Silvercublogger

Dance Dance Revolution! One of my favorite video game series of all time. I find it funny that Guitar Hero is going the same route of DDR - but worse.

They are churning out more and more Guitar Hero games, and very quickly too. Not only that, but a few upcoming Guitar Hero games will only consist of one band, such as Aerosmith and Metallica.

Imagine playing a DDR game with only ONE artist in the game! Horrible!

Anyways, take a look at the 4th DDR Music Mix I made. Enjoy! : )

Take a look at my 3rd DDR Mega Music Mix : )

Over at DDR Online Community, the official DDR Konami website and forums, there is an interesting contest for those with artistic skills.

Taken from the site:

Winning entry to be featured in new Dance Dance Revolution Mobile Game due out this Fall!

The competition extends an open invitation for fans of the franchise to design their own element of the game, with the winning design coming to life in the upcoming mobile title scheduled to be released this fall.

Konami Mobile will announce the contest winner on May 1st, as chosen by the Konami Mobile production team. In addition to the grand prize winner having his/her character placed in the game, he/she will also receive a DanceDanceRevolution design trophy. The top 20 finalists will receive a limited edition DDR t-shirt and have their designs featured in a special winners gallery.

Good luck to all those who enter! : )

Last time, I discussed that I began to make DDR Mega Music Mixes on YouTube.
I am happy to present the second mix I made a little while ago.

Shockingly, the videos I have been making have been receiving many views! I am glad there are people out there who like DDR music. Enjoy : )

Ever since I found out that I had Windows Movie Maker on my laptop, I have been making videos, and putting them on YouTube. It takes time to make, but the end result is very enjoyable. I kind of feel like I have been neglecting my blog over the last week (a tiny bit) but hey, its not like I am being paid to write in my blog. LOL

Anyways, I spent 4 hours making a DDR Mega Mix. Let me know what you think:

In article #3 of this series, I brought up the concept of having a song that I enjoy from time to time. Its been quite awhile since I last did this, so without any further delay…

Why - Nevarakka Club Mix

A few days ago I finally found a game I had been looking for months- DDR Hottest Party for Nintendo Wii. It seems thateverywhere I went, this game was sold out. I was in the mall with my friend EmeralDQueen, and we happened to stop in at EBX, a fancy version of Gamestop. I asked if they had the game and one of the guys replied no.

As we were about to leave, all of a sudden a woman replied we have them in stock, we just got some in the other day. She asked the other employee to bring it down from the shelf, and when I heard how much the price was, I was a bit in shock, as I was just short of 89 cents to buy it. EmeraldQueen said she would pay for the 89 cents, and she did- with her debit card. That was quite a funny moment.

Anyways, when I got home I immediately wanted to play this game. It was my first official Wii game I had purchased (Wii Sports does not really count). I popped the disc in and noticed that there were not many options at all. In fact this game has less modes then DDR Ultramix 1 had. But hey, its a Wii game. What I did enjoy was trying to shake my Wiimote and Nunchuk along with the beat, as there were arrows for them as well to. But I got tired of dancing with my hands and feet, and decided to use a controller. I had to make due with my Gamecube controller, as I have yet to get a Virtual Console controller. It was funny playing with the Gamecube controller, as it has a strange button layout.

Anyways, the song list in the game is actually very good, with many of these songs being very modern- such as Lips of an Angel by Hinder- but its remixed which makes it even cooler. There is 50 or so songs in the game, and I would say its probably my favorite track list after DDR Ultramix 2 and Universe 2.

What separates this game from its Xbox games is that there are no video clips- instead you pick a dancer and they you see your dancer in different stages,depending what level you are on in your career mode- Which actually is pretty cool.

Take a look at the entire song list! Gotta love the Love Shine Remix! ^_^

Overall, the game itself is pretty good, even if there is not so many options.

What are your thoughts on DDR Hottest Party?

Its been awhile since I last wrote an article about DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) and the reason why is because I was thinking of what I should do with this feature. I decided that for the time being, this feature will mainly be about the songs in DDR. I have found out about many awesome songs from DDR- and if it were not for this game series, I would have never known about these songs. Maybe you will also enjoy the songs as well.

