Kotaku: ddr

Have We Reached Exercise Game Saturation?

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:00:05 MDT

Get up off your ass. Move, move, move. It's summertime! No need to go outside. Video games can help you become active and maybe even lose weight. This is hardly new, but have we reached saturation?

"When I was in Best Buy the other day and saw the huge EA Sports Active displays it felt like we'd hit saturation but until we have Richard Simmons Wii Workout I don't think we've reached it,"says Ben Sawyer, who co-founded of the Serious Games Initiative and heads up the Games for Health initiative. "Famous last words, right?"

EA has been capitalizing in the last couple of months on the fitness game craze with half-a-million-plus seller EA Sports Active, but Nintendo lead the re-newed interest in "exergames" with Wii Sports and Wii Fit. In 2007, Nintendo was coming off its smash-hit Wii Remote and Wii Sports one-two-punch. Those successes laid the groundwork for Wii Fit: players got up off the couch, moved around, swung their arms. There was an audience for this — but there had always been. Thing is, it was a largely untapped audience.

During the early 1980s, the VCR revolution brought exercise into the home with Oscar-winning-actress Jane Fonda telling folks to "go for the burn" with her 1982 exercise debut Jane Fonda's Workout. The tapes sold millions and made millions. The same year computer maker Amiga released the Joyboard, a peripheral on which players would stand and use their body weight to play a slalom skiing game. It was a failure, and the two follow-up titles to support the peripheral were never released. Ditto for an Atari exercise-controlled bike that never found its way out of the concept stage. The exercise bike game would later be realized in 1996 by Namco with Prop Cycle.

There was a market that could be tapped, but it needed someone to do it. And do it right. Enter Nintendo.

The Kyoto-based game company brought the Power Pad to home consoles in 1988, letting kids jog in place on a mat marked with giant buttons. The next year, Namco followed up with Dance Aerobics for Nintendo Entertainment System, foreshadowing the deluge of rhythm dancing games released in the following decades.

While they were developing Konami's Dance Dance Revolution, Konami's own staffers were reporting weight loss. Same for players when it was finally released in the late 1990s. Konami continued to release updated versions of DDR with increasingly complicated steps. The home versions were more forgiving, but the arcade ones were not. In Japan, Konami has even introduced DDR exercise routines into its health club chain called "Groove Motion DDR". Group classes use digital projector screens showing DDR patterns, mats and motion sensor belts.

Nintendo has struck gaming gold with Wii Fit, selling over 18 million copies of the game. The follow-up, Wii Fit Plus, goes on sale later this year.

"When we first announced the Wii Balance Board, people were skeptical," recalls Denise Kaigler, Nintendo of America's vice president of Corporate Affairs. "But consumers responded quickly and told their friends about it. Now when a new fitness game like Wii Fit Plus is announced, no one bats an eye. Fitness games are now an accepted part of the video game landscape." Not only that — but the larger cultural landscape. In 2008, Nintendo teamed up with Westin Hotels to offer Wii Sports and Wii Fit as part of the hotel's fitness program.

Get up off your ass, sure, but why not get out of your house? Go take a walk. Jog. Trend or no trend, what's the point of exercising with a game indoors? Explains Nintendo's Kaigler, "Legendary Nintendo video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, who led the Wii Fit team, is fond of saying, 'If it's sunny, go outside and play.'" Sometimes that's not always possible, she continues. "Sometimes it's because of the seasons or inclement weather. Other times it's situational: Some people come home late from work, while others can't leave the house because they can't leave the kids alone."

The medical profession has started latching onto these exergames. Geraldine O'Shea, D.O., an osteopathic physician and Chair of the American Osteopathic Association's Bureau on Scientific Affairs and Public Health, first began looking at the impact of video games as physical activity in 2007. "What might appear as nothing more than another entertaining game was revealed as a tool for not just activity but directed physical therapy," explains O'Shea.

Around the same time, researchers began using Wii Sports in physical therapy. O'Shea has spearheaded a measure by the American Osteopathic Association to support video games as part of a patient's fitness and therapeutic program. "Because I believe any activity is better than no activity," she adds, "I have become a convert."

