Dance Dance Revolution Supernova
Posted October 24, 2006
I remember a few years back, when I made a trip to Korea for work. There wasn't a whole hell of a lot to do there besides work and drink soju (a Korean rice alcohol that tastes like watered down vodka). Surprisingly after we got sick of both of the prior options we decided to set out on our own and find something to do. While in Seoul shopping and seeing the sites we came across what appeared to be a huge arcade, so being that we're all engineer nerds we decided to check it out. Upon entering this monstrosity of a gaming paradise we noticed two things straight away. The Koreans love tennis games and jumping up and down on platforms with brightly lit arrows to the beat of some seriously engaging electronic dance music. Yes this was my first ever exposure to what would become the international phenomenon known as Dance Dance Revolution (DDR for short). What was most impressive was the fact that not only did the people there seem to be enthralled with the game, but there were at least 25-30 machines lining the walls. And they were all jammed with people all around them, they simply couldn't get enough of this rhythm game. While I was certainly intrigued by the game, making a total ass of myself in a foreign country wasn't number one on my list of things to do. So I sat idly by and joined in with the crowd of people clapping and yelling when someone was having a particularly good round. So you'd think I would have hopped on the bandwagon as soon as the first DDR game made it to a console. Sadly I didn't; and up to about a week ago I had never even so much as placed a foot on a DDR pad. Well that has all changed thanks to Dance Dance Revolution Supernova. Let me just say I'm glad I finally gave in. Konami has put together what could be considered the crème de la crème of dancing games.
Gameplay:
In theory DDR is a simple game. You need to step on the arrows when they reach the top of your screen. How hard can it possibly be right? Well in the beginning you'll have it pretty easy as the game has a small tutorial for those of us who have never played before. I'm convinced though that the tutorial is just a setup for you to feel utterly humiliated when you realize that the game is extraordinarily hard. Once you get away from the safe haven the tutorial provides; frustration is just around the corner. Basically I did the tutorial because I wanted to learn the basic steps and movements for each of the arrow combinations that I would be confronted with. Now that I had the basics down I figured it was about time I try out one of the songs on the easy difficulty setting. Now the first thing I noticed about the game was that there are many pop songs on DDR Supernova, from Kelly Clarkson to David Bowie. This threw me for a bit of a loop as I had always remembered the DDR games for having no name electronica type songs, but I can see that DDR Supernova is going for a much broader audience with this iteration. There are even videos that accompany some of songs, which is fairly cool especially seeing "Let's Dance" from what? Like 1985? But in reality many of these pop songs don't lend themselves all that well to what the game is all about; and that's house electronic techno type music. So by far my biggest complaint outside of how horrible I am at the game, is that the music selection is a bit odd. That's not to say that some of the trademark music isn't present. If you want to you can simply avoid dancing to the pop songs and stick to the core music that you're used to. But in that case what's the point in upgrading to a new game? Well because the game contains a ridiculous amount of music, even without the inclusion of the Americanized pop songs there is a ton to do in this game.
DDR Supernova includes a single player mode called Super Stellar Mode and quite honestly without it I wouldn't have known where to start. The single player mode is quirky and just plain odd, but it can be fun. For a person like me who's never played a DDR game before it was a more than welcome inclusion. In Super Stellar mode you are given a series of challenges that start off simple and continue to escalate in difficulty until you proven yourself to be the best dancer in the galaxy, or at least the best dancer in your living room. I have been enjoying the single player quite a bit and I'm afraid without it I wouldn't have lasted through an entire song without burning my pad and calling it quits.
Another cool feature in DDR Supernova is the exercise mode, which enables you to tweak options based on your general dimensions and your desired physical benefit. Just like with most modern treadmills and exercise bikes, you can choose to work out for a set period of time, or you can have the game calculate the length of your workout by the number of calories you'd like to burn. Considering all the stories I've heard about people losing decent amounts of weight becoming addicted to DDR, I'd say this option is more than appropriate, and probably a welcome inclusion for many DDR fans. I set up a workout based on my height and weight to burn 300 calories and I thought I was going to die about halfway through. I can definitely see the benefit of working out in front of a TV interactively, and the songs seamlessly mesh together during your workout so it doesn't feel like you're doing a constant stop and go. This mode makes you feel less like you're getting a workout, and more like you're just having fun.
There is an online mode present in DDR Supernova and as far as I know this is the first DDR game to feature online play. For those seasoned veterans, this may be the added element you've all been waiting for. If you're anything like me you don't have many gamer friends available to play these types of games with. Playing online may be the only way to really gauge yourself against the competition; other than going to the nearest arcade. I will admit I haven't taken my weak skills online for virtual humiliation yet, but I can see where this could be a fun way to keep life in this title. The only drawback I can see to playing DDR Online is that this is a game born in the arcade, where many people are present to play with in a social setting. Till now people who have played on home consoles have more than likely had dance competitions with their friends present in the same room with them. Can the experience possibly be recreated online?
Graphics:
DDR benefits from its simplicity when it comes to its graphical prowess. While dancing you generally see one dancer in a room with flashing lights in a sort of cyber disco environment. The only other displays are your steps and point meters. DDR Supernova does an excellent job of putting pretty graphics on the screen without making the screen seem too cluttered. This game in no way drops your jaw with its visuals but it looks nice. You can't really expect much more out of this type of game, at least not on this generation of consoles. It's important to keep the graphics simple in order to ensure there won't be framerate issues, and DDR Supernova didn't have a single one that could see.
