DanceDanceRevolution A (AC)

Ishtar CDP exists.
(Lovely Radio is fantastic though, one of my favorite lower level ones to play and mess with people.)

One of the most unique patterns that is fun to play and watch. I am a huge fan of Ishtar's CDP twists and turns though.

Also charts like One-Sided Love exist where the shock arrows are an extra step on the pad where there is no arrow. A lot of the charts are actually like this.

Saber Wing, Theory of Enternity, and Mermaid Girl are pretty simple examples of this.

Even if they used them like mines, there would be complaints anyway.

---

so good they removed it because it was too good

---

I mean Konami owns Roxor, they could have easily put mines on DDR.

Konami did not acquire Roxor themselves, they simply acquired all IP in regards to ITG (though that's really a semantic nitpick here).

I'm not a fan of the shock arrow design. My first brush with it was on the PS2 version of X, and I found that I had to get off the pad entirely in order to avoid triggering them. It's not so bad in the arcade (I've played a few AC shock arrow charts), but the shock arrow charts still leave a bad taste in my mouth. And I liked how the mines were used on ITG (even when it went to extremes like the end of Disconnected Mobius).

The fact that a large number of the early shock arrow charts were simply copies of other charts with SAs added didn't help things either.

Hi all,

Just want to start off by saying I have not been active in the community since the release of DDR X (the cs release). Just really happy to see that this website is still thriving!

As far as DDR is concerned, I see Ive missed out on a ton lol. I looked up the DDR releases post X and realized I have 5 releases worth of content to catch up on.

My initial impressions upon seeing some videos of the releases Ive missed out on:

1) DDR has gotten a LOT harder. Heavy foot ratings hover around 12-13 even 14 now. And it seems like every song has a challenge chart.
2) A lot more japaness/anime music. I read a few pages back and this is due to some licensing deal and not exactly because the DDR community is demanding it.
(Its funny before we used to complain there wasnt enough jpop now theres too much of it! Classic DDR fans lol.)
3) DDR A has resparked interest in DDR after a lul.
4) Nori Nori Nori, the inspiration behind my username, has not been revived

seeing as how my area is still using their ITGs and 15 year old Extreme cabinets,and the closest "new" DDR cabinet (X2) is a 3 hour drive, Im going to buy DDR II for the Wii and play those new songs! Itll be a good starting point for me.

Anyway, im happy to be back and hopefully i aint too rusty!

Personally I'd rather play DDR simfiles on an ITG arcade cabinet than a DDR home version.

Greetings Nori219! I'm another old-timer who's been getting back into the game after a many year hiatus! It's not easy and I wish you success with reclaiming your skills! My area was basically only home to a couple beat-up old Supernova 2 machines up until last autumn when a Round1 opened up in my local mall which sparked my interest in getting back into the game.

DDR has definitely gotten harder but it seems players' skills have risen to meet the challenge. I used to think I was good, but when I see the regulars playing the game, I'm kind of intimidated. (Being ridiculously out of shape doesn't help.) One of my memories of the olden days was joining a DDR Club when I started attending grad school back in 2009 and having players try to warn me not to try what is now a level 12 (Break Down) because it was *really* hard and I hadn't yet shown off my abilities; I felt really good about myself when I cleared it with an A in front of everyone. Now it seems like people WARM UP with level 15s and I don't even understand how their bodies can do that.

DDR A is definitely a great thing and I'm continuously thankful that the fates allowed for a machine to exist close to where I live.

---

welcome back

---

Playing DDR files on an ITG... It's like going refusing the nice meal in front of you and requesting McDonalds.

---

If a DDR arcade cabinet is a nice meal, and an ITG arcade cabinet is McDonalds, then a DDR home version is a photo of a nice meal that you can't actually eat.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That is very very subjective.

The ITG is the nice resturant, DDR sims are the McDonalds.

---

That’s not going to stop me from eating it anyway, metaphor or not.

Fuck you all now i'm really hungry

---

Same.

---

If DDR and ITG are restaurants and McDonald's, then what's a Pump It Up cabinet? Taco Bell? ;)

(Real talk, I'd totally love to get a DDR or ITG cabinet with Stepmania software if it means I could play the newer mixes at home and "practice")

One could argue ITG is a McDonalds that dropped the franchise and became a different restaurant chain, but didn't sufficiently change the decor outside to not look like a McDonalds so they got sued.

So for starters, welcome back to the game.

DDR X2, IMHO; was "the new DDR Extreme" of it's time. Mostly great licenses and stepcharts, lots of cool IIDX crossovers (including VANESSA, MEI, smoooch, MAX LOVE, GOLD RUSH, and FIRE FIRE), and the first of many cool "Boss Song Events," Replicant-D-Action.

DDR II for Wii captures much of this... in fact, the RDA in that game is expanded to include the Universe 3 boss songs, and two of the boss songs from X3 as well. But it lacks in the license charts, apart from "Spice Up Your Life," who nobody in their right mind will play more than 3x ever with a straight face. On the upside - nearly every one of the licenses/collabs has "full track" versions, too. (Before that was also a multisystem "DDR" reboot title that we don't discuss much. It just... wasn't that good all around, and if you thought SuperNOVA or IIDX 10th Style was red, THIS mix is FUCKING RED. I almost confuse it for a Virtual Boy title.)

X3 vs. 2nd Mix, up through 2013-2014, were Japan-exclusive. NAOKI retired after X3, so 2013-2014 is decidedly more TAG/U1-directed, and we start seeing a lot more of Ryu*, kors k, etc.; and the game gets very J-Poppy/anime themed around this time. So much that now, the japanese songs have their own "starting letters/characters" separate from the ABC order, now; and they appear at the start of the group folders instead of the end of them. 2013-2014 have an online unlock system where you save your scores with a magnetic card, and unlock stages by playing them as Extra Stage; while some "Boss Boss Songs" remain Extra-Stage Exclusive. About once a year, a song will qualify for OMES conditions - but ever since LOVE IS THE POWER on X3; OMES is "PERFECT FULL COMBO" or die.

DDR A was released internationally, the first since X2 that had been; and the first one state-side to use eAmuse. That said - there's a big number of locked "event stages" that the US has to catch up with; so they haven't been pushing the content overly hard. We didn't get all of the licenses (and criminally didn't get the 2nd Mix remixes featured in X3)... but A itself has been nearly 1:1 (I think all we're missing is "Cirno's Perfect Math Class" OG).


For reference:

ITG 8 = DDR 11-12
ITG 9 = DDR 13-14
ITG 10 = DDR 14-15
ITG 11 = DDR 16
ITG 12 = DDR 17
ITG 13 = DDR 18
ITG 14 = DDR 19

---

Naoki had nothing to do with the DDR arcade series after X aside from a few songs. TAG took over as sound director (and dj TAKA as sound producer) for X2 and X3. TAG stuck around as sound director until A, and after X3 TAKA left to work on SOUND VOLTEX.

Thank you all for the useful tips!



Never thought Id see the day where DDR has harder songs than ITG ever had lol.

Just wish I had one of the newer cabinets closer to me. The closest X2 is a 3 hour drive. Any home pad recommendations? I read that Cobat Flux is no longer around