"Wii gaming actually turns over more energy than sedentary gaming, but not as much as authentic sports," said Gareth Stratton, a co-author of British study on Wii Sports health benefits. "While it's not going to replace the real thing," Stratton told The New York Times, "it's certainly moving in the right direction." Several researchers conclude that Wii Fit does not replace regular exercise, but concede that the game has done something key: raised fitness awareness.

"I think it's more important to realize now that with Wii Fit and EA Active Sports we may be beyond this being a trend," says Sawyer. "We might really begin to see a genre emerge and stay."

Get Your Fingers Sweaty With A DDR Alarm Clock

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:30:00 MDT

This thing is wrong on so many levels. Your fingers shouldn't have to work at 6:30am. J-pop should never be played at 6:30am. And there is nothing "perfect" about being woken up by an alarm clock.

Course, that's just my $0.02. If you're a DDR fanatic and can see yourself enjoying this, rather than smashing it into a million pieces/throwing it out a window, knock yourself out! It's only $16.

DDR Alarm Clock Takes Your Fingers Back to 2003 [Gizmodo]

Dance Dance Remote Control

Luke Plunkett — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:00:00 MST

Dance Dance Revolution is great. If you like dancing. If not, it's applications are somewhat limited. Note we say somewhat, though, and not totally, as you can still use it to drive...Windows Media Centre.

Why you'd do this, we don't know. Unless you had no arms, or something. It could at least have some back-up dancing and maybe some kind of highland jig. Or be put to use on something a little more interesting. Like a game. But still, seeing two DDR dancemats (for the PS2, no less) stitched together and made to do something practical is worth a "well done" and a pat on the head.

Largest TV Remote Ever Controls Windows Media Center [Gizmodo]

Dance Dance Revolution Steps Over To iPhone

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:40:08 MST

Konami has served iPhone gamers Dance Dance Revolution S, a portable version of its fancy footwork rhythm game that trades in frantic legwork and perspiration for lots and lots of touchscreen tapping.

Gameplay is as straightforward as it gets, requiring players to tap four touchscreen arrows in time as they scroll by to the beat of shrill pop music. Konami promises "innovative new gameplay modes" which we'll assume to refer to the "Shake Mode" which uses the iPhone's built-in accelerometer.

Dance Dance Revolution S also has a "Lite" version, letting you demo the game's capabilities with a single song and lone dancer. The full version is said to pack 26 songs and 18 playable characters and will set you back $6.99 USD or whatever your local currency is.

Full disclosure: Dance Dance Revolution S may have actually been available for some time now, but Konami decided to actually tell us about it today, finally cluing us in to the wonders of DDR on the iPhone and iPod Touch. So, save those precious "Old!" and "Um, this has been out for weeks now." They're no good here.

Dance Dance Revolution S [iTunes]

Subway Teams With Konami To Promote Healthy DDR Sales

Mike Fahey — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:00:00 MST

From now until the end of March, succumbing to that damnable "Five Dollar Foot-Long" jingle could net you some plastic DDR crap and a $10 coupon good towards your next living room-eating dance pad game.

In the name of promoting healthy lifestyles in children, Subway has teamed with Konami in order to include DanceDanceRevolution toys in every Fresh Fit for Kids meal at participating locations through March. Sure to be a big hit at raves, the premium items include an Action Armband, Water Bottle, Disco Revolution, Pencil Pal, Dancemania and Break-it-Down. Other than the armband, which is pretty self-explanatory, and the water bottle to help rehydrate your children before they collapse to the ground and have to be hauled off by security, I have no idea what any of that stuff is. Included with whatever you wind up with will be a $10 off coupon good on the latest DDR games, currently stacked five high at your local game store.

Haven't they done this before? I could have sworn I'd gone into a Subway back when I was concerned about my health and laughed at the silly DDR merchandise sometime in the past. Oh well.

SUBWAY® RESTAURANTS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KONAMI DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT, INC, WILL HAVE KIDS DANCING AT THEIR TABLES WITH DANCEDANCEREVOLUTION® PREMIUM

Thru March 29, 2009, Subway Restaurants To Offer DanceDanceRevolution® Premiums With Each Purchase Of A Fresh Fit For Kids Meal

WHAT:
Kids can dance into the New Year at SUWBAY® restaurants with the all-new DanceDanceRevolution® promotion. Konami and SUBWAY® restaurants today announced a partnership that will help promote a healthy lifestyle for children by delivering the fun and excitement of Konami's best-selling get-up-and-move video game to children everywhere. From December 29, 2008 thru March 29, 2009, participating SUBWAY® restaurants will offer one of six exclusive, high quality DanceDanceRevolution® branded premium toy accessories along with a $10 coupon good on any of the newest DanceDanceRevolution games with each purchase of a SUBWAY FRESH FIT FOR KIDS™ meal.

