Discount Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 2 with Dance Mat - Nintendo Wii

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DDR2 fixes some of the problems from the first version. First, it actually saves your settings (I personally got tired of having to turn off the hand markers every time I started up the game). Also, it allows you to start the groove arena over as a different user if multiple people want the challenge. And other seemingly broken aspects of DDR1 are also fixed -the timing of arrows, difficulty level, etc actually WORK. I wish this had been the case in the original release. There's also more help for beginners, like bars to show the beat/arrow timing you can turn on, and the ability to slow down the song and arrows to take on a new challenge.

The songs well, there's a mix of good and not so good. But I think that's to be expected. I got tired of dancing to the same songs over and over, so it's refreshing and welcome. It also seems like they're targeted towards easier play, with less difficulty on Difficult and Expert level. I haven't unlocked every song yet.

The graphics look better both the dancers and stages. The Mii addition is kind of funny, but not that bad. You get a choice of certain Mii bodies to stick with your head, some better than others.

Basically this is what DDR1 should have been. If you've got DDR1 and felt shorted, I think you'll be glad to pick up DDR2. And if you're a beginner, I'd skip DDR1 and go straight to this version.

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I play these games because they're fun. . . I don't care about the quality of the covers or whatever, so long as they're fun to dance to. . . in that sense, this game is great, as expected. There are a bit fewer of the hyperactive Jpop songs that I like, but I'm not sure those had much domestic appeal.

One major warning: third party dance mats are not compatible with Hottest Party 2, even if they worked on Hottest Party 1. You can confirm this with complaints all around the internet. Those extra dance mats you bought for parties? Sorry. The fancy high-end mats you bought to improve your gaming experience? Sorry. You're stuck with the soft mat that comes with the game. Since most players "graduate" to high end mats and Konami doesn't make high-end mats, you're somewhat precluded from that. It's disappointing, but I'm returning my copy and sticking to Hottest Party 1 because of this issue.

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I've owned Hottest Party 2 for about a month now -what a great buy!

I bought the game as a way to provide exercise without having to go to a gym. It definitely does the trick for cardio. I breath heavily, I sweat, and I feel lighter on my feet.

I'm a big guy, and I was worried that this might make ddr the wrong choice for me. Not so there is an option to turn off "jumping" in the game. After doing so, I find it is pretty low impact. That is, unless you've twisted your feet in knots and have to hop a bit to make sure you don't miss an arrow.

I've never been a great dancer, and I doubt this game will fix that. (I've only made it to "basic" mode after a month.) Basic is plenty to get your heart pumping though. No particular expertise required.

Overall, this is a great game and definitely worth the cost.

Honest reviews on Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 2 with Dance Mat - Nintendo Wii

Okay, I am not a huge gamer, and our Wii hasn't even had time to gather dust. But friends with PlayStation have been telling me about DDR for several years, and how much I would enjoy it, especially for the exercise aspect.

So I bought this package game + mat. After a week or so of this, I know I will be making this part of my workout routine. However, I am not using it as it came straight out of the box.

First this is a moderate to high impact routine (once you get into it). The thin mat it comes with is not up to the supporting older joints, especially when it looks like supportive sneakers would tear it up. (I've been using bare feet with much success.)

However, this is easily remedied by placing the pad on foam floor tiles (making sure to put something antislip under the tiles themselves if placed on carpet I bought mine at Sam's Club in years past, don't know if they still have them now). Since you cannot use the high-end third party mats that have foam like this inside them with this particular game, this is a quick, affordable alternative, and seems to offer good protection (my diseased hip joints aren't aching much after doing this every other day for the past week for the level of impact, this is amazing for me).

Second treat it like a workout. If you have knee and/or ankle braces, wear them. Stretch out, and do five minutes or so of lower-ranked routines to loosen up. If you have a BOSU, do a little balance warm-up, too.

Third you will want to tweak the options, but be aware you're not going to do that until you pick your mode (I haven't tried anything but the workout mode yet), your player format, your dancer, etc. Make sure you're not registering as a guest otherwise you'll have to do this every time make your own account inside the mode. When you finally come to the menu, you will want to turn off the hand shakes (unnecessary you're going to be using arm movements to help balance anyway once you get to higher levels), you will want to turn off the gimmicks (i.e. the special arrows), turn off the jumps (i.e. when you have to hit two arrows at once) and counter-intuitively you will want to turn on the cuts (i.e. the quick taps) to get rid of them.

Now, is this how a real DDR game is played? I'm guessing not. However, for the DDR/Wii newbie in the workout mode who has some joint issues, you will find you'll get to the more difficult levels which are more challenging much faster and without messing up your joints. It's not about being a DDR champion, it's about the workout.

As for the footwork if you are an old-hand at taking aerobics classes, you can handle the footwork with the option changes I noted above. It will take practice, but within a week, I've been able to go from "beginner" to "difficult" (I haven't tried "Expert" level yet) fairly quickly.

I haven't been in the main parts of the game, only workout mode. I'm not sure how it differs, only that it has the silly little calorie counter and the timer, which to me is the best part. I shouldn't do this more than 30-45 minutes until my joints get used to it, and it would be so easy to do this for 90-120 minutes without blinking.

While more fun than an elliptical machine, treadmill or stationary bike, DDR will not replace a really hard workout I sweat, but not terribly much. And the gaps in between routines even when you repeat the same routine is annoying. (I would love for Konami to perhaps note when someone has turned off gimmicks and therefore turn off the informative screens about them that plays every time you start a track.) But for a general, getting-off-your butt-and-moving-around routine? It's solid.

And watch yourself on the mat controls. If you're in the menu picking out a song or level, it is way too easy to drift into the wrong track or select the wrong level. There is no way to go back once you picked a track and difficulty, so you're stuck with what you've chosen. More fun is the first time you're standing on an arrow and don't realize it, and the tracks just whiz right by or the difficulty scrolls at the speed of sound. And I have really little feet that easily fit inside the squares on the mat!

So as a late 30-something with damage to hips, ankles and knees (from former workouts ;) ), I'm really enjoying DDR as a way to shake up my workout routine. I'm looking forward to unlocking some other music (some tracks I like more than others, but I'm finding as I advance through the levels, I hear the music less the arrows are coming up too fast to do anything more than concentrate on the beat), and trying some of the other modes once I'm sure I've got the hang of things.

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I have to tell you how much our family loves this game. We love the first too. Our boys are ages 5 and 6, and they would play it non-stop if we let them. It's a great cardio workout and a lot of family fun. Watching the boys stomp to "I Want Candy" or "Black and White" makes for a really good time. The Workout mode is better in this version as you can string several songs together. I knew most of the songs, although there were a few I didn't recognize. Overall, it's just a good time with levels for everyone to play. Don't take it so seriously! Just move!