Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution has been a phenomenon in Japan for years. It’s a huge arcade hit that’s translated into countless console versions on everything from the SEGA Dreamcast to handhelds. Dance Dance Revolution even guest starred on a killer episode of King of the Hill. You’ve probably seen it at your own arcade and thought, “Sure, it looks fun, but I live on a diet of peanut butter and Cheetos. There’s no way I’m getting up there in front of the whole arcade.” And, that’s exactly why you need Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX™, the first version of the insanely tricky dance competition video game for the Xbox.
Dance Dance Revolution, which uses a specially designed controller that rolls out onto the floor and is about the size of a wrestling mat, challenges players to match coordinated dance steps as they scroll up the screen. One player or, for a more authentic arcade experience, two to four players compete to execute dance steps with the most accuracy and style. And, with XboxLive connectivity, you can go online to download music, post your top scores, and check out the competition.
Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX is almost too much game to fit into one package. The original arcade mode (the Game mode) gives you a single-player game that tests your personal skills, a two-player head-to-head competition, and “Double,” which is the mode I like to call “crazy person begging for a heart attack”—think one dancer, two control pads, eight different possible arrows to hit, and only two feet. All game modes let you adjust the difficulty levels, but even the “easiest” default settings will intimidate beginners.
Fortunately for beginners, every aspect of the dance arrows is also fully customizable. Go into the Arrow Options menu on any song to adjust the scrolling speed (i.e. how fast the arrows move up the screen). Ramp up the Boost if you want to see the dance steps accelerate gradually (the Dance Dance Revolutionequivalent of Captain Kirk’s old “phaser on overload” trick). You can even set the arrows to screw with dancer’s heads by making them roll down instead of up, disappear before they reach the top of the screen, appear up at the last possible second, or not appear at all. If you don’t want to get quite that technical, you could just rotate the dance steps or shuffle them randomly.
Battle mode is what you need to play when you’ve got a party going on. It allows up to four players to compete. Score battles will let you get through the entire song, and it makes for great entertainment—especially since it only requires one controller. Point battle is faster and far more cutthroat, and you’ll need two control pads. Each player starts with 16 points, and the game tracks every move you make against your opponent. As soon as one of you executes a move with a higher ranking—say you get a “Good” while the other dancer manages a “Perfect”—you lose a point. The first one to run out of points loses. Don’t expect to get through a full song unless both players are veterans.
There’s one more Dance Dance Revolution feature that every gamer needs (trust me, I’m one): the Workout mode. When was the last time you played a video game and exercised anything but your thumbs? Yeah, I’m talking to you, tubby. Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX isn’t just a grueling physical competition; it’s a personal trainer that you only have to pay once! Just enter your weight (it’s not a bad idea to try this mode out alone, at least until you’ve danced your way to a healthier you) and your “fitness goal” (how many calories you want to burn), and Dance Dance Revolution does the rest.
Cancel that gym membership today, my friends. It’s wasted money. All you need is Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX!