Available for a limited time while supplies last, the SUBWAY FRESH FIT FOR KIDS™ meal premiums include, DanceDanceRevolution® branded Action Armband, Water Bottle, Disco Revolution, Pencil Pal, Dancemania and Break-it-Down. The kids meal and each premium will come in four color DanceDanceRevolution® kid's meal bags that feature DanceDanceRevolution® images on one side and details about the SUBWAY FRESH FIT FOR KIDS™ meal program on the other.

The SUBWAY® promotion is the latest in a series of initiatives that has made the DanceDanceRevolution® franchise a fitness phenomenon that has received a tremendous amount of recognition for helping people of all ages lose weight and achieve better health. DanceDanceRevolution® has truly pioneered the latest trend in gaming that takes players off of the couch and away from the joystick. Each version of the game has a Workout Mode that allows users to track calories burned and monitor their own fitness regiment. Additionally, DanceDanceRevolution® has been an official part of the physical fitness curriculum in multiple school districts throughout the United States including every school in the State of West Virginia. The game has also been a valuable tool used in numerous research studies on fighting childhood obesity and has been a mainstay in health clubs and libraries across the nation as organizations look for new and innovative ways to fight childhood obesity.

DDR, The Musical, The Pictures

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 05:00:00 MST

Back when we brought word of the Dance Dance Revolution musical, we didn't have any pics, just a Photoshop from the fellas at GayGamer. Now we have pictures of the 40 person show — from the opening night nonetheless!

Click through the pictures below sent to use by reader Dan. There does seem to be a dearth of DDR and a whole lotta WTF. That's okay and isn't necessary bad. Legal issue can probably stop theater troupes from using DDR arcade machines, but not from theater troupes using WTF. Nothing can stop WTF. Nothing.

Konami Launches DDR Community Site

Mike Fahey — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:20:00 MDT

Has it really been 10 years since DanceDanceRevolution two-stepped into the gaming scene? Even more incredulously, has Konami really one 10 years without building a community portal for the series? No matter, as rectification comes now with the announcement of DDROnlineCommunity.com, a community portal where fans of Konami's footloose franchise can gather together in peace and harmony, sharing videos, writing blogs, and sprucing up their personal profiles so they look much better than mine up there.

The site also supports stat tracking, though currently the only game that supports the feature is DDR Universe 2 for the Xbox 360, which I own and have played exactly three times in the past three months, displaying my powerful commitment to personal fitness. Hit the link to set up your own online DDR presence, or jump right over it for a press release guaranteed to make your body move, probably.

DDR Online Community Site [Konami]

KONAMI HELPS CELEBRATE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF DANCEDANCEREVOLUTION BY LAUNCHING OFFICIAL DANCEDANCEREVOLUTION BRAND AND COMMUNITY PORTAL

Fans Of Best-Selling Dance Franchise Can Come Together At DDROnlineCommunity.com To Create Personal Profiles, Videos, & Blogs, Chat With Friends, Learn About Upcoming DDR Releases/Events, And More

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - June 17, 2008 - As part of the year-long celebration of the 10th anniversary of its best-selling DanceDanceRevolution® franchise, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., today announced the launch of the official DanceDanceRevolution brand and community portal. Fans of DanceDanceRevolution can now go to www.ddronlinecommunity.com to join other DanceDanceRevolution enthusiasts as they enjoy a host of exciting features related to the DanceDanceRevolution craze. Included among the many features offered such as blog updates direct from the development team, the site offers opportunities for fans to create their own personal profiles, post videos, and write their own blogs. Additionally, they can chat with other DanceDanceRevolution fans around the globe and join special forums. Those who think they are among the DanceDanceRevolution elite will enjoy the live stats tracking feature that can be linked to profiles and scoreboards for DanceDanceRevolution Universe 2 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft with a future iteration planned as well. Through the site, Konami will also keep fans updated on all DanceDanceRevolution related news including upcoming product releases, local and national events, and more.

