Hands-on with DDR Hottest Party
If there's one series in desperate need of a revolution, it's DDR. Unfortunately, adding Wii waggle is not our definition of a revolution. In many ways, Hottest Party feels like a spiritual successor to the last Nintendo DDR game, Mario DDR. The game reintroduces many gimmick arrows, such as bomb arrows that must be avoided, and other arrows that must be stepped on twice. Of course, the most significant addition are the waggle arrows, which have the player shaking the Wii Nunchuck or Wii Remote, depending on whether or not the left or right waggle arrow appears.
The new arrows don't feel like worthwhile additions. After extended play, it's clear that they're simply gimmicks. In addition, the waggle functionality doesn't feel precise enough for a rhythm game. We were also disappointed by the poor construction of the default pads, but that should come as no surprise for long-time DDR connoisseurs.
For dance fans that only have a Wii, it doesn't look like there'll be too many alternatives. The game will have a variety of music from the last four decades. One surprising omission from the game has to be the lack of Mii support: why can't we have the avatars we've created dance dance in the game? At least those will have a bit more personality than the generic anime characters that Konami has been using in the franchise. Do it Konami -- the fans want it.
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