DDR W…ishlist for 2026

I disagree with the lack of variety, or at least with the past few games' KOs. It does get monotone with the same otogecore songs being added a lot of the time, but A20/+ has plenty of nice house tracks and eurobeat. A3 does lean heavier on the otogecore but Not Alone & stellar rain, plus some of the HP transplants with new charts bring some life to the songlist. Trying to point towards IIDX as a beacon of diversity seems baffling when it's one of the few rhythm games that's setting the trends in other rhythm games (even outside of BEMANI). The past few mixes are predominantly 160+ BPM & prominently featuring EDM/bass elements. You also have to understand how these games are primarily made for a Japanese rhythm game audience, as that's where the majority of the revenue (especially in PASELI revenue since that's what matters to KONAMI too) comes from. So, naturally, the direction of these games reflects their wants. I do wish more Western players understand this, and personally I've grown to love some of the vocaloid & touhou licenses (Cirno songs can burn & rot though)
That being said, you don't have to agree with the JP rhythm game audiences. I personally think they bow down to KONAMI way too much. Remember when some players got flak from Japanese players on Twitter for clearing A4A using yuisin's upload even though that event dragged on for way too long? Not to mention the number of complaints about Western scores showing up on their screens, when it's more of KONAMI cutting corners with their localization for recent mixes.

---