XBox Xtravaganza: Konami's Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix

By Jonathan Berohn

Somehow, dancing to a video game has become wildly popular among teenagers and in the young adult crowd. Having seen a few people actually engaged in this activity in public, I’ll have to ascribe that to some sort of weird Asian culture thing (these sorts of games started taking off in Japan and South Korea) to avoid coming to the conclusion that I’m getting older than I think (although, I really don’t think I'd have ever been a fan—dancing in not one of my strong suits).  Anyway, my misgivings didn’t stop my 8 year-old daughter from having to have Dance Dance Revolution for the XBox.

Playability

The first thing you need to know about Dance Dance Revolution is that, in addition to the game, you have to shell out more money for a dance pad, which is basically what it sounds like—a square pad with touch sensors in it upon which you dance.  You can play with a standard controller, but unless you’re into Finger Dance Dance Revolution, that’s pretty much a waste of time.

The premise behind Dance Dance Revolution is simple enough: follow the dance pattern instructions that appear on the score.  Actually following said pattern is quite another matter.  In a nutshell, the thing is fast.  My daughter basically has no chance of keeping up with it—even at its lowest speed.  The game, I should note, is rated E for Everyone, so it’s not like they’re marketing exclusively to the teen/young adult market.  Even for teens and adults, though, it takes some serious dedication to be able to play this game at all—let alone play it well.  When my wife and I tried, we only did a little better than our kids—both still scoring well into failing (you have no idea the shame I have to bear for being the best in the house at Dance Dance Revolution—I can take solace in the fact that I’m still miserable at it, though).

Extras

If my daughter ever does manage to figure out how to keep up, she can play Dance Dance Revolution online.  There is also an interesting workout mode that my wife wants to try.  It basically tracks the calories you burn while playing the game and lets you set up custom workout routines.

All in all, this is a game that requires serious investment to play without getting seriously frustrated.  The upside of actually having your kids get exercise while playing a video game is enough, though, to make it worthwhile if they are interested.