Customer Reviews

Dance Dance Revolution Extreme Bundle

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An incredibly fun video game that gives a good workout just seems too cool to be true, but there is a game that has those attributes: DDR. This great game changed my life and turned me from a lazy guy playing computer all day to becoming a true athlete, as working out is so much fun after playing DDR!

Although DDR Extreme was a big disappointment for a Dance Dance Revolution installment for DDR experts, it's easily the best one for beginners with its familiar songs, easy game engine, and Beginner mode (which debuted on DDRMAX2). The menu isn't in the shape of the arcade DDR's, but in a new style that looks like a sideways version of the original DDR's menu.

Dance Dance Revolution Extreme and all the other DDR games out there are 2-D games (Except for the dancers in the background) with one major point: Dancing with your feet. You have a dance mat (or stage) where you tap your feet on the arrows planted on the mat at the same time as the matching arrow on the screen is inside the outlined arrow. There are five (or six) ratings you can get for your accuracy: Marvelous (Not on a regular game), Perfect, Great, Good (Which should really be Average), Almost, and Boo. You want to get the first ratings I listed, and not an Almost or Boo, or else your dance gauge (Which kind of shows your health) will start to slip until it runs out and you lose a song. At the end of the song, you can receive an overall grade, depending on your overall accuracy, of either an E (Which you get for failing a song), a D (Which you get for surviving, but receiving a poor score), a C, a B, an A, a double A, or a triple A (Which you get for receiving a perfect score). Even if this sounds cheesy at first, doing this to the exciting music in the background is actually extremely fun.

Four different difficulty levels exist on DDR Extreme (and a fifth one for a few songs): Beginner, Light, Standard, and Heavy (the fifth one is called Challenge/Oni). Prior to DDRMAX2, there was no Beginner mode, and only a few songs (like "Peace Out" and "Cutie Chaser Morning Mix") were easy enough to be beaten by beginners. I therefore only recommend this or DDRMAX2 if you're a beginner.

The mat that comes with the bundle is a soft plastic pad, and is therefore better suited for beginners than experts. I recommend using it until you're playing at the standard level, since by then you should be ready to handle an arcade-style metal mat, and besides, the plastic mat will be sliding around on you too much to let you pass a song.

When you first get the game, you start with 44 songs, and you can unlock 26 more songs for a grand total of 70 songs. To unlock the hidden songs, you must clear songs about 5 to 10 times. Once you do that, a new song is unlocked. The first song you can unlock is called Scorching Moon, and the last one you unlock is called The Legend of Max. You can also unlock new dancers for dancing in the background in songs without real music videos, but I never use characters (Having a character is optional).

If you play a regular game, you can, instead of simply select a song and dance; choose to play two alternate modes: Nonstop and Challenging mode. In Nonstop mode, you can play four songs in a row without stopping. Sadly, there's only a limited selection of lists of songs you can select from, but thankfully, you can choose from "Players Best", which includes the top 4 songs that you've selected the most. This mode was best in DDR Konamix because you could select which songs to be on a list. Challenging mode is hardly worth the trouble. You have four lives, and each time you get a Good or worse, you lose a life. This mode is very frustrating, and only those who can get AA's all the time will find it an attracting way to play.

The Party Mode, which is new for DDR Extreme, is an innovation to DDR. In fact, some of the games included aren't DDR-relative at all. It includes games where you (on the screen) shake coconuts out of a tree and get them (Coconut Panic), use your hands to bop a ball around a maze to hit every colored gem (Magic Ball), dance while watching yourself dance (See Me Dance), see yourself dance while you use your arms to wipe off scenery that blocks the screen, and use your hands as well as your feet to dance. These games are all very fun to play, but you'll need an Eyetoy in order to play most of theses games; the ones that don't require the Eyetoy (Feeding Time and Hyper Dash) are pretty boring and childish.

Along the way, you can unlock two new modes: Mission Mode and Endless mode. In Mission Mode, you dance to different songs with an unusual task to win. Be careful about the visual tricks that are used in many of the songs in Mission Mode. In Endless Mode, you keep dancing until you fail with a randomly chosen character. The songs that you dance to are randomly selected. The problem with it is that you're forced to have a character dance in the background and might end up with one you can't stand.

