Reviews (23)
Nothing Beats DDR!
Part I - Dance Dance Revolution Extreme
An ultra fun video game that gives a good workout just seems too cool to be true, but there is a game that has those attributes:DDR.This great game changed my life and turned me from a lazy guy playing computer all day to becoming a true athlete, as working out is so much fun after playing DDR!
Although DDR Extreme was a big disappointment for a Dance Dance Revolution installment for DDR experts, it's easily the best one for beginners with its familiar songs, easy game engine, and Beginner mode (which debuted on DDRMAX2).
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme and all the other DDR games out there are 2-D games (Except for the dancers in the background) with one major point:Dancing with your feet.You have a dance mat (or stage) where you tap your feet on the arrows planted on the mat at the same time as the matching arrow on the screen is inside the outlined arrow.There are five (or six) ratings you can get for your accuracy:Marvelous (Not on a regular game), Perfect, Great, Good (Which should really be Average), Almost, and Boo.You want to get the first ratings I listed, and not an Almost or Boo, or else your dance gauge (Which kind of shows your health) will start to slip until it runs out and you lose a song.At the end of the song, you can receive an overall grade, depending on your overall accuracy, of either an E (Which you get for failing a song), a D (Which you get for surviving, but receiving a poor score), a C, a B, an A, a double A, or a triple A (Which you get for receiving a perfect score).Even if this sounds cheesy at first, doing this to the exciting music in the background is actually extremely fun.
Four different difficulty levels exist on DDR Extreme (and a fifth one for a few songs):Beginner, Light, Standard, and Heavy (the fifth one is called Challenge/Oni).Prior to DDRMAX2, there was no Beginner mode, and only a few songs (like "Peace Out" and "Cutie Chaser Morning Mix") were easy enough to be beaten by beginners.I therefore only recommend this or DDRMAX2 if you're a beginner.
When you first get the game, you start with 44 songs, and you can unlock 26 more songs for a grand total of 70 songs.To unlock the hidden songs, you must clear songs about 5 to 10 times.Once you do that, a new song is unlocked.The first song you can unlock is called Scorching Moon, and the last one you unlock is called The Legend of Max.You can also unlock new dancers for dancing in the background in songs without real music videos, but I never use characters (Having a character is optional).
If you play a regular game, you can, instead of simply select a song and dance; choose to play two alternate modes:Nonstop and Challenging mode.In Nonstop mode, you can play four songs in a row without stopping.Sadly, there's only a limited selection of lists of songs you can select from, but thankfully, you can choose from "Players Best", which includes the top 4 songs that you've selected the most.This mode was best in DDR Konamix because you could select which songs to be on a list.Challenging mode is hardly worth the trouble.You have four lives, and each time you get a Good or worse, you lose a life.This mode is very frustrating, and only those who can get AA's all the time will find it an attracting way to play.
The Party Mode, which is new for DDR Extreme, is a futuristic-style way to play video games, as you can dance with both hands and feet while seeing yourself dance, although you need the camera for PS2 to do so.Being able to play with both your hands and feet while watching yourself is genius, and must be extremely fun to do.The Hands and Feet Mode is likely the highlight of the Party Mode; the other games are too simple and boring (feeding an animal the right food, etc.).
Along the way, you can unlock two new modes:Mission Mode and Endless mode.In Mission Mode, you dance to different songs with an unusual task to win.Be careful about the visual tricks that are used in many of the songs in Mission Mode.In Endless Mode, you keep dancing until you fail with a randomly chosen character.The songs that you dance to are randomly selected.The problem with it is that you're forced to have a character dance in the background and might end up with one you can't stand.
The Workout Mode in the game allows you to keep track of your fitness and allows you to figure out what you should be doing to keep yourself healthy.If it's on, you'll see how healthy of a workout you got after you finish dancing to a song.Your score will be better if you play fast songs like Drop Out or either of the Paranoia remixes, so play those songs if you want to get fit quickly.
