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Game Cheats » Microsoft Xbox Cheat Codes » Games Starting with the Letter D » Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix - Strategy Guide (Page 01)

Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix - Strategy Guide (Page 01)

Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix - Strategy Guide (Page 01).

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     \________/    /_____/_/  /_/ |__| |______//_//_//_//_//_/  |_|

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Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix
A FAQ/Walkthrough by CyricZ
Version 1.3
E-mail cyricz42 at yahoo.com
******************************************************************************

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. FAQ
3. Basics
   3A. Controls
   3B. Menus/Displays
   3C. How to Dance
   3D. Dancing Tips for the Beginner
   3E. Dancing Tips for the Intermediate
   3F. Dancing Tips for the Advanced
4. Default Songs
   4A. .59
   4B. ABSOLUTE (Cuff-N-Stuff it Mix)
   4C. AFTER THE GAME OF LOVE
   4D. BALLAD FOR YOU
   4E. CAN'T STOP FALLIN' IN LOVE (SPEED MIX)
   4F. CANDY <3
   4G. Castles In The Sky
   4H. DIVE 
   4I. Do That Thang (M*A*S*H Radio Edit)
   4J. DROP THE BOMB (SySF Mix)
   4K. DXY!
   4L. Electro Tuned (the SubS mix)
   4M. exotic ethnic
   4N. Healing Vision
   4O. HYPNØTIC CRISIS
   4P. HYSTERIA  
   4Q. INFINITE PRAYER 
   4R. INSERTiON (Machine Gun Kelly Mix) 
   4S. KEEP ON MOVIN' (DMX Mix)  
   4T. Keep Ya Body Movin'  
   4U. Kind Lady 
   4V. La Señorita Virtual 
   4W. Let the beat hit em! (CLASSIC R&B STYLE) 
   4X. Let's talk it over 
   4Y. Look To The Sky (True Color Mix)
   4Z. LUV TO ME (disco mix)
   4AA. ON THE JAZZ
   4BB. OVERBLAST!!
   4CC. PARANOiA ETERNAL
   4DD. Quickening 
   4EE. Ready Steady Go
   4FF. Sana Mollete Ne Ente  
   4GG. Secret Rendez-vous
   4HH. SEXY PLANET  
   4II. Shiny Disco Balls 
   4JJ. SO IN LOVE 
   4KK. SUPER STAR 
   4LL. Sweet Sweet <3 Magic 
   4MM. THE EARTH LIGHT  
   4NN. There 4 You  
   4OO. TRIP MACHINE (luv mix) 
   4PP. TSUGARU    
5. Unlockable Songs
   5A. Colors (for EXTREME) 
   5B. GRADIUSIC CYBER 
   5C. Healing Vision (Angelic mix)
   5D. MAX 300
   5E. MGS2 mission R 
   5F. ORION .78 (civilization mix)
   5G. PARANOiA Rebirth 
   5H. PUT YOUR FAITH IN ME (Saturday Night Mix) 
   5I. Sana Mollete Ne Ente (BLT Style) 
6. Song Pack Songs
   6A. SP1 - Abyss
   6B. SP1 - BURNIN' THE FLOOR
   6C. SP1 - Burning Heat! (3 Option Mix)
   6D. SP1 - In My Eyes
   6E. SP1 - Mind Parasite
   --
   6F. SP2 - AFRONOVA PRIMEVAL
   6G. SP2 - FIRE DUB
   6H. SP2 - Midnite Blaze
   6I. SP2 - OUTER LIMITS
   6J. SP2 - SOMETHING WONDERFUL
   --
   6K. SP3 - ANALYZE
   6L. SP3 - BABY BABY GIMME YOUR LOVE 2002
   6M. SP3 - BATTLE BREAKS
   6N. SP3 - DYNAMITE RAVE
   6O. SP3 - NEMESIS
   --
   6P. SP4 - AM-3P (303 BASS MIX)
   6Q. SP4 - MATSURI (J-SUMMER MIX)
   6R. SP4 - MATSURI JAPAN
   6S. SP4 - MOBO*MOGA
   6T. SP4 - What is Love?
   --
   6U. SP5 - GET IT ALL
   6V. SP5 - Heaven is a '57 metallic gray (gimmix)
   6W. SP5 - JANEJANA
   6X. SP5 - KAKUMEI
   6Y. SP5 - MEANING OF LIFE
   --
   6Z. SP6 - BAILA! BAILA!
   6AA. SP6 - BROKEN MY HEART
   6BB. SP6 - GORGEOUS 2012
   6CC. SP6 - INFINITE PRAYER (floating flock style)
   6DD. SP6 - MAD BLAST
7. Challenge Mode
   7A. Practice
   7B. Light
   7C. Standard
   7D. Heavy
   7E. Extra
8. Other Modes
   8A. Battle Mode
   8B. Workout Mode
   8C. Training Mode
   8D. Edit Mode
9. Secrets
10. X-BOX LIVE
11. Standard Guide Stuff
   11A. Legal
   11B. E-mail Guidelines
   11C. Credits
   11D. Version Updates
   11E. The Final Word

