Customer Reviews

Dance Dance Revolution Ultra Mix with Dance Mat

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

OK lets start by saying this game is not just for teenagers. I am just out of law school and LOVE IT! I love to do the workout mode where the game counts your calories for you. I set it for an hour and always end up going over. Who can say that for the stairmonster? The best part is you have a smile on your face the entire time and stress is just erased. This game is reason enough to go out and buy an xbox! The added bonus of being live enabled is great. (If you don't know, Xbox live is a subscription service that lets you go online and download additional features for games, like new songs, and play against people from all over)

A couple of bits of advice...

*Read the little book that comes with the game... I know, who wants to read instruction but it is helpful as the interface is not exactly intuitive at first glance.

*Don't get discouraged...
a)use the training mode to slow things down, choose the light setting for easier step patterns, this game has a ton of features to help you, take advantage of them.
b)the game only counts off if you miss a step not if you add some so, have fun, be creative, try to position yourself for the next step, and don't go back to center everytime.

Remember! It is a game, not an exam and you don't have to compete with anyone if you don't want to...just get up there and shake your groove thing.

I am planing to buy three extra pads to use at my next party...I am sure it will be a big hit, I am a little worried that no one will want to go home though.

Also, I don't have children but...I can imagine that this would make a great alternative to all the wack monsters with swords, shoot things, and beat things up games that are so popular (don't get me wrong I love those games too) with the added bonus of getting the little ones off the sofa and moving around.

All and all I could not be more pleased...an Xbox must have...

I have played DDR: Konamix, DDRMAX, DDRMAX2, and now DDR ULTRAMIX. All of these were lots of fun to play and had plenty of replay value, but this one doesn't hit the spot just right. However, considering it's price, the game is well worth the buy for the xbox.

The graphics are very smooth with no slowdown. The backround dancers are cell-shaded, and they look very smooth as well. The menus are all very colorful and very responsive.

The sound quality is great, everything makes great noise. The only problem I found here is the announcer's voice being a bit too loud at times, and this could not be adjusted, but could be turned off.

The song list is a great deal smaller then it's predecessors, (this one: 50 songs, DDRMAX2: 72) and it combines a bunch of fun songs. However, it would have been nice to see some other 10 footers besides MAX 300.

So what gives this game the slightly below perfect score? The fact that it feels like a watered down version of DDRMAX2. It does not include non-stop mode, the challenges feel rushed, and the step edit mode is very hard to follow. It could have been fixed, but they decided not to.

The fact that you can buy more songs for a reasonable price is nice, but the problem is, some people don't have xbox live. There are currently 3 song packs available, all very nice, with something for everyone. DDR ULTRAMIX is definately worth it's budget price.

I've just purchased this game, and I want to provide any potential buyers of this game with a partial list of what songs can be found in this game. There aren't as many songs as I'd like but with X-Box Live you can download both additional song packs and play online against other people. As of this writing, December 10, 2003 there has been one song pack released on XBox Live

Licensed Songs
Ian Van Dahl feat. Marsha - Castles In The Sky
Paul Oakenfold - Ready Steady Go
Who Da Funk - Shiny Disco Balls
Masai - Do That Thang (Mash Radio Edit)

Konami Originals
dj. TAKA - 0.59
NPD3 - AFTER THE GAME OF LOVE
Riyu Kosaka - Candy Heart (vocal version)
BeForU - DIVE
TaQ - DXY!
RevenG - exotic ethnic
BLUE DESTROYERS - Hypnotic Crisis
L.E.D. LIGHT feat Goro - INFINITE PRAYER
N.M.R-typeG - KEEP ON MOVIN' (DMX Mix)
OKUYATOS - Kind Kady
STONE BROS. - Let the Beat Hit 'Em (Classic R&B Style)
SySF feat. Anna - Look To The Sky (True Color Mix)
Jonny Dynamite! - On The Jazz

