DDR X2 (AC) (International)

Noob's right, it's a very recent change, and even then, there are more obvious patterns.

If you look at every DDR AC game that has an Encore Extra Stage, there's a pattern :

Max 300 > Candy
Maxx Unlimited > Kakumei
Legend Of Max > Dance Dance Revolution
Paranoia Survivor > Xenon
Fascination Maxx > Chaos
NGO > Trip Machine Phoenix
Saber Wing > Horatio
Kimono Princess > Roppongi Evolved

Extra Stage is almost always a hard, fast, stamina-busting song, and getting to play the EES is always a reward for beating it. They all have some sort of gimmick, but they aren't "gimmicky songs". Kakumei and DDR are "dream collaborations", that players desperately wanted to be able to play, but were only availible to those who could earn them.

Trip Machine Phoenix was a "rebirth" of the original DDR Boss Song, and a rewards to players, for both passing the Extra Stage, and for 10 years of supporting DDR.

Candy, Horatio and Xenon were fun, easy-going songs, which made for impressive challenges due to the forced speed mods or unique little step patterns.

Roppongi and Chaos are the only instances where the boss song is a gimmick song, or even a song which is harder to pass than the Extra Stage before it. Roppongi's only gimmick is that you don't know which of the 4 alternative versions you're playing.

So Chaos is really the only "gimmick chart". The rest could all be considered "gimmick songs", but in a pleasant way, and not in a ball-bustingly difficult way.

But they are still considerably easier than the ES stages.

I played around Extreme, but have no Idea what you are talking about with Paranoia Survivor and Xenon. How was that accessible?

"Paranoia Survivor > Xenon"

This had to be Dancing Stage Fusion, the first ddr ac mix to use the ps2 hardware right? I'd love to see a video of Paranoia Survivor on this and getting Xenon as a encore extra stage too. I've never never ever seen a video of either one. But aren't Dancing Stage Fusion cabinets really rare now?

Not over here, they're not. However, GOOD Fusion cabs are.

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we are going off-topic. Extra Stage was firstly implemented in DDR Solo Bass Mix (by a secuence of commands and a high score in final stage) and Encore is implemented in DDR MAX until now.
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back on topic, please
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not much difference between 4 versions of "RoppongiEVOLVED". Maybe Ver. D is the most stamina-drainer of the 4.

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Let them have their discussion, there's been no major developments in regards to X2 in a couple of days, so it's only natural that they want to talk about random things involved with DDR and Extra Stage development. It was a legitimate question, no needs to get all pissy about derailing threads.

Actually, it first appeared in 1stMIX. It was specifically called EXTRA STAGE too. You just had to do well enough and it would spit PARANOiA and TRIP MACHINE at you (it's been a while so I may be slightly off).

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well, it will be 1 month with no big news from Asian and Japanese versions. No news for the European Version and much less for American version and e-AMUSEMENT service. Surely this will be a really BORED month.
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Don't say that... someone will clear VD and maybe something good will hapend
(Unlock Mei pleeeaassse)

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I'd be kind of disappointed if Mei's hardest chart was 16 or lower, especially since it could be the hardest non-gimmick song in DDR. It could easily be the first 20, although that would be kind of hard to prepare for because there's no 19s.

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I wouldn't mind if it was a 12. It could actually be a quite fun 12.

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to be honest, i would like it to be a 16 or less so that I can enjoy the expert chart and have a chance at passing it.
it can either make a really challenging 16+ or a fun 12+

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Honestly, I'm hoping it's at least a 14 on Heavy/Challenge (if it has one). It'd be strange to have Fire Fire and Second Heaven as 14s and Fuchikan Candy as a 13 but then Mei to be easier than them.

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I'd like to see it a 19 or a 20 on challenge, with a 16 / 17 heavy, and a 12 / 13 standard. Everyone forgets about standard.

I have faith that Mei will be the first 20, if not 19. (Full predicted ratings: 6/10/13/16/20)

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As I remember, it worked kind of like the "Final Stage" on Extreme, where getting a certain score on the 2nd stage let you play a song you otherwise couldn't choose. This was back when the 1st stage only gave you a selection of 3 each songs, the 2nd stage only gave you a selection of 3 mediun-difficulty songs, and the 3rd stage gave you 3 harder song, and (if you played well upto this point), an *Extra Song*, which was Trip Machine (or Paranoia, if your machine had the Internet Ranking patch).

It was definately called Extra Stage, but I remember it being a hidden song, rather than another stage. I might be very, very wrong, as I predominantly played DDR 1.5.

EX SCORE is apparently in the game.

In the e-AMUSEMENT keypad, you have to jot in 3750 at MODE SELECT and 1P/2P USE EX SCORE will appear on the screen. EX SCORE will appear below your judgement. To turn it off, enter the command at MODE SELECT again.

MARVELOUS - 3pts
PERFECT - 2pts
GREAT - 1pt
GOOD or under - 0pts

If EVENT MODE is on, do the same thing but jot in 0573 instead. To turn it off, enter the command at MODE SELECT again and hold the TEST button.

Scores will continue to be saved in it's original format regardless if this score display is used.

EX SCORE = Extreme scoring?

No, it's a term used by IIDX games. EX SCOREs is used to work out how many "pts" you've got in a play, it's nothing to do with EXTREME. You know how ONI MODE calculates it's scores in MAX2/EXTREME? It's the same thing.

Say a song has 500 steps and 10 freezes with each O.K. being worth 3 points.

Your highest EX SCORE would be: (500 x 3) + (10 x 3) = 1530 pts.