance till you reach a certain level. It’s actually a fairly good workout if you don’t have better things to do like play sports, or take a walk outside in the nice weather. But on a rainy day, it’ll make you sweat, especially if you perspire because you look like a fool!
Look Ma! No Hands!
I must admit that I was one of the doofus’ that thought the Wii-mote and nunchuk were going to be strapped to my legs. My imagination was totally flawed, because they did come out with a dance mat made of plastic and pressure sensors. I guess Konami thought that there would be too many lawsuits and warranty issues with replacing Wii-motes. This game does take advantage of your hands so that you’re moving every limb on your body in an attempt to pass the game. Later on I found out that you could pick up some foam dance mats that will make jumping on the floor a little more comfortable.
Final Thoughts…
This game has great re-playability and is a super fun party game that would surely bring some embarrassing videos that can be past to future generations. If you find yourself hosting many game nights, this game is a must for your Wii arsenal. However, I can’t see many people attempting to use this game as a basis for their exercise regiment. That was however a nice try by Konami to get gamers off their enlarged derrières. It utilized the Wii accessories fairly well considering that there are no hand batons for other console games out there.
The Pros
- GREAT party game even when you only have one dance mat.
- 4 player capability for even more craziness.
- Wide variety of songs for all skill levels.
- Ability to make some songs easier by turning off the hand batons and the “gimmicks”.
- Use of every limb to get a great individual workout.
- Watching your friends develop turf-toe from using the dance mat? Priceless!
The Cons
- Not being able to restart a song or quit one once you’re in it.
- Difficult for the dance pad to register when located on plush carpet.
- Disgusting colours on the screen that could cause seizures.
- Dance pad doesn’t have the same durability as the plexi-glass pads in the arcade, so take your shoes off!
Overall Rating: 8.0 / 10.0