Today I would like to focus on one song, After All by Delirium (Svenson & Gielen Remix) I first heard it in Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 2 for Xbox. It was the first song I ever played on a home console, and also the first song on the playlist. The lyrics were quite haunting, and became one of my favorite DDR songs of all time.

Do you have any favorite songs on DDR? What did you think of this song?

Hello, and welcome to the second edition of the DDR Hardcore feature. I decided to write the DDR Universe 2 review now, so enjoy! If you were anxiously waiting for this game, and love techno, you will not be disappointed!

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Category: Rhythm/Dancing

Developer: Konami

Players: 1-4 Online

MSRP: $49.99,$69.99 (With Dance Mat)

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Shake your body to the all new Dance Dance Revolution!

Or should you?

Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 has been released for the Xbox 360, but this time with a trick. Only the dance mat bundle version is available in retail stores at the moment, so what is the point in spending an extra $20 for another mat? In response, the new mat has one new feature, your wireless headset will now work with your mat! That is indeed wonderful news, as the people online in the previous iteration were usually very quiet, since the headsets did not work with the mat, unless one was using a controller.

The number ‘2′ holds sacred ground for me, as DDR Ultramix 2 on the original Xbox has been my favorite DDR all these years. So when DDR Universe 2 was released, I had high expectations for this game. For those who have previously played DDR Universe, you already know that your original Xbox songpacks will not work, but furthermore, not even your DDR Universe downloadable songs will work. That came as a shock to me, since the DDR’s on the original Xbox allowed the songpacks to be carried over on other DDR games- provided they were of a later iteration.

So exactly what is new to this DDR besides a songlist? Well, there is a new mode called Freestyle mode, which allows players to dance to arrows however they like, which is great for beginners. Quest mode has received an overhaul, in which you can create a personal dancer, where you travel through five fantasy islands trying to become the ultimate dancer. The best feature added to Quest mode is the Shop, where you can purchase all the songs and video clips, along with hairstyles and clothes for your dancer. This makes Quest mode less frustrating, as one will never be afraid of missing out on something.

You are probably wondering how the songlist is. Well, in my musical opinion, I believe this is one of the best songlists ever released on Xbox consoles. When you dance to songs such as EternuS, Synergy, and Take Me Out, you will be happy that you purchased this game. Granted, many of these songs have been released on previous DDR iterations, especially the ten downloadable songs, which is a shame. I do not like paying for songs that I already have! Overall, DDR Universe 2 has one of the best music songlists ever, and will keep you grooving for a long time.

Online is another story. I could not find a single match over the last few days, it seems to be a ghost town at the moment. Sadly, the online options have not improved at all from DDR Universe, which is very frustrating. Why is that DDR Ultramix 2(known as the only xbox DDR game to have 16 player tournament mode) and DDR Ultramix 3 and 4, which have an awesome matchmaking system- are not on DDR Universe 2? Furthermore, one can not even upload their own custom dance steps. I find it sad that the older iterations have much better online modes then the next-gen ones.

Hopefully, Konami will look back on the original Xbox DDR games and see why they were so wonderful. But until then, DDR Universe 2 is your best choice for those who love dancing games. Maybe Pump It Up will come to Xbox 360 someday…..

Presentation: DDR Universe 2 goes oriental, as noticed by the font and online themes. Easy maneuverability through the menus. Not much different than from DDR Universe. No complaints here. [10]

Gameplay: With one new mode added, Freestyle- along with many other modes to choose from- there is plenty of game here. The Quest mode is a bit easier, which is great. The annoying “do 30 freeze arrows” or “45 jumps” have been reduced. Furthermore, the challenge mode is back once again for those looking to be tested. Unfortunately, there is a slight bit of freezing every once in awhile- but it is much more improved over DDR Universe. [9.0]

Graphics/Sound: Graphics in Quest mode has been spruced up, along with the video clips, making this the most graphically advanced DDR yet. If you love anime, you will be in heaven. The music in this game is amazing, and has one of the most grooving soundtracks ever. There is a song for everyone in this DDR. The announcer is slightly annoying, but luckily one can lower the volume. [10]

