I've included a video in this review, for people who have never played DDR before. I originally made this video for my sister who is just starting to learn. Many new players try and move there feet from arrow and then back to the center of the mat. As you can see, I move my feet from arrow to arrow. I also alternate feet, I don't rely heavily on one foot over the other. Also, you can sort of see that my weight is shifted onto the balls of my feet, which makes it easier to move faster. I am not flat on my heels. Also, yes, I am wearing shoes while I play. I have high arches and am prone to stress fractures and I need some sort of arch support. The shoes I'm wearing are made out of that light Crocs material. The shoes are light enough that they don't tear up the mat. Finally, if you are new, keep in mind that it took me 2 weeks of playing daily before I could consistently pass songs on beginner level. Learning new skills as an adult can be difficult. I remember when I was learning to crochet, I wanted to gauge my eyes out with the crochet hook it was so frustrating. Now I crochet fast and with little thought. It's the same thing with DDR. It will take time for your brain to automatically associate the arrows with your feet moving in different directions. You will learn "foot/eye coordination", rhythm, and balance. In the beginning it will require a lot of thought, but once those pathways are formed in your brain, it will be nearly automatic, and you will happily step along as I am in the video.
Advantages of this game over Hottest Party 2. Well, "hands" are set off on default and only available in "hyper mode". Which is nice, because I found hands annoying. Gimmicks are also set off, and are then turned on after you've progressed far enough in tournament mode. Also, in HP2, most of the songs were either remixes or covers, in HP3, I guess Nintendo had enough money to buy the licensing rights for the real songs. I enjoy nearly all the songs in the game. In real life, I listen to mostly rock music. Even though there are tons of songs on the game, that I wouldn't necessarily listen to on the radio, I enjoy the large majority of them and find it fun to play.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
While 2009 may be known as the year of the musical games due to the ungodly number of Guitar Hero installments (plus one Rock Band) there is another reason to call it as such. Dance Dance Revolution ("DDR"): Hottest Part 3 had the misfortune of being released on the same night as Tekken 6, Forza Motorsport 3, and the new Ratchet and Clank game, making it an obscure title that gained little attention. Fortunately for Konami, however, this nerd looked forward to DDRHP3 exclusively on the night of its release and picked it up at midnight. After playing the game for two days I can safely say it was somewhat worth the price and I will be using it frequently for both leisure as well as exercise.The one thing I would like to state is that the last DDR game I bought was DDR: Konamix before I entered college in Summer 2002. I have not played DDR: Hottest Party 2 or any other mix since so forgive me if I rave about a feature that was introduced earlier.
The first thing I noticed off the bat was the DDR School, something I wished they had included in previous versions that I had played. This allowed the player to truly explore the dance pad before going crazy. It went through the basic without making you feel like either an idiot or Grandma for inquiring. Similar to the beginner mode in the Guitar Hero franchise, DDRHP3 also has a relax mode that is way too easy. This allows the player to figure out foot placement, movement, and balance since it can be frustrating to get into a game and consistently fail. While most DDR veterans and casual gamers will not need to utilize these features, kudos to Konami for integrating a user-friendly set of features to entice new gamers since most installments just throw you in the fray.
Once I was done exploring the beginner features I immediately went into what I had been waiting for months to try out, namely to see how well the master tracks of American songs faired in DDR. I checked out the song track list and tried out most of the ones I wanted. The first song I tried was Feel Good, Inc. by the Gorillaz, a song that has a killer music video and seems to be in a lot of musical games this year (including DJ Hero). When I finally got the song loaded up a grin spread across my face when I realized that the original music video was playing in the background. Later, I discovered that this was true with all songs with a music video including Duran Duran's Hungry Like a Wolf and Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice. I also enjoyed the song A Brighter Day, which is what enticed me when I first saw the E3 trailer.
