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Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2 Review for the Nintendo Wii

Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2 Review for the Nintendo Wii

When Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party hit last year, most people were impressed with how it shook up the DDR formula. The core mechanics still involved stomping on different arrow symbols on a mat, but Hottest Party added hand motions to the mix. Instead of only arrows appearing onscreen, there would also be hand symbols that would come up, and you would have to waggle either the Wii-mote or Nunchuk in time with the music. The waggle aspect was a fun concept and helped the DDR franchise feel more like dancing rather than just stepping.

Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2 screenshot

While this formula worked well last year, it feels a little stale this time around. It’s not like the DDR franchise is particularly known for its innovation, but it was still nice to see something new last year, and many had hope that DDR Hottest party 2 would continue this progressive trend. However, Hottest Party 2 plays exactly the same way as its predecessor, which is a real shame.

The Groove Arena mode replaces last year’s Groove Circuit as the main mode this time around. However this “new” mode has the exact same format as before. This mode entails you picking a character and leading them through different dance club “levels,” each one more challenging than the previous. Once you go through the different levels, you’ll be able to unlock more characters and start dancing all over again.

In addition to the main mode, there is also a Dance N’ Defend mode, which is a little bit more interesting. This mode pits you against a friend (or the game’s A.I.) and gives you different battle powers. After you hit a certain number of moves, you will be able to unleash a series of move blockers, which will require your opponent to think fast and clear the extra elements before they begin to fail the challenge.

Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2 screenshot

In addition to these two main modes, there is also a training mode, free mode, and workout mode. These modes are all self-explanatory, but the workout mode stands out as being the most useful and playable of the three. The “calories burned” function is a little bit more intricate here than it has been in past iterations, as it breaks down the calories you burn through your hands and feet. It also tracks all the calories you burn during separate songs, as well as cumulatively.

One thing that I felt was really missing from DDR Hottest Party 2 was online capability. This game could have been amazingly fun to play online, especially the Dance N Defend battle mode. The game has local support for up to four players, but local multiplayer is increasingly obsolete in the modern gaming age. Games like Dance Dance Revolution Universe handled online multiplayer modes well, and I was very surprised that this game did not include this functionality.

Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2 screenshot

Aside from the missing functionality, the thing that disappointed me most about DDR Hottest Party 2 had to be its soundtrack. First up, the game has a hodge-podge of about twenty techno and dance songs that you’ve probably never heard of. However, this is par for the course as far as the DDR franchise is concerned. The problem I have is with the covers of “pop hits” that they have included. These “hits” include “Black or White” by Michael Jackson and “Bust a Move” by Young MC. To be fair, there is a cover of Rihanna’s mega-hit “Umbrella” but the cover is so bad, it is hardly a good thing. If Hottest Party would have stuck to the DDR standard fare, it would have been okay, but the inclusion of outdated or poorly covered pop music feels weird and can be a real drag to listen to, let alone dance to.

Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2 screenshot

Graphics in this game are also quite underwhelming, although I have never been one to knock a rhythm game for background graphics, but these are so bad. The characters barely ever move, and the stages look bland. The only thing about the visuals that wasn’t completely disappointing was the Mii support. However, even that is a bit tainted because the Mii head is placed onto a DDR character’s body, resulting in some weird proportions.

Overall, Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2 was definitely a disappointment. The original Hottest Party did a lot for the franchise by adding the hand movements, and it would have been nice to see some more innovation implemented in the sequel. As it stands, however, Hottest Party 2 is almost exactly the same as its predecessor, just with different songs. Since the majority of those aren’t even that good, it’s better to just pass on this party.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 2.5 Graphics
The graphics aren’t great, and the background animations are cheap-looking and repetitive 4.0 Control
The dancing mechanics work fine, and I never had a problem with the system recognizing my steps. 2.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Music in this title is poor, even by normal DDR standards. The “hot new tracks” are really not, and the cover songs just sound uninspired and boring. 3.0

Play Value
It’s DDR, so you can play it as much as you want with your friends and never get bored. However, an online mode or two would have really helped this title out.

2.9 Overall Rating – Average
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Your Mii can now be incorporated onto the Dance Dance Revolution dance floor.
  • Brand-New Gimmicks, such as the Triple Stomp, add to the next evolution in Dance Dance Revolution gameplay.
  • More Wii-mote interaction in the Dance n’ Defend Battle Mode where players use Wii-mote movements to beat their opponents.
  • Non-stop dance action with the new Course Mode, various set themed song lists that players dance along to.
  • Unlock hidden features in the Groove Arena Mode as you battle your way to the top of this new venue.
  • Players can learn real dance moves and practice the same routines as the characters with the brand new Hottest Training Mode.
  • All new Dance Dance Revolution characters exclusive to Hottest Party 2.
  • Enhanced motion capture will be applied to all characters for increased realism and customization.
  • New stages with enhanced effects, with more than 50 unique dance environments.

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