Review – Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3

Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Platform(s): Nintendo Wii
Genre: Rhythm and Music

ESRB Content Descriptors: Mild lyrics, suggestive themes

The Scoop: It’s time to put away those plastic guitars and break out that dance pad as Konami brings the latest game from the DDR series to the Nintendo Wii.

The Setup: Just like previous DDR games, Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3 keeps the core dance mat gameplay that we’ve all become accustomed to, but also adds a few new features as well as some Wii peripheral support.  And just like previous DDR games, Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3 comes with the plastic floor dance mat – perfect for Wii gamers who don’t already own a DDR dance mat or are looking to pick up an extra one.

Since the game is exclusive to the Nintendo Wii, Konami was able to implement some controller support for the Wii remote, Nunchuk, and for the first time, the Wii Balance Board.  It’s nice to see that developers are integrating multiple control options for various game modes and allowing gamers the ability to use their consoles peripherals.

If you’re already a fan of DDR, chances are that you know all about the gameplay.  Arrows will scroll down the screen to some catchy music, and it’s your job to mimic the arrows on the DDR dance mat.  Simple, addicting, and challenging!  Gamers who are new to the DDR universe will be happy to know that  Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3 includes modes that will help new gamers learn DDR and is very friendly to newcomers. Konami hasn’t forgotten about the hardcore DDR fans either, as they’ve included enough new modes to keep this DDR game addicting and challenging:

• Story mode
• Workout mode
• Kids mode
• Lesson mode
• Tournament mode
• Freeplay mode
• Relaxed mdoe
• Hypermove mode
• Wii Balance Board mode

And to answer one of the most important questions DDR fans have, here is the Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3 song list:

• “A Brighter Day”, Naoki feat. Aleisha G.
• “Baile La Samba”, Big Idea
• “Be With You (Still Miss You)”, NC ft. Eddie Kay
• “Bonafide Lovin’”, Chromeo
• “Boogie Wonderland”, Earth, Wind & Fire
• “Brilliant2U”, Naoki
• “Celebrate Night”, Naoki
• “Closer”, Ne-Yo
• “Crazy Control”, D-Crew with Val Tiatia
• “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House”, LCD Soundsystem
• “Detroit Rock City”, Kiss
• “Disturbia”, Rihanna
• “Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)”, Enrique Iglesias
• “Dream on Dreamer”, Brand New Heavies
• “Dynamite Rave”, Naoki
• “Enjoy the Silence”, Depeche Mode
• “Feel Good Inc.”, Gorillaz featuring De La Soul
• “Freeze”, NC ft. NRG Factory
• “Good Times”, Chic
• “Gotta Dance”, Naoki feat. Aliesha G.
• “Heatstroke”, Tag feat. Angie Lee
• “Hungry Like the Wolf”, Duran Duran
• “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)”, Pitbull
• “I’m Coming Out”, Diana Ross
• “Ice Ice Baby”, Vanilla Ice
• “Just Dance”, Lady Gaga featuring Colby O’Donis
• “Keep on Movin’”, NM
• “Kimono Princess”, Jun
• “La Camisa Negra”, Juanes
• “La Libertad”, Cheryl Horrocks
• “La Receta”, Carlos Coco Garcia
• “Lesson by DJ”, UTD & Friends
• “Lesson2″, MC DDR
• “Lesson3″, Dr. DDR
• “Let’s Get It Started”, Black Eyed Peas
• “Love Again”, NM feat. Mr. E.
• “My Prerogative”, Bobby Brown
• “Never Gonna Give You Up”, Rick Astley
• “One Step at a Time”, Jordin Sparks
• “Paradise”, Lea Drop feat. McCall Clark
• “Pluto the First”, White Wall
• “Pocketful of Sunshine”, Natasha Bedingfield
• “Pork and Beans”, Weezer
• “Praise You”, Fatboy Slim
• “Roppongi Evolved ver. A”, Tag Underground
• “Roppongi Evolved ver. B”, Tag Underground
• “Roppongi Evolved ver. C”, Tag Underground
• “Sacred Oath”, Terra
• “Shine”, Tomosuke feat. Adreana
• “So What”, Pink
• “South Side”, Moby featuring Gwen Stefani
• “The Space Dance”, Danny Tenaglia
• “Takin’ It to the Sky”, U1 feat. Tammy S. Hansen
• “This Night”, Jun feat. Sonnet
• “True Love (Clubstar’s True Club Mix)”, Jun
• “Viva la Vida”, Coldplay
• “What Will Come of Me”, Black Rose Garden
• “When I Grow Up”, Pussycat Dolls
• “You Are a Star”, Naoki feat. Anna Kaelin
• “You Got It (The Right Stuff)”, New Kids on the Block

What’s Hot:

• Support for the Wii Remote, Nunchuck, and Wii Balance Board gives this game a fresh twist to the DDR universe.
• New song list
• Extensive mode list that covers both new and long time fans.
• Bundle includes both the game and dance mat controller.
• Family friendly.
• Great way to play video games and get a good work out.
• Good starting place for gamers new to DDR.
• Local multiplayer support for 2-4 players.

What’s Not:

• Exclusive to the Nintendo Wii – sorry Xbox 360 and PS3 gamers
• Only available in a bundle, not as a stand-alone game
• Dance mat is not wireless

Final Verdict: With the addition of new modes and Wii controller support,  Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3 for the Nintendo Wii is a great investment for both long time fans as well as gamers new to the series.  If you’re looking to finally get into the DDR series, Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3 with the included dance mat is the perfect place to start.  And if you’re a long time fan of the series, you can’t go wrong with adding this to your collection.