Dance Dance Revolution

DDR!

Dance Dance Revolution, also called DDR, was released to the USA in 1998. It didn't attract immediate attention, but as most revolutions go, it steadily gained fans and supporters. As more and more people were introduced to this energetic game, the demand for new games also increased. The order of the games released to the United States is as follows: Dance Dance Revolution, Dance Dance Revolution KONAMIX, Dance Dance Revolution: Disney Mix, DDR MAX, DDR MAX2, DDR EXTREME, and DDR EXTREME2. The first three are for Playstation, and the last four are for the Playstation 2.

Each game uses songs by game artists, previously made songs remade by game artists, and outside artists displaying their songs on the game. Dance Dance Revolution contains real songs incorporated into the game such as "Have you Never Been Mellow" and "Smoke", which is a remake of "Smoke on the Water". A lot of the time, since this game originated in Japan, some of the artists come from the J-POP, or Japanese pop genre. Dance Dance Revolution has J-POP artists such as Naoki Maede and Scott Dolph. Each of them go by their first name. Naoki made the DDR classic "Dynamite Rave" and Scotty D. made "Drop the Bomb".

DDR MAX has a much larger song choice because it is for a more modern console. It has artists such as Reel 2 Real, Aurora, Darude, and JS16. Some of the more popular well-known songs include Sandstorm, Ordinary World, My Generation (Fat Beat Mix), and Look to the Sky. This version, much like the last, has many J-POP songs included in it. Some of these songs (known to hardcore DDR players and fans) are Gentle Stress(AMD mix), Get me in your Sight(AMD Cancun mix), RUGGED ASH, THE CUBE, and true...(Trance Sunrise mix). This game includes a Challenging Oni mode, giving players four units, and they have to keep these units by combining skill and accuracy.

DDR MAX2 is the second US release for the Playstation 2. It used many more popular artists than any other game. Some of the more popular artists are Dirty Vegas, Kylie Minogue, The Crystal Method, Jocelyn Enriquez, 2UNLIMITED, DJ ALIGATOR PROJECT, K.C. & the Sunshine Band, 4 STRINGS, Lange feat. Skye, Ian Van Dahl, and DJ Sammy & Yanou feat. Do. Please note these artists were popular in 2002, and they might not be as popular today. Some of the songs are "Days Go By", "Love at First Sight", "Busy Child", "A Little Bit of Ecstasy", "BREAK DOWN!", "The Whistle Song", "Get Down Tonight", "Take Me Away", "GHOSTS", and "Heaven". Once again, this game has taken the amount of real songs almost to the extreme!

DDR EXTREME2 actually did take the real song amount to a high extreme. Using artists such as The Chemical Brothers, Sean Paul, Fatboy Slim, Delerium, SARINA PARIS, Motorcycle, M/A/R/R/S, Armand Van Helden, Deja Vu, and CAPTAIN JACK, this game managed to maintain quality gameplay and quality listening. Some songs on this game include "Oops....I Did It Again", "Genie In A Bottle", "Crazy In Love", "Play That Funky Music", "Against All Odds", "As the Rush Comes", "Get Busy", "I Will Survive", "LA COPA DE LA VIDA", "Pump Up The Volume", "Silence(Airscape Remix)", "1998", and "Heaven is a '57 metallic gray(gimmix)".

Each of the games has something that separates it from all the others. Most of the time, this is an aspect of gameplay. The original Dance Dance Revolution had no changes, because there was nothing before it. Dance Dance Revolution KONAMIX had 52 songs, almost doubling its predecessor, and impressive Nonstop and Edit modes. Dane Dance Revolution: Disney mix had the first 10-step, which is a high level song for DDR experts. This song was a hardcore techno version of the Disney classic, "It's a Small World". Another Disney 10-step is a remix of another classic, "Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious".

DDR MAX was the introduction of Oni Mode. Oni is the Japanese word for "demon", and this particular word was used because of its difficulty. The basis is this: you get four units and if you miss an arrow, one disappears. You fail when they're all gone. Also, it introduced freeze arrows, which are arrows that, upon entering the sensor, you "freeze" and hold your foot down until the whole block disappears into the panel. DDR MAX2 was a minor disappointment to DDR players because it got rid of Oni mode. However, it introduced two extra difficulties: Beginner for new players, and Challenge: for adept experts.

DDR EXTREME took the footstep dancing and combined it with other body motions using the British invention Eyetoy. You can also watch yourself dancing on the TV because of the effects of the camera. Since it was created soon after the Eyetoy, the makers seized upon this innovative idea. DDR EXTREME2 maintains the Eyetoy support, but it also adds Online Support for computers with Broadband internet. This lets you chart internet rankings and compete head-to-head with other owners all throughout the United States. It also added new versions of Nonstop Mode: Combo Challenge and Survival.

There are five modes of of nonstop gameplay in DDR EXTREME2. There is Oni, Nonstop, Combo Challenge, Survival, and Endless. Nonstop appears in all of the six Bemani DDR versions except for DDR MAX. Oni appears in DDR MAX, DDR EXTREME, and DDR EXTREME2. Combo Challenge and Survival are indigenous to DDR EXTREME2. Endless mode is an unlockable mode appearing on the three newest versions: DDR MAX2, DDR EXTREME, and DDR EXTREME2. Nonstop is just four or more songs played consecutively with a health bar. Combo Challenge tests your abilities for combos, Survival mode sees how long you can survive with no replenishment and the rules of Oni lifebars. Endless mode is endless but it has break stages.

What is the use of learning about DDR if there is nowhere to play it at? There isn't much use. The cheapest solution is to buy a dance mat and game so you can dance with the home version with unlimited portions. Also, you can locate a machine to play at nearest to you and pay a small amount to play out a round. The nearest DDR mahine to Bethel Park is the DDR EXTREME machine inside Century III Mall in the arcade. If you choose quality, however, there are two high-rated machines each about an hour away. The closer one is at Fun Fore All in Cranberry, and the highest quality and furthest is at Beaver Valley Mall arcade in Monaca.