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Dance Dance Revolution has finally hit the next generation with the debut of Dance Dance Revolution Universe on the Xbox 360. While there is nothing new or innovative to report in the series lately, the latest iteration of the beloved booty shaker has plenty of great stuff to recommend it for fans both old and new—if you can get over the trauma of having to buy a completely new set of dance pads.

I Think I Better Dance Now

At $80 a pop with the pad ($10 more than the PS2 bundle), Dance Dance Revolution Universe won’t shake you like it’s 1999. It’s DDR, pure and simple, and the gameplay hasn’t changed much since the game began. Thankfully, this is still a great game and Konami has taken the opportunity to refresh the series with its introduction on a new system. Mixing the hardcore gameplay and modes of the PS2 and Xbox versions and the novice dancer-friendliness of the Nintendo version, Dance Dance Revolution Universe has plenty to entertain all levels of virtual dancer.

Boot the game up for the first time and you will have the immediate option to learn to play the game in a pressure-free environment. Move past the initial tutorial and the game offers up a novice game mode with several unlockable tunes to get your feet wet (or at least sweaty). Unlike most of the other recent renditions of DDR, which focused on challenging more devoted players, the Xbox 360 version proves itself to be the most user friendly version in a long while.

Self-Esteem is Important… to Stomp On

Once past the novice game, you can dive into the master edition, which is essentially the same game that Xbox and PS2 players have been digging for a couple years now. There are several different game modes from which to choose. There is also the exercise option that tracks calorie loss through all the game modes, and even an option to take the dance battles online. Just don’t expect mastery of the novice game mode to equate to being a dancing queen. In reality, the novice mode seems to mostly be there to loft your hopes up so that the main game can crush you.

It’s important to remember that in order to truly enjoy Dance Dance Revolution, you have to be willing to look like a fool, especially for the first few weeks of devoted play. Yet somehow, even while tripping over yourself on the dance pad, this is a great game. It’s a terrific work out, builds coordination, and gets previously placid bodies moving to the beat, all of which is a good thing. But if you are rhythm-challenged in the slightest, taming the game is often painful.

Dancing Around Expectations

While everything you’d expect to find in a DDR  game is in DDR Universe, there are some strange omissions. For one, there is no video camera support, which would have been exceedingly useful for online play. After all, there is nothing like looking goofy in front of strangers all over the Internet. As it is, playing against another player is hardly different from playing by yourself since you can’t interact with them in any meaningful way.

Another complaint is that the game doesn’t utilize the Xbox 360’s innate ability to play your own music collection. While there are around 70 included tracks in DDR Universe and more available online, an option to import your personal collection would have made this the ultimate DDR. The quest mode is also frustratingly problematic. In this part of the game, you travel from city to city challenging rivals in an almost fighting-game-like scenario. The rules, however, are so vague that you’ll only figure out how to win through a lot of trial and error.

Cell-Shaded Beatdown

On the plus side, an edit mode allows devoted players to change the background graphics and dance steps of the songs. The challenge mode lives up to its name by tasking you with very specific dancing objectives and provides a nice change of pace from the standard gameplay.

Visually, Dance Dance Revolution Universe is a high definition version of DDR Ultramix. The cell-shaded characters and mix of music videos, animation, and photographs for the backgrounds all look sharp and colorful. The musical line-up includes tracks from an array of popular and obscure artists—Depeche Mode, Goldfrapp, Kylie Minogue, the Sugar Hill Gang, Cascada, Jamiroquai, New Order, and many other less familiar bands. The music is the usual euro-dance-pop fare, which fits the gameplay well enough, but is likely wearing thin for many fans of the series.

Get on da Floor

Dance Dance Revolution Universe makes a solid introduction on the Xbox 360. The gameplay remains incredibly entertaining and exhausting, and if you don’t mind the start-up cost of buying a brand new pad or two, DDR Universe is a great addition to the Xbox library. It is an especially good choice for gamers who have hesitated jumping onto the dance pad before. The initial focus on training and gently bringing novice players into the fold is definitely one of the biggest selling points.

Article by: Jason D'Aprile
Video produced by: Rob Manuel