STM200 - PARANOiA ETERNAL
Togo Project feat Sana - Sana Mollete ne Ente
Crystal Aliens - SEXY PLANET
D.J. RICH feat Tail Bros. - Superstar
L.E.D. LIGHT - The Earth Light
2MB - TRIP MACHINE (LuvMIX)
Thuggie D. - ABSOLUTE (Cuff-N-Stuff it Mix)
NM feat Thomas Howard - Ballad For You
NAOKI - CAN'T STOP FALLIN' IN LOVE (SPEED MIX)
Scotty D. - DROP THE BOMB - System S.F. mix
TaQ - Electro Tuned (the SubS Mix)
DE-SIRE - Healing Vision
NAOKI 190 - Hysteria
Thuggie D. - INSERTION (Machine Gun Kelly Mix)
Thuggie D. - Keep ya body movin'
2MB - La Senorita Virtual
SHIN Murayama feat Argoe Phine - Let's talk it over
tiger YAMATO - Luv To ME
L.E.D. LIGHT - Overblast!!
dj. TAKA - Quickening
DIVAS - Secret Rendezvous
Caramel.S - So In Love
jun - Sweet Sweet Magic
Thuggie D. - There 4 You
RevenG vs DE-SIRE - Tsugaru

Song Pack 1
dj TAKA - Abyss
Naoki - Burnin' the Floor
Tomosuke - Mind Parasite
Mr. T with Motoaki. F - Burning Heat (3 Option Mix)
ric - in my eyes

There are also 9 unlockable songs.

A lot of these songs can be found on the PS2 versions of DDR. On its own, there aren't enough new songs to warrant purchase from someone that already has the two PS2 DDR games.

However, this game is XBox Live enabled, allowing the download of new songs. That feature alone is worth the price of admission. With other versions of the games, you are limited to what songs the game had. Not so here. Theres already been one song pack released, and inevitably there will be more.

Other interesting features include the ability to play with four people at once, and you can also compete over the internet via XBox Live.

On its own this game would rate four stars for someone new to DDR. It would rate three for someone that already has the PS2 versions of the game. However, the sheer expandability that XBox Live offers the game makes this a five star game.

Let me start by saying that DDR is a fantastic game. The basic game concept is so fun and so addictive that any game in this series deserves a minimum 4/5 star rating just on that. The addition of network play and network download of new song packs are great new features for this series that they will likely never be able to do without again (At least with Xbox, which can support both easily).

However, I do have a few nitpicks about this game, especially for those who have played other DDR home games (such as DDRMAX and DDRMAX2 for the Playstation2). First, and perhaps most minor, the song list doesn't seem as much "fun" as the song list for DDRMAX2; that may be just personal taste, however, and really the songs all play very well. Perhaps a little more major is the lack of an information screen to track progress on your unlockables; while the number of unlockables isn't a concern to me (This game has significantly less than DDRMAX or DDRMAX2, from what I've seen so far; I think the online purchase of new songs is to alleviate that), I am disappointed in the lack of a menu section to show what you've unlocked and accomplished. Further, the voice announcers seem much louder than the music itself in the game, and there are no comparative volume sliders. I've had to turn off the in-game announcers, and turn up the TV volume loud, just to hear the music properly. Unfortunately, this makes the menu voice-overs very loud. Lastly, so far I have found at least one out and out bug. When sorting by player's best, my list has become corrupted; one song is repeated 7 times in the list, and this overlays 6 other song entries that are no longer accessable through that list.

All in all, these are minor detractors to a great game. Konami has done better with this series in the past, and I expect a more polished game when they release an Xbox sequel. I strongly recommend this game for everyone; for fans of the series, I simply warn there may be a few minor disappointments.

This is my favorite video game by far.
Its fun and a workout at the same time. It even keeps teack of how many calories you burn. If you have xbox live then you can battle people from all around.Thanks Konami for this great video game! What are u waiting for go out and buy it!

I have been a DDR fan for about a year now. I have loved EVERY mix since the 7th (the mix that got me to start playing). I liked the 7th for, specifically, Twilight Zone, and Candy - the best songs, in my opinion, on that mix. The 8th sported Cartoon Heros - another fantastic song.

There are a lot of new songs on the 9th mix. There are atleast 10 new ones that atleast I have never seen before.

I will list some of the things I enjoyed about DDR9:

To begin, some of the songs are quite good. This mix includes lots of songs from one of my personal favorite writers, L.E.D. Light. I like the techno songs from DDR. I personally really don't like the Pop songs, the songs with vocals, the songs that are bright and cheery - it isn't my music style and it isn't my step style. All the songs from LED are exactly towards my taste - progressive and dark techno. These songs generally have faster, and more heart-pumping beats. They contain harder and more advanced steps. If you love these songs, then this is an automatic must-have for DDR fans. These songs are of an abundance, and they should definitly be considered when making this purchase.