While I liked the majority of the soundtrack, what disappointed me most was there was not enough songs to play and no way to download new ones. I honestly thought there was going to be over 150 tracks to download by, as it turns out, that is only for the XBox360 and PS3 versions coming out later. This made my heart sink as around 50 songs is NOT enough! I want more... so I'll have to get it for the XBox360 instead. I could write an entire blog post on what songs should have been in such as Heaven by Belinda Carlisle, the entire Night at the Roxbury soundtrack (extra points for head-bobbing), or God-forbid early Britney Spears. The only solace I can get from this is that the Wii version allows you to load all the songs from DDR Hottest Party 2 if you have a saved data. This is great but... I don't own DDRHP2 and it's still expensive to get it.
What I also was disappointed to discover was that the custom interface, the edit mode, and the eight-button mode were only for the other two systems and not the Wii. While Nintendo and Konami did NOT advertise these features for the Wii version, one would hope the Wii would utilize practical features such as downloading new songs. Without new songs, the game gets old and players lose interest if not buy the game for another system entirely.
However, once I got over my disappointment over the lack of features on the Wii, I decided to see what exclusive features the Wii did have that made up for the loss. My disappointment was almost alleviated.
The Wii has three distinctive features that separate it from the PS3 and 360 versions.
1: Balance Board Interface.
Basically, you can use the Wii Balance Board (assuming you actually bought a Wii Fit) and do moves on it like leaning. This is kewl for the first few minutes but loses it luster quickly.
2: Remote and Nunchuk Interface ("Hypermode")
THIS is the reason why I got the Wii version (that and it came out first). Hypermode allows the player to move their arms with the remote and nunchuk for added challenge and exercise. I wanted something more than a Lord of the Dance version that only uses your feet and I got it with this feature.
3: Mii utilization and customization.
I gotta admit, it is a little cooler to customize and use your Miis to dance but I would also get the same satisfaction if the 360 utilized the avatar characters... which isn't much.
That is pretty much it for the Wii version as all the other features are standard including a workout mode for added calorie burning.
After all the hype of a Wii version it really does not distinguish itself other than the fact that it came out four months earlier. If I had not paid full price for this version, I would seriously consider waiting a little longer and getting the XBox360 version since it does have downloadable content and so forth. However, I will not discount the fact that I love this game all the same. I've played it extensively and expect I will for a while now. I dock DDRHP3 one star for a lacking soundtrack and the inability to download more songs unless you fork over however much to get the second Hottest Party. I'd rather pay a LOT less to download one song at a time from XBox Live.
All in all, a solid B+. The lacking soundtrack really killed any chance of an "A" rating.
Peace out!!
Best Deals for Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3 Bundle - Nintendo Wii
Most of the other reviews have already touched upon the overall strengths and weaknesses of Dance Dance Revolution 3 as a game. On a positive note, I appreciate the fresher track list with more recognizable music, and I like the fact that they use more actual videos from the actual stars. I also liked that owners of Dance Dance Revolution 2 could unlock costumes and songs with their saved data. I was a little disappointed that the songs and videos are abridged versions and that the soundtrack list was somewhat limited.Dance Rance Revolution 3 for the Wii continues to have the "fun" features which makes DDR so fun to play alone or with friends and family. The dance mat controller was the first and is still the best controller for accurate tracking of movements.
There are different modes to suit from everyone from beginners to seasoned pros whose feet move faster than a hummingbird's wings."DDR School" provides an excellent tutorial for those getting started. "Tournament Mode" lets you compete in a "DDR Tournament" with different challenges (you can play yourself or with 3 others, but there's no online support). "Training Mode" will take you step-by-step through any song you choose so you can practice particularly complex moves. "Relaxed Mode" is for those who just want to play without any pressure.
As most of my reviews do, the rest of this one will focus on how useful it is for exercise and fitness (i.e. "Workout Mode"). And in this area, it is a solid winner.
Konami invented exercise games before anyone knew what an exercise game was. Long before Wii Fit or Wii Sports, there was Dance Dance Revolution. Kids in malls and homes everywhere were doing 30 minutes of rigorous and sustained aerobic exercise without even realizing it, while their parents with their Jane Fonda videos hardly broke a sweat.