Value Factor: For DDR pros like me, it will probably take you 7-9 hours to complete Quest mode. There are over 70 songs to choose from, with many unlockable songs and gameplay modes. Hopefully more downloadable songs will be released in the future. The variety and quality of songs justify a purchase, or a rental for those who are curious. [9.5]

Bottom Line: Not much new in this version, and unfortunately the online options are terrible, as it has not changed at all from DDR Universe, meaning you can not change the speed of the arrows, or see who is available to match up with. Furthermore you can not even upload your custom dance steps. However if you only play DDR offline then those complaints do not matter. If you are a hardcore DDR fan, then you will be pleased with the song choice, for others- rent first, and if you can see yourself playing this game from time to time, then purchase it. The songs alone are worthy of spending the money.

+ Awesome songlist, improved Quest mode, and Freestyle mode a bonus for beginners

- Online options are pathetic, slight freezing at times, nothing really new

Overall Score:

[8.0]
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You should find this review edited and posted on Loading Reality no later then this Tuesday. Thanks for reading! Comments and feedback appreciated ^_^

Was this review helpful to you?

Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) came into my life, when a friend of mine- Jessica(Gamertag-Anubiac), introduced me to DDR. She told me about DDR Ultramix 2 for the original Xbox, and it seemed really cool. In August 2005, I purchased DDR Ultramix 2, and it became one of my favorite games of all time. Its future sequels, DDR Ultramix 3 and 4, along with Universe, still did not match DDR Ultramix 2’s song list and online options. (DDR Ultramix 2 was the only DDR game thus far on Xbox consoles to have a tournament mode)

There are times when I am spacing out and I picture DDR arrows in my mind… just dancing to a beat. There are times I hear an awesome techno song and imagine what the arrows would be like for that song.

Yesterday, a game that I have been waiting for a very long time was released for Xbox 360. DDR Universe 2. I was afraid that it would not be very good, as the number “2″ is very sacred to me. I had very high expectations for this game…

When I came home with DDR Universe 2 in my hands, I had no idea I would be playing the game for 11 hours straight, but I did. The game is phenomenal. Anyways, I thought before I were to write a review for this game, that I should take another look at a review I wrote for DDR Universe. At the end of my review I will give my final thoughts on DDR Universe.

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Platform: Xbox360

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Konami

Category: Music/Rhythm, Party

Players: 1-4

Online: Yes

MSRP: $79.99 ,$49.99(without dance pad)

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Once upon a time, there was this game called Dance Dance Revolution. It became an overnight phenomenon in arcades which consisted of one’s feet stepping on arrows to the beat of the music.

Konami, the publisher of this game, thought why not transfer the arcade experience to your living room?

So thus began the transition. Beginning with the Playstation in the late 90’s, Konami began churning out sequel after sequel, adding new songs, new game modes, and later on the wonderful “freeze arrows”, which is where one steps on the desired arrows and holds their feet in the same spot until the “freeze” passes.

By the time DDR hit the Xbox, there was a huge fanbase, enough to warrant sales on a console system when back in the day the music rhytm genre was just a faint blimp in the video game industry.

Konami released DDR Ultramix, and the game received lukewarm reception. Many consumers who had xbox live at the time were upset with the lack of online options, and how the matchmaking system worked (one would have to start a new room each time one completed a song).

In response to these critical remarks, Konami released DDR Ultramix 2 soon afterwards, which perhaps was the best DDR game to ever hit the Xbox consoles, even until this day.

DDR U2 had one of the best song tracks ever, and most importantly, was a true xbox live game. Konami added Tournament mode to its online options, which allowed up to 16 people to compete against one another. Also, rooms could be created, and one would not have to start a new room after a song had been completed, which made the interface much simpler, and online-friendly. In addition, Konami allowed players to create their own dance steps and upload them online to share with others. They also released many downloadable song packs, which added more replayability.

