Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3 Bundle - Nintendo Wii

I've been using DDR as part of my exercise routine for over a year, so when Hottest Party 3 came out, I just had to buy it! I was excited to have 50 new songs and curious about the inclusion of the Wii balance board. So, how does it rate?Tournament Mode: There's no more maneuvering maps as in HP1 and HP2. HP3 moves you through automatically. It also has 2 different tournaments, one for basic players and one called "Challenge" which requires you to beat songs at the Difficult level or higher. I played the basic one first and unlocked a number of songs, outfits, stages, etc. Then I played on "Challenge" and unlocked totally different things, including additional songs. Tournament mode is feet-only- no hand motions. The tournament itself is rather short. You can probably beat the entire thing in about an hour if you really know how to play DDR. But you won't unlock everything by playing tournament mode. For HP3, you unlock more items simply by playing. After every song, you will accumulate DDR Points. After you reach a certain amount of DDR points, you will unlock something. I haven't figured out exactly how many points you need to unlock the next thing. DDR points are kind of random and confusing, but an interesting concept nonetheless.Hypermove Mode: For HP3, using the wiimote/nunchuck along with the dance pad is a mode, not an option to turn on and off. If you liked the inclusion of hand-motions, you'll probably be playing this mode a lot. The hand-motions have changed a bit since HP1 and HP2. There's a new "flicking" motion that doesn't really register very well. This is obviously a kink that will hopefully be worked out in HP4.Wii Balanceboard Mode: I'd call this "lazy mode." Don't pick up your feet, just lean. It's kind of like Wii Fit's skiing/snowboarding activities. You lean forward, backward, left and right as the arrows appear on the screen. It will also have you doing hulahooping moves. There's only two difficulty levels - Beginner and Basic. Balanceboard Mode also has you doing handmotions, which doesn't always register with the game. Perhaps it's useful as a cooldown or if you just want to listen to the HP3 soundtrack without getting all sweaty. Oh yeah, and not every song you unlock is available for Balanceboard Mode. So, you might be out of luck on some of your favorite songs.Workout Mode: I spend a lot of time in this mode. A *GREAT* addition to HP3 is that it tracks your calorie burn and weight loss. When you first enter into Workout Mode, the game will ask you if you want to use the Wii Balanceboard to record your weight! FABULOUS! After you weigh yourself using the balanceboard, you can see your BMI, ideal weight, and a chart that tracks your progression. I love this feature and those of you who use DDR to lose weight will definitely appreciate this as well. Workout mode has 3 sub-modes - you can do feet-only, hypermove (feet and hands), and even balanceboard mode. It's the same as HP1 and HP2, though, in that you can set your goal (time, calories, free play) and choose your songs or courses you've unlocked.DDR School: This mode requires a brief discussion. Unlike HP1 and HP2 where you were pretty much on your own on learning how to play the game, DDR School breaks down the game piece by piece. It has a number of lessons, including the VERY BASIC step left, step right....but it also contains lessons about hand movements, using the balanceboard, AND gimmicks. My gripes with the lessons are that 1) it's the same song for a good 16 out of 18 lessons; 2) the gimmicks lessons are useless as the gimmick arrows are NOT mixed in with regular arrows, so they don't really prepare you for playing with gimmicks; and 3) There is no lesson on hitting "cut notes"...those annoying 1/8 to 1/32 beat notes. I've been DYING to figure those out since HP1. I've tried playing songs with those notes, but they barely appear on the BASIC level and on DIFFICULT level, it's too hard to practice. Perhaps I should invest some time in Training mode.Soundtrack: Konami has interesting music taste. It has an intriguing mix of music from the 80s, 90s, and today. For example, you've got Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" and then Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby." Many songs have the actual music video, which is awesome! I've also really fallen in love with some of Konami's original music, particular the song "Celebrate Night." FUN!! The downside to the soundtrack is that there are very few songs in the 120-150 BMP range. Songs that you'd think should be fast-paced are not and it's kind of disappointing when you really want to just rock out!Miscellaneous comments: I didn't address Free Play mode, but it's the same has HP1 and HP2. As always, I praise DDR for having a number of options to increase or decrease the difficulty of play. You can change arrow speed, turn on/off jumps, cut notes, gimmicks, and of course...simply change the difficulty! The game has a great deal of re-playability as long as you don't get sick of hearing the same songs over and over.If you're new to DDR, buy Hottest Party 3 first. If you're buying this for your kids, I wouldn't worry too much about song lyrics or videos included in this game. You might be hesitant to have a child under 10 watch the Pussycat Dolls "When I Grow Up" video or the "Bonafide Lovin'" video that plays in the background. But for the most part, the game is absolutely appropriate for kids 12+. And with the ability to change how hard the game is, any level of player can understand and be successful at playing DDR.I can't wait for the next DDR!!! But in the meantime, I'll be playing Hottest Party 3. It's a fun game and a great way to lose a few pounds!

