A lot of gamers are familiar with the “beat-matching” genre of games. You know, the ones where you’re given visual and audio clues that tell you which button to press and when, all to the driving pulse of the hottest modern dance tunes. One such game,Dance Dance Revolution, is a full-blown phenomenon in Japanese arcades, where the cabinet games tend to be a lot more hands-on (as well as feet-on). Now, Konami brings that beat to the Xbox with Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX™, complete with the huge, arcade-style dance pad controller and exclusive content via Xbox Live. Outside of a few beat-matching mini-games in various platformers and Dead to Rights (oddly enough), the Xbox video game system has never seen anything even remotely like this.
Can you keep up?
Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX has deceptively simple gameplay. As the music plays, arrows scroll up the screen … one, two, even four at a time. When the arrows hit the top target area or “step zone,” you press the appropriate button to synch your actions up to the arrows’ timing. If you hit the button at the exact same time as the arrow hits the step zone, you get a “Perfect” rating, which translates into points when the song is over. Miss by a little, and you’ll get a “Great,” “Good,” or “Almost” rating, which result in fewer points. Miss completely, and you receive no points, and the game razzes you with a “Boo.”
You can use the standard Xbox controller, but if you’re not using the specially designed dance pad, you’re missing most of the fun. The game works best when you have a roomful of people encouraging (and heckling) the dancers, who are physically out there struttin’ their stuff. The game features more than a half-dozen modes that allow you to practice on your own, compete against other dancers, or undertake a series of dance challenges.
There are more than 45 songs available initially, with the promise that more will be offered as downloadable content via XboxLive. The music comes from a wide range of genres, but most are high-energy, high-beats-per-minute tunes that will test your stamina as well as your footwork. Since each beat translates into at least one arrow to match, you’ll soon work up a sweat. You can also go online and use Xbox Live to find dance opponents and partners or to compare your high scores with hoofers from around the world.
The physically demanding aspect is what sets Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX apart from just about every other game out there. Anyone who has ever cut a rug can tell you that it’s good exercise, and since this game is all about non-stop dancing, you can pack a month’s worth of parties into a single session. There’s even a workout mode that lets you customize the speed, steps, and amount of time you spend exercising. When you’re done, the game tells you how many calories you’ve burned and translates your dance efforts into jogging, jumping rope, and swimming stats, so you know how far you’ve gone.
Show off your moves!
Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX is an amazing gaming experience and good exercise, to boot. It’s also one of the best party games ever released, with all the creative expression of karaoke, plus the added benefit of unintentional slapstick (which is especially true whenever I’m playing). Using Xbox Liveeven allows you to have it both ways: all the socializing and head-to-head competition you want, without the risk of your opponents mocking your style. For a truly one-of-a-kind game, look no further than Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX.
