Alright folks, I'm not an expert when it comes to the mechanics and aesthetic qualities of video games, and this is my first attempt to review one, so go easy on me. Dance Dance Revolution is a franchise from Konami that started in 1998 and became an arcade hit, with a mat for real dancing as opposed to the old joystick controller. It's simple but infectious gameplay, exercise value and often a great music selection made it one of the biggest video games of all time, and inevitably, it has migrated to home consoles in many different forms.
Since this is my first video game review and I don't know much about good structure for this type of review, I borrowed the sections of this one from
reviewerrob's format for his
Super Smash Bros. Brawl review. Forgive me, and read that review to help me stop feeling guilty.
P.S. The title of this review is a lame pun on one of the songs here, "Feels Just Like It Should," and this review is the conclusion of this month's incredibly corny trilogy,
Corny Pun Extravaganza! If you crave more hot, steamy corn, try my reviews of
X 2007: Christian Rock Hits and
Nailed Dead Risen CD by Impending Doom.
Plot
Well, obviously, this isn't a very plot-driven game. The only part with some semblance of a story is the Quest Mode.
Gameplay
If you ask me, Dance Dance Revolution is one of the most clever games, ever. While a lot of the time, you have to put a lot of time into a game to really enjoy it, this game sort of lures you in with its simplicity----Arrows scroll on to the screen, and you have to make them disappear by stomping your dance mat in the same direction the arrow points to, to the rhythm/beat of whatever song is playing. But when you really get into it, you're not just stomping arrows but actually dancing. DDR is the only thing that could make me touch "dancing" with a ten-foot pole, honestly, so it's quite strange that I enjoy this game so much.
Hitting the arrows with precision will reward you a "Great" or "Perfect" score per arrow, and the more of these you get, the better a "Combo" you will get, which partly dictates the grade you'll get after the round. There's AAA, AA, A, B, C, D, and, E. If you fail to hit enough arrows to keep your dance-meter alive, your rating will be the latter.
So, that's the gist of the gameplay, but there are several modes as well. Aside from being able to modify the regular
Game Mode to your liking, there's also a mode for beginners, which includes a limited range of songs to start out on, the overall difficulty is toned down, and there's no character dancing around the screen.
Party Mode is tailor-made for multiple players, but you can play with CPUs as well. If you don't have more than one dance mat, someone can challenge you using a normal controller. Granted, that gives them a big advantage, but it's better than nothing. Besides, you're the one burning the calories, har har.
On
Quest Mode, you're supposedly traveling around the world dancing for money, and you have to fill dance-meter up to some ridiculous amount of non-failed moves before the round ends. It's pretty brutal. Or at least that's what it's like when you get a dancing offer from the bald guy. The white-haired man is more merciful, but you can't just play the easy offers forever. I haven't completed this mode (to say the least) and I don't know how the story progresses. Maybe there's a cliche plot twist and you wind up in an apocalyptic dance-off with some evil behemoth to save the world!? I doubt it, but I also doubt I'll ever know.
Like I said, you can modify the gameplay on the Game Mode however you like: You could make the arrows run across the screen faster, make them disappear where you have to guess where they are and hit them, etc. But some songs are also more difficult than others by nature. For example, there are some long techno-driven instrumentals that are very hardcore and take a lot of skill to play and come out alive. And the more drum'n'bass-style songs always move faster than most, usually insanely fast.
Graphics
This game is full of colorful, complete and very pleasant graphics. There are just so many cool bells and whistles like the flourishing flowers on the loading screen. Every song has its own sort of "music video" in the background, mostly quirky cartoon animations, abstract art, and cool bits of computer animation. Every song has its own special image at the beginning and end, and all the background footage was immaculately choreographed to work with the song. You also choose an anime-style character to dance around your screen, and they all look stellar, using the same 2D/3D effect they use in Dragon Ball Z and Naruto games to give them an anime look. The dances they do are timed out and only get predictable with hours of playing.
Sound/Music
You're pretty much listening to great music the moment you pop in the disc, with the jubilant house sounds of the splash screen and peppy urban beats of the menu screens. Even the sound that scrolling through the menu makes is melodic. It's really touches like that that make this game so special as a whole: I can't think of anything in it that's a second thought.
Between the menu screens and the music of the levels, there isn't much other sound in the game. A voice that sounds like a happy girl narrates the menu screen and gives advice during the levels, which is extremely cute. If you're a n00b you will find some of the advice during the rounds helpful, like when she reminds you to focus on the beat should you fall into a furious stomp-fest.
And then there's the music: dang, it's great. You're essentially buying a freakin' awesome dance music mixtape, video game and exercise program all in one. Expect big beats and uplifting keyboards. Most of the music is between techno and house, but a lot of the songs are eclectic, with an orchestral vibe or something. There are some songs that wouldn't sound out of place on the radio, but only a few big names (like Depeche Mode, Chris Brown, CASCADA, etc.). There isn't much in the way of R&B and rap, but there is "Run It!" by the aforementioned Chris Brown, the party favorite "Saturday Night" by Ozomatli (a song I liked prior to playing) and the kitschy hip-hop milestone that is "Rapper's Delight" by Sugar Hill Gang.
One thing I find extremely cool is the dance remixes of music from the arcade shooter Gyruss and the original NES Castlevania, paying homage to gaming's past.
If you like dance music at all, chances are playing the game will result in a few MP3 downloads (on iTunes, on iTunes, NOT PIRATED, don't slaughter me).
Conclusion
So, in short, the game has a short learning curve but long replay value. The only lapse in that replay value would be caused by getting sick of the songs, but if you can brave the Quest Mode, you can unlock more. This is a game with arcade addictive-ness, stellar music and graphics, tons of charm, and finally, the chance to burn calories while you're slacking off playing video games. w00t.
If you read my review and enjoyed it (or maybe despised it), please leave me a comment on this review, but preferably one that doesn't leave your wisecracking, coffee-drinking liberal a smoldering crater.