******************************************************************************
1. INTRODUCTION
******************************************************************************

Hi and Konnichi wa!  Welcome to my FAQ for DDR Ultramix for the X-BOX!  I 
refer to this as a "FAQ/Walkthrough", but there's very little "walking 
through" to be done with this game.  Anyone familiar with Konami's most 
famous member of the BEMANI series will know that there are few written tips 
that can be given for the Dance Dance Revolution series.  You have to trust 
your own feet and your burning soul.  However, I will, in this FAQ, give 
you the heads-up on what the songs are, where they come from, and a few tips 
to get you ready for tackling them...

******************************************************************************
2. FAQ
******************************************************************************

Q: What is Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix?

A: DDR Ultramix is Konami of Hawaii's adaptation of the DDR series for the 
 X-BOX.

Q: How does one play Dance Dance Revolution games?

A: It's actually pretty simple.  Your "controller" has four directions: left, 
 down, up, and right, which are shown at the top of your play screen.  You 
 select a song.  As the song plays, arrows will start scrolling up to your top 
 line.  When an arrow scrolling up reaches the line of arrows at the top, you 
 must "step" on the direction matching that arrow's direction.  If two arrows 
 come up at once, you must press both at once.  If a green "freeze" arrow 
 appears, you must hold that step at the beginning until the freeze arrow ends.

Q: How many songs in this mix?

A: 51, standard.  Add an extra 30 if you plan to download song packs.

Q: Is this game X-BOX LIVE capable?

A: Yes.  By going online, you're able to play Battle Mode with other people 
 on LIVE, as well as download additional content for a small fee.

Q: Can I use Song Packs from Ultramix 1 in Ultramix 2?

A: Yes, but to be able to use the song packs in both games, you must download 
 them through Ultramix 1.  If you did so already, no problem, but if you 
 first download Song Packs 1 through 6 in DDR Ultramix 2, you won't be able to 
 use them in this game.

Q: Does this game support Song Packs 7 and up?

A: No.  You can only use Song Pack 1 through 6 in this game.  7 and up are 
 only available in DDR Ultramix 2.

Q: Is this just like any DDR in the arcades?

A: Not really.  For licensing reasons, the fact that this is the very first 
 X-BOX DDR, and the introduction of brand new songs for the American audience, 
 we're given a hodgepodge of DDR material in this mix from several different 
 mixes.  Furthermore, the game isn't entirely set up like in the arcades.  For 
 instance, in Game Mode, there is no "stages".

Q: Why isn't (insert song here) in this mix or any others?

A: Usually, it's directly related to the fact that, despite Konami's usage 
 of these songs for DDR, the songs are still owned by the songs' artists.  
 This means that the contract the artists have with Konami only refers to the 
 games they specify, which is generally the arcade mix, and (most of the time) 
 the corresponding Japanese Playstation console port.  Getting the songs over 
 here is a whole other story, and I feel that we're lucky to get the songs that 
 we do.  Of course, if your beef is why we don't get certain Konami Originals, 
 then I dunno what to tell you.

Q: What does this mix have for special modes?

A: Well, they have the standard Training, Workout and Edit Modes, as well as 
 a Challenge Mode that hasn't been seen on these shores yet, which sets up 
 specific DDR tasks for you to complete.