The training mode is a mode where you can't unlock anything, but you can practice the different songs in the game without being stopped by failing and without the thrilling backgrounds.Unfortunately, in DDR Extreme, you can't slow down a song if you need to be able to study something fast and confusing.Even DDR Konamix had this feature.
Finally, I'll take you to the information mode, which gives info about all of the different songs in the game.It tells you if the song you're studying is from a previous DDR game or not, what you should try to do while dancing to the song, or what kind of music it is.According to it, plenty of songs from Dance Dance Revolution Konamix have been brought back, but only three songs have returned from DDRMAX2.
But why is this 2-D game that has the same goal over and over again so great?Well, there are certainly several reasons why:
1. DDR Extreme has a total of 70 different types of songs to choose from.You can find the type of music that's best for you.From a typical energetic dance song (B4U), to a song that's easy to recognize (YMCA, Waiting For Tonight, Like A Virgin), to a jazzy song (On The Jazz, Funk Boogie), to a Japanese pop song (Firefly, Pink Rose), to a supercharged song full of energy (Drop Out, I Feel...) to a song that combines a whole bunch of styles together (JaneJana, Do Me HIGEO Mix, Make It Better), to a theme song from a movie (Never Ending Story, Enter The Dragon) to even a classic song from previous generations of DDR (.59, Drop The Bomb), there's destined to be a song that you'll enjoy.
2. The replay value to this game is incredible, since you can build up your mad skills from beginner to expert, trying to successfully receive all Perfects on songs.You won't want to stop!
3. If you like video games, but you're out of shape, this is a game that can help knock off your weight and keep you fit.I've lost six pounds playing this game since November to December.I've suddenly started to love working out ever since I started playing this game.Seriously, your life will be a lot better after you're fit.
Then again, there are some downsides to this game, but minor downsides:
1. The host of this game gets on your nerves easily.Fortunately, you can shut him off when you're dancing, but not when it's most annoying:When you fail a song.His quote, "W-w-what?" is super annoying, as when he speaks in Japanese.
2. It's hard to find a dance mat that works well.Even the Ignition 2.0 Pad broke down twice within about a couple of weeks for me.It might've been because I was tapping too hard on the arrows, but it still might break down quickly.
3. DDR Extreme for US isn't based on the arcade version, and very few DDR Extreme (arcade) songs are included on the home version ("321Stars", "A", "JaneJana", etc.).Why no "Bag", "1998", "Speed Over Beethoven", and "Paranoia Eternal" (which should've been on DDRMAX2) instead of "Paranoia Survivor"?Not even the licensed songs from the arcade like "We Will Rock You" are on.Konami should release a DDR Konamix 2, a game that should include all of those missed songs from DDR Extreme (arcade) that used DDR Extreme's (arcade) game engine and should keep the DDR experts into DDR.
Anyway, here's the song list included in DDR Extreme, as well as grades for them and comments about what they sound like:
(Songs with * are ones that must be unlocked)
1..59:A (Exciting)
2.*321Stars:B (This one is easy to hate, but I can deal with it)
3.*A:A (Seems to be pretty darn popular, probably because of its challenge and energy)
4.A Stupid Barber:A- (Strange but interesting euro pop)
5.*Absolute:A (A nice blast of typical DJ Taka sound)
6.*B4U:A- (Awesome techno song about DDR)
7.*B4U (B4 Za Beat Mix):A (A more energetic version of B4U)
8.Bad Routine:C+ (So-so house music)
9.Believe:D (Don't like licensed songs much)
10. Bizarre Love Triangle:B+ (But this is an exception)
11. *Can't Stop Falling In Love (Speed Mix):A (Feel the strength of this song!)