Audio:
Aside from my previous comments about the track selection of DDR Supernova the audio is great. There is so much music here that you'll be busy for a long time to come. The voices that pop in while you're playing to tell you how you're doing can be annoying sometimes. Other than that this game is about two things; Dancing and Music, and the music sounds excellent.
Conclusion:
If you're just getting into the DDR craze then this title is a must. Aside from some dodgy American pop music this game is very cool and delivers exactly what you expect from a dancing game. If you're a DDR veteran then you may as well step up to Supernova and show your moves, there is plenty for you experts to do here. Even though I'm horrible at this game beyond a shadow of doubt, I had a surprisingly good time making a fool of myself in the privacy of my living room. This one comes highly recommended.
Gameplay:
In theory DDR is a simple game. You need to step on the arrows when they reach the top of your screen. How hard can it possibly be right? Well in the beginning you'll have it pretty easy as the game has a small tutorial for those of us who have never played before. I'm convinced though that the tutorial is just a setup for you to feel utterly humiliated when you realize that the game is extraordinarily hard. Once you get away from the safe haven the tutorial provides; frustration is just around the corner. Basically I did the tutorial because I wanted to learn the basic steps and movements for each of the arrow combinations that I would be confronted with. Now that I had the basics down I figured it was about time I try out one of the songs on the easy difficulty setting. Now the first thing I noticed about the game was that there are many pop songs on DDR Supernova, from Kelly Clarkson to David Bowie. This threw me for a bit of a loop as I had always remembered the DDR games for having no name electronica type songs, but I can see that DDR Supernova is going for a much broader audience with this iteration. There are even videos that accompany some of songs, which is fairly cool especially seeing "Let's Dance" from what? Like 1985? But in reality many of these pop songs don't lend themselves all that well to what the game is all about; and that's house electronic techno type music. So by far my biggest complaint outside of how horrible I am at the game, is that the music selection is a bit odd. That's not to say that some of the trademark music isn't present. If you want to you can simply avoid dancing to the pop songs and stick to the core music that you're used to. But in that case what's the point in upgrading to a new game? Well because the game contains a ridiculous amount of music, even without the inclusion of the Americanized pop songs there is a ton to do in this game.
DDR Supernova includes a single player mode called Super Stellar Mode and quite honestly without it I wouldn't have known where to start. The single player mode is quirky and just plain odd, but it can be fun. For a person like me who's never played a DDR game before it was a more than welcome inclusion. In Super Stellar mode you are given a series of challenges that start off simple and continue to escalate in difficulty until you proven yourself to be the best dancer in the galaxy, or at least the best dancer in your living room. I have been enjoying the single player quite a bit and I'm afraid without it I wouldn't have lasted through an entire song without burning my pad and calling it quits.
Another cool feature in DDR Supernova is the exercise mode, which enables you to tweak options based on your general dimensions and your desired physical benefit. Just like with most modern treadmills and exercise bikes, you can choose to work out for a set period of time, or you can have the game calculate the length of your workout by the number of calories you'd like to burn. Considering all the stories I've heard about people losing decent amounts of weight becoming addicted to DDR, I'd say this option is more than appropriate, and probably a welcome inclusion for many DDR fans. I set up a workout based on my height and weight to burn 300 calories and I thought I was going to die about halfway through. I can definitely see the benefit of working out in front of a TV interactively, and the songs seamlessly mesh together during your workout so it doesn't feel like you're doing a constant stop and go. This mode makes you feel less like you're getting a workout, and more like you're just having fun.
There is an online mode present in DDR Supernova and as far as I know this is the first DDR game to feature online play. For those seasoned veterans, this may be the added element you've all been waiting for. If you're anything like me you don't have many gamer friends available to play these types of games with. Playing online may be the only way to really gauge yourself against the competition; other than going to the nearest arcade. I will admit I haven't taken my weak skills online for virtual humiliation yet, but I can see where this could be a fun way to keep life in this title. The only drawback I can see to playing DDR Online is that this is a game born in the arcade, where many people are present to play with in a social setting. Till now people who have played on home consoles have more than likely had dance competitions with their friends present in the same room with them. Can the experience possibly be recreated online?
Graphics:
DDR benefits from its simplicity when it comes to its graphical prowess. While dancing you generally see one dancer in a room with flashing lights in a sort of cyber disco environment. The only other displays are your steps and point meters. DDR Supernova does an excellent job of putting pretty graphics on the screen without making the screen seem too cluttered. This game in no way drops your jaw with its visuals but it looks nice. You can't really expect much more out of this type of game, at least not on this generation of consoles. It's important to keep the graphics simple in order to ensure there won't be framerate issues, and DDR Supernova didn't have a single one that could see.
Audio:
Aside from my previous comments about the track selection of DDR Supernova the audio is great. There is so much music here that you'll be busy for a long time to come. The voices that pop in while you're playing to tell you how you're doing can be annoying sometimes. Other than that this game is about two things; Dancing and Music, and the music sounds excellent.
Conclusion:
If you're just getting into the DDR craze then this title is a must. Aside from some dodgy American pop music this game is very cool and delivers exactly what you expect from a dancing game. If you're a DDR veteran then you may as well step up to Supernova and show your moves, there is plenty for you experts to do here. Even though I'm horrible at this game beyond a shadow of doubt, I had a surprisingly good time making a fool of myself in the privacy of my living room. This one comes highly recommended.