It has been three long years since a new version of Dance Dance Revolution has stepped onto arcade floors, but Konami is finally ready to get out on the floor again with Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA. We got a chance to check out the new machine at a recent Konami press event.

　　First off, this is no huge departure from the DDR franchise. There are still four arrows on each side of the platform, and even veteran dancers will get short of breath and soaked with sweat. The biggest change for any DDR is always the song list. SuperNOVA is bringing a ton of music to the game this time out, with more than 300 songs to choose from. Those songs cover just about every genre you can think of, and along with those 300 songs are more than 2,000 step patterns, so there's more than enough variety to satisfy even the most seasoned stompers.

　　On top of the song and dance is an all-new visual style with fully 3D characters and backgrounds. Characters we saw ranged from a groovy disco dancer to a strange robot girl. The dancers all have realistic new moves, and the animations look smooth and complement the music well. SuperNOVA also has music videos that play in the background, much like in the DDR Extreme console games. The videos we saw were rendered rather than full motion, but they looked good.

　　There are a couple of new modes on offer in SuperNOVA. There's a voice tutorial mode to teach you how to play, as well as an all-new battle mode. Battle mode lets you square off against an opponent and alter his or her step patterns in real time based on how you perform.

　　There was also a brief mention of connectivity between the arcade version of SuperNOVA and future console versions, although the details haven't yet been revealed. However, the mention of future console versions of the game is still promising news for DDR fans who prefer to embarrass themselves in the privacy of their own homes.

　　Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA will be released in the US this spring, with releases in Japan and Europe to follow. While you wait, be sure to check out our recently posted screenshots and videos to see the game in action.