Dance Dance Revolution Mobile / Cell Phone Game This review is based on the 2005 release of the game, played on a Motorola RAZR v3.
In 2005, the dance game craze in the United States was going strong in some places and losing popularity in others. As In The Groove garnered more popularity in the United States, Konami had (or so it seemed at the time) all but abandoned arcade releases of its hit title Dance Dance Revolution. Konami decided to get together with certain mobile phone providers and take advantage of the mobile gaming craze with a port of DDR for your multimedia equipped cellular phone. Being a bored 21 year old, with very little to do and money to spend, I saw this game featured on Cingular's website and decided to give it a shot. I shelled out the $6.99 for the download, and the game was promptly downloaded.
Here are some more details of the game:
Songlist (all available by default):
DDR
Breakdown
Candy <3
A
Graduation
MAX300
Love <3 Shine
Dynamite Rave
Silent Hill
Make a Jam
think ya better D
Background List:
DDR
Breakdown
Candy <3 Gameplay: 4/10 The concept of the game has not changed with this release, as you use the 2, 4, 6, and 8, keys to hit the rising arrows on the screen. However, this release of the game is somewhat difficult to play. Timing is an issue, as there is a definite delay from the button press to the registration onscreen. The songs are all MIDI remixes (for size, understandably so), and are only about 45 seconds long. The menu interface is also a challenge, as you must choose a song in a submenu, then return to the main menu, THEN hit "Start Game", and you choose the difficulty. There are VERY limited arrow modifiers (Hidden, Sudden, and Stealth are the only arrow mods available). Graphics: 5/10 The backgrounds used in the game are (albeit smaller) perfect arcade replicas. All three of them, that is. The results screen is a slightly modified version of the DDR Extreme results screen, with the same green background that we've all come to know and love. The arrows themselves are not vivid or Solo arrows, they seem to be a modified Flat style. They are all green, with no differentiation in beat displayed at all. Songlist/Stepcharts: 4/10 While the songs are some of the more appealing ones from the DDR series, their MIDI remixes being chopped to half length don't truly appeal to me. It is sometimes hard to know what song you're playing, because they all sound pretty much the same. The stepcharts are nowhere near replicas of the originals from the arcade or console series. Steps mesh together and do not flow in any sense or rhythm. Many times during the songs, it seems that there are random arrows put in just to keep you busy, not to entertain you. Replayability: 3/10 While this game is an okay distraction for all of about 10 minutes, the limited song list and subpar stepcharts will leave you yearning for an update, or a better game in general. Overall rating: 4/10 A good effort, but not good enough. I would not recommend this title to anyone, old or new players alike.
__________________ |