12. Diving:B+ (Deep euro trance music)
13. Do Me (H.I.G.E.O. Mix):B (Groovy house music)
14. Don't Clock Me:C- (Okay old skool song plagued by bad lyrics)
15. Drop Out:A++ (Awesome!Feel the energy and danger of this song!)
16. *Drop Out (Remix):A (I personally liked the original better, but this is still good)
17. *Drop The Bomb:A- (Pretty exciting techno song)
18. Ecstasy:A+ (Excellent and exciting euro trance)
19. *Ecstasy (Midnight Blue Mix):A- (Less exciting than original)
20. Firefly:A+++ (Very exciting buildup, cute singers, and great pop/techno/rock music sound!Excellent!)
21. *Frozen Ray (For Extreme):B (Gentle sound, although harsh steps)
22. *Funk Boogie:C+ (So-so jazz/funk music with very simple steps)
23. Go West:A- (A memorable cover of a Village People song)
24. Higher:B (Happy feeling, though a bit targeted toward female dancers)
25. *Higher (Next Morning Mix):B (Really nothing different except for harder steps)
26. Highs Off U (Scorcico XY Mix):F (Listen carefully - THE F-WORD IS USED TWICE IN THIS SONG!!!Very unfriendly to younger dancers)
27. I Feel...:A+ (Energy.Power soul.Techno.Awesome!)
28. I'm For Real:C (Eh, okay, but a bit sleepy)
29. JaneJana:A- (It used to be an F, but I'm no longer annoyed by it.It sounds very strange.)
30. Jet World:A (Very much fun to dance to with a rock/country combination)
31. *Keep On Movin':C (Just your typical dance song.)
32. Kick the Can:B+ (Finally, Kick the Can is on a US mix!It's pretty fun, though not quite the best.)
33. Kids in America:D (Don't like most licensed songs.)
34. *La Senorita:A (Fun Latin to dance to, although La Senorita Virtual is just weird.)
35. Ladies Night:C (Licensed songs again.)
36. Like A Virgin:D- (Another licensed song, only this time it's horrible.)
37. Love Love Sugar:D (I found this song much too targeted toward female dancers to give it a high grade.)
38. *Make It Better:B (One of the very first Konami Original songs ever.It's rather strange, but still decent.)
39. *Maximizer:A++ (Feels like you're riding a roller coaster!)
40. Miracle:D+ (What the heck is a miracle to the singers of this song?)
41. Mobo Moga:A- (Catchy French pop that's playable for me.)
42. Move Your Feet:D+ (Boring topic.Plus, this song seems like it would be on the first Dance Dance Revolution.I know it only came out just recently, but I actually thought it was from the original DDR.It debuted on this game.)
43. Music:A- (Interesting euro techno)
44. Never Ending Story:C (Eh, an okay theme song remix.)
45. *On The Jazz:B+ (Fun-to-dance-to jazz music.)
46. Only You:B- (A 50's-styled song performed by Captain Jack.I'd highly prefer Captain Jack Grandale Remix over this.)
47. Paranoia Eternal:A (Good remix of the song, though it really should've been on DDRMAX2 instead.)
48. *Paranoia Max (Dirty Mix):A+ (The feel of challenge comes in when you start dancing to this creepy, fast song.)
49. Peace Out:D (I never knew slow songs could be annoying.)
50. Pink Rose:A- (This is a nice song.Its instruments could be better, but aw well.)
51. Planet Rock:C- (More liscenced song stuff.This time, a remix of a futuristic old skool track.)
52. *Scorching Moon:B (A strange-sounding collaboration between Sho-T's Groove and DJ Spunga's Bad Routine.)
53. Simply Being Loved:C+ (Another licensed song, though older dancers might like it a lot.)
54. So In Love:C- (A disco/dance/house track with pretty bad vocals.)
55. *The Legend Of Max:B+ (Energetic, though it sounds a bit too much like a song that would play when you're fighting a final boss in a video game.)
56. The Reflex:B+ (Finally, another licensed song that's actually worth dancing to!A great arrangement of the 80's classic.)
57. Theme From Enter The Dragon:A- (An adventurous remix of a movie's theme song.)
58. There You'll Be:B+ (A fast techno remix of the Faith Hill classic.)
59. *Trip Machine:A (Another of the very first Konami Original songs ever, Trip Machine is very fun to dance to with its mechanical techno sounds.)
