Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Dance Dance Revolution

Gameplay Mechanics

Basically, you follow the scrolling arrows up the screen and when they touch the stationary arrows, you step on the corresponding arrow on your dance pad. There are 4-5 difficulties per game ranging from Beginner to Heavy which indicate the flow of the arrows and how many steps per song. Regardless of the level you play, the arrows speed along with the music and arrows usually follow the beat, lyrics, or melody of the song.

What Makes It Fun

Music

The songs are simply cool. Most every genre is represented: from hip-hop to jazz, techno to ballads, you’ll find that the songs are catchy and you will probably have two or three per game that you dance to each time you play. The songs range from slow (85 beats per minute) to the outrageously fast (200-300 BPM), but don’t worry -- the majority of the songs hit the 120-150 BPM spectrum. My favorites are the hip-hop/dance hybrids that make you bump along and hook you into the music with funky basslines and unique beats. That’s right, I said bump.

Arrow Configuration

The actual steps are done well and don’t seem impossible (unless you jump from Beginner to Heavy without thinking about the consequences). All it takes is practice. Arrows will follow beats, lyrics, and melodies and loosely mimics actual dancing. Sure, some moves you probably don’t want to try in a club, but even basic arrow movements are fun.

Camaraderie

The most fun is had with a group of people. Almost anyone can be enticed to hop on the pad and start DDRing (no, that’s not a verb, but I’m working on it). They see how much fun you’re having and they can’t resist. When you get four people (Xbox) jiving to a Gloria Gaynor song, the neighbors might call the cops. When my wife and I started DDR, we were the only ones in our circle of friends that played it. As we invited people over more and more to play it, we got them hooked. Three of our couple-friends bought PS2s so they can get the games! Unfortunately, you may also develop an arch-enemy. I have one. She’s 5’5” and 115 pounds. A slight advantage, especially since I’m 6’1” and 220 lbs. But alas, I overcame my bulkiness (ok, HUSKY) to consistently beat her... but I can still see the vengeance in her eyes.

Fitness

People may laugh at you if you say you're DDRing to get in shape. It may not lose you 50 pounds in 2 months, but it will help your cardiovascular system and strengthen your legs. Most DDR players have found DDR to be an excellent addition to their exercise regimen. I will make one helpful hint here: if you sweat a lot, like I do, I recommend having 2-3 shirts on hand if you’re going to DDR for a long stretch. You never know, sweat may make your pad super-slippery and you might injure yourself. Chuckle it up if you must, it has happened. (I won’t say to who).

The Games

We’ll start at the beginning. The First Dance Dance Revolution game was simply called, well, Dance Dance Revolution, and was released in 2000 on the PlayStation. The game had 25 songs with a few licenses like remixes of Smoke on the Water and Have You Ever Been Mellow. This is a bare bones DDR game with your basic gameplay options like Single play with one or two mats, Versus play, and Workout and Training modes. Graphics are PS1 quality, which means jagged lines and low frame rates. DDR (2001) is a rare game to find and fetches nearly $100 in some eBay auctions. Unfortunately, this game suffers very low frame rates if played on a PS2. I still play the original, but I have to use my PSOne, otherwise it’s unplayable.

DDR Konamix was the second dancing game to be released for the PlayStation and featured only Konami original songs. Konamix actually has some of the best songs in it and tops out at 50 songs. You can find them under organized ‘Collections’ like Calorie Burner, Club, or Down Tempo Jams. Also, this version included an edit mode where you can create your own steps. Again, Konamix suffers from the same jerkiness in frame rates as the first game and should only be played on the PSOne. Konamix is also a rare game, but if you can find it, you should add it to your collection because of the great tunes you can dance to. Some of the songs you can find on later versions of DDR, but if you want to be a true DDRist (I guess I made another term up, eh?) with a complete collection, then you need this one.

DDR Disney’s Mix (or Disney’s Rave) contains fantastic remixes of famous Disney songs like It’s a Small World and the Mickey Mouse Theme. There are also licensed songs that your favorite Disney characters sing like Do the Bus Stop and Macho Macho Man (called Macho Duck). This game is even more rare that the other two PSOne games. I’ve seen this one as high as $175 bucks on eBay. Wow. But if you listen to some of the songs, you’ll realize just how fun the Disney songs are. They’re peppy, upbeat, and kid-friendly.

Finally, DDR Max comes out for the PS2. Licensed songs come back with tracks like I Like to Move It, Sandstorm, and Dark Black Forest.

Some new songs appear as well as remixes. This version isn’t the best, but DDR Max has some of the funkiest songs in it’s collection. Jam and Marmalade and Rhythm and Police are two of the funkiest. This version also introduced Oni courses, which are a number of preset songs with a little harder difficulty. Some modes aren't available, but there are improved graphics and smoother scrolling. A great introduction game to the DDR world as it’s also easy to find.

In 2003, DDR Max 2 continued the DDR infiltration of the U.S.

With an easier beginner mode for novices and a new Endless mode (you can probably guess the amount of sweat I released on this mode), Max 2 quickly became the most popular game of the series. Some of the songs in previous games return as well as some of my favorite licensed songs: Heaven (DJ Sammy version), Will I? (Ivan Dahl), and Love at First Sight (Kylie Minogue). No great improvement on the graphics, just a slightly better collection of songs. This is an easy to find game.

DDR Extreme is considered one of the best versions by casual dancers and veterans.

Extreme gave us some new modes like Party Mode (with mini-games that used the Eye-Toy) and Mission Mode, which has certain tasks you had to do. Seems like a gimmick, but it kept the series fresh. Again, Konami has include some great songs both old and new. Ladies' Night, Y.M.C.A., and Pet Shop Boy’s Go West make an appearance. Since it’s still relatively new, you should find this game just about anywhere that sells DDR stuff.

DDR Extreme 2 has a remix of Oops…I Did it Again. Finally! Now my life is complete!

Extreme 2 is the newest in the series and includes some of the best songs from the past and great licenses like the above remix, a remix of I Will Survive and Look To The Sky, as well as something for the cheesy dance tune fan with Pump Up the Volume. There is a Dance Master Mode (replaces Mission mode from Extreme) and runs like Soul Calibur’s Edgemaster Mode having you complete tasks to unlock more tasks and songs, characters, and other goodies. Because of the song list and Dance Master Mode, Extreme 2 is the best game in the DDR series…for now.

Non-PS2 DDR games

If you don’t have PS2, don’t fret. The Xbox has Ultramix 1, 2 and 3, which have the same songs as Max 2, Extreme 1 and Extreme 2, but with a harder to manipulate interface. One advantage of the Xbox is that up to 4 players can dance against each other both online and offline.

Nintendo owners can get DDR Mario Mix for the GameCube (25 songs that include remixes of classic Nintendo themes), and if you have a Japanese Game Boy Color (or newer), you can import 5 different Game Boy games for your fingers. Aw yeah, Finger a go-go.

Even the Sega Dreamcast has a version of DDR, but you have to import it from Japan and the Dreamcast dance pads are a pain to find if you don’t have the PlayStation to Dreamcast adapter.

Sadly, though, there is no DDR for the PSP. Can you imagine a pad so compact and portable that you can play anytime anywhere with your PSP? Okay, maybe you can’t imagine, but I can wish.

Other Dancing Games

In The Groove

In The Groove was suppose to be the DDR beater. It was made my professional DDR players, but it just quite doesn’t have the pop. ITG is a good dancing game, but there are some technical flaws that only make it a good dancing game. There’s a really diverse collection of songs as well as licenses like Torn, My Favorite Game, and a couple from underground tongue-in-cheek rapper MC Frontalot. Battle Mode is the best part of this game, where you play versus, but must control a life bar at the end of the game. The other great part is that the arrows follow the music and lyrics and melodies better than some of the DDR songs do. Unfortunately, the difficulty curve is harder and significantly jumps from medium to hard with noticeable difference.

Flow

Hip-hop now has its very own dancing game with Flow. Songs from Kurtis Blow and SugarHill Gang grace this unique dancing game. Control the hip-hop streets trying to earn street cred so you can rise to the top. Not too many licensed songs in this game, but the story mode is fun and challenging. Worth a purchase if it’s under $30 and if you’re looking for a different style of dancing game.

