It's time for the WARMEST Party?!? Huh?

Konami cranks out another DDR title with Dance Dance Revolution-Hottest Party for the Nintendo Wii. This game has and had quite a bit of potential but unfortunately falls short this time around.

Hottest party is very close to Ultramix and the many other DDR titles available, except for the added feature of hand markers and "gimmicks" these are basically little perks designed to really challenge you.

The hand markers are special arrows to which you are supposed to shake your wii remote or nunchuck to. Unfortunately it's not always recognized when you do it which sucks when you are a perfectionist. Luckily you can turn them off. Unfortunately you have to repeat the process every time you restart your machine. For someone who plays several times a day or daily this can get a little annoying.

For those of you unfamiliar with the DDR family let me give you a brief description. Dance Dance Revolution (aka DDR) is a game designed to get you off of your couch and onto the dance floor. It is a game you will sweat to and features a special work out mode in each edition. The music tends to be either techno-ish or disco-esque with a few top 40 remixes. This particular version didn't have enough music for my families likings. Out dated songs like Jo-Jo's "A little too late" don't really appeal to us and I found it hard to suffer through such a song. Several of the songs are not performed by the original artist which makes it even worse.

In previous versions there were unlockable songs and more or less something to work toward. This one gives it to you all up front (except for the dance floors). What's the fun in that??

The characters you can use to represent you in the game are a little funky and hip-hopish but in a very cool cartoon sort of way. My favorite is Harmony!

Once you select your player it's off to find a song and "club".

Don't forget to choose your level of difficulty! Don't try to be an expert your first time out. The results could be traumatic!

When the game begins though I find it best to start out in the center. There are a set of permanent arrows on the screen and another set that travels up the screen. As the two meet you step on whichever direction the arrow is pointing. So up arrow on top of up arrow means you step forward.

The main thing to focus on is your timing through out the game play. If you are not on workout mode, you can lose the song and hear some criticism. If you are in workout mode the voice in the machine will keep motivating you (which actually does feel good to hear!)

In work out mode you can decide how many calories you want to burn and the game will let you know once you've reached your target.

For those of you who struggle with weight issues, I can honestly tell you that this game WORKS! I was almost 300 lbs when I played DDR for the first time. I ended up buying a home edition for my old xbox and within a few months had gone from a 42" waist to a 34". The results are amazing and you don't have to join a gym. You don't have to be embarrassed and you can actually have fun! Between Nintendo and Konami, I predict future gamers will be in great shape! This pair make a fantastic duo but I was a little disappointed that they didn't utilize the maneuverability of the Wii remote & Nunchuck more. Again, I was also quite disappointed that there weren't more "unlockables". It is a great first run, but I wish I would've waited for a more reasonable price than what I paid for this. If I were you, I'd jump in on DDR, but maybe wait until the price comes down a bit.