Dance Dance Revolution is back! Now that it’s no longer sweltering, my friend Daniel has broken out the dance pads once again, this time for Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 3. This latest version of the game comes with all kinds of bells and whistles, including a quest mode that looks to be blindingly dull — you start out in Sacramento, but succeed at about 30 songs and you can move on to Culver City! — but the biggest improvement is the songs.
The Konami legal department has clearly been busy. Along with the requisite J-pop and techno tracks, you can now get your revolutionary groove on to the B-52s’ “Rock Lobster,” the Clash’s “Hateful,” Devo’s “Whip It” and Run DMC’s “Walk This Way,” among other actually good songs. I found it somewhat distracting to be dancing to songs I like, but I’m sure that would pass with time, and it’s pretty cool to be able to listen to songs I enjoy while playing DDR. (And the song choices indicate that people my age, or even slightly older, are a target demographic.)
Another entertaining feature is a preview of Karaoke Revolution, in which you are scored on the pitch and timing of your vocals, along with some simple dance steps. The demo version only had two songs, so Daniel was forced to sing a white-boy-falsetto version of Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love,” which he had never heard before. This was a fine experience for all involved.
So the revolution lives on. Our cadre met on Sunday, and today is Tuesday, and my feets is still sore.