Dance Dance Revolution

The pioneer of an entire genre of gaming, Dance Dance Revolution first made its way into most Arcades in the world, as well as PlayStation systems. With the distinguishing title of being the first 3D dance rhythm game, its contributions and the foundation it laid are still the basis of the “Rhythm” genre in video games. Released originally in 1998 by Konami, the title was a massive success, one that would take over the entire world, proof of this was the fact it was the highest-grossing dedicated arcade game in Japan. The game would go on to sell over 1.4 million copies and become a gaming classic.

Breaking a Sweat For Highscores

Dance Dance Revolution was one of the first games to ever re-imagine controllers, by changing the way players input commands, from handheld to an entire dance stage. One of the reasons the game was so popular was the novelty fact of actually dancing to earn points and the fact that it was almost impossible to play the game at home. Eventually, Konami developed the dance pads, which were compact and easy to install, this is when the game actually became popular in households.

At its core the gameplay was exactly the same, players hopped into the “dance stage” and had to press the buttons in sync with the beat at the bottom of the screen. The commands were mirrored on the arrows on the screen, which were Left, Right, Up, and Down. The main goal was to hit as many arrows in a row without missing them. Dance Dance Revolution also rated how in sync you were with the song, ranking each step with “Perfect”, “Great”, “Good”, “Boo” and “Miss”.

The game at first would only record local high scores, but later an internet ranking version was made available. Here player performances would be recorded and displayed for the rest of the world to beat. Player performance was ranked from “SS” perfect score, to “E” which meant failure, but players had the ability to play the game casually by choosing between seven difficulties: Simple, Average, Novice, Expert, Professional, Genuine, and Hero.

A Legend In The Dance Floor

Dance Dance Revolution would become one of the largest franchises in the videogame industry, and its influence would be felt decades after its release. The series itself has countless titles, and remixes for players to enjoy, but the original one had only eleven tracks available for players. The game had some secret modes such as the mirrored one, and the Doubles, which were made available by secret inputs before becoming a series staple.

You can enjoy the game in Single Mode, Couple Mode, and Doubles. The first one is the single-player version of the game, the second one is a co-op version where the notes are divided amongst two players and different dance pads, and finally double mode. The last mode was designed for the most experienced players, it would task one single-player to dance between two dance pads alone. A physical, psychological, and visual challenge, to say the least, it is insane to view someone performing this live on hero difficulty.

Conclusion

With countless spin-offs, hundreds of updates, and a number of titles it influenced too large to count, Dance Dance Revolution is the first of its genre. A classic by all standards, this game should be played by those curious about videogame history, or in love with the rhythm genre.

PROS

• Instant Classic
• Extremely Groundbreaking and Innovative at The Time
• Pioneered an Entire Genre
• Revolutionized Controllers
• High-Tempo and Fun Party Game

CONS

• Visual Are Outdated Today
• Very Small Song Sample
• Rare Title to Find
• Isn’t Nearly as Polished as Younger Versions