The Workout Mode in the game allows you to keep track of your fitness and allows you to figure out what you should be doing to keep yourself healthy. If it's on, you'll see how healthy of a workout you got after you finish dancing to a song. Your score will be better if you play fast songs like Drop Out or either of the Paranoia remixes, so play those songs if you want to get fit quickly.

The training mode is a mode where you can't unlock anything, but you can practice the different songs in the game without being stopped by failing and without the thrilling backgrounds. Unfortunately, in DDR Extreme, you can't slow down a song if you need to be able to study something fast and confusing. Even DDR Konamix had this feature.

Finally, I'll take you to the information mode, which gives info about all of the different songs in the game. It tells you if the song you're studying is from a previous DDR game or not, what you should try to do while dancing to the song, or what kind of music it is. According to it, plenty of songs from Dance Dance Revolution Konamix have been brought back, but only three songs have returned from DDRMAX2.


But why is this 2-D game that has the same goal over and over again so great? Well, there are certainly several reasons why:

1. DDR Extreme has a total of 70 different types of songs to choose from. You can find the type of music that's best for you. From a typical energetic dance song (B4U), to a song that's easy to recognize (YMCA, Waiting For Tonight, Like A Virgin), to a jazzy song (On The Jazz, Funk Boogie), to a Japanese pop song (Firefly, Pink Rose), to a supercharged song full of energy (Drop Out, I Feel...) to a song that combines a whole bunch of styles together (JaneJana, Do Me HIGEO Mix, Make It Better), to a theme song from a movie (Never Ending Story, Enter The Dragon) to even a classic song from previous generations of DDR (.59, Drop The Bomb), there's destined to be a song that you'll enjoy.

2. The replay value to this game is incredible, since you can build up your mad skills from beginner to expert, trying to successfully receive all Perfects on songs. You won't want to stop!

3. If you like video games, but you're out of shape, this is a game that can help knock off your weight and keep you fit. I've lost six pounds playing this game since November to December. I've suddenly started to love working out ever since I started playing this game. Seriously, your life will be a lot better after you're fit.

Then again, there are some downsides to this game, but minor downsides:

1. The host of this game gets on your nerves easily. Fortunately, you can shut him off when you're dancing, but not when it's most annoying: When you fail a song. His quote, "W-w-what?" is super annoying, as when he speaks in Japanese.

2. It's hard to find a dance mat that works well. Even the Ignition 2.0 Pad broke down twice within about a couple of weeks for me. It might've been because I was tapping too hard on the arrows, but it still might break down quickly.

3. DDR Extreme for US isn't based on the arcade version, and very few DDR Extreme (arcade) songs are included on the home version ("321Stars", "A", "JaneJana", etc.). Why no "Bag", "1998", "Speed Over Beethoven", and "Paranoia Eternal" (which should've been on DDRMAX2) instead of "Paranoia Survivor"? Not even the licensed songs from the arcade like "We Will Rock You" are on. Konami should release a DDR Konamix 2, a game that should include all of those missed songs from DDR Extreme (arcade) that used DDR Extreme's (arcade) game engine and should keep the DDR experts into DDR.

Anyway, here's the song list included in DDR Extreme, as well as grades for them and comments about what they sound like:

(Songs with * are ones that must be unlocked)