Q: Just who is NAOKI?

A: Naoki Maeda has been with Konami for many years.  The name is a psuedonym 
 (Naoki M is an anagram for Konami).  He is the leader of Konami AM Internal 
 Sound Team, who are in charge of coming up with songs for each new DDR 
 release.  He's responsible for many songs throughout DDR-dom, under lots of 
 artist names.  He also has the support of other artists, such as Paula Terry, 
 Thomas Howard, and Aaron G.  His artist names include, but are not limited 
 to: Omega (the symbol), 1479, 180, 190, 190', 200, 270, 290, 8 bit, 
 B3-PROJECT, BIG-O, BLUE DESTROYERS, Crystal Aliens, DANDY MINIERO, d-complex, 
 DJ KAZU, DE-SIRE, DIVAS, DR. VIBE, FACTOR-X, FIXX, KTz, Luv UNLIMITED, 
 mitsu-O!, MR. DOG, MUSTACHE MEN, N&S, N.M.R, NAOKI, NAOKI 190, NAOKI 
 underground, NM, NO.9, NW260, RE-VENGE, RevenG, Stone Bros., TailBros, THE 
 FINAL BAND, THE SURRENDERS, UZI-LAY, Z, ZZ.  Some of these are not actually 
 names for Naoki, but sometimes artists he's used for vocals in the songs.

Q: What is beatmania?

A: Developed almost concurrently with DDR, BM is a series of games where you 
 use your fingers instead of your feet.  You have a set of keys, like a piano, 
 and you have to tap those to create the music (each key tap adds music to the 
 playing score).  Also, you have a turntable to "scratch", which also adds 
 sound.  The original beatmania had 5 keys, beatmania IIDX has 7 keys (and is 
 the only one of the series still coming out with new mixes), and beatmania 
 III has 5 keys and a foot pedal.

Q: What is Dance ManiaX?

A: This is a short-lived series that was made to showcase more Dancemania 
 tunes, as well as a bunch of Konami Originals.  It's played with light beams, 
 and blocking them in time with the music.

Q: Hey, did you know that (insert song here) was in (insert game here) first?

A: Well, please, if I've made mistakes, let me know.  I pride myself on a 
 healthy knowledge of BEMANI, but no one's perfect.  If something's wrong, 
 tell me.

Q: I think a genre you have listed is incorrect.

A: Tell me what you think it should be, but present a good case, because I've 
asked a lot of people about this subject.  However, if you're disputing a 
genre that has a star (*) after it, then I won't bother, because those are 
the official genres as Konami states.

Q: Who are those goofy people dancing?

A: Why, that's Afro and Lady, two of the original DDR characters, graphically 
 retooled to look like more normal humans.  Personally, I prefer the 
 originals.

******************************************************************************
3. BASICS
******************************************************************************
=========================================
3A. Controls
=========================================

Directional Buttons: Moves your selection on all the menus or steps in that 
 direction.
A: Confirm selection
B: Cancel selection
Start: Start game
Back: Hold during gameplay to automatically fail the song.

NOTE: If using a controller, then A, B, X, and Y will step in their relative 
 direction on the controller's face.

=========================================
3B. Menus/Displays
=========================================

Main Menu

Game Mode: Select this to access the main game (see How To Dance for more 
 info).
Battle Mode: Challenge other players to see who's the better dancer.
Workout Mode: A more fitness-oriented way to play.
Challenge Mode: Play special challenges set for you by the game.  See the 
 pertinent section for more info.
Training Mode: Practice any open song in any kind of situation.
Edit Mode: Create your own step patterns for any open song.
Records: View your high scores for Game Mode and Workout Mode.
Options: Basic option stuff.  Check below for more info.

---

Options Menu

Sound Options:
Voice: Select no voice, male and female, male, or female for the announcers.
Timing: Changes the sync between the steps and music.
Effect: Turn it on to have access to the below settings:
 Reverb: Set the reverb for different settings.
 Equalizer: Adjust the output for low, mid, and high frequency sounds.
 Volume: Adjust the volume of the SFX, voices, and music.

