DDR X3 VS 2ndMIX (AC) (Japan)

No, this is totally 4th Mix PLUS. Also note: no shocks or freezes, and this also appeared as a chart in Party Collection. ;)

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Actually, dub-i-dub was straight up ripped from 4th mix for Party Collection, it has no oni chart, the 2nd mix chart is absent.

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Also, that's the (new for X3) D- chart. DUB-I-DUB never had a new DOUBLES chart in 4thPLUS.

Where do I direct my rage that this will never see international release?

I really wish we could get together a petition or something to show Konami that this franchise still has some rallying support. I mean, this thread has 271 pages worth of responses, composed mostly of people who will never have the pleasure of playing on this arcade without the ludicrous cost of going to Japan. It's a crime, really.

Side note: really hate people who say "At least you can play pump it up."

Yeah, I could, but that's a lot like saying if you can't play Coca-Cola, drink Pepsi. Yes, they are both sodas, but I don't like the only flavor on my tongue to be sugar sweetened crap; there needs to be some real taste that sodas basically vomit on my tongue anyway.

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Well maybe they should get these Asian cabinets over in America or at least sell some upgrades. It's way better than forking so much money for a dedicab and plus, it's better to use reliable equipment. However, I guess the problem with American arcades is that they're so far behind it's hard to revive them.

Over here in Japan, the business is booming because games are constantly updated, and it constantly rewards players for coming back to the arcade. Not only that, but they also have strength in numbers. What I mean is that people not only come to the arcade to play DDR, but also JuBeat, Reflec Beat, Beatmania, Drummania, Guitarfreaks, and more. Most of those games tried to go to America and it never settled. America (AFAIK/IIRC) didn't really have a big robust system such as e-amusement. I remember there was one attempt during SN2 to bring e-amusement to America, but that didn't work out and was very rare.

Japanese arcades usually flow in money from all these music games (music games are like half the arcade in my opinion because they're so popular) which allows them to spend money on things such as e-amusement systems and constantly upgrading games. In America it's kinda hard to get that same vibe considering how the market over there is failing because a majority of people are too stubborn to get good at a game and automatically call it dumb. Check out X-Play's review on Beatmania (CS). Although it did, they said it was a "Guitar Hero rip-off" and blamed the actual game instead of the actual content. Even though the songs sucked, Beatmania is still a great game, and because they weren't good at it, they just dropped it and deemed it as a bad game.

Well I could be totally wrong as far as how arcades go and I'm up for additional comments, but here's how I view it living in America for most of my life and then moving to Japan.

tl;dr: In order for DDR to be successful, arcades need to be successful in America in general. Not only do they have to bring good cabinets, but also import some great arcade games and reward players for coming back to the arcade. That way they'll see that the market in America is way more interested in music games than they initially thought.

Because Japanese people will be interested in an English-speaking thread. [Still, the DDR X3 thread on 2chan is MUCH bigger.] Nevertheless, I was only able to travel here because I am studying abroad, so the financial aid I got helps a little. I wish this were a vacation, but I would never be able to come here otherwise. Also, I'm leaving Japan in a few days.

And even if DDR X3/X4 comes to the US, there is still the problem of making sure that the machines are constantly taken care of. That's why I was able to get all the AAAs I got in such a short amount of time. I would never be able to do this when when the machines close to me back home are SuperNOVA- and Extreme-old, let alone all the old mixes still lying around all over the US. Let's face it: How many people in the US are dedicated enough to go to an arcade and play DDR (or any other game) on a regular basis? How many arcade managers in the US these days are knowledgable about the games they maintain? I'm guessing not enough for Konami to be interested in the US anymore.

Also, what Parafox said above. ^^

APPEND: London EVOLVED ver. C SP- [So it is possible to get ver. C after all. ]

So many crossovers!

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Ooh, that's not that bad.

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Really, we should only be talking about the ultimate fate of DDR for US/EU when the Wii U comes out. I'm pretty certain Konami's gonna dish a new game out for us, perhaps a combined X3 + some things from for a lack of a better term, "X4" song list of sorts, perhaps with DLC, even.

Considering GC backwards compatability isn't possible with the Wii U, Konami will have to release a new pad when/if it comes out.

It's nothing they haven't done before, but the cynical part of my brain thinks that Konami probably just won't be that bothered.

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Konami has already made USB soft pads... They'd just need to tweak the design to work on Nintendo systems.

And they call -me- the cynical one. IIRC, isn't the Wii U supposed to have USB slots, and aren't the PS3 official mats USB?

EDIT: Ninja'd by 30 seconds, lawd.

-You- call you the cynical one.

The Wii U does have USB.

Guys, I'm planning on doing a dance routine video to LOVE IS THE POWER. The song is just...so beautiful. I have to dance to it! I will post it here when it's finished.

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Nice.


Well, I guess part of the problem for American arcades would actually be its size. While I'm not saying people would flock to Tokya, Kyota, Osaka, etc just for their arcade selection, the trip is greatly facilitated with Japans national transport system. The argument you present does make a lot of sense, but it just makes me extremely upset that I am one of the few people who could possibly sustain myself with visits to the arcade as a means of entertainment.

