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Dance Dance Revolution Universe (X360)

• Developer:
• Publisher: Konami
• Genre:
• Official Website: http://www.musicineverydirection.com
• Score: 5 of 5: Purchase

It's been close to a decade since Dance Dance Revolution took the world by storm. Who would have thought stepping on arrows could ever been so popular? Now as we're entering the next-generation of consoles, DDR is following suit with the first DDR game for the Xbox 360, Dance Dance Revolution Universe. Sold alongside a 360-enabled dance pad, Universe displays a lot of qualities seen in the Ultramix series and takes advantage of Xbox Live with online play and leaderboards. Probably what is most evident is that players of any difficulty level can get into the game with the new tutorials geared towards beginners. Although there are a few low spots in the quest mode and online play, Dance Dance Revolution Universe holds a formidable pace in the DDR universe.

Maybe the best way to begin this review is to say that I myself am a complete novice when it comes to DDR. That being the case, it's a good thing that Universe is probably the most beginner-friendly version the series has seen thus far. Even if you've never set foot on a dance pad in your life, Universe dumbs it down to the most basic of concepts by not only adding in a lengthy (if not monotonous) dance pad tutorial but an entire difficulty mode tailored to the dance-impaired. Series veterans will surely want to forego all of this, as things can get right down to hand-holding standards. Seeing as how this is the first next-gen DDR, though, it seems appropriate that Universe makes a point of educating the masses in foot-stepping.

Once you clear through Game Mode Lite, (or just completely bypass it altogether) you'll have access to the Master Edition, which has a seemingly endless line of game modes to choose from. There's probably everything that DDR fans have come to expect, including the basic game mode where you play through songs and party mode that allows for local multiplayer. Quest mode is also available, where you go through North America completing challenges to earn money. Challenge mode, workout mode, and even an edit mode where you can create your own step-lists make Universe a pretty large experience.

As for the track listing, it varies between different genres. Tracks by Chris Brown, Goldfrapp, Cascada, Depeche Mode, a remix of Kylie Minogue's "Slow" by the Chemical Brothers, plus a whole lot of other songs make up Universe. There are over 50 songs to choose from with an additional 15 songs unlockable through quest mode. Additionally, since we're talking about Xbox Live here, you can bet that Konami will put out some downloadable content in the form of extra songs (in fact there already happens to be a pack available). I'm not entirely familiar with the music that DDR games present, so I can't say how well Universe's tracklist stacks up against previous incarnations. For what it's worth, though, most songs are enjoyable; many you probably won't recognize at first, but as soon as you hear them, you'll think "Oh yeah, that song."

While Universe definitely tries to reel in the greenhorns with its easy difficulty levels, series veterans will still find the difficulty fairly challenging. In fact, some parts of the game seem unintentionally tailored to more experienced players. One of my main complaints lies in the quest mode, which allows even the very beginner difficulty level but seems to get to the point where beginner and basic levels don't even cut it. Quest mode is certainly doable on lower difficulty levels, but it will take a whole lot longer to complete objectives, and in most cases, you'll have to try and be as perfect as possible. Going at quest mode on difficult or expert will significantly speed things up, so at least there's an emphasis on improvement, but many new players might become frustrated because they can't move on. Adding to the frustration is that the quest mode is the only way to unlock songs, which you buy with the money you earn by winning dance-offs and fanbase events, and sometimes these events aren't exactly explained as well as they should be.

Most of the other modes included in Universe don't have as many problems as quest mode does. Probably the one slight exception is online multiplayer with Xbox Live. It's not so much that online play is flawed in any way. In fact, things can be pretty smooth over Xbox Live, and game play is largely as if you were playing against a person right next to you in the arcade. The problem lies in that you're not playing right next to someone, which kind of dulls the experience a bit. At least you can't hear them laughing at your pathetic dancing, unless there's a way to plug the headset into the dance pad that I've not found yet. One other thing worth mentioning is that Universe supports online leaderboards, which seem a bit more substantial in games like DDR or Guitar Hero.

Graphically, Universe stacks up with the rest of the DDR games. The HD visuals look sharp, and help light up colorful, flashy backgrounds. On some tracks, the music videos for the songs will play instead, which are a nice touch if not somewhat useless since you'll be too busy wading through arrows to pay attention. The characters you choose from are drawn in anime fashion and are accompanied by cel-shaded graphics, and overall, everything looks roughly like it did in Ultramix 4, albeit with the HD visuals.

Dance Dance Revolution Universe is a great way to kick-start the series onto both the Xbox 360 and into the HD generation. Of course, you're going to have to spend a little extra in order to get the dance pad, since this is the first DDR for the Xbox 360. At $79.99, though, the price point isn't too terrible, especially when you consider that Xbox 360 games usually cost sixty bucks. Whether you're a long-time fan of DDR or an Xbox 360 owner who wants to get into the series, Universe is accepting to players at any skill level.

Apr 12, 2007 | 0 comments
Chris Massey