Dance Dance Revolution

From the depths of Japan comes "Dance Dance Revolution", a highly active dancing video game. Playing this game is what makes it unique in a sense where instead of a normal handheld controller being used, it is played on a floor mat connected to the game console in order to actually provide an in home dancing experience. This game is currently gaining popularity in the states every day for many reasons including: the songs available to dance to, a high energy and high impact dance experience, and even a method of losing weight.

Since this is a music game the quality of music is probably the most important factor in the game. The songs for the most part are very good. There is a house/eurobeat slant to the music, since eurobeat is popular in Japan. Songs like "Hyper Eurobeat" and "1998" are very energetic and make you want to get up and move. There are some slower Hip Hop and R&B songs like "Put Your Faith in Me" and "Try 2 Love U". Latin Music is also being included into the game. "Gamelan de Couple" (from Konami's Mamba A-Go-Go series) and "La Copa De La Vida" (yes that Ricky Martin song) are some examples. There are even sports classics like "We Are the Champions" and "We will Rock you".

The concept of the game is simple. Directional arrows scroll up the screen, which represent dance steps. The player must step down on the corresponding arrow when it reaches on top of the screen. In writing it sounds simple, but this game will test a player's eye-hand.. err.. eye-foot coordination. All of the songs have cleverly designed dance patterns that include jumping, freeze arrows and off-beat steps. Not only do the songs have varied dance patterns but there are three difficulty settings available to the player based on how good the player is including: light, standard, and extreme. It takes time to get better at, but over all it's a fun experience, after getting past the initial embarrassment.

Play video games and lose weight? It sounds unlikely, but it's true. People are using Dance Dance Revolution a a method of losing weight because of the massive amount of physical activity involved. Chris Rettig, 33, of Colerain Township, first tried this video game 2 years ago and has since lost over 90 pounds. Certain Schools have even introduced this game into their Physical Education programs instead of chasing a ball