1. .59: A (Exciting)
2. *321Stars: A- (This sounds silly. It was a classic in the arcades, and can be extremely fun to dance to.)
3. *A: A (Seems to be pretty darn popular, probably because of its challenge and energy)
4. A Stupid Barber: A- (Strange but interesting euro pop)
5. *Absolute: A (A nice blast of typical DJ Taka sound)
6. *B4U: A- (Awesome techno song about DDR)
7. *B4U (B4 Za Beat Mix): A (A more energetic version of B4U)
8. Bad Routine: C+ (So-so house music)
9. Believe: D (Don't like licensed songs much)
10. Bizarre Love Triangle: B+ (But this is an exception)
11. *Can't Stop Falling In Love (Speed Mix): A (Feel the strength of this song!)
12. Diving: B+ (Deep euro trance music)
13. Do Me (H.I.G.E.O. Mix): B (Groovy house music)
14. Don't Clock Me: C- (Okay old skool song plagued by bad lyrics)
15. Drop Out: A++ (Awesome! Feel the energy and danger of this song!)
16. *Drop Out (Remix): A (I personally liked the original better, but this is still good)
17. *Drop The Bomb: A- (Pretty exciting techno song)
18. Ecstasy: A+ (Excellent and exciting euro trance)
19. *Ecstasy (Midnight Blue Mix): A- (Less exciting than original)
20. Firefly: A (Okay, I don't quite like it as much as I did, but it's still pretty good. Overall, it's an excellent j-pop song except for the fact that the singer can't sing well during the chorus.)
21. *Frozen Ray (For Extreme): B (Gentle sound, although harsh steps)
22. *Funk Boogie: C+ (So-so jazz/funk music with very simple steps)
23. Go West: A- (A memorable cover of a Village People song)
24. Higher: B (Happy feeling, though a bit targeted toward female dancers)
25. *Higher (Next Morning Mix): B (Really nothing different except for harder steps)
26. Highs Off U (Scorcico XY Mix): C- (I'm just not into the girl rapping in this song.)
27. I Feel...: A+ (Energy. Power soul. Techno. Awesome!)
28. I'm For Real: C (Eh, okay, but a bit sleepy)
29. JaneJana: A- (It used to be an F, but I'm no longer annoyed by it. It sounds very strange.)
30. Jet World: A (Very much fun to dance to with a rock/country combination)
31. *Keep On Movin': C (Just your typical dance song.)
32. Kick the Can: B+ (Finally, Kick the Can is on a US mix! It's pretty fun, though not quite the best.)
33. Kids in America: D (Don't like most licensed songs.)
34. *La Senorita: A (Fun Latin to dance to, although La Senorita Virtual is just weird.)
35. Ladies Night: C (Licensed songs again.)
36. Like A Virgin: D- (Another licensed song, only this time it's horrible.)
37. Love Love Sugar: D (I found this song much too targeted toward female dancers to give it a high grade.)
38. *Make It Better: B (One of the very first Konami Original songs ever. It's rather strange, but still decent.)
39. *Maximizer: A++ (Feels like you're riding a roller coaster!)
40. Miracle: D+ (What the heck is a miracle to the singers of this song?)
41. Mobo Moga: A- (Catchy French pop that's playable for me.)
42. Move Your Feet: D+ (Boring topic. Plus, this song seems like it would be on the first Dance Dance Revolution. I know it only came out just recently, but I actually thought it was from the original DDR. It debuted on this game.)
43. Music: A- (Interesting euro techno)
44. Never Ending Story: C (Eh, an okay theme song remix.)
45. *On The Jazz: B+ (Fun-to-dance-to jazz music.)
46. Only You: B- (A 50's-styled song performed by Captain Jack. I'd highly prefer Captain Jack Grandale Remix over this.)
47. Paranoia Eternal: A (Good remix of the song, though it really should've been on DDRMAX2 instead.)
48. *Paranoia Max (Dirty Mix): A+ (The feel of challenge comes in when you start dancing to this creepy, fast song.)
49. Peace Out: D (I never knew slow songs could be annoying.)
50. Pink Rose: A- (This is a nice song. Its instruments could be better, but aw well.)
51. Planet Rock: C- (More liscenced song stuff. This time, a remix of a futuristic old school track.)
52. *Scorching Moon: B (A strange-sounding collaboration between Sho-T's Groove and DJ Spunga's Bad Routine.)
53. Simply Being Loved: C+ (Another licensed song, though older dancers might like it a lot.)
54. So In Love: C- (A disco/dance/house track with pretty bad vocals.)
55. *The Legend Of Max: B+ (Energetic, though it sounds a bit too much like a song that would play when you're fighting a final boss in a video game.)
56. The Reflex: B+ (Finally, another licensed song that's actually worth dancing to! A great arrangement of the 80's classic.)
57. Theme From Enter The Dragon: A- (An adventurous remix of a movie's theme song.)
58. There You'll Be: B+ (A fast techno remix of the Faith Hill classic.)
59. *Trip Machine: A (Another of the very first Konami Original songs ever, Trip Machine is very fun to dance to with its mechanical techno sounds.)
60. *Trip Machine Survivor: B (A confusing remix of Trip Machine with more energy.)
61. Tsugaru: A (A combination between Matsuri Japan, Exotic Ethnic, Trip Machine, and Healing Vision. The Egyptian sound of Exotic Ethnic plays through most of the song, though the combination between Matsuri Japan's clunky tribal beat, Trip Machine's stiff melody, and Healing Vision's smoothness keep the song sounding Japanese instead.)
62. *Tsugaru (Apple Mix): A (A remix of Tsugaru with more emphasis on Healing Vision and Trip Machine.)
63. *V (For Extreme): B (A dance remix of an orchestral piece from the early 18th century.)
64. Waiting For Tonight: D (I like J. Lo's version much better than this.)
65. Wild Rush: A (Sounds like a song that would play on a car commercial)
66. *Wild Rush (Remix): B (The remix sounds nothing like the original, and doesn't build up its tempo.)
67. Wonderland (UKS Mix): B+ (A fun remake of Boogie Wonderland.)
68. YMCA: B+ (A disco classic that hit DDR.)
69. *You're Not Here: C+ (The song is too sad.)
70. Your Rain (Rage Mix): C- (Very boring techno music with the slowest overall tempo in the game (84 bpm).)

