Dance Dance Revolution

Before Wii Sports, before Wii Fit, there was a game that got people moving – do you remember it? Dance Dance Revolution! There’s no doubt that DDR is a great way to exercise both body and brain, while having so much fun you won’t notice the workout.

Dance Dance Revolution is available for most game consoles. It utilizes a special controller mat, or dance pad, with an up, down, left and right arrow. These correspond to arrows which cross the screen to the songs in the game. You coordinate your steps on the pad with the music and the pattern on the screen. The beginner level leads you through learning the moves.

Every song has a variety of difficulty levels, indicated by number of feet. This makes is easy to choose according to ability. There are modes which score you, and modes in which you compete with another player. The exercise mode does not keep score, but it will tell you how many calories you have burned!

It should be noted that there are adjustments which can make gameplay more accessible than might be expected. You can remove the steps which make it necessary to jump. You can choose to step on the main beat only, creating a less jarring workout. You can select faster songs or slower songs – it’s up you.

There are enough versions of DDR to make a head spin if you are trying to choose. You may be tempted to get one with more of your favorite songs, but you’ll find the DDR Extreme editions, which use music specially made for the game, work best.

Although the crest of the DDR wave may have passed, for many people the beat goes on. It’s not hard to see why! It is destined to remain a cost-efficient – and enjoyable – exercise program.