Dancing Achievements!

Dancing has been around since the day man found rhythm. Of course, how well you can dance has always been a matter of taste and ability, but even an old person with cataracts can see when someone is messing up the dance floor with poor coordination and two left feet. You can put me in that category, as it will take quite a few beverages to get me on the dance floor. Now singing... that is another thing... I can sing, but as Phil Collins once said, "I Can't Dance." Thankfully, if I ever get the urge to shake my moneymaker, I can do it in the privacy of my own home and save embarrassment for my wife, my friends, and myself thanks to the Dance Dance Revolution series.

This series has spawned sequel after sequel on every major console since the days of the PS One. Even though the series hasn't necessarily evolved richly in this time, it must be noted that the developers know not to screw a good thing up. Sure, not every version of the series has been worth your hard-earned dollars thanks to some questionable song choices, but Konami has been faithful to their fans delivering a solid experience time after time.

Now the series branches off once again to a new format... the Xbox 360! Has Konami now done the unthinkable and retooled this game for Next Generation audiences? Nah, it's the same tried and true DDR you know and love with a few extras thrown in for flavor.

The series has never been one to be visually important, and going HD doesn't change things, it only makes it clearer. Expect the same music videos, strange anime backdrops, and strobe light, epilepsy inducing visuals that have made this the one stop rave for you and four of your closest friends.

DDR is a music game so it is of the most vital importance that this game has a kickin' soundtrack, and the Xbox 360's debut fails to disappoint this time around. Over 70 heart pounding songs, including dance versions from Depeche Mode, Jamiroquai, Sugar Hill Gang, and even Steppenwolf is funk'd out in this latest edition of DDR. The coolest for the geek in all of us is the inclusion of the Castlevania soundtrack that just plain kicks ass. Konami even allows you to upload new songs and content thanks to Xbox Live so your can keep the party going a few hours more. It would have been nice if Konami would have taken a page from Dance Factory and allowed you to import your own CD's and/or custom soundtracks, but alas, this is still a feature absent from our grasp.

For the two people out there who have never tried DDR for themselves, they have included a tutorial and easy mode for the unfamiliar or dancing challenged. Other modes include Quest Mode, Challenge Mode, Workout Mode, and of course Online Mode where you don't have to share space with anyone and still get that arcade experience right in your own living room. For all you achievement freaks out there, you can add DDR to the list of games to rack up those Old Spice Challenge points with. Since the series is new to the Xbox 360, a pad is included for the first run with the game only version releasing later for those who want to own a crappy knockoff pad.

What else is there to say about DDR that hasn't been said a hundred times over? DDR Universe is a great debut for the Xbox 360 as it gives its gamers everything you'd want from the series the first time out of the box. Sure, the game hasn't evolved even with its next gen outing, but this is one series that just doesn't need to.