After many years, and many different companies failing, Konami was the one to finally figure out how to make a floor pad work for a video game. Rather than making the game rely totally on foot speed (which resulted in people kneeling on the floor slapping it with their hands), speed would be combined with coordination, and all that in time to a musical beat. Thus, Dance Dance Revolution was born, and perhaps that name is fitting; it made gamers think of floor pad games as something to take seriously, and it inspired many gamers, myself included, to lose weight via video game playing.
While Konami was at first reticent to release the DDR games in America (only 3 of the first 7 DDR games were released onto the Playstation), they have since seen the popularity of the game and the American version of the official seventh mix, DDR Max 2, is upon these shores. So, in the spirit of gaming and reducing the size of my ass, I got out the pad and stomped until the blisters came. And I grit my teeth, as I saw yet another case of a Japanese company pandering to the American masses.
First, I suppose I should give a rundown of the basic concept for everyone who missed the memo. In the game, you stand on a floor pad, with sensors for up, down, left, and right, and you step on the appropriate sensor when a colored arrow hits the arrow frame at the top of the screen. To make things convenient for you, a song is playing in the background, and the arrow steps are on beats and notes in the song. Sounds simple, until you get steps on half beats, odd beat structures, jump steps, and the other complexities the game throws at you at the high levels. You could play it with a controller, but the appeal lies in actually getting up and moving your whole body.
Now, with that out of the way, the basic setup of DDR Max 2. It’s obvious that the biggest inspiration for the setup is the recent arcade version, DDR Extreme (AKA, the eighth mix). Unlike the arcade version of DDR Max 2, the game includes a beginner mode, with steps simplified for the newbies to the game, as well as Nonstop mode, in which you just take a go at a preselected (or, if you’re bold, random) group of songs until you clear it. Otherwise, though, you (and a second player, if you so choose) pick a difficulty level and start dancing.
Beyond the basics, though, the game does two noticeable changes, one good and one bad. The good: like the other home versions of the game, this also includes a workout mode, in which the game calculates the estimated calories burned. This is nice because it actually just registers that based on the number of times you hit the sensors – whether or not you actually hit the right ones that the game recommends. And if you turn off the game’s tendency to boo when you don’t hit enough of the arrows in sequence (yes, that option is thankfully still there), you can basically build your own workout.
However, what is sad to see go is Oni Mode. In that mode, you had to basically hit every step in the right time – four missteps and you lost. While I was never any good at that mode, it was there for the best dancers out there. While Nonstop mode (which can get as long as 20 songs without pause now) certainly helps fill that gap, the experienced dancer will miss the challenge Oni mode gives.
In terms of the basic mechanics, this is easily the most solid DDR game yet. The programming is much more precise, so it picks up steps much better than any previous version. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t as sensitive as DDR Extreme can get (where it can tell within 1/32 of a second how close you were to hitting a step at the right time), but it clears up the minor step detection problems that even DDR Max had. One thing that Max 2 also maintains is the solid presentation of the music even when you’re causing the whole room to shake – something that all of the Playstation versions had serious problems with.
For those goofy enough to play this with a controller (and yes, I did try it, just to get the feel), the game still handles quite well. I would highly recommend using the buttons on the right, because you’ll never get the up/down or left/right jumps right using the D-Pad. Some people I know actually prefer playing with the controller rather than the floor pad, because it enables them to hear the music better. Whatever floats your boat, I suppose.
Ah, yes, the music. Really, that is the heart and soul of the DDR series, because once the music gets into your head, that is what hooks you into the game. I really stick with it for the music myself. And this is where DDR Max 2 smacks you upside the head and shouts, “Fooled you!” First, let’s consider the fact that the versions that Americans play in the arcades are the same as the ones released out in Japan. And people addicted to DDR get addicted to those songs. One could logically argue that Konami should stick with what works and make people happy.
No, instead, Konami decided that it needed to completely overhaul the song list, to appeal to American audiences. So you’ll hear the likes of Kylie Minogue’s “Love At First Sight,” in which she sounds like she’s simultaneously trying to be Britney Spears and Avril Lavigne (and you can imagine how much I enjoy that). And Dirty Vegas’ “Days Go By,” in case you haven’t seen enough car commercials recently. Or, perhaps the most hilarious, the censored version of dj Alligator Project’s “The Whistle Song (Blow My Whistle Bitch),” which lost its profanity in the American home version.