Additionally, I liked the different modes of play. To begin, I have never played or owned any home-versions of the DDR games - I always played at my local arcade. To start, the workout mode is great for people that would like to burn those callories and have fun doing it. To my surprise, it keeps track of how many callories you burn every day. It then tallies up that total (one total for every player you play with in the Workout Mode - meaning you can have a tally of up to 4 players each and every day. I love this idea - keeping a graph of the workout you recieve is an excellent idea and is sure to motivate many people in to shedding some pounds. I also like the fantastic Xbox Live play. You and friends can battle other players online to your favorite songs. While this isn't as sensational as playing against a person dancing right next to you, it is a great way to play against others if you, A. Want to play with more than your friends or B. Don't have anyone else to play with at the time. I also love the fact that you can download customized steps, songs, skins, and etc. That's a great feature, and it is sure to draw a huge crowd. This game is a great value if you have Xbox live. If you were thinking about purchasing Xbox live, then this game is a great reason to get it.

I also like the new idea that you can play with up to 4 at a time. On the PS2, you can only play with one other person because the PS2 only has 2 controller ports. On the Xbox, you have a total of 4 controller ports, meaning, if you have enough room of course, you and three friends can battle it out on the same screen! Some may think that the split screens will get too small for people to see, and therfore distracting players. I didn't find the screen to be too small at all. Atleast on my TV (Sony VEGA 32inch HDTV), I found plenty of room to see and my concentration was as good as ever whilst playing against three of my friends. And think of the possibilities on Xbox Live!

Now, there are some shortcomings:

I really don't like some of the other songs on this mix. The song, Candy - a song that I love (mentioned earlier), is infact included on this mix, but in a much worse way. See, as I mentioned before, I don't like songs with lyrics - especially ones that are all cheery. No, I am not a depressed person nor am I a mean person - it is just my taste. See, the song Candy was one of my favorites because I liked the beat and I thought the tune was catchy. But once they added the abnoxious female vocals to the song (therfore deeming it a different and "newer" version of the song), I lost all interest in the song. It just didn't have the same feel I am used to. On the topic of a short-coming of songs, I found that many classics of DDR, such as Twilight Zone, Holic, Cartoon Heros, and etc., were not included in this mix. I mean, the 9th mix isn't THAT spectacular. They should have kept some of the classics in the mix that made the game what it is today. I'd much rather have fewer songs that were better than have an abbundance of songs that half I don't like.

But overall, I found this to be a very worthy buy. This especially goes towards Xbox Live users. They have the opportunity to not ONLY earn the extra songs included with the game, but they can download even more song packs. This, in my opinion, makes the game's life almost imortal. Xbox Live users will be in heaven with this game. Simply put.

If you are a DDR fan such as myself and have an Xbox, then I still recommend this game. Even if you don't own Xbox Live, there is plenty on this game to keep you going. And this game also is a great excuse to buy Xbox Live - in case you were looking for a valid reason.

Why not 5 stars? Simply because I think there is not a large amount of content for non-Xbox Live users. There is plenty, but not a LOT. Also, I think the 9th mix should have more of the classics, and they definitly shouldn't have ruined Candy like they did. They should have at least included the original version to keep the fans happy. I would have given this game a 3 if it had not been for the fact that there are NUMEROUS, and I mean NUMEROUS, songs from LED Light, a fantastic song writer that has yet to fail me. If you have a good taste in DDR songs, you will greatly appreciate this addition to the DDR serries. If you own Xbox live, then you will never want to go back.

Xbox Live + DDR Ultra = Heaven!

I love DDR. I am still dancing away all night long. Its so fun. so many songs, online support, what more could u want

Pros:

-Lots of different songs

-online support

-not good....but cool graphics

-highly addicting

Cons:

-Too addicting....sometimes

Shipping was really fast. I love the game and the pad works great

Ok....the game itself is great! but when i bought the ultramix bundle for xbox, it only came with one pad, and i don't know where to get another one! All together, though, the game is a great one! There are too many hip hop songs in my opinion but thast just me lol it really is a great game and i suggest u buy it no matter what kind of music u enjoy!

this game is awesome its just like the arcade version