Posted on: November 27, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

I have been a fan of the Dance Dance Revolution series for the last six or seven years. At some point, I would hit up the Internet and search out different arcades and restaurants that had a DDR machine present. I familiarized myself with the home-console iterations of the DDR line, but I felt almost as if the arcade version had some essence that put it at a level unachievable by the console efforts. However, I feel that with Hottest Party 3, Konami has created a console DDR that is actually more catchy, more intense, and in some ways, better than the arcade releases.

For those individuals that may only be familiar with the earlier DDR titles, the Hottest Party line was first issued in 2007. Konami made the plunge into the Nintendo Wii, adding some functionality that was unheard of in the line. This means that Hottest Party 3 allows players to use the Wii Balance Board even as the Wii Remote adds an entirely new dimension of difficulty to the title. The title comes forth as approachable and interesting for players of all skill levels, as well. As was the case with a number of DDR titles (both arcade and console), Konami teaches players new to the title. The DDR School Edition goes into incredible detail about all aspects of game play, while the “Relax” mode is the perfect party session, ratcheting the difficulty down considerably.

The music present on Hottest Party 3 exists at the intersections of different eras, styles, and even languages. One can go and take on “Boogie Wonderland” by Earth, Wind and Fire to rev up their funk engine, dance to (somewhat) current hit “One Step At A Time”, or even go exotic with Juanes’ “La Camisa Negra” and Naoki’s “A Brighter Day”. Of course, the multiplayer mode is what makes the title so much fun, showcasing exactly whom of one’s friends is the best dancer. Instead of only dealing with how well one puts their feet onto the right arrows, hip rolling and bumping ensure that one individual is declared supreme. For those that want to lose weight, the more active nature of Hottest Party 3 is matched well with the workout mode that is present. If you like the DDR line, or want to get into it, buy HP3 and an additional pad – you’ll love it.

Rating: 9.2/10

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