I think I said it would never happen. At Konami's gamer day last Friday in San Francisco, the company showed off something like 17 titles to an appreciative crowd. Among them, two new versions of rhythm action classic, Dance Dance Revolution. DDR Hottest Part for Wii, will feature new modes, lots of music from the last four decades and a more energetic interface making full use of the Wiimote and nunchuk.
But this is the fun part - Dance Dance Revolution Universe for the Xbox 360, which apparently, 'takes dancing to a whole new dance floor'. What can it possibly mean? Together with the conversion of Guitar Hero II it is a symbol that 360 may finally be moving into the social gaming arena - about time as it does boast the benchmark in next-gen online community infrastructures. By the way, Konami and the West Virginia Games for Health project recently conducted a clinical study into 'exergaming' and found that DDR "improves arterial function in overweight children". Once again, games are good for you.
Also from Konami's big day...
On PSP, a new conversion of silly comic book Hellboy, plus Castlevania: the Dracula X Chronicles, featuring a new 3D version fo Rondo of Blood as well as unlockable 2D ports of Rondo and Symphony of the Night.
On Wii, there was Dewy's Adventure from the creator of Elebits, which follows a tiny drop of water with elemental powers. Konami also showed off flight sim Wing Island and Kororinpa: Marble Mania, a marble puzzle title where the player tips the maze using the Wiimote.
On DS, Honeycomb Beat, a music puzzle game from hudson, a flight shooter named Time Ace with planes from different eras of aerial combat and GoPets a social virtual pet sim (also on PC) where players can take their pets online and make friends with other gamers.
Quite a line-up, with handheld consoles particularly well-represented. There's a full list and more details here.