Side note: I am definitely planning on going to Japan at some point, but I often wonder if experiencing their arcade potential would be enough to justify the trip? I would love to play Pop'n music and beatmania (even perhaps drumania, though not sure if they still make those) because these aspects are exceptionally appealing.

I still think there should be a case made for an international release of DDR, but not in the way it has been done over the past few years. Rather than order the dedicab or upgrade from (what has proven to be a subpar distributor...), why not put the costs on genuinely interested arcades? There are a few that own every recent DDR cabinet, and though the cost would be higher than normal, I wouldn't really see the problem excluding the cost of the whole trade. The biggest issue with this thought is the laws concerning where arcade games can be sold and used.

Also, there doesn't appear to be options to buy one for personal use either. This is increasingly frustrating. THANKS KONAMI.

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What I think is almost warranted is a hard-pad dedicated DDR home system. How this would work for purchasing/swapping versions yet, I have no idea (guessing "insert disk where you stomp/jump" is NOT a wise one), but also it would be every bit as prohibitively expensive as hard-pad DDR'ing has been all along.

You know what's probably the - unfortunately wisest move Konami/BEMANI can make now? Let the USA/EU start to MISS DDR for awhile. Spring up after another year or two, getting the ducks all in a row, and then a spring-loaded punch to the kisser. Maybe reproduce older versions for downloadable services, even imported ones. I mean... who here *wouldn't* get valid, playable versions of DDRMAX 2, EXTREME, STR!KE, SuperNOVA 2, and X (JP)? Or even older arcade ones like Solo 2000, or 4th Mix Plus/5th Mix?

But that's only if they need sustained. Ducks in a row. Time to crave. THEN release the whammy.


Making DDR is the arguably easy part. Making the money work with DDR (and the fans) is undoubtedly the challenging part.

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It's done! It's uploading as we speak. I swear you guys will love it!

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Does Konami work with Steam at all? That'd be a great avenue for putting up a cheap legit DDR with DLC available, and I bet it'd be cheap for them compared to going through Microsoft, Sony, etc. Of course I have Stepmania with simfiles already, but there's something more magical about playing the songs legit.

Considering how much of us do Stepmania anyway, I would have no second thoughts about buying a new DDR PC game and having it be partially DLC-based if it meant that they'd continue to support the series for us across the Pacific.

I wouldn't mind a PC/PS3 version of DDR X2/DDR X3. Having it on your own system allows you to do profiles so you can still raise stats and save scores just like e-amusement without having to connect. Plus, you can save your levels (as in when you complete a round, you gain experience and level up) so you can also have the fun of unlocking things. Also if you have an online e-amusement account, you probably could connect data from your CS and arcade if they choose to allow that.

Seriously, DDR X2/X3 AC is really awesome with the widescreen display, and the UI definitely beats the CS versions out of the water. I'd really love an easy access port of those games instead having to rely on... American CS versions.

It'd be also rad to have online head to head matches. Considering how many Konami games already have this feature such as Drummania, Guitarfreaks, Reflec Beat, and JuBeat, it'd be kinda cool if DDR got the same treatment. No, I don't mean just seeing their score, I mean actually seeing their notes streaming across the screen and seeing their judgements in real time. It'd be kinda cool for online competitions, so there's bound to be great players.


Well, generally in Japan there are either big arcades, or small arcades. There's a chain entertainment place called Round1, and they're located all over Japan. Basically they have bowling, sports, karaoke, and most importantly a load of arcade games. Every Round1 I've been to ALWAYS had (all get upgraded as soon as another game releases) DDR, Beatmania, Reflec Beat, JuBeat, and all the other games. Living near a small part (Nagasaki), it's kinda hard to find a DDR cabinet near by, but in major cities you'll find them everywhere.

By the way, yes, coming to Japan is by far a music gamer's heaven. E-amusement cards are cheap (300 yen, roughly 3 dollars) and they don't require a monthly subscription fee to use. All arcade games are usually in great condition (chain arcades take great care of their equipment) and as said plenty before, get upgraded fast. And yes, they do still create GuitarFreaks and DrumMania. Only difference is that GuitarFreaks has 5 buttons and DrumMania features the entire kit.

Lastly, CS. In Japan, people go to arcades to play games more so than they play at home. Japanese houses are generally REALLY small and don't do well with stomping (at least mine doesn't). Houses are also closely packed so it's super easy to disturb the other neighbor. Assuming a lot of music games require loud noise/big controllers, I don't see Konami making a major CS release because they aren't very popular. Also it would damage the arcade business. If people buy CS versions, they have no need to go to the arcade and constantly pay per round.

Gah, I'm sorry for writing so much. I promise to type less next time.

Anyway, America has potential. Just look at the location test, it's nearly IDENTICAL to the Asian cabinets.



In comparison with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHJRdom3sNY

It's here everyone! My dance tribute to DDR! LOVE IS THE POWER by Re:born! I hope you like it!


EDIT: I TOOK IT DOWN ON THIS POST. TOO MANY DISLIKES.

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