A lot of us had been using DDR for working out, but this version of DDR fully integrates exercise as a game feature, putting it right on par with other "exergames" like Wii Fit Plus and EA Sports Active.
When you start Workout mode, it'll use the balance board to calculate your weight before you start working out. One nice touch is that after it takes your weight it doesn't show it right away. Pressing the "A" button will toggle between the asterisks and your weight. A nice feature if you have others in the room.
You'll be able to set a goal for your workout sessions. You can set a goal by play time (e.g. 30 minutes), or you can set it by the number of KCALS burned.
As far as the types of workouts, you basically have three options:
Standard: This is "classic DDR", where you move your feet to the music, and in my book it's still the best way to work out. Every song has four difficulty levels (beginning, basic, difficult and expert). I find that the "difficult" setting provides me enough of a challenge while getting my heart pumping and my body sweating.
Hypermove Mode: This is basically the same as Standard move, but also using the Wii remote and Nunchuks to move your arms. Here, I was not thrilled with the way the remote and Nunchuk are implemented. You need to wave your arms to the side making a rainbow-shaped arc, and to wave your arms to the front as if you're casting a fishing pole. Even when you make exagerrated movements, the controls do not always register. I would have preferred Konami to do like Helix or We Cheer 2, and allow the use of two Wii remotes instead of the less responsive nunchuk. I also would have preferred more punching movements than arm movements
Balance Board Mode: Balance board mode is a new feature on DDR 3. In it, you stand on the balance board and bump your hips to the front, back, and sides; make punching movements with the Wii remote and nunchuk; and roll your hips like you're hula hooping. For the most part the movements are accurate, but sometimes you need to exagerrate your hip movements to get them to register. Each song has two difficulty levels (basic and difficult), but even at its most difficult it's not nearly as strenuous as using the dance mat controller. Still, it is fun, it does get your heart beat up, and it's a good diverstion to provide some variety to your workouts if you get tied of Standard and Hypermove modes from time to time.
Some other nice features:
* One nice thing about Workout mode in general is that if you mess up, it lets you keep going. (You'll just have to put up with the announcer saying "dancer needs groove badly").
* For the Standard and Hypermove modes, you can select a menu option called "Cut", which will limit any beats other than quarter notes. This will essentially make your workout feel like a step class. In Hypermove mode there's also a menu option called "jump" which can turn off simultaneous step arrows (good if you have neighbors downstairs).
* For Standard and Hypermove modes, up to 4 players can work out together. There are a number of interesting multiplayer options. You can compete against each other for accuracy, or you can use "Friendship style" or "Sync Style" where points are awarded as a group.
* The "Diary" provides a great running history of the total calories you've burned, the average calories you burn per session, and the songs you've played.
Konami has continued to hold the bar high with every new release of Dance Dance Revolution. I'm glad to see they're introducing new innovations and are fully embracing the "exergaming" craze. At the end of the day, the best way to exercise is to do activities that are so fun you forget you're exercising.
Honest reviews on Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3 Bundle - Nintendo Wii
Hottest Party 3 is the second DDR game I own for the Wii--the first one being Hottest Party 2. The game is fun, uses both feet and hands for dance moves, but the hands may be disabled. The game offers several modes of play for single and multiple players including a workout mode that is very effective.Pros
* Large initial song selection list; larger than version 2
* Large selection of original songs with video
* Easy list interface; much easier than version 2 hierarchies
* Option to unlock all songs in Hottest Party 2, if you own it
* Good variety of song genre; note it favors Pop
Cons
* Songs and videos are trimmed versions of the original
* Video resolution is standard definition, and does not offer an option to "zoom" and fit to screen
* Video box smaller than the actual game screen; compressed resolution makes videos look washed out
* Interface is not point-and-click requiring navigation using the cross-arrow pad on the controller
* Interface inferior to the polish of the Wii or other games such as Wii Sports
I believe this is a missed opportunity for Konami. I expected Konami to set the standard for DDR games in the new generation of consoles, but it seems Konami is waiting for one of its competitors to enter the dancing game category in full force. One only has to play RockBand, Guitar Hero, or Singstar to notice the complacency that Konami has fallen into in regards to music games.
