Dance Central for Kinect might be getting all the attention, but Konami's DanceDanceRevolution for the PlayStation 3 has a few tricks up its sleeve that could bring the original dance game back into the spotlight, starting with PlayStation Move support.
While Dance Central utilizes the strengths of Kinect, DanceDanceRevolution for the PlayStation 3 uses the power of the PlayStation Move and PlayStation Eye camera to deliver a unique dancing experience.
At its core, DDR PS3 is just that: DDR on the PlayStation 3. It features a sharp, distinctive visual style, 25 new songs from Konami artists, 20 licensed tracks, and all of the bells and whistles you'd expect from a DDR title. New to the PS3 version is the Dance Off mode, where players take turns trying to serve the other, and Club Mode, where difficulty adjusts to the player as they perform anywhere from two to 20 songs in a row. All that, plus a Challenge Level for experienced players that adds four diagonal arrows to the mix.
It's pretty standard, until you add the Move and the Eye.
Using the PlayStation Move, players can dance with their hands as well as their feet, with targets appearing onscreen that you point at with your Move controllers. What you do with your hands in-between hitting the targets is up to you, but Konami has included all sorts of special effect manipulation tools to ensure your hands won't be idle for long. Customize your screen, zoom in and out, or just watch the pretty particle trails as you slowly dehydrate.
Adding the PlayStation Eye to the mix adds you to the action, placing your silhouette on the television screen, dancing to the music. This could be a very cool feature for some players. For me, the last thing I want to see while playing DDR is myself.
With special effects flying and your shadow dancing along with you, you'll want to share the experience with friends and strangers. Konami has included tools to record and edit your performance, with hooks in the game to upload the completed works directly to YouTube and Facebook.
I've been making do with my old PlayStation 2 DDR and dance mat for years now. It might finally be time to trade up when DanceDanceRevolution hits the PlayStation 3 this fall.