DDR Universe Updated Look

The ubiquitous Dance Dance Revolution series makes its next-generation debut next month with the release of Dance Dance Revolution Universe for the Xbox 360. In our previous looks, we've talked about the single-player modes but because this is an Xbox 360 game, our focus at the Konami press event was on the game's online components, which look to add an entirely new level of fun to the long-running dance series.

First and foremost, we've known for a while that the game will include the ability to download songs to add to the already jam-packed soundtrack shipping with the game, which features such artists as Jamiroqui, Kylie Minogue, New Order, and Goldfrapp. When the game was first announced, Konami hadn't yet decided on whether songs would be available as a pack or as individual downloads; we're pleased to report that you will be able to download individual tunes via Xbox Live. Better yet, the songs are going to run you only $1 apiece. Producers said there will be 10 songs available for download when the game launches in late March. In addition to the song downloads, DDR Universe will take advantage of its online components with things like a routine editor, which will let you create new step routines and upload them for other users to try out, head-to-head competitions, and Internet rankings to show off your top scores.

The single-player game features a video editor, which will let you create new background videos for your dance routines, as well as a metric ton of game modes. These modes include how-to-play tutorials and a supereasy mode for DDR beginners, as well as nonstop DJ megamixes to keep the music and the DDR routines going long into the night. DDR Universe is set to launch onto store shelves on March 27.