60. *Trip Machine Survivor:B (A confusing remix of Trip Machine with more energy.)
61. Tsugaru:A (A combination between Matsuri Japan, Exotic Ethnic, Trip Machine, and Healing Vision.The Egyptian sound of Exotic Ethnic plays through most of the song, though the combination between Matsuri Japan's clunky tribal beat, Trip Machine's stiff melody, and Healing Vision's smoothness keep the song sounding Japanese instead.)
62. *Tsugaru (Apple Mix):A (A remix of Tsugaru with more emphasis on Healing Vision and Trip Machine.)
63. *V (For Extreme):B (A dance remix of an orchestral piece from the early 18th century.)
64. Waiting For Tonight:D (I like J. Lo's version much better than this.)
65. Wild Rush:A (Sounds like a song that would play on a car commercial)
66. *Wild Rush (Remix):B (The remix sounds nothing like the original, and doesn't build up its tempo.)
67. Wonderland (UKS Mix):B+ (A fun remake of Boogie Wonderland.)
68. YMCA:B+ (A disco classic that hit DDR.)
69. *You're Not Here:C+ (The song is too sad.)
70. Your Rain (Rage Mix):C- (Very boring techno music with the slowest overall tempo in the game (84 bpm).)
And now, the Numbuh Infinity-style way to conclude the review:My top 3's:
Top 3 Best Songs:......................Top 3 Songs I'm Best At:
1. Firefly....................................1. Paranoia Max (Dirty Mix)
2. Drop Out................................2. Firefly
3. Maximizer..............................3. Drop Out
Top 3 Worst Songs:.....................Top 3 Songs I'm Worst At:
1. Highs Off U.............................1. Make It Better
2. Like A Virgin...........................2. You're Not Here
3. Move Your Feet.......................3. Theme From Enter The Dragon
Top 3 Hardest Songs:
1. Trip Machine Survivor
2. Can't Stop Falling In Love (Speed Mix)
3. The Reflex (On the Heavy level)
(I would've put on The Legend of Max except everyone would think that it's the hardest song, and I wanted a more interesting song to top the top 3 list)
Top 3 Easiest Songs:
1. Funk Boogie
2. Peace Out
3. A Stupid Barber
Final Grade:A+.The minor downsides have no effect on this incredible game.It's simply amazing.I can't believe there was a way to play video games while exercising at the same time.DDR changes your life.DDR is the best thing that ever happened to me.I recommend this game to everyone!It doesn't even matter who you are!
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Part II - The free CD
Sometimes, the music on DDR can be quite fun.Sadly, the songs included in the game are often fake and are only made for the game and sometimes Beatmania CD's, which are rare.Thankfully, this package comes with a free music sampler that includes 15 Konami songs from DDR.Now you can listen to that exciting Dance Dance Revolution music anytime you want!
Here's the song list:
1.Scorching Moon
2.A
3.Ecstasy
4.Your Rain (Rage Mix)
5.Wild Rush
6.A Stupid Barber
7.Mobo Moga
8.Jet World
9.321Stars
10. V (For Extreme)
11. I Need You (Inside out Door 3Mixes)[The music that plays in the Information mode]
12. Drop The Bomb (Original Extended Tune)
13. B4U (Glorious Style)
14. So In Love ~train~
15. I Need You (Platinum Mix)
I was a bit sad that "Firefly" wasn't on the CD, but at least the song selection is thoroughly solid and has many popular songs.I actually found this a very worthy CD, and it's by far my most played album on my iPod.It's not that great of a CD when you're just listening to it on a CD player at home or in the car, but it's excellent when you're walking around town with it playing in a portable CD player/iPod.
By the way, this CD can be found in other places outside of this package.You can find it at any large electronics store for free.
DDR Is Still Alive.
