The Dance Dance Revolution franchise is huge. The game has been released for every console except for the PlayStation 3. Some are good, some are bad but they are pretty much all the same concept with a minor tweak here or there, so when DDR Hottest Party was released for the Wii, expectations were raised – would the Wiimote be used and if so…how? Worry no more – the game is easily the best DDR experience that anyone can have on a home console.

For those unfamiliar the series, games involve using your feet to control the game – you’ll be stepping on the arrows on the dance pad, keeping rhythm to the music, hitting the arrows at the right time to get points and increasing your dance gauge. Missing the steps reduces your gauge and if it’s empty, the song is over and you’re done.

The song lists vary between covers of older songs and newer songs you’d find on a rave channel on satellite radio. The songs in Hottest Party are all great to dance to and there are over 50 in all. You’re not alone in thinking that Karma Chameleon would be a ho-hum dance song, but the game reworks it to make you work up a sweat. Other songs include a cover of Coldplay’s Clocks (!), Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff, and JoJo’s Too Little Too Late. Some covers are very close to the original artists while others are very different but you won’t be able to gripe too much because you’ll be too busy dancing.

As with all DDR games there’s a workout mode which shows you how many calories you burned and your distance danced. You can even change the step tempo so that you can keep your body moving at a fast pace. It provides a heck of a workout.

All exercise aside—there are other options in the game including the “groove circuit” mode. While the single player isn’t as difficult as the 360 version, it’s worth noting that there’s a new mode called “Friendship style” which is a teamwork mode. It’s a fun way to stay cooperative in the game, especially with the kids.

This version of DDR features some “gimmicks” (and kudos to Konami for calling them what they are)! Some arrows now require “double” stomps and other arrows move around the screen and do not show you where you have to stomp until the last minute, which really adds to the difficulty.

Finally there is one huge difference in this DDR game as opposed to others – you’ll be using your hands! That’s right; this game requires you to use your nunchuck and Wiimote controller and you shake your hands left or right along with your feet. Thankfully this was implemented well – left or right is the only commands you’ll be using with the hand controllers.

Right now you can only purchase the game with a dance pad, but those gamers who spent gobs of money on eBay for DDR Mario Mix on the GameCube will be happy to know that their dance pad also works on this game. That’s right; your new dance pad actually connects to the Wii via the GameCube controls.