Top 3 Best Songs:......................Top 3 Songs I'm Best At:

1. Maximizer....................................1. Maximizer
2. Drop Out................................2. JaneJana
3. Ecstasy..............................3. Make it Better

Top 3 Worst Songs:.....................Top 3 Songs I'm Worst At:

1. Highs Off U.............................1. Never Ending Story
2. Like A Virgin...........................2. You're Not Here
3. Move Your Feet.......................3. Theme From Enter The Dragon

Final Grade: A+. The minor downsides have no effect on this incredible game. It's simply amazing. I can't believe there was a way to play video games while exercising at the same time. DDR changes your life. DDR is the best thing that ever happened to me. I recommend this game to everyone! It doesn't even matter who you are!

Ok, I admit it...I'm 31. I got a ps2 from my OLDER brother just for me to play this game. I LOVE IT! The variety of songs, the ease of the pad use and the different modes to use. Being a total newbie to DDR this suits me just fine.

There is one thing I wish they'd change. I don't like when you end game mode or fail, you get sent all the way back to the beginning. Why not just let it go to "retry or quit" instead of having to wait and wait and wait while it loads? Also, the workout mode is a little confusing to figure out. (I thought it would just be nonstop workout but again, you choose, and wait and wait between game play.)

Other than that, its a great game.

I've been a DDR player (arcade) for about four years, and I own DDR Max and DDR Konamix for about a year and half. Some songs are repeats from previous game versions, but most are new (with songs from the DDR Extreme arcade version and some new for the PS2 game) with new features such as mini game mode. The game is EyeToy enhanced, this makes me want to go out and by an EyeToy just for the minigames and new options. There is also a beginner mode which I know is new for the DDR games on PS2. There is a model in which the player can follow to learn the game much quicker. The fun starts once you get the hang of it (it's also fun to make a fool of yourself)
The dance mat, I believe is the improved version of the previous konami mats, are really good at not slipping (on non-carpeted floor). I have a third party mat, Dance Pad Revolution 2, which I have had for about 15 months. I thought that particular mat was very good until I used the one with the DDR Extreme bundle. The Konami mat supplied has the same non-slip bottom as the ones you can purchase from stores to place under a rug for hardwood floor. I've played many fast songs that would normally shift the other mat i own around. It can honestly say I can perform as well on the mat as I can on the metal pads on the arcade (just wear socks b/c the top layer is sticky if played bare-footed).

This game is awesome. I've had it for about 2 months now. I did buy a RedOctane pad, but surprisingly, that pad soon was acting up on me.. wouldn't register the steps right, and sometimes would keep registering them when I was not stepping on them, so I went back to the pad that came with the game, which is working quite well. I've gone down a couple of jean sizes since playing this. I am still on the Light mode, but as long as I still get a decent heart pounding workout and end up in a sweat, I'm happy with that.

I highly recommend this for people who can't stick to an exercise program. This is a wonderful way to exercise without getting bored. I'd never heard of any of the songs on this game before, being a beginner to DDR, but some of them have quickly grown on me.

Definitely worth the money, especially for a cardio workout.

We bought this for our daughter and frankly *I* play it every night. Me, a not-too-skinny, mother of 3 kiddos. I play this game until I am tripping over my own feet I'm so tired and the next day I can't wait to go back for more - never mind I can barely walk! It did take a few weeks before my joints got used to the pounding from the jumping and such - but a nicer mat with thick padding helps.