After the horrible DDR USA, Konami saved themselves with Konamix. After everyone was amazed by freze arrows in DDR Max, DDR Max 2 had to mess everything up again. Now...DDR Extreme is here. DDR Extreme has a totally different interface than any arcade or home version. In my opionion, an easier interface. Many modes have been added, which makes the game more fun. I tried out all the modes (yes, I have the unlockable ones two. In fact, I've unlocked everything.) and found two dumb and pointless ones. #1: Training mode. How stupid, watch the song with some red lines added, and no background. Pass this one up. #2: Mission mode. All you do is play the song with some dumb rule like don't step on more than one arrow at at a time; beat the song with phantom arrows; etc. etc. etc. It's plain annoying.
All the songs are good, but some of the ratings are a mistake. They gave Your Rain 3 foots on light. It's the slowest and pretty much the easiest song in the game. Oh well, I'm not going to talk about the ratings all day. My favorite songs are .59, Kick The Can, and Y.M.C.A. The most dredful songs are The Legend of Max, Higher, and I'm for Real. Yes, I can understand the Legend of Max being here, but if you're desperate enough to put those other two in...
The gameplay is awesome, except for minor flaws.
Edit mode is great. I still don't get why thry put in the confusing green 1/12, yes 1/12 arrows. In edit mode, you sort of reprogram the steps to fit your style. Although, DDR Extreme at the arcades stil can't use PS2 memory cards. That was definitely a bad decision. Party mode is pretty fun. I would recommend this, especially if you want to lose weight! (workout mode)
Very Fun!!!!!
This game is A LOT of fun, but make sure you have a dance mat to play this game (see my other reviews to see which dance mat is the best).
There are over 50 songs to dance to and you can unlock different things by dancing (new songs, characters, modes, etc.)
There's is also a party mode (an EyeToy is recommended but not required).You can watch yourself dance, dance with your feet and hands, move your hands to clear the screen so you can see what arrows to go to, move your feet as fast as you can to shake fruit off the trees that you must catch, and a single play pong type ghame where you use your hands.
This game is a very fun game.You may also purchase a second mat (see my other reviews to find the best mat) for two player fun, or just share one mat (or one advanced player can dance using two mats).
This game is a great way to move around and get active while having fun and by playing video games.This game and the mat is worth the money.
Not for the workout-minded
I'll preface this review with the fact that it only applies to people who purchase these dance games for the exercise benefit.If you purchase the game for the fun of game mode, etc. it's as good as the others and I'd rate it higher for that, but for workouts it's a 1 star performer....
Six months ago I invested in the PS2 specifically to play the workout mode of the DDR Max 2 game.I've worked up to the Heavy play mode and am thrilled with the workout stats on it.Of course, eventually the songs became routine and I got the itch to buy DDR Extreme.What a disappointment.The workout section is only for setting up stats.In my old DDR 2 you actually PLAY in workout mode, and you play one song right after another until you're done your workout.The only thing that shows up between songs is a count of calories burned and the equal to the exercise (jogging, swimming, skipping rope, etc.).Then you get right back into another song selection, until you reach your calories burned goal or decide for yourself that you're done dancing.
DDR Extreme forces you to workout in game mode.Consequently, in between songs you get a grading system you could care less about and after 3 songs it announces the game is over and sends you back to the beginning screen.The last thing I want to do in themiddle of a workout is wait 5 minutes while I reprogram everything in order to play another 3 songs.The songs are great, and I'm very disappointed they didn't leave the workout mode alone.As it is, I'm going to have to return it - this isn't geared for workouts anymore.
BEST DDR GAME EVER
When I first saw this game at my cousin's house I knew I should buy it.So I bought it and went straight to my PS2 and started to play.I can play for hours and not even notice. The songs were great . "kick the can","dropout",and "b4u" are my favorites. you can unlock lots of songs and there are a grand total of 70 songs in this game! You can unlock modes like mission or endless mode. If your a begginner you can go into lesson mode or training mode. and if you are over weight there is workout mode. you put in your weight and when your done you can check how many calories you've burned. when you are in game mode you can do roulette if you can't decide wich song you wat to play. If you keep playing you will get better. I started of in begginer and i can now do standard mode. im only 12!
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