Dance! It's Your Stage drops on XBLA. First Multiplayer-Multimodal Exergame (MME)

Can't wait for Xbox 360 Kinect or Playstation Move?  The newest dance exergame will be dropping within a couple of weeks for XBLA and it will be truly a multi-platform gaming system as it will be playable on Xbox 360, Nintendo DS & Wii, PC. It will also be compatible with Wii Mote, Xbox 360 controller, Wii Fit Board and a DDR dance pad.  It will be interesting to see how this game plays as we've only seen the trailer and some uploaded in-game footage. [Via Joystiq]

Dance - It's Your Stage promo
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Exergaming Benefits

• 20 different dance routines that may incorporate the upper-body as well as lower (competency)
• 8 dance stages to choose from (autonomy)
• Design your the look of your own avatar (autonomy)
• Play with your friends (relatedness). Thinking about having one player use her DS, another on a laptop and another on a dance pad or Fit Board is fascinating and may be they first truly multiplayer - multimodal exergame 
• Hip-hop, rock, and reggae dance routines (autonomy)
• Improved play moves your dance status from street performer all the way to star stage performer (presumably baking up Justin Bieber or Lady GaGa.)
• The training mode looks to be useful way to help players learn the dance moves. (competency)

Exergaming Concerns

• The arrows seem awfully small, even with a big screen tv, and off to one side.
• When you miss a step or move your instantaneous feedback (competency) is "Yuck!" From the many discussions we've had with youth, they don't like these judgments being displayed after each error.
• At the end of a failed routine, your avatar will go into a disappointed forward slouch.
• The arrows are confusing for me as I'm used to playing DDR, and iDANCE but I assume the reason they are done that way to avoid legal trouble from Konami and their IP patents.

WIBC - Wouldn't It Be Cool

• To integrate heart-rate monitors into any game and have extra points for being in your target heart rate zone
• You could customize the amount and type of feedback given instantly and summative.

For more information on exergames be sure to check out The Exergame Network and the ExerGame Lab Blog for the latest in how technology and gaming are colliding for a healthier tomorrow.

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• Dance! It's Your Stage gets crunk on XBLA Sept. 8 (joystiq.com)