Control Settings:
Double Mode Settings: Allows you to adjust the controls for Double Play if 
 you use a controller.
Vibration: Allows you to set vibration to occur whenever you step, whenever 
 you miss, or not at all.

Game Options:
Game Level: If set to a harder difficulty, the Dance Gauge will decrease more 
 if you miss.
Over During Song: You can set the game to kick you off if your Dance Gauge 
 depletes, or you can set it so that you only fail at the end of a song.
Back To: If you fail, the game can kick you back to the Song List, Select 
 Difficulty, or Select Style screen.
Default Difficulty: Allows you to set where the cursor will be at the "Select 
 Difficulty" screen.  Useful if you're impatient.

Graphic Options:
BG Effects: Set this to have either the background movie, the dancing 
 characters, both, or neither, playing during the song.
BG Brightness: Set how bright the background is if it's distracting you.
Danger Display: "Blink" will flash the Danger Display during the song.  
 "Still" will just have a constant Danger Display.  "Off" will have none.
Step Mark Colors: Type1 is the default.  Type2 has solid different colors to 
 tell between 1/4 notes, 1/8 notes, etc.
Arrow Shape: If you're into aesthetics, you can change how the arrows look.  
 There are ten options.  One option is turtles. ^_^

Workout Options:
Measurement: If set on "Free", all steps will add to your Calorie Count.  If 
 set on "Regulation", only proper steps will be added.
Weight Unit: Toggle between pounds and kilograms.

=========================================
3C. How to Dance
=========================================

Select Game Mode on the menu screen to get underway.

---

Select Your Style

Single Mode: This is a 1-player mode using the pad you used to start the game.
Versus Mode: This is a 2-player mode where each player uses a pad.
Double Mode: This is a 1-player mode where the player uses both pads.  Every 
 song has different steps for Double Mode than Single.

---

Select Difficulty

Light (LGT): Most songs range from 1 to 5 feet.  This is pretty simple if 
 you're getting used to DDR.
Standard (STD): Most songs range from 4 to 7 feet.  Largely, you'll find that 
 steps reflect how the music goes, as opposed to just being on the beat.
Heavy (HVY): Most songs range from 6 to 10 feet.  These are the tough ones 
 where they focus on two things: matching the song's notes exactly, and/or 
 kicking up the difficulty to give you pains.

---

Select Music

Use Left and Right to switch songs.  Double tap Up or Down to change the 
difficulty.  Press A to select.  Press B to go back a screen.

Press Start to change the sorting from the standard setup to alphabetical, by 
BPM from slowest to fastest, and your "best", which is measured by the total 
score from all your plays of the song divided by the number of feet of the 
difficulty each time you played.

Press Back to access Edit Data you've thrown together for that song.

While your selection's on a song, you'll see a little graphic for the name.  
Above the picture, you'll see the BPM for the song (which may be dynamic).
Below the graphic are the foot rating for the song (the higher # of feet, 
the harder the song) and the Groove Radar.

Groove Radar: This is a graphical representation of the difficulty of the 
song.  It's broken down into five attributes:
- Stream: More or less the overall number of steps.
- Voltage: How many steps are sandwiched into how much time.  Higher voltage 
 means more steps in less time.
- Air: The overall number of double steps (time spent in the air).
- Freeze: The overall number and length of freeze arrows.
- Chaos: The number of weird steps (not straight 1/4 and 1/8, or steps that 
 force you turn as you step).

If you can't figure out what song you want, you can select ROULETTE.  This 
will start the song list rolling.  Press A to stop it.  It's tough to get it 
to stop on a song you want, though.  Once your song's picked, you can still 
adjust the difficulty.  If you haven't unlocked MAX 300 yet, it will appear 
at random on the list.

Also, in this mix, you can select RANDOM.  This will automatically pick a 
random song at the current difficulty.  You will not be able to adjust 
anything once you hit the RANDOM button.