Overall, this is still the best dancing game of this generation of consoles.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3 Bundle - Nintendo Wii
First: I reviewed DDR 2 at http://www.amazon.com/review/R1MJW08K0JG02L/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm. The same basics hold for me: I have joint disease so many high-impact exercises are not possible for me. I change my settings and fully concede that you will get a much better workout with the standard settings. But if you have joint issues, this is still something you can do as long as you make some tweaks and take some precautions.So I use this in what I will call "low-impact aerobics settings". I turn the gimmicks off (once allowed, see below), turn off the jumps, turn on the cuts (counterintuitively, this removes them from play), turn off "Freeze" (it keeps my foot on the floor instead of doing reps), and turn off the master voice (because this time, it's a mixture of Ray Romano and Kermit the Frog and is annoying). I also don't play in "Hypermode" (which means I don't use hand movements). What this results in is an uncluttered, one-foot-at-a-time variety of play. It will not win you any DDR tournaments, but if you're older and/or have joint issues, you also are less likely to lose your balance reacting to gimmicks or hurt yourself with the jumps, and you can go up to "Difficult" or "Expert" levels to get a decent workout. (As noted above, including cuts, gimmicks and jumps will make your workout harder if you have healthy joints, keep 'em in :D )
As far as hardware goes DDR 2 controllers appear to work with this game (my old one did). I'm not sure how third party mats will work, but you should be able to use any Konami DDR 2 controller. For those with joint issues, Sam's Club has foam floor pads a square of four underneath will nicely help pad your joints if you don't want to buy a better third-party mat. (It will migrate, but you've got a few seconds in between songs to move it back).
As for overall game play, some things have been improved in this version. The biggest thing to note is that there are three ways to interact with this game. There is "regular" (just the footpad), there is "Hypermode" (footpad and Wii Remote/Nunchuk combo), and Wii Balance Board mode (Wii Balance board and Wii Remote/Nunchuk combo). This means you don't have to remember to turn off hand movements if you choose not to use them you simply don't choose Hypermode or Balance Board mode. As a positive, this means that as you increase your difficulty in standard mode, you retain more footwork (if you chose to turn off hand movements in DDR 2 you sometimes got huge gaps of arrows where hand movements used to be on Expert compared to Difficult).
I don't do the hand movements, because I always seem to get tangled in the cord and/or I've moved away from a spot where the Wii sensor detects them, so my song gets cut short. I feel at a certain speed, you are using your arms to keep your balance anyway or you can do your own arm movements throughout. So I won't review "Hypermode", as I don't really have a good frame of reference (though other reviews are noting they are not an improvement over DDR 2). The Wii mode while fun and different than using the footpad is ultimately a waste as an aerobic workout tool. Because your feet don't ever really leave the board. I suppose it's great for balance, strength and flexibility, but it's simply not a terribly cardio-driven workout. I personally do DDR because I want to move my feet, so it seems odd to use the balance board anyway.
While it's true that there are far many more songs performed by original artists, the faster songs are still DDR techno. If you want to do rapid footwork, you will find yourself frequently using songs covered/created by DDR artists there's no avoiding it. But it does make a nice change to not have everything techno all the time. (Warning: If you were upset by the "Come Rain, Come Shine" or "Bust a Move" videos in DDR 2, you're going to be even more upset by the Pussycat Dolls and Lady GaGa videos at the bare minimum in this game.) You tend to see more actual videos in the lesser beat-per-minute range, though you can still have actual performers and a normal DDR stage (Rihanna's "Disturbia" where you always open your music choice is a prime example).