This is in addition to the bloated number of mandatory items, like two versions of “Kind Lady,” (I like that song, but one is enough), “Silent Hill,” “Super Star,” and “Hysteria,” means that many of the best songs from previous versions got shafted. Here’s a list, compiled in two minutes, of songs that were left off that I know are popular: “Nori Nori Nori,” “Candy,” “Sobakasu Freckles,” “Midnite Blaze,” “Boom Boom Dollar,” “Dub I Dub,” “If You Were Here,” “Waka Laka,” “Pink Rose,” “Twin Bee,” “Ordinary World,” and “Dam Dariram.” And that’s ignoring both versions of “Healing Vision,” which has become my DDR theme music.
One thing that the game does deserve credit for, though, is bringing back some of the good tracks that had faded from memory. “Dream a Dream,” “Conga Feeling,”, and “Burning Heat!” all manage to come back after a sabbatical from other DDR releases. All of these songs are quite fun and feature some classic old-school beats. “Dream a Dream” pulls from “The Hall of the Mountain King,” which fans of Looney Tunes will recognize as chase music. “Conga Feeling” injects a traditional South American vibe, and DDR has always been too forgetful about this lively tradition of dance music (that, “El Ritmo Tropical,” and “La Senorita” have been the only South American-style songs on any of the games). But best of all is “Burning Heat,” which remixes music from the original “Gradius,” and even makes sure to include a sample of the original 8-bit music. You know I’ve played that mix a lot.
The truth of the graphics is that the game has always relied on simplistic graphics, which has mostly been a boon, but here starts to show its drawbacks. The arrows naturally change color, which has never been bad and they change to compensate for the background changes. Plus, whenever steps fall on the half beats, they’re different colors. However, in this game, steps can come in at quarters, eigths, and even sixteenth beats. And the color gradation between each of these steps is very poor. There are times when a gallop step is needed, but you won’t be able to tell if you need that or a simple jump. Konami probably should have made more vibrant arrow colors for that.
In terms of the other background graphics, they are still solid. Nothing is very fast or vibrant, and certainly nothing will throw you off. Of course, if you’re just a spectator, they do have some pretty funny videos in the background. Probably the most interesting aspect is the addition of real videos for certain songs, although not all of them should have had them. I still can’t figure out what Captain Jack was thinking when he filmed the video for “Dream a Dream.” Probably the best video falls to “Conga Feeling,” which actually feels appropriate and pulls you into the song, and thus the dance, more.
One neat thing, probably from calls from fans, is that the third unlockable in the game is on-screen dancers. A mainstay from the beginning until the fifth mix, you can now add in a dancer or two to dance in the background. For all the people who missed Konamatsu, Rage, Jenny, and the other dancers, they’re back in this version. Moreover, they’re now cel-shaded, and thus much cleaner in appearance than the jagged polygons of the previous versions. If you were missing these dancers, fret no more.
As to how much you’ll want to play this in the end? I suppose it really depends on what kind of music you enjoy in your DDR games. The dance music in this is much more on the frentic side, and rap, house, and American pop get more than their due on this disc. If that’s what you’re hoping for, then you should be right in line on this one. However, I much prefer trance and J-Pop. All I really have on this disc is “Loving You,” “Break Down,” and “Silvertear.” So really, I’m actually more satisfied with the songlist on the very first American “Dance Dance Revolution.”
Of course, if your thing is a more American style groove, this game might be for you. Of course, given the radical changes made compared to the original arcade version’s song list, they probably should have called this something like “DDR Max USA.” This would have also assured huge sales in Japan when Konami inevitably released this in Japan (since the Japanese gamers must always have whatever the American gamers are spoon-fed this week). Of course, every Bemani freak will want this, but anyone looking for a challenge or the more traditional arcade feel will either want to pass on this or just import the Japanese version. Konami seems to forget that what worked in Japan is working here. You shouldn’t try to mess with a good thing.
