Dance Dance Revolution Universe
© N/A

Mania Grade: B-
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB: E 10+
Genre: Dance
Players: 1-4
Online: Yes
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Suggested Retail: $79.99 ($49.99 without dance mat)
Graphics: B
Sound: B
Gameplay: B-
Replay: B-
Fun Factor: C
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"Dance Dance Revolution Universe"

As another few months pass it is only clockwork to see another DDR game. There have been plenty of DDR games that have spanned consoles like the PS1 to the PS2, but more so recently the Xbox to Xbox 360 and the Gamecube. I am quite interested on how well the Wii will handle the next DDR evolution, mainly because of the addition of the Wiimote, but this review is about Dance Dance Revolution Universe. Everyone knew it was only matter of time until they decided to give a next generation edition of the game, but with the same gameplay mechanics they would need to add something dynamic to set it apart. Have they done that? Well that is questionable. 

Let me get this out of the way though, you are still stepping on arrows while listening to music. I doubt that the game will ever evolve beyond that, but the truth is with the fan base that I has it does not have to. It has a simple design that is ageless, and the only thing that needs to change is music as musical trends do. Of course the DDR genre generally stays with upbeat music -- mainly techno -- but there are other songs out there. Of course it has plenty of remixes to turn the slower older songs into something that is danceable. It remixes even older dance songs, which allows the youth of the nations to enjoy them just as many parents did years ago. 

The many different difficulties are back though they have renamed Oni to simply expert. A few fans of the series may be annoyed about that, wishing for it to retain its Japanese roots, but a rose by any other name. If you have yet to play the series before, you have the option of taking dance lessons that show you how to step on the arrows. Yes I know that may sound a little stupid, but it gives you a solid base on how to navigate from one arrow to the next so that you refrain from tripping yourself up in the heat of music. They have had something similar to this on previous games, but this one is packaged up the best out of all of them. 

The career mode is a little bit different from the previous games, though it seems with every incarnation. Now you are touring North America as you collect money, and you can eventually buy more songs. It allows you to choose the direction you wish to go in, so you can immediately make your way up to Canada if you like. Randomly you will have people approach you to offer songs for you to purchase, and this is the only way that you can gain any extra songs. This can get a little tiresome, but any song that you buy gives you an achievement -- and if you are into that -- this game will be a great way to earn points. 

In this mode the game types are varied, where some can require you to gain enough points before you can proceed. Generally for each of these challenges, you will choose the first song and it will cycle through a random list. They do not fully explain some of the rules to you in the beginning, either that or I was just skipping through it, and so when you fail to get enough points on the first song you begin to wonder why. Do not worry though as it is not over, as another song will follow it up and allow you to complete the challenge. Of course there are other dance modes where you are against other computerized people, or other modes that you need to simply hit enough arrows to continue. There is enough variance so that things do not get old fast, but it should be expanded. 

There are also a few online modes so that you can play with other people, though I found a little difficulty at the time I was trying it out since the game had not been released yet. I did have the pleasure of being near the top of the leader board, but there were only a few people on the leader board at the time. If you do not wish to play for keeps, AKA a ranked match, you may always play a simple player match. In short this online mode allows you to play against up to four other players, which should be more than enough to challenge. Of course you may need to wait a while before the room fills up, but that can happen in any game out there. 

The music in the game is some of my personal favourites. It brings a few old songs from artists like Joplin and Steppenwolf, but it also includes a remix from Castlevania. For those keeping points at hope I probably just escalated three in the nerd / geek division. There is over 100 minutes of music, derived from over 70 songs, and these can keep you entertained not only for a few days, but most likely for a few months. They will also allow you to download extra songs via the Xbox Live system, which increases how long the game will be in your machine. Also if you do not like the steps for the songs, you can create your own with an editor. This mode is decent, but it gets a little boring when you begin to remap arrows for any given song. I would have liked the option of importing songs from your system and mapping arrows for them, but I am sure that would kill future versions of their games. At least the backgrounds are the most colourful of the series and if you are into cute things like penguins this game will be fore you. 

In the end, Dance Dance Revolution Universe provides another edition for people to enjoy. I feel that the series is getting a little old, and a bit boring, but the range of music is very entertaining. I know that they cannot expand the gameplay, since it is something that many people have grown to love, but realistically there are no other areas for them to expand in. What else could they do? Add four more arrows? Add Guitar Hero support so that you can dance and play at the same time? They all ready give you the option to dance on two mats, which seems to be where everything maxes out. For those that love the DDR games, you will love this game as well. For those that hate DDR games, you will hate this game as well. It provides a good expansion to their franchise, better than some of the knock-offs, so overall I recommend it. I will finally say that I believe that the load times were a little over the top, even when it came to replaying the song. Wrapping up, Captain Gordon gives Dance Dance Revolution Universe a B-. 

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? CaptainGordonEdward@Gmail.com