The song selection is varied and nice. The workout mode tracks your calories per song and per day if you choose. The training mode is very helpful for beginners for learning moves and the beat. Also nice for more advanced players for working out that spot you keep getting stuck in. I LOVE the endless mode (you have to play a lot of songs to unlock this) - you can create a list of songs to play and play them one after another with no breaks. SWEET!

In the game you have different levels of difficulty for each song - starting at the beginner level, to Light, Standard, then Heavy. Beginner, Light, and Standard are better compared to Easy, Medium, and Hard - Heavy is better labeled seizure activity. :)

Although we do own an Eye-toy, we have never used it with the game (we haven't got bored of dancing yet). The 2 games that can be played without the Eye Toy fascinate my children so they pass the mark.

One recommendation though - periodically save your game an a backup Memory card. I had unlocked everything and then the data was corrupted on the memory card and I had to start over from the beginning - not fun!

In summary, the folder of our Playstation 2 games is gathering dust - DDR STAYS in the playstation at all times and will continue to be used daily until we wear out the disk...

The DDR Extreme Bundle is a bargain but not easy to get. (...)
Pluses:
- One of the rare games that actually encourages the user to get the butt off the couch and move around.
- For first-time users, the learning curve is rather steep, but it's challenging and addictive.
- The kids love it. Even my 1.5 year old gets the concept right away and starts jumping up and down happily.
- The Pad is of high quality and should withstand moderately heavy usage for years to come.
- Lesson and training modes are very helpful for the neophytes.

Minues:
- The controls are the WORST I've seen in a PS2 game. They are needlessly complex and just do not make logical sense. The workout mode is confusing at best and buggy at worst.
- Even if you turn off the 'Game Over' mode, the game still exits to 'Game Over' screen and to the 'Bomani is sub-brand of Konami' screen (Is this an indirect promotion for the sub-brand?), rather than to the top of the mode you were already in.
- Also, sometimes the X and O are interchangeable but sometimes they are not. Once you start a dancing mode, you cannot exit until the song is finished. What is the reason for this?
- The grpahics could be much improved. The dancing characters are not synchronized with the dance steps of the current music, and they look like video game characters from 10 years ago. The party games that mimic arcade games also look like left-over games from 10 years ago. Subtitles of the song would be helpful so that other audience can sing along.

Overall:
This game has a great potential that's marred by the frustrating controls and outdated graphical features. Konami should stop resting on their laurels and get to work in fixing the controls, and have a truly continuous work-out mode. Also, the dance mode should be interruptable, but if it was accidental, then the game should allow you to continue, instead of kicking you out to the 'Bomani is a sub-brand of Konami' screen all the time.

We bought this bundle and it was great. For the (cheap) price, it is surprisingly well made. The game is fun, too. If you have seen similar games in arcades, this is just like that. It may be a bit more bouncy on carpet, but still a blast.

WOW!
i started out playing this game in a local arcade and couldnt get enough of it so.... i bought it. every day no matter what i always have the crave to play it. it is worth the money and i have no regrets!!! if you don't own it i suggest you sould consider buying it!!!!!!!!

When im at home and bored i always run over to the playstation when my brother is not playing it and plug in the mat and put the disc in the ps2 and play!!!this game is the best!!!BUY IT IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A LOT OF FUN!!!:)there are a lot of songs to choose from......all you have to do is move your feet to the beat!!!i hope you buy it!!!if you do you won't ever in a million years regret it!!!well im happy that i got it for christmas about 1 or 2 years ago, and it still works just like when i got it for christmas!!!

After playing Dance Dance Revolution in the arcade, I went out and bought a used PS2 and this bundle. I love it. I like that there's a workout mode that calculates your calories, as well as lessons to get you started. There's also a training mode with a metronome to help you find the beat in songs where it's hard to tell.

Before this game I wouldn't let myself buy a game system because I felt like they were just hours of sitting there getting fat. After an hour of DDR Extreme, I'm sweating.

The Konami dance pad that comes with this bundle can be a little frustrating because it's perfectly flat, and often I find my feet have migrated right off the arrows. They recommend that you put it on a hard surface for long life, and I put mine on one of those plastic surfaces for putting office chairs on carpeting. It works really well. This price ($20 for the pad, $40 for the game) is the best I've found for a new pad, so I think it's a good entry level deal. I'll probably use it until it wears out, and then get a RedOctane or CobaltFlux model.