Dance Dance Revolution Universe 3

Dance Dance Revolution Universe 3 for the Xbox 360 celebrates the 10th anniversary of the perennially popular franchise, which hasn't changed much from its 1998 arcade debut: 1) players select a difficulty level, 2) choose a song, 3) stand on a dance mat marked with directional arrows for up, down, right, and left, 4) coordinate their moves to match the arrows scrolling up the screen in time to the music, and 5) dance like nobody is watching. Although DDRU3 features the same standard DDR menu and still includes both party and workout modes, the latest installment boasts some improvements, including the option to play online, a DJ mode allowing players to create their own song mix, and a quest mode in which players compete for recognition as the grooviest dancer in Dance Dance City. On the minus side, DDRU3 sports the same incessantly-pulsating, nigh-seizure-inducing splashes of primary colors throughout every dance, as well as a song selection that may claim to represent music from “the ‘70s to today,” but tilts heavily toward techno-rave tunes (“NRG Surge” by oo39.com?). Despite these drawbacks, the sure-to-be-popular DDRU3 is recommended for budding video game collections. Aud: P. (N. Plympton)