Arcade fire – Financial Times
When Japanese firm Konami devised this ground breaking game in 1998, naming it “Dance Dance Revolution” could have been an act of hubris. But it turned out to have a huge impact on gaming culture.
“As a kid I used to play fighting games in the arcades,” says veteran gamer Toby Na Nakhorn, “and it was very male-orientated, with quite an aggressive atmosphere. I dropped out in the 1990s, but Dance Dance Revolution brought me back and kept me going through the 2000s and 2010s. It brought in a whole new community – a mix of guys and girls, different ethnicities, more inclusive, open and friendly. And I lost a lot of weight playing it!”
A couple of experts facing off can be a joyous spectacle The game has gone through many iterations (including versions for home consoles bundled with plastic dance pads) and has had a number of imitators over the years (with Konami’s lawyers keeping a very watchful eye), but nothing quite matches the two-player original, with its patented and instantly recognisable four-arrow dance platform.
The newest version, the A20 Plus, has taken a while to reach the UK and Europe, but a preview machine is installed at the Funland Arcade in London’s Brunswick Centre ahead of its official launch next month. It has a lustrous 42in screen, a licensed catalogue of 800 songs (with, in some cases, official music-video footage accompanying the arcade action) and a preposterously powerful sound system.
DDR devotees will immediately delve into the advanced options, but the A20 Plus also comes equipped with a new, simpler user interface designed for newbies. If that is you, well, the basic idea is simple: each dance step is designated by an arrow scrolling up the screen, and you have to sync your step with the moment that arrow reaches the top.
A couple of experts facing off can make for a glorious spectacle; I watched two teenagers stepping their way through joyous, very rapid jazz fusion (“Chronos” by DDR in-house composer Yasuhiro Taguchi) and it was exhilarating. I passed up the opportunity to challenge them because I had a bad knee, honest. Konami Dance Dance Revolution A20 Plus, electrocoin.com
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FT pays tribute to Electrocoin’s efforts in “getting the party started” with DDR
The Financial Times has singled out Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution as one of five gadgets “guaranteed to get the party started,” acknowledging Electrocoin’s role as the iconic machine’s UK distributor.
As the latest model of the seminal DDR concept attracts crowds at Funland Arcade, the paper delved into the history of the cabinet, and the shockwaves it has sent through the industry since its launch.
“When Japanese firm Konami devised this groundbreaking game in 1998, naming it Dance Dance Revolution could have been an act of hubris,” reported the FT. “But it turned out to have a huge impact on gaming culture.”
“The game has gone through many iterations (including versions for home consoles bundled with plastic dance pads) and has had a number of imitators over the years (with Konami’s lawyers keeping a very watchful eye), but nothing quite matches the two-player original, with its patented and instantly recognisable four-arrow dance platform.”
Noting that the new A20 Plus has “taken a while” to reach the UK and Europe, the Financial Times added “a preview machine is installed at the Funland Arcade in London’s Brunswick Centre ahead of its official launch next month.”
“It has a lustrous 42in screen, a licensed catalogue of 800 songs (with, in some cases, official music-video footage accompanying the arcade action) and a preposterously powerful sound system.”
For those keen to “get the party started”, the FT directed those looking to buy their own DDR to visit who else but the most enthusiastic advocates of dancing phenomenon Electrocoin.
