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IGN Review of DDR Hottest Party
Before there was Guitar Hero, there was DDR. For years Konami's dance-based rhythm game has headlined arcades and been home to the only reasonable amount of exercise for the gaming public, and the series is back again for its first traditional compilation on a Nintendo platform with Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party. Is it the Hottest Party yet to surface on consoles? Not exactly, but it does have some redeeming qualities that Wii owners (especially new ones to the franchise) will certainly find appealing.
Since this is essentially the first DDR experience on a Nintendo console (the spin-off Mario Mix was fun, but not really a traditional DDR effort), Konami sets the stage once again to a presumably new crowd. There are tons of tutorials, new co-op modes that basically take the best score out of any current player and apply it to every member of the dance team, and even a pretty lame (admittedly) "learn to play DDR" song, that contains incredible lyrics such as "remember, leave your feet on the left and right arrows. Don't move them back to the middle." Not exactly one for the hardcore.
That being said, the core gameplay is certainly there, as are many of the play modes traditional DDR players will want. You've got a full single player mode, tons of free play options (single, battle, and numerous co-op included), and of course the classic Workout Mode for burning calories. The traditional scrolling arrows haven't changed at all in basic gameplay design, but there are certainly other aspects of the game that have.
Step-to-step, DDR is as it has always been. You've got single downbeats, quick runs of arrows, jump sections, and hold notes. Added into the Hottest Party mix, however, are Wii-mote and nunchuk shakes (either single note, or hold) in place of many left/right foot arrows, coupled with a ton of other "item arrows" that change the outcome of the game even further. Some notes require a double stomp, while others actually bounce back down the virtual sheet music once you hit them, only to come back up at you again. In battle mode you'll use your hands to fire beat-based missiles at your opponents, and even in single player and the main career mode you'll be fending off some petty chaotic level design with bomb notes (step on them, and you're badly damaged), and sections that require you to hit the arrows in fear of losing a chunk of your viewing space on the screen. More diversity, less of the hardcore DDR feel.
There are still some missed opportunities here though, as Hottest Party has a pretty tame track listing, and doesn't feature any online integration at all. The new "Wii crowd" gamers will most likely enjoy the songs listed, as it includes things like Hot Stuff, Rhythm is a Dancer, Disco Inferno, You Spin Me Round, but the traditional DDR fan will find it's still pretty tame compared to versions that released even years ago on other systems. There's less attention to full-on skill, and more use of the aforementioned in-game items and Wii motion. In the end it's a great entry-level DDR game, but not exactly up to par with the rest of the series.
On the visual front, things have backed off a bit as well, with extremely simple character models (none taken from the original core DDR cast), simplified backgrounds, and a interface that looks surprisingly plain for a Dance Dance Revolution title. The Wii-mote speaker is also used to bark orders at you or let you know when you've screwed up, but in the end you'll want to turn it off, as it's more distracting than anything else. DDR has never been about the looks anyways, but it is certainly a step back from even the latest PS2 offerings.
©2008-01-28, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Since this is essentially the first DDR experience on a Nintendo console (the spin-off Mario Mix was fun, but not really a traditional DDR effort), Konami sets the stage once again to a presumably new crowd. There are tons of tutorials, new co-op modes that basically take the best score out of any current player and apply it to every member of the dance team, and even a pretty lame (admittedly) "learn to play DDR" song, that contains incredible lyrics such as "remember, leave your feet on the left and right arrows. Don't move them back to the middle." Not exactly one for the hardcore.
That being said, the core gameplay is certainly there, as are many of the play modes traditional DDR players will want. You've got a full single player mode, tons of free play options (single, battle, and numerous co-op included), and of course the classic Workout Mode for burning calories. The traditional scrolling arrows haven't changed at all in basic gameplay design, but there are certainly other aspects of the game that have.
Step-to-step, DDR is as it has always been. You've got single downbeats, quick runs of arrows, jump sections, and hold notes. Added into the Hottest Party mix, however, are Wii-mote and nunchuk shakes (either single note, or hold) in place of many left/right foot arrows, coupled with a ton of other "item arrows" that change the outcome of the game even further. Some notes require a double stomp, while others actually bounce back down the virtual sheet music once you hit them, only to come back up at you again. In battle mode you'll use your hands to fire beat-based missiles at your opponents, and even in single player and the main career mode you'll be fending off some petty chaotic level design with bomb notes (step on them, and you're badly damaged), and sections that require you to hit the arrows in fear of losing a chunk of your viewing space on the screen. More diversity, less of the hardcore DDR feel.
There are still some missed opportunities here though, as Hottest Party has a pretty tame track listing, and doesn't feature any online integration at all. The new "Wii crowd" gamers will most likely enjoy the songs listed, as it includes things like Hot Stuff, Rhythm is a Dancer, Disco Inferno, You Spin Me Round, but the traditional DDR fan will find it's still pretty tame compared to versions that released even years ago on other systems. There's less attention to full-on skill, and more use of the aforementioned in-game items and Wii motion. In the end it's a great entry-level DDR game, but not exactly up to par with the rest of the series.
On the visual front, things have backed off a bit as well, with extremely simple character models (none taken from the original core DDR cast), simplified backgrounds, and a interface that looks surprisingly plain for a Dance Dance Revolution title. The Wii-mote speaker is also used to bark orders at you or let you know when you've screwed up, but in the end you'll want to turn it off, as it's more distracting than anything else. DDR has never been about the looks anyways, but it is certainly a step back from even the latest PS2 offerings.
©2008-01-28, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved