Customer Reviews

Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm an enormous fan of Konami's Dance Dance Revolution series, and play the game almost every day of my life. The concept is so simpe - just hit the arrows once they're at the top of the screen, yet once you get going, it's a lot more addicting than you'd expect. What's incredible though, is that doing this for a long enough time can burn up some calories and tone up your calves. It was life-changing experience for me that out of nowhere got me from being lazy to athletic. It's getting bigger and bigger every day in the US, but too bad it still isn't as appreciated as it should be, thanks to monster franchises such as GTA and Halo.

DDR Extreme 2 is the sixth installment that Konami has released in the United States (seven if you count the Disney Mix), and it's by far the best one, and it proves to be a great comeback after the largely disappointing Extreme US (although that game is still the recommended one for beginners).

Hardcore fans of DDR will be most pleased to see not just the menu interface returned to normal (with the songwheel, groove radar, etc., that were removed for DDR Extreme US), but also a significantly better list of selectable songs. Such classics as "Cartoon Heroes", "Sakura", "Colors (For Extreme)", and a whole lot more, all made the cut and should not disappoint any true long-time lover of the series. By the way, instead of "Max Dot", the "boss song" in Extreme 2 is "PARANOiA Survivor Max" (which is acompanied by the original "PARANOiA Survivor"). Also worth mentioning is that US players finally get a taste of the popular song "Butterfly" with the upswing remix as well as "Boom Boom Dollar (K.O.G. G3 Mix)", also an old favorite. The selection of songs that everyone will recognize is also chosen much more cleverly. Instead of a bunch of songs from like 25 years ago like "Kids in America" and "Like a Virgin", we get some recent electronica/dance hits from the likes of Sean Paul ("Get Busy"), Fatboy Slim ("Wonderful Night"), Delerium ("Silence"), and more, although I don't understand what a horrible cover of "Oops I Did it Again" (not the one from 5th Mix AC) is doing on here (it's not the year 2000, Konami, and almost nobody even cares about songs like that anymore). The choices for repeats from older DDR games is also great. One big problem that Extreme US had was that it overrepeated stuff that already made appearances, which hogged up a lot of room for better stuff. This time, there are less than ten repeats, and almost all of them are from PS1 editions, which gives a chance for old fans of those songs to play them with much better graphics and a much better scoring system. I must admit, playing songs like "Dive", "Dynamite Rave", and "PARANOiA" is much more enjoyable to do on Extreme 2 than it was on Konamix with that slow transmission and poor scoring system.

Also worth noting are a few new features. Instead of simply playing songs over and over again to unlock new ones, you need to clear different stages in the all-new Dance Master Mode. Replacing Extreme US's Mission Mode, Dance Master Mode is loaded with several different scenarios with certain songs and a certain task to clear in order to advance to new stages. Along the way, you'll discover some unfamiliar songs on areas and must clear them. If you do that, they'll appear in the shop for you to buy with your credits (received for clearing songs, DMM or not). This is a wise strategy that adds a plot to the game and allows players to choose which songs they want at the same time.

Another addition is the Online Mode. This will allow players from around the world to go head to head with one another online, and yes, I'm sure that the population of onliners almost entirely made up of the masters that can receive an AAA on "PARANOiA Survivor Max Oni" with relative ease, but this is still a great way for those people to go seriously competitive without having to enter a tournament.

There were only a few noticable flaws. One is that the Training Mode was made less intuitive, as it takes a longer time to set up your song, although I am pleased to see that Konami brought back the feature of slowing down difficult songs to practice. The Party Mode (a feature that was full of many different mini games) has been entirely removed from DDR, and while I won't cry about that, the usage of the Eye Toy Camera is much lower, as the only time you actually use it is when you are playing the Hands and Feet Mode. One more thing, "Love Love Shine", one of DDR Extreme AC's most frequently selected songs (also one of my favorites), did not make the cut, but the similar "Candy*Heart*" is on, which also symbols that "Love Love Shine" is practically guaranteed to be on next year's installment.

With all things said, DDR Extreme 2 is easilly the best overall home version that the US can get their hands on so far. With an excellent song list, great new features, and excellent graphics, this game is a true winner. If you were unhappy with DDR Extreme US from 2004, you won't be with this, so buy it now if you're interested at all and start dancing the night away!

Two more words of advice:

1. I know that I said that DDR Extreme US was a disappoint among many people, but I also said that it was great for hooking new players. I highly recommend you to buy that game first, and then get this. Trust me - the layout is much friendlier to beginners.

2. If you are a novice player, stick with the plastic pads available in the stores (since they're easy to use and don't cost much), but be sure to use the metal arcade-style mats that can be ordered online if you're an expert (they're harder to get used to, but are more sensitive than soft pads and don't slide around to heavy usage). I recommend the ones from Cobalt Flux because they've held together for months and work marvelously.

This is a great game for exercising; nearly all the songs made me want to get up and move! I own DDR Max 1 and 2, Extreme 1 and 2, Flow (the rap DDR!), Pump It Up, and Into the Groove, and this is one of my most-played DDR games because of the awesome songlist.

I love how modern and danceable the songs are, and I love that so many of my old favorites are on here (Afronova here I come!). I embarassingly enough love the silly pop songs like Oops! I Did It Again, Crazy in Love, and Genie in a Bottle, and then there are others that have become favorites to dance to like Butterfly (a fast remix), Spin Spin Sugar (in which the arrows get you to turn around, which is fun!), Block Rockin' Beats, Get Busy (Shake That Thing), La Copa de la Vida (a great salsa-y track that gets me shimmying along), Pump Up the Volume, I Will Survive, Play that Funky Music, and Boom Boom Dollar.

There is a huge selection of background dancers to choose from (which I don't use, as the dancers don't really dance along with the music or keep to the beat - I prefer to just see the background animations on their own), and loads of videos.

The one thing I dislike about this game is that you have to play their rigidly-structured "game" in order to unlock songs, where you have to start dancing on a super-easy mode and pass lots of songs, while the songs you are given get harder and harder. There are some levels that have songs where the arrows come from the wrong direction or you have to hit the dance pad as many times as possible *without* hitting any arrows. This wasn't fun to me; I really wish I could have just unlocked all the songs and special additions by playing the normal old way - selecting my own level and passing new songs. It would have been fun as an additional option but I didn't care for being forced to play it to unlock all the songs.

Even with this complaint, this title is well worth adding to your DDR collection. The songs are varied and fun enough to keep you playing for a long time.

The songlist:

Licensed Tracks:
Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) - Deja Vu featuring Tasmin
As The Rush Comes (Sweeping Strings Radio Edit) - Motorcycle
Block Rockin' Beats - Chemical Brothers
Boom Boom Dollar (K.O.G G3 Mix) - King Kong & D. Jungle Girls
Butterfly (Upswing Mix) - smile.dk
Captain Jack (Grandale Remix) - Captain Jack
Cartoon Heroes (Speedy Mix) - Barbie Young
Crazy In Love - wg feat. Indra J
Genie In A Bottle - nc feat. NRG Factory
Get Busy - Sean Paul
I Will Survive - Akira feat. Daline
In The Heat Of The Night - E-Rotic
Irresistiblement - Wildside
La Copa De La Vida - Patrick Victorio
Look At Us (Daddy DJ Remix) - Sarina Paris
My My My - Armand Van Helden
Oops!... I Did It Again - Akira feat. Susan Z
Play That Funky Music - wg feat. Tony L
Pump Up The Volume - M/A/R/R/S
Silence (Airscape Remix) - Delerium with Sarah McLauchlan
Speed Over Beethoven - Rose
Spin Spin Sugar (Armand's Dark Garage Mix) - Sneaker Pimps
Wonderful Night (radio edit) - Fatboy Slim

Konami Originals:
1998 - Naoki
Absolute (Cuff -N- Stuff It Mix) - Thuggie D.
Air - DJ Simon
Be Lovin - D-Crew
Can Be Real - Vision F
Candy♥ - 小坂りゆ (Kosaka Riyu)
Colors (for Extreme) - DJ Taka
Daikenkai - Des-Row feat. Tsuboi for Alpha
Happy Wedding - Aska
Heaven Is A '57 Metallic Gray (gimmix) - Hiro feat. Sweet Little 30's
I Need You (Insideout Door Mix) - Supa Fova
Infinite Prayer - L.E.D. Light feat. Goro
Injection Of Love (Hina Mix) - Akira Yamaoka
INSERTiON (Machine Gun Kelly Mix) - Thuggie D.
Inside Your Heart - Akira Yamaoka
Keep On Movin' (DMX Mix) - N.M.R-typeG
La Bamba - Mexican Folk Song
L'amour et la Liberte (DDR Ver.) - Naoki Underground
Love Is Orange - Orange Lounge
Make A Difference - Lala Moore with CoCoRo*Co
Maria (I Believe...) - Naoki feat. Paula Terry
Miracle Moon (L.E.D. Light Style Mix) - Togo Project feat. Sana
Passion Of Love - Naoki feat. Paula terry
Polovtsian Dances And Chorus - Naoto Suzuki feat. Martha
Quickening - DJ Taka
桜 (Sakura) - RevenG
Sana Molette Ne Ente (BLT Style) - Togo Project feat. Sana
Saturday Night Love - Sota feat. Brenda V.
Seduction - nc feat. Finalforce
Sexy Planet - Crystal Aliens
Sweet Sweet♥Magic - jun
sync (Extreme version) - OutPhase
Tomorrow - nc ft. Dreamscanner
Twinbee (Generation X) - Final Offset
un deux trois - SDMS
You gotta move it (feat. Julie Rugaard) - Yuzo Koshiro
Afronova Primeval - 8bit
Brilliant2U - Naoki
Burnin' the Floor - Naoki
Dive - BeForU
Dynamite Rave - Naoki
Look to the Sky (True Color Mix) - SySF. feat. Anna
PARANOiA - 180
Afronova (from Nonstop Megamix) - RE-VENGE
Brilliant2U (K.O.G G3 mix) - Naoki
Burnin' the Floor (Blue Fire mix) - Naoki
Dynamite Rave (B4 Za Beat Mix) - Naoki
Look To The Sky (Trance Mix) - SySF. feat. Anna
Sexy Planet (from Nonstop Megamix) - Crystal Aliens
PARANOiA Survivor - 270
PARANOiA Survivor MAX - 290

This game is lacking in adaquate fun songs to play. If you keep playing old songs like "My My My" and "Play that Funky Music" it just get very annoying. Also, there are some new Rap (or R&B whatever...) that just take up space because they have odd rythems and I don't believe they belong in a ddr game. Another addition is the whole shop mode scene (Which is also in DDR Extreme). I found this to be very tolling because of the required game time to buy all the songs you enjoy like Dive and Absolute(MANY HOURS OF PLAYING!). The whole clothes for characters and arrow changers are honestly...a waste of time. I believe sticking to simple and sweet with perfect arrow registering and FANTASTIC SONGS are the key to a good ddr game, not adding more and more modes and details.

On the brightside, They finally put in "Speed Over Beethoven", "Butterfly (upswing mix)", and Cartoon Heros (Yay ^^). Also, I found the mission mode to be very beginner friendly (for my friends)and challenging as you progress.

At this point, i'm desperate enough to say, LOOK FOR THE ARCADE VERSON! Sorry Konami, for all the money iv spent i still don't have the whole collection which realllllly ticks me off. (approx $300 in DDR games not inclu. game pads)

Don't get me wrong, I own all the ddr games for the PS2 so I have no regret saying that DDR Extreme 2 fell short of my expectations. If you are not familiar with the DDR series then i suggest trying this one or the old DDR Max (for the PS2).

Don't you think they should vote on the songs on a website or something?

Song List

1998
ABSOLUTE Cuff-N-Stuff it Mix
AFRONOVA (FROM NONSTOP MEGAMIX)
AFRONOVA PRIMEVAL
air
BE LOVIN
BRILLIANT 2U
BRILLIANT 2U K.O.G G3 MIX
BURNIN' THE FLOOR
BURNIN' THE FLOOR BLUE FIRE mix
Can Be Real
CANDY?
Colors(for EXTREME)
DAIKENKAI
DIVE
DYNAMITE RAVE
DYNAMITE RAVE (B4 ZA BEAT MIX)
Happy Wedding
Heaven Is a '57 metallic gray (gimmix)
I Need You (Insideout Door Mix)
INFINITE PRAYER
INJECTION OF LOVE (HINA MIX)
INSERTiON (Machine Gun Kelly Mix)
INSIDE YOUR HEART
KEEP ON MOVIN' DMX Mix
L'amour et la liberté
La Bamba
Look To The Sky True Color Mix
Look To The Sky (Trance Mix)
LOVE IS ORANGEMake A Difference
MARIA (I Believe...)
Miracle Moon ~L.E.D.LIGHT STYLE MIX~
PARANOiA
PARANOiA survivor
PARANOiA survivor MAX
PASSION OF LOVE
Polovtsian Dances and Chorus
Quickening
SAKURA
Sana Mollete Ne Ente B.L.T.style
Saturday Night Love
SEDUCTION
SEXY PLANET
SEXY PLANET (from NONSTOP MEGAMIX)
SWEET SWEET ? MAGIC
sync (EXTREME version)
TOMORROW
TwinBee ~Generation X~
un deux trois

Hey,

This review is for people who don't really know much about DDR. Us hardcore players have written some awesome reviews of DDRX2, but I thought I would take the time to write a more simple review for people shopping for others or just starting. Here it goes.

Welcome. This game is part of the Dance Dance Revolution series. It's a game in which you really should buy dance pads to stand one first and foremost. Then you plug the pads into the system and play the game. The way the game is played you the player has to quickly match a series of foot placements on a large pad they are standing on, which ends up looking like dancing. I know people who have lost over 20 pounds because they went from gamers who just sat for hours playing games like Final Fantasy to DDR! So in the end you are simply following the prompting on the screen to music so it's, again, like dancing, thus Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). The version is a version with more songs and more advanced features and I would sugguest it to even a new player, it's the best! So, if you have an active child or you yourself want something that will really make you sweat and move, this is the game for you...soon you will be a DDR hero much like the other reviewers here are writing for!!!!! Good luck and hope my review was helpful...it's an awesome game!

Sam Kochel

I love Konami's latest DDR game - Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2. Though past releases are great..DDR Extreme 2 is tops in being easy to use and fun to play.

The placement of the menu is on the left of the screen so it's easy to see your choices and make a selection. Once you have chosen your playmode you select your style of play (one player, two player etc) degree of difficulty and character. Most of the characters are revealed right at the start and I was delighted to see Lady who was missing from DDR Extreme is back.

Unlike Red Octanes "In the Groove" which I sold because of the unreasonably long load time, songs load quickly and are easy to access.

There are a lot of great songs included in the game including Captain Jack, Play That Funky Music, Boom Boom Dollar, Cartoon Heroes, and more. It should be noted that some of the songs included like Oops I Did It Again are not sung by the original artists.

To increase the fun factor in the game you can earn points to use to purchase new outfits for your characters..(Lady you will be getting out of that cowboy hat soon), songs etc.

DDR is a great way to burn calories and feel like you are playing instead of working out and workout mode is included again with this game.

The game is fantastic and highly recommended for fitness or just plain fun!

I've been a huge fan of DDR for about 4 years now, so of course I had to get DDR Extreme 2! I was excited about it because some of my favorite songs are on it, such as Sync, Sakura, Spin Spin Sugar and Colors. So, I started playing and thought that the dance master mode is fun, even though it forced me to play some songs that I really, REALLY hate (Oops, I Did it Again and Genie in a Bottle, anyone?) in order to unlock songs that I wanted. It's fine at first, but if you're not an amazing super pro player it's practically impossible to get all the unlocks! And I consider myself a fairly decent player (I can get AA on 8 footers), but I've been playing this game since September and I still haven't been able to unlock some of my favorite songs because there's a lot of missions that are impossible for me to clear. Sure, Dance Master mode is fun, but I feel kinda ripped off. I know a lot of people who enjoy the game regularily, but could never in their lives unlock a lot of the songs on this game. And there is no alternate way of unlocking songs either, so you basically have to be a super hardcore player to be able to get all the songs. Honestly, I don't think this is fair. It's killed a lot of the fun in the game, and I find myself ditching Extreme 2 for the older games quite often. I would have given it 2 stars, but it gets 3 because it's a DDR game.

To sum things up, don't get this game unless you're a very advanced player, like playing the same few songs over and over or are a big fan like me who has to have all the latest DDR.

As a girl in my teens, DDR is one of the best gifts I've ever received, and it definitely comes in use. I use it to get in shape for soccer, plus to play for fun. I'm thouroughly addicted.

First, for all you new DDR-ers, I'd advise getting a metal pad over a plastic one. From what I've heard, the plastic slips up from under you, breaks within 6 months, and it's harder to press on the buttons. I've had my metal one for over a year, and besides a few scratches from hardcore dancing, it's in great condition.

I've played different versions of this game, and so far this one is my favorite. It might have to do with which game you get when you first start playing, because my friend disagrees, but after getting the new version DDR SuperNova for Christmas, I still like this one the most.

Pros:
Great song variety-- Not many recent ones, but good all the same. Examples (sorry, I dont remember the artists)
Against All Odds
Butterfly
Cartoon Heroes
Block Rockin Beats
Captain Jack
Genie in a Bottle (not the Christina version)
Oops, I did it again (NOT the Britney version)
Crazy in Love
I will Survive
La Copa De La Vida (you know, that soccer song)
Play that Funky Music
Wonderful NIght
Speed Over Bethoven
and more...

I love the work out mode-- I know all the versions have one, but I felt like this one was easier to navigate.

There aren't stages, you can just keep playing until you want to stop.

You can change the level of difficulty whenever you want instead of having to go back to the beginning

You can unlock more songs by playing the challenge mode. You have to beat levels, each one increasing in difficulty. It's a great way to improve, and not as confusing and complicated as it is in other versions, such as DDR SuperNova. I also like that you can gain "points" by beating a level, which you can use whenever you want in the store to buy songs, character outfits, etc.

There are a bunch of really great music videos with some of the songs.

Cons:

I'm not sure if this is the deal with other versions, but I dislike how you can't leave in the middle of a dance. It's not that big of a problem, but there are times where I wish I could have been able to exit.

There isn't much consistancy between the levels. What I mean is that there are some songs that I can beat on the Heavy level, but then there are others that I can't on Standard. Again, not a big deal at all...

As you can see, there are a lot more pros than cons. In fact, it took me a while to think of something to put in the latter. Overall, I think this is a great game for all ages. The neighbors come over to play all of the time, starting at age 5, and it's extremely addictive. One of my friends played for hours (literally! It was about 4, to be honest) until she moved up a level. I highly suggest purchasing it.

The dance revolution games are all addicting, but this one may perhaps be the most addicting of all. Though I only own DDR Extreme 2 and DORMax Dance Dance revolution 2 this one is the best out of the two. It has better, faster songs, but I wouldn't recommend this game for beginers. If you're looking for a game that's a good starter try DDR max 2.

DDR Extreme 2 is a very fun game. I just bought it yesterday and I am already used to it. It is very easy to catch on to. You simply press the arrows on a dance mat when they reach the arrows on the top of the screen. On free play, the levels are -(from easiest to hardest) Beginner, Light, Standard, and Heavy. I, after a day of use, am already working on some songs on the light level. The higher the level, the faster and more complicated footwork.Some of my favorite songs are Butterfly upswing, My My My, Boom Boom Dollar, Captain Jack, and Get Busy.
If you have two dance mats you can connect them and compete against a friend, or even harder yet, dance by yourself using two mats.
I highly recommend Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2 to anyone who would like some highly addictive fun, while getting into shape!!!

First off...DDR Extreme was the worst game I've ever played! Boring songs were everywhere! From start to finish, and "The Legend of Max" is toooooooo hard for anyone!

Fortunately, we now have DDR Extreme 2.

At first, I wasn't going to get it, due to the fact that it is the sequel to the worst DDR game in history. But it is actually very good. The graphics were awesome, the music selection was very fun to do, and i love the challenge.

Buy it, it's a much better game then Extreme!

The songs are just too good to be true. I heard most of the songs in the arcade version are on here. I really dont care about that, but songs like "Cartoon Heroes" and "Butterfly" make this game awesome! And that one song made entirely of that anime video. It was so cool.

Just buy it, because you wont regret it!