"For 10 years, DanceDanceRevolution has evolved from a video game into a pop culture icon. Millions of versions of the game have been sold, fan clubs have been formed, and the people who count themselves as members of the DanceDanceRevolution community continue to grow exponentially each year," said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing at Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc "As we celebrate this special anniversary, the time was right to provide a fun place online where our fans can share their love for the DanceDanceRevolution brand and also enjoy a host of special features, promotions, and activities that are certain to add to the allure of this special franchise."

Originally debuting in arcades in 1998, DanceDanceRevolution has been available on most consoles including Xbox® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, and Wii™. Revolutionizing the get-up-and move concept for video games, DanceDanceRevolution combines high energy music with fun-filled gameplay. The game has swept into the pop culture psyche as it has had its own television program on CBS, is regularly featured on primetime television, music videos and feature films, has its own fan club and fan sites, is part of the physical education program in many school districts, and is a featured workout in fitness clubs across the United States.

Colbert V Rain: DDR

Brian Crecente — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:00:00 MDT

Colbert is many things, but a graciously loser isn't one of them. After going off on Miyamoto for swiping the top spot in Time's 100 most influential people list (and calling Donkey Kong a game about hate crime), he settles on the person he's rally mad at. No, not himself: RAIN!!!

Hit up the jump to catch Colbert breaking it down, as the kids say, in a head-to-head dance-off with adorable Korean pop singer on Dance Dance Revolution.

Delicious DDR!

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:00:00 MDT

Dance Dance Revolution makes you sweat. Cake makes you fat. This? This looks yummy. Created by blogger Lafemmereaper, this 20cm Dance Dance Revolution cabinet fruitcake (yes!!) is covered in marzipan and fondant icing.

According to Lafemmereaper:

I wanted the icing to be black, however I settled for grey - the black colouring got so messy (as I watched somebody else get black staining on their hands...that wouldn't wash off for two days...)
It still took me three weeks just to get it to the right grey colour.

Before you DDR freaks criticize that the speakers are not meant to be that way, I was trying to stay true to the machine, but icing bags are awfully hard to control when you are learning to decorate a cake for the first time. The arrows on the screen were all piped on when the cake was standing up - ie. it was vertical. I also realise that the red "bars" (those 3D curvy bits at the front) should have a black bit on them, but I've left that off as it was too complicated to stick on (the black icing didn't want to stick to anything.)

Thunderous applause!

DDR Cabinet [That Girl's Site]

DDR Workout Benchmarked, Found Healthy (Again)

Mark Wilson — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:20:09 MST

DDR might not still be all the rage with Wii Fit around, but its health benefits are legitimate according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE). We just came across and interesting study from late 2007 testing people ages 12-25 in which ACE calculated that teens burned 5.9 calories per minute on easy, and 6.7 and 8.1 calories on standard and difficult, respectively. For adults, probably because they weigh more, those numbers were even higher. So let's compare DDR to some standard aerobic activities and see how it holds up, shall we?

These statistics are all based upon a 160 - 170lb person, so my guess is that they will be a little naturally inflated over teen stats.

Walking (4 mph) - 6.1cal/min
Bicycling (10 mph) - 7.8cal/min
Jogging (5 mph) - 11.5cal/min
Basketball (full court) - 13.2cal/min

So if you are playing on standard or above, you really aren't doing too badly.

Ace Fitness PDF [via I4U][Stats from CoolNurse]

McDonald's Japan Teaches DDR Exercises

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 02:00:01 MST

That's not Ronald McDonald, it's Donald McDonald. (In Japan, the character is known as "Donald.") What's more, some Japanese people think his name is Mac Donald. Anyway, here Donald is showing how to do DDR-style exercises. Ironically, none of the exercises involve not going to McDonald's.