---

Select Options

Hold down A as you select your songs to bring up the Song Options menu:

Speed: This is the speed of the arrows on the screen.  It doesn't affect the 
 speed of the song, just the arrows.
Boost: If turned on, the arrows will gradually speed up as they move on the 
 game screen.
Appearance: "Visible" is the normal setting.  If "Hidden" is on, the arrows 
 will vanish about half-way.  If "Sudden" is on, the arrows will appear about 
 half-way.  If "Stealth" is on, you won't see the arrows at all.
Turn: "Off" is normal.  "Mirror" rotates all arrows 180 degrees.  "Left" 
 rotates them 90 degrees to the left.  "Right" in the other direction.  
 "Shuffle" randomizes the steps.
Other: "Off" changes nothing.  "Little" will eliminate several steps to make 
 it easier.  "Flat" makes all arrows the same color, as opposed to the 
 grading colors used to distinguish beats.  "Solo" will change colors so that 
 you can distinguish beats more easily.  "Help Arrow" throws gold arrows into 
 play.  If you step on them, you get a big boost to your Dance Gauge.
Scroll: "Standard" is normal bottom to top scrolling.  "Reverse" is, oddly 
 enough, scrolling from top to bottom.
Freeze Arrow: You can turn the Freeze Arrows off.
Step: Yet another chance to change the difficulty of your song.

---

Are You Ready?

The main field consists of the arrows and the Step Zone, which is a line of 
arrows on the screen.  As the song plays, arrows will begin scrolling along 
the screen.  As the arrows reach the Step Zone, you need to step on those 
arrows.  If you see a green Freeze Arrow, you need to step on that arrow and 
hold it until the Freeze Arrow ends (you don't need to remove your foot when 
it ends, just stay on it until it ends, and move your foot at your leisure).

On the top of the screen is the Dance Gauge.  It starts about half full.  As 
you step properly, it'll fill more.  If you misstep, your Dance Gauge will 
start emptying.  If it empties completely, game over.

On the bottom of the screen is the difficulty (in case you forgot), and your 
score as it tallies up.

Also in the middle of the screen, you'll see words pop up as you step:

PERFECT: You stepped more or less precisely on the arrow.  Combo continues, 
 the Dance Gauge increases, and you get the maximum possible score from that 
 step.
GREAT: You just about stepped on the arrow.  Combo continues, the Dance Gauge 
 increases, but you don't get the full score for the step.
GOOD: You're off on the step by a bit.  Combo stops, but the Dance Gauge 
 doesn't change.
ALMOST: You're off on the step by quite a bit.  Combo stops, and your dance 
 meter decreases.
BOO: You completely missed the step.  Combo stops, and your Dance Gauge 
 decreases.

OK!: You stepped on the whole Freeze Arrow.
NG: You stepped off the Freeze Arrow before it ended. Combo continues, but 
 your Dance Gauge will decrease.

Also marked on the screen is your combo, which is how many PERFECTS and GREATS 
you have in a row.  The announcer will tell you when you hit 100 combo, 200, 
etc.

---

Evaluation

Once you complete the song, you'll see an Evaluation Screen.  You'll receive 
a letter grade, a tally on how many of each step you got, a meter on how much 
of the Groove Radar you filled, your maximum combo, and your score.

The letters are AAA, AA, A, B, C, D, and E.

E is a failing grade.

D through AA are given depending on your dancing abilities.  Important aspects 
are your combos and your step quality: a large number of PERFECTs will 
drastically increase your score, while even a few BOOs will lower it 
considerably.

AAA is given for all PERFECTs and OKs on Freeze Arrows.

Press A on the Evaluation screen to return to the song list.

===================================
3D. Dancing Tips for the Beginner =
===================================

KEEP PRACTICING!

So, you've just got into DDR, eh?  Good for you!  You've become a part of a 
cult sensation that still holds tons of respect in arcades across the country!  
This game will probably seem quite overwhelming to you at first, especially 
if you watch people play it and watch them do 9-footers.  Don't sweat it.  
You CAN be as good as them with the proper practice and effort.

If you really want to get into this, definitely use the Official DDR Pad.  
There's no X-BOX controller to use in the arcades, so learn the pad nice and 
early.  Most game stores have a few of these tucked away (possibly more, if 
Konami's hyping this game like they should).  If you're truly a beginner, you 
may just want to start with a nice cheap pad.  That way, if you find it's not 
for you, you're not out a huge investment.

So, to begin, use the Training Mode the game provides you.  You can adjust the 
game to your style.  It's no Lesson Mode, but it's all you have in this 
game.