Groove for EyeToy

Probably the worst dancing game available. You MUST have the EyeToy to play this game because you use hand motions to interact with the screen and ‘activate’ the moving balls and smiley faces. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Well, watching someone actually play this game is crazy enough. You almost need the perfected lighted environment to play this game and while the song selection is okay (read: small), trying to perform some of the moves gets frustrating because it takes a while to get used to what you actually have to do (like sweeping your hands boy band style or jabbing your arm up and down Saturday Night Fever style). You can find this game for cheap at most places so if you have the EyeToy and are a narcissist, then pick this game up.

Dancing Pads

There are three types of pads you can get for DDR. Soft pads, foam pads, and metal pads. They all range in price and quality. I’m going to mention the best pads that I have found.

Soft Pads

In the beginning, you may have used a soft pad that either came with the game or you bought cheap, probably around $20 or so. Soft pads are thin and sometimes vinyl or plastic and crinkle. This is good for starting out or if you’re a beginning or novice player. There are two pads of this type that I have used and found to be reliable and sturdy. The first is the pad made my Konami. The circuitry in my 3 year old pad has held up nicely and believe me when I say it has taken some abuse. The second pad is the MadCatz Beat Pad. That was my very first pad and I usually buy one a year for others to use or to have as a backup.

Foam Pads

Once you get good or start doing Heavy songs, you might want to invest in a Foam Pad. These are zippered pads that have interlocking foam (usually 1 inch) inside them. The foam is supposed to cushion your feet and recreate the arcade experience. Again, I have found two pads that have stood my test of time. The first is the Red Octane pads. They come in many version, but the 2.0 (if you can still find one) and the Revised 3.0 (sometimes called 3.1) are the highest quality you can find. The arrows are raised significantly to help you place your feet and the circuitry inside has been improved in the latter versions.

The second foam pad is a $40 pad from Intec. I was leary about this pad, but I bought a couple from Toy’s R Us because I needed some cheapos for a party I was having. But I find myself using them a lot more than my Red Octanes (I save those for my competitions). The arrows are raised slightly and there’s nothing visually pleasing about them, but they have been battered and ripped and they still keep on ticking.

Metal Pads

If you truly want to be the best of the best, then you probably want to get a metal pad. These are nearly identical to the arcade versions (a little thinner) and much sturdier than the soft or foam pads. Cobalt Flux is the benchmark as one of the most expensive metal pads that hardcore gamers prefer. The company has a decent return/repair policy and supreme customer service compared to Red Octane. But, if you’re not sure whether to part with $300, then pick out a Red Octane for half the price. Red Octane’s Customer service is poor, but the metal pads are durable.

General Hints and Tips

I’ve been playing since 1999 and have gathered my own arsenal of tips and techniques.

The game instruction book and most players will tell you not to return to the center. I agree to an extent. But, if you’re a beginner or novice, I believe that you should go to the center. This will help learn the songs so that when you progress to harder levels, the arrow sequences make sense. It will help you keep the beat until you reach Standard Mode and harder stages of Easy difficulties.

Use the training mode to pass portions of songs that you find difficult. Don’t use training mode to play songs in general. Just play them in regular game modes. You don’t lose in training and most people don’t find motivation in playing songs in training because there’s no score or grade to base your performance.

If you can’t pass a song, play another song to curb your frustration.

If you can pass a 5-footer song on easy, you can pass a 5-footer song in Standard and if you can pass a 6-footer song in Standard, then guess what... you can pass a 6-footer song in Heavy.

Watch someone who’s better than you. See how they move to certain sequences or adjust on the fly.

Of course, most of the above are a little obvious, but the most obvious piece of advice is to keep playing!

Thompson’s Two Cents

DDR is plain fun. You don’t have to be good at video games or a hardcore player or even a good dancer. If you have a fingertip of rhythm and can read, then you can play DDR or any of the other dancing games on the market. So get your groove on, bust a move, or shake whatever you need to shake to enjoy Dance Dance Revolution.