Teaching DDR [Joystiq]

Konami Adds "Jubeat" To Bemani Line-Up

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 19:40:10 MST

The newest member of the Bemani family—which includes DDR, Guitar Freaks, Pop 'n' Music, et al.—in Japanese arcades is jubeat, a touch-panel game that... well, we're not sure what the hell is going on with this one yet. It's currently on location test in Japan, so we're sure to see how the game behaves in motion soon enough, but it appears that players will have to frantically slap display screens in time to J-pop tunes, competing with others via local or internet connection. That mysterious glowing cube on top of the cabinet? Unsure, but it may simply be for decoration and to increase the obnoxiousness of the seizure inducing lightshow. More on jubeat as we learn about it.

jubeat [Konami via Arcade Heroes]

Want To Play Your GBA With A DDR Pad? Of Course You Do

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 19:40:00 MST

Fulfilling your life long dream of playing Pac-Man on the Game Boy Advance using nothing but your feet is within your grasp. Thanks to the folks at Instructables, who provide a step-by-step tutorial on how to hack together such a contraption, fat kids everywhere will be able to combine their two favorite things: eating (dots) and shedding pounds by frantic shuffling. They call this a "win-win."

How to modify your DDR pad to play with your Gameboy Advance [Instructables via Wonderland]

Boom Boom Rocket Updates

Brian Crecente — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 18:01:45 MST

The interesting, though overtime boring, Xbox Live Arcade title Boom Boom Rocket has gotten a bit of a work over. Starting today, the game will be getting a handful of new capabilities and five new songs. The best part is that all of this is free until Dec. 16 if you already own the game. It will cost you 250 Mpoints after that.

Here's the capability breakdown:
· Improved fireworks
· Compatibility with guitar and dance mat controllers
· Japanese and Korean language support
· Controller type visible in leaderboards (can you be #1 on all three...controller, dance mat and guitar peripheral!)

DDBBR? Guitar Rocket Hero? I'm down for that, but what about drum support?

The five new songs will be Eine Kleine Rochtmusik, Cannon in D, Sugar High, Sting of the Bumble Bee and Explode to Joy.

The whole guitar support could really help invigorate this game, I think.

Red Octane Has No Plans For Xbox 360 DDR Pads

Mark Wilson — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:40:26 MDT

With Konami's second DDR game coming to Xbox 360, a lot of us have still been waiting patiently for the announcement of a better Xbox 360 dance pad—you know, a non-plastic version that won't cause us to get permanently injured and subsequently permanently need to lie about the cause of said injury. While MadCatz produces a few better-than-stock pads, you can't find metal pads anywhere. And hardcore DDR players are left unable to really enjoy the newest DDR titles on the 360.

So we asked Red Octane—formerly huge commercial supporters of DDR—if they had any plans to expand their offerings. But we got nothing but bad news:

There are no immediate plans to create new dance pads outside of the current products available.

That's a fairly broad denial, lacking the usual PR talk-around. It looks like Red Octane cares more about Guitar Hero at the moment...and that it's time for some homebrew solutions. And by "homebrew" we mean that we'll probably never play again.

DDR Universe 2 Set List

Brian Crecente — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:57:06 MDT

Do people still play Dance Dance Revolution? I think it's still doing well, but it seems like the hot rhythm games nowadays are Guitar Hero and Rock Band. I know the three could peacefully co-exist, but I suspect they don't. Why is that?

Whether or not DDR is still a massive cultural phenomenon or not, Konami continues to churn out iterations of the dancing game. Their latest, Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 which hits the 360 this winter, has a pretty eclectic song list that features music from the likes of Oukast, Men Without Hats and The Bangles. Hit the jump for the full list and let the head-scratching begin.

