Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix

"UltraMix, for what its WORTH..."

Okay, so unless you've been under a rock for the last 6 years you might no what Dance Dance Revolution is. The famous step and dance game has made its way to many consoles but is best known for being on the PS2. With DDRMAX 1 and 2, and DDR Extreme, PS2 has a lot of reason to brag. However, now it is time for the famous franchise to go to the XBOX. With some amazing new features being added, are we looking at a new console king for DDR?

The Mix
What would DDR be without a good song list. In this version we see many old favorites. As a matter of fact, thats what it mostly consists of,old songs. New comers will have a blast with the multiple great songs available to them for the first time while vets might say, ''Hey, haven't I played this before in 3 different versions already?'' Although the songs are old and there is maybe a few new songs altogether, its still a good mix. There are over 50 songs in the original mix. Now although that sounds like a bunch, its nothing in comparison to the 70 plus songs in the PS2 versions.

Multiplayer Options
As far as multiplayer goes, there is no comparison. Ultramix has the best multiplayer by far. Not only does it have the same options as the PS2 games, but you can play with for players at once with one console! Never before could you go toe to toe with 3 other friends before, and now its possible. You can even play online with XBOX Live! I will get into that later. For now, Ultramix gets extra points for having the best multiplayer options.

Extras
Aside from the same workout, challange and practice modes. You can now play online with XBOX Live and even download more songs. This is the key to your ''Utramix''. To get more songs as time goes on and build your own personal collection. However, each song pack (which consists of 5 songs each) will cost $5. Is that fair? Thats your call.
As far as XBOX Live vs. options go, you basically can go up against 3 other players at once. You can see if other players are using a dance pad or using a controller. So dont feel bad if you got out danced from a lazy guy only using his thumbs, controllers always have the advantage.
I did find a small problem to this though. If your like me and have PS2 dance pads, you might have bought a converter. However, even if you enter in XBL with a dance mat it will always read as a controller. So maybe you are better off buying an XBOX dance pad.

Final Thoughts
I delayed my review in order to see what it could offer over the last few months. You can get a great song list with the best in multiplayer options, but its gonna cost ya! With the cost of XBL, songs, and a dancepad, it will put your bank account in the whole. ike I said, for what its worth. If you dont have XBL then you just get a generic brand of DDR. If you do have XBL, and you are a DDR fan, buy all means get this. Just remember, even with all these options and add-ons, its still just DDR at heart. Which is why I give it a 8 out of 10. Now get up and dance!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/21/04