I was ready to return this. I read the manual and all the little papers that were packed with the game. I have studied ballet and jazz for more years than probably most of you have been alive. How hard could it be.... I thought I would jump into a simple dance. Mistake, nothing seemed to work, I had no points. OK so there is "DDR school". I will just start off with lesson one and keep doing it until I get the hang of it. But this is not WII fit plus which is so clear.It should be easy. Left and right arrows. Tap your feet when you are supposed to. A zillion, "try harders" and then out of the blue, "awesome" finishing with a "you're pathetic" evaluation. Was the mat broken? And when do I step...when the arrows are in the middle? I have rhythm. I was also in the band. Watching my alterego was no help, she was not only doing left right but jumping around with other gyrations. Watching her was kind of like taking Calculus before you take Algebra! I kept getting "try harder" 95% of the time with an occasional "too slow", "too fast" and out of the blue "awesome". The website for the company was no better. I know I am blonde but I have a masters in math and dance talent! FAQ's did not address how to get started. Was I supposed to purchase DDR 1 and 2?Finally a thought...youtube. They need that in DDR school. Finally a person is moving on the right side of the screen and the DDR video is on the left side of the screen. Apparently when the pink and blue arrows reach the very top of the screen you move your feet. Downstairs I went and... I got a "C". That is more like it. Why in the world couldn't that be included in the manual or include in the DDR school. You don't stomp your feet when you see the arrows, nor when the arrows are in the middle, but that you must wait into your arrow intersects the arrows at the top of the screen. And since some people returned their game because the selections kept spinning, maybe they out to include that while you cannot stand on the arrows on your mat when you are trying to select what you are playing (it just spins nonstop), after you have made your selection you should place your feet, not in the center block but on the arrows. So the game looks like it will be fun but they get 2 stars from me for how poorly they address getting started.

Overall, I was very pleased with this. I chose to get this one on the Wii due to the added gameplay options you can't get on other consoles. I believe they incorporated the Wii fit very well (stand on the board and swing your hips left, right, forward, and back, as well as hula hoop motions). It definitely gave me a workout. On the negative side of this though, I've had trouble with it registering some of my hip movements. I'm not sure if this is due to game error or perhaps my environment, ie carpet, battery life, etc. And of course you can't beat using the Wii remotes as added an added challenge and as an additional method to burn calories.So far the tracks I have unlocked are good and fun, a good mix of modern with some classics. I also really enjoy the music videos that they play along with some of them. Who wouldn't want to see the New Kids in their glory years dancing to "The Right Stuff"?!Load time of the songs seems to be fine. With other versions of the game I know this has been a complaint. The other negative thing that has annoyed me is while in Freeplay Mode, after 3 or 4 songs, you get challenged by the game, where you face off against the computer player. The songs for the challenges definitely step it up a notch in difficulty, so if you're just trying to relax at a steady pace, this will interrupt that. Of course you can always just fail it and get it overwith, but nonetheless it's wasted time. I don't remember this being on Hottest Party 1, but that was a while ago for me.Again, I'm having and going to have a lot of fun with this game. It offers variety with the usage of the Wii fit and the Wiimotes, which will keep the game from getting boring for a long time. What better way to get off your rear and get a little exercise in!

Good mat

Everything is in good, working condition. Very well kept for it’s age.

Game good dance pad didn’t work

Receive on time, if even it was used one , it was in perfect condition, nice songs old & new, a good addition to dance dance party mix 2

Bad advertising showing a picture of a dance mat when the you had to read the fine print to realize it didn't come with one. Still an ok deal for just the game.