Dance Dance Revolution: Product Review

Product Name: Dance Dance Revolution
Submitted by: Khanh Trinh; Houston, TX
Rating: 10
Where to buy: http://www.amazon.com

Description: When you play Dance Dance Revolution, you move your feet to an established pattern, stepping to the rhythm of a song.

Review: During normal game play of this fitness equipment/game, you'll see arrows scrolling upwards from the bottom of the screen. The arrows then pass over stationary, transparent arrows near the top (referred to as the "guide arrows" or "receptors.")

When the scrolling arrows overlap the stationary ones, you step on the corresponding arrows on the dance platform. When you successfully hit the arrows in time with the music, the life bar or "Dance Gauge" begins to fill. When you fail to hit the arrows, your Dance Gauge drains.

Once the Dance Gauage is fully deplted, you fail the song and your game is over. If your Gauge is not depleted, you'll see the Results Screen, which rates your performance with a numerical score and a letter grade (among other statistics.) Then you can play again (depending on the settings of the particular machine.) The limit is typically 3-5 songs per game.

Depending on the version of the game, dance steps are broken into varying levels of difficulty. The main difficulty levels are "Basic/Light", "Trick/Standard" and "Maniac/Heavy.” Some versions also include "Beginner" and "Oni/Challenge" difficulty levels, usually with extremely easy and difficult sequences, respectively.

Songs are also given a rating, ranging from one to ten feet to indicate the overall difficulty of the step sequence. Beginning in DDRMAX, a "dance gauge" known as the "Groove Radar" also shows how difficult a particular sequence is in various categories, such as the maximum density of steps, how many jumps are in the steps, etc.

I have played this product for more than 8 years now and I'm still using it because it's more than a video game. It's a great way to stay in shape and to maintain good health.

[Editor's Note: The Dance Dance Revolution system shown above is for the PlayStation. Check amazon.com for other Dance Dance Revolution versions available.]

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