Take Me Out Franz Ferdinand
The Way You Move (House Mix) Outkast
Walk Like an Egyptian The Bangles
Rockit Herbie Hancock
Safety Dance Men Without Hats
He's The Greatest Dancer Sister Sledge
Jungle Boogie Kool and the Gang
Akiba Drift Ko Kimura
Always Amon Tobin
Anytime Soon Blu Mar Ten
Apache The Incredible Bongo Band
Arrivals And Departures LINUS!
Battle Breaks (Downloadable) DJ Takawo
Better Than Before Drew Campbell
Breathing More Larissa Lam
Contra ~Medley Mix~ NEKOJIRA
Catch It! (Downloadable) Total Science
Cosmic Cowgirl Toshio Sakurai
DEAD END N&S
Do It Right AFD feat. Ashley
Don't You Love Me Andy Caldwell
Dorset Perception Shpongle
Dynamite Rave (Downloadable) Naoki
Entry of the Gladiators (Kaz Mix) Julius Fucik
EternuS Sanxion7
Fire Ferry Corsten
Get Up! Give Up! Move On! The Divys
Gradiusic Cyber (Downloadable) Taka
Handle Your Business Starla Marie feat. Coco J
Hey! Tipsy
Higher Ground Togo Project feat. ChiyoTia
Himawari (Downloadable) Riyu from BeForU
I Know You Got Soul Jason Nevins vs. Eric B & Rakim
I Wanna Be Your Star (Speedy Mix) Melody & Mezzo
I Wish I Could Be Beautiful Rithma
In Different Things (USA Club Mix) Rename
Is It Any Wonder? (Tall Paul Mix) Keane
jelly kiss (Downloadable) Togo Project feat. Sana
Let The Beat Hit 'Em (Classic R&B Style) Stone Bros.
Lily Funk Konception
Love Don't Let Me Go David Guetta vs. The Egg
Love In Motion Alien Six
Love This Feelin' (ZONK Remix) (Downloadable) Akira Yamaoka
Makes Me Cry (Drew Campbell Remix) Binghi Ghost feat. Turbulence
Moment 40 (Downloadable) Moshic
Moving Higher Contour
Musika Atomika Syrian
NEMESIS DJ SETUP
Not Me (Extended Mix) Sarah Taylor
Put Your Faith In Me (Saturday Night Mix) (Downloadable) UZI-LAY
Rock The Show Future Prophecy
Senses JT.1UP
So Fine The Freestylers
Somebody In Da House Steve Porter
Steppin' Out Kaskade
Summer Girl Neverakka
Sunshine In London The Sunchasers feat. Victoria Pope
The Tide Noisia
TOE JAM (Downloadable) Big Idea
Until Forever Beatdrop
Yoru Funk oo39.com

Chocolate Rain Rhythm Game Mash Up

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 04:30:05 MDT

You know it, you love it. That's right, StepMania. The computer keyboard version of the ubiquitous Dance Dance Revolution gets its Chocolate Rain remix on. Internet meme or not, I quite like Tay Zonday's original song. I mean, the lyric "History quickly crashing through your veins"? Epic.

Chocolate Rhythm [Dtoid]

The EyeToy Creates Real Sweat

Mark Wilson — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:00:29 MDT

After studying 16 participants playing Eyetoy: Kinetic in laboratory circumstances, Dr. Alasdair Thin (yes, that's seriously his name) proclaimed that fake sports can be just as good as real ones:

We were interested in measuring the levels of exertion from an exercise physiology point of view and compared the average heart rate that each subject was exercising at to the American College of Sports Medicine's (ACSM) recommended exercise heart rate range. Our findings reveal that playing these video games can provide an effective workout.

If there's one problem with "exergame" popularity and titles like Kinetic and DDR, it's that gamers need to make sure the trend doesn't get out of hand.

We're only saying this once, and let's keep this amongst ourselves: we can't let the jocks take over.
Study Finds DDR, Eyetoy On Par... [gamasutra]

Physical Education Final? Twilight Princess!

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 06:00:06 MDT

Virginia high school student Andrew sends us what could be best described as a Nintendo marketer's wet dream. He writes:

Last Friday, for my gym class's Physical Fitness Final Exam, my teacher brought in 3 Wiis and an Xbox, all hooked up to LCD projectors projected on the walls of the gym. For 2 hours we had tournaments on 2 of the Wiis in Wii Sports, Wii Play, Excite Truck, and Wario Ware while others played Twilight Princess on another and DDR on the xbox. We were also given the option of playing basketball but all 20 people in my class were more interested in Wii.

Great, but since when are wrist flicks while playing Excite Truck and Twilight Princess considered exercise? Oh, right, they're not. Brian Ashcraft

DDR Gets Its Groove On

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 22:00:43 MDT

At a recent health and fitness exhibition in Japan, Konami introduced GROOVE MOTION DDR. It's based off the company's Dance Dance Revolution game, but includes six programs like yoga and martial arts-style exercises. While a DDR-type mat is used, GROOVE MOTION differs in that a motion sensor belt is worn. It calculates individual data like calories counted and "score." This title most likely won't find its way into Japanese arcades, but rather, into Konami's own fitness clubs. Yes, there are Konami fitness clubs — hence the exercise games. Makes sense! Brian Ashcraft

GROOVE MOTION DDR [Famitsu]