Game developer Konami and the company’s mega-hit game, Dance Dance Revolution, are in the news again. Earlier this week, it was announced that all West Virginia public schools will be incorporating the popular dancing game into the schools’ physical education curriculum, in an effort to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity in the state. Clearly this is good news for Konami. And yet, Konami has even more to brag about this week with the upcoming release of a new sequel to Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), entitled SuperNOVA.

The announcement was made as part of Konami 2006 Gamers’ Day publicity campaign. SuperNOVA will feature over 2,000 different dance patterns and a full 300 songs to challenge even the most nimble dancers. . Do you have a favorite style of music? If so, chances are good that you can something in the game that is a fit for you. Konami has made it clear that the game’s musical library draws from “a wide variety of musical genres that encompass famous smash-hit songs and Konami original tunes.” Basically, he game has a little something for everyone.

Although no set release date has been set for the game, you can be assured that Dance Dance Revolution fans everywhere are eagerly awaiting this newest installment. The game, first released in 1999, has been a favorite of gamers whose love of dancing has them risking sprained ankles and wiping away sweat for the past six years. Although the formula for game has changed little since its original release, the series still continues to draw in huge numbers of loyal fans.

So what are biggest changes about the game? SuperNOVA will feature an all-new game engine that is based on an arcade board, allowing for the display and rendering of complete 3D graphics in-game. Specifically, Konami is planning on using the 3D graphics for dancer animation and for a series of secret in-game music videos. Other changes include a tutorial mode for novice Dance Dance Revolution characters, and a new “battle mode� in which opposing players pit off against each other in a dance off.

Konami also indicated that the new game is being “designed to support linking features in future iterations of the series for home gaming consoles.” It appears, then, that Konami intends to design a game that could be usable on both the current console platforms and any number of future platforms. Could a next-generation of Dance Dance Revolution be hitting the streets soon?

You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Add to Del.icio.us