Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix

"Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix could use some work..."

Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix for the Xbox was a game that I had and still have very mixed feelings about. Although I do not own it, I have played it at a friends house on several occasions. I have thought that the idea of this game is a very interesting idea, and that a lot more could be done with it.

For one thing, of all games, when someone mentions the Interactive Genre, this is what I think of, much more than say Sniper Scope... Plus, it is a great game for those who are heavy gamers and whose parents will gauge their "video game time" by the amount of exercise they get. It is an addictive game, and at social gatherings can be a lot of fun.

Okay, I like the game in general, and have no problem playing it, but the music really wasn't that good. I realize that there isn't exactly a lot of modern dance music that has been put out recently, but they could have spent a great deal of time thinking about it, and I think they missed their chance to come out with some good music. There were a lot of other options, and they blew it.

Also, that guy in the background… (Or girl in some cases), was nothing but distractive. There was a lot of missed potential here too. In the game, while you are either beautifully “breaking it down” or messing up, causing multiple “Boo”s to come up in the screen, there is this hip/modern-looking person in the background dancing in a world of strange color, which has nothing to do with anything really. All the game is doing is comparing you to the person, which in some cases could lower one's self-esteem.

I think that instead, they could have had someone who did exactly what you did, and would do a move properly when you got it perfect, and would do an “uber” trick or something of that sort when you got a certain number of perfects in a row. But when you mess up, the person might trip. Like I said, a lot of missed potential.

Finally, I thought that the game style itself was very good. How you got graded, and could unlock “better” or “harder” songs if you did well, was very motivating. The problem with a lot of games these days is that there is no point, (a thought comes to mind of Animal Crossing). Also, the multiplayer idea was fun, both having two people against each other, and, (although this really isn't multiplayer), one person playing with two mats.

The biggest problem with this game is that the plot lacked, because in essence, there was no plot. Perhaps in future installments, something like Need For Speed: Underground, where you go up against a computer player, and if you beat his/her score, you advance to the next round. This also could be used as a knew way to incorporate unlockables.

I thought this game overall was a good game, and while it didn't have some things like a decent plot, it is still a fun game to play in your spare time alone or with friends and family.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/04/04