Obviously, Konami/Bemani has paid attention to the griping about the music. Not only do you have a lot of original artist performance, but they skewed the music a little more to a generic North American audience. There are a bunch of great songs with a latin beat, and a few rock songs from the 70's and 80's (some are better than you'd expect, some aren't that great). If music was your big turnoff with DDR 2, you might enjoy this better, but don't expect an entire set of songs performed by original artists and with original videos. DDR performances and stages/avatars are still in the majority.
I feel, though, that they have a few less songs that are good for pure aerobic workout purposes. Where there were a several songs above 180 bpm in DDR 2, the only ones now are in the weird mixed-beat competition songs. There are still a good collection, but it feels like they skewed towards songs that might play better on a Wii balance board, so you have a majority of songs in the 120-150 BPM range. Good workout, not a great one (at least not without repeating songs).
As far as regular game play goes, the basics haven't changed too much. However, there are a few differences. First, gimmicks cannot be turned off by default you have to earn them by going through the Tournament Mode. (Note to new players to unlock about 1/3 of the of songs, outfits and dance stages, you must complete the Tournament mode on Basic difficulty or above. Basic will allow you to get through it pretty quickly.) They have a competition set of 3 with some of the easier gimmicks for you to complete, so it's not a huge problem if you don't like them. And as soon as you earn them, you can turn them off. But if you're looking for them right away in Free-Play, that's why they aren't there.
The selection menu is also different. You have a horizontal scrolling menu, similar to Apple's "Cover Flow". If you're used to DDR 2, it will take a little getting used to finding the info you want. But on the upside, the menu can be sorted several different ways, and also shows you what gimmicks are used on each song. When you dig into things like course music or options, the menu can get complicated and unintuitive you have to pay attention to get back to the main music menu, especially since the colorful blocks can make quick reading of the labels difficult. It's less cool than Konami probably thinks it is, but ultimately, it gets the job done.
The run count for consecutive steps is different (and improved) in Free Play mode. First, the game acknowledges when you have a "full combo" (i.e. you finish a song without missing a step). It then starts a multi-song run counter, so you can actually try and see how many songs in a row you can do perfectly, which is fun. The default arrows also start changing over every 50 consecutive steps. After a run of 50, every completed arrow will flash at you after 100, the flash gets bigger, and 150 they flash even larger (I haven't managed a 200 step run yet). It takes some getting used to, as does the fact that sometimes the stage goes away and it turns into a screen of your avatar celebrating this step number achievement. (Your avatar will also show up when you break your multi-song run, taking a bow off the stage.) You get used to it, but it's confusing the first time if you're not prepared for it.
As far as workout mode, it's pretty much the same as DDR 2, with the exception of now being able to view your tradtional step count at the end (instead of just seeing the calorie count). Note that when you select workout mode, you choose from regular, Hypermode or Wii Balance Board you don't have to use the top-level modes in the menu, they are inside Workout Mode. You also have the addtion of a workout studio stage which is amusing, and useful because it's very plain, which means your arrows show up better (unlike other stages which seem designed to confuse the eye). Also, songs will continue to the end even after failure, and while full-combos are noted, no running step count is engaged. You can also still create up to six different 6-song courses of your own, which is useful because you then don't have to deal with wasting time between songs (though, as in DDR 2, the timer mode counts actual workout time, not a count-down clock, so if you choose 60 minutes, you have 60 minutes of actual dance time).
While I'm enjoying the upgrades, I still think I'll be swapping back and forth between DDR 2 and DDR 3 for EXERCISE purposes. This version of DDR 3 definitely ramps up the fun factor, but I think there's a wider selection of beat counts in DDR 2 than in DDR 3 if you want to work out and have limitations. This shouldn't stop you from buying DDR 3 if you liked DDR 2, just don't sell or put away DDR 2 if you want to mix up your routine and avoid getting bored with the song set too soon.
Overall, it's still DDR and it's still a lot of fun :D
No comments:
Post a Comment