When DDR Ultramix 3 and 4 was released, Konami added a new “Quest mode” which enabled one to embark on a quasi-adventure to compete with other dancers, while unlocking new songs. These quest modes sparked much anger amongst DDR Beginners, who could not pass this mode unless one would play on a harder difficulty level- which led many to begin using the controller.

The online options increased, with a much better matchmaking system, and even a chat room. However, Konami took out Tournament mode, which till this day has not yet been seen since DDR U2. For those that had purchased all 16 song packs, one could have over 150 songs per DDR game.

When DDR Universe was announced for Xbox360, many people had high expectations for this game, hoping that the downloadable song packs would be compatible with the 360, and that there would be awesome online options.

When the game was released 1st quarter 2007, I eagerly went down to Gamestop to pick up my pre-ordered copy. I popped the game into my 360 and set up the dance pad as well. I went into quest mode and was shocked that this mode was the same exact structure as it was in DDR U3! The only thing that changed was that the graphics were a bit better.

I then went through the song list, and was disappointed with the selection. Gone were the many amazing techno songs, and instead more current songs, trying to cater to everyone. I don’t know about you, but I really do not want to dance to any rap songs, much less anything with the artist “Jamiroqaui”.

To top it all off, all of my 15 downloadable song packs were not compatible with the 360, which further aggrivated me.

I then went online to see what xbox live options there were, perhaps hoping they had improved on the previous Ultramixes. What I saw what was available, I was stunned. The only options were to create or search for a ranked game, or create or search custom games, which were not ranked. These options brought back immediate recollections to the first DDR Ultramix, which had the same exact system. So DDR Universe, instead of advancing in the online options, regressed back to where they had started from. There was no options to even upload your own dance steps. However, Konami did release 10 songs to download, although 6 of these songs I had already purchased or played before in previous DDR iterations.

So, after I got over my reaction, I created a custom game. I then went through the song list and noticed that I could not play every song with other people online! There was a glitch, which still to this day has not been fixed. Furthermore, sometimes the screen would freeze, and one would have to restart their 360 over again. At least one could continue playing after a song was completed, provided that the other players did not lag out.

To those new to DDR, they will certainly enjoy this game, but to the DDR fanatics like myself, we all know we were let down. Hopefully DDR Universe 2 will fix these issues.

Presentation: Anime style interface with HD- support. The most graphically advanced DDR game yet, but there is still room for improvement. [7.5/10]

Gameplay: With many modes included, such as Workout (the ability to track how much calories you burned) Power, (5 to 6 minute remixed songs, which are fun to play) Bomb, (A frantic multiplayer mode in which one must make sure they hit the arrows and get combos so the bomb does not explode on them), and other modes as well- there is certainly a variety of gameplay options that will keep one coming back for more. However Quest mode can get on your nerves, due to a variety of unfair rules implemented. [8.5/10]

Graphics/Sound: With HD support, and advanced animations, this game certainly does look better, but there is definitely room for improvement- especially in quest mode, which sports the same graphic style as DDR U3. The sound is either really good or bad, with some awesome songs found amongst some painful songs. Perhaps one of the worst song tracks in DDR history. The dancers voices should be turned off, as they can become quite annoying. [7.5/10]

Replay Factor: With plenty of different modes to play (even though most can only be played offline), and the variety of songs, this game will definitely be played over and over again until the sequel is released. [9/10]

Bottom Line: To those new to DDR, they will certainly enjoy it, as it has a Beginner’s mode to train newcomers. In that case, it would deserve a much higher review. However to DDR Fanatics, the online options will certainly disappoint, and will be upset that previous song packs they purchased will not be compatible with this game. One should definitely rent this game, and then purchase it if they can see themselves enjoying this genre for months and years to come.

+70 songs, many different game modes

- Most of the songs are not new to DDR fans, online options sparse

Overall Score:

[7.5/10]

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When looking back on this review, I agree with what I wrote. I was very disappointed with DDR Universe in a few ways.

Hopefully I will have a review for DDR Universe 2 by Mid-December.(Which will also be on Loading Reality)

Thank you for reading. ^_^

What are your thoughts on DDR? Did you play DDR Universe? Did it meet your expectations?