Quick Review of "Dance Dance Revolution" for Wii.

Anyone familiar with my blog or Facebook page knows that I am such a dork about Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). If you are looking to get in shape, all I know is this:

1) If someone is good at DDR, they are probably not overweight. It happens, but not nearly as often as with people who are good at weight lifting, kettlebells, Zumba, running, or spinning.

2) If someone is good at DDR, they cardiovascular system is in good working order. I very much can't say about the Under-armour wearing mullet who has to sit down between sets.

3) If someone is good at DDR, they move well and for the most part they are injury free. I definitely can't say this about my running and spinning friends. Some people who do Zumba don't even look like they can get out of bed on their own.

I am such a proponent of DDR that I am going to write an e-book about using it to get in shape. I use it in conjuction with High Octane Cardio, my weighted X-vest and swings. I have lost 36 lbs. since getting DDR 3 years ago, and unlike others that write about weight loss, I am still losing weight. DDR can very much be a convenient, effective, and sustainable form of fitness.

That being said, here is a review of the newest Wii version of Dance Dance Revolution.

Popular Songs (GRADE: D-): In this regard, this new version sucks ass. Lots of Jordan Sparks and Kelly Clarkson-type stuff. Just because it has popular appeal doesn't mean it has DDR appeal. Also, there is not as much range with these songs as their were in previous version. The worst part of this is that the foot rate for these songs is very slooooooooow compared to other version. This limits its exercise value.

Boss Songs (Grade: B+): "Boss" means "made for DDR." These songs are pretty good, at least the ones I have been able to unlock. Entertaining, well choreographed, and fun to dance to.

Choreography(Grade: A): Even though the song choice was pretty bad, the choreography was pretty good for what they had to work with.

Wii Remote/Nunchuk use (Grade: B): This is a feature that I always have turned off because it was annoying. The response reliability was really bad and it did not add anything to the game. This was consistently shitty throughout the entire Hottest Party series. Well, this version it has all changed:

a) The reliability is pretty good.

b) You do different things with the remote (slash, punch, swing, hand circles), which makes it more fun. For those that work with mobility, some of the pattern have a "Indian club" feel to them. They loosened up my shoulders a lot. One drawback, however, is when you are using them (i.e., Choreography Mode), the foot rate is really slow. I do thing this is a big improvement and it compares favorable to Xbox Kinect's "Dance Central", and you don't have the annoying calibration of the Kinect's.

c) The one bad point about this is when using the Choreography Mode, the foot rate for most songs is very slow.

d) If you do "Expert" level in Choreography Mode, you are not cued as to what to do. You have to follow what the dancer on the screen does. This is a really plus and was a lot of fun.

Exercise Value (Grade: C+): The other versions, especially Hottest Part 1 and 2, are way better. As I open up more songs, my opinion may change, but the songs, especially the popular ones, are definitely sissyfied.