Despite the Training Mode, here are some tips I can give you as a beginner:

1. Get a good feeling for the beat.  People who have performed with music have 
an advantage.  People in marching band have a serious advantage.  ~_^  You'll 
be stepping to the beat in these early stages, so get used to it now.

2. Now that you have the beat, you must "find the arrows".  Yeah, sure.  I 
know they're right there in front of you, to your sides, and behind you, but 
can you hit them without looking?  Early on, you'll find that's your biggest 
problem: taking a step and not landing on the arrow.  If you have to look, 
look, but that tactic won't last forever, so before a song takes off, take 
some cursory steps to make sure you're hitting arrows.

3. Keep your center.  Especially on cheap pads with no definition, you'll find 
yourself often taking leave of the center of the pad as you continue stepping.  
If there's a break in the song, look down to make sure you're in the center.  

4. Use the balls of your feet.  You may notice, after some days of a lot of 
playing, that your ankles will start hurting.  That's normal, and it's 
happened to most everyone I know that DDRs.  This is your feet telling you to 
not step with your heels, but with the front of the foot.  Get into that 
habit.

5. Now that you have these basics, head into Light Mode and start tackling 
songs.  In particular, get used to the speed of the songs, as well as the 
speeding-up, slowing-down, and stopping some songs do.  Try to keep your songs 
at three feet or below, but don't be afraid to venture out into the great 
unknown.

=======================================
3E. Dancing Tips for the Intermediate =
=======================================

KEEP PRACTICING!

Well, you're definitely not a n00b anymore (pardon my French).  You're at the 
point where you wouldn't completely humiliate yourself at the arcades, but 
you probably won't impress many people there.  In fact, you may just bore them 
with your simple steps.  It's time to go to the next level.

So, first tip is to KNOW THE SONGS.  You don't necessarily need to memorize 
the steps, but have a basic understanding of the song before you go into it.  
Even memorize the music itself, the lyrics, etc. so you can whistle along.  
Know where the tempo changes may occur, where stops are.  Most importantly, 
know where the songs musical notes occur in the melody, because these will 
be mostly what you step.

Now that we're heading into dangerous territory, there is one big rule that 
I have to stress right away:

Remember how in the last part I told you to "find your center"?  Well, you've 
found it by now, so now it's time to GET OFF IT.  That's a crutch that's 
let you into the game, but it will hold you back later on.  What you have to 
learn is to return your feet to the center as rarely as possible, if at all.  
Move your feet from one arrow to the next, and don't move them unless you have 
an arrow to go to.  This is probably the hardest thing you'll ever have to 
learn as a DDR player.  Once you've relinquished your grip on the center, you 
only stand to improve up to the highest reaches of DDR-dom.

This actually leads to the other major point of going intermediate:

Eighth notes.  Those are those off-colored ones.  You'll have to deal with 
a lot of them, so learn to love them now.  This is actually a good first step 
to leaving the center, because you are absolutely required to step three or 
more arrows in succession, and you'll have no time to return to the center at 
all.  Use groups of three eighth notes to figure how to properly move between 
arrows; combinations such as up-left-down, where your right foot goes on up, 
left foot goes on left, and your right foot is already carrying back towards 
the down arrow, for example.  Once you get strings of three down, you'll be 
ready to tackle longer strings, of four, five, seven, even nine if they're 
not too tangly...

So, for this end, you'll want to go for songs of four to six feet in 
difficulty, as well as treading into the blue blue waters of Standard Mode.  
Just about all songs of this difficulty have at least several eighth notes 
to give you practice.  Take these opportunities to develop your step 
combinations for your own style, so you'll be ready to use them when they 
appear again in harder songs.

Also, it may behoove you to get into Workout Mode and repeatedly hammer some 
songs, particularly those of a brisk pace.  This is a good first step to 
building up all-important stamina.

===================================
3F. Dancing Tips for the Advanced =
===================================

KEEP PRACTICING!

All right.  You're through messing around, and through getting condescending 
looks from your peers at the arcade.  It's time to show them what you can 
really do and kick it up a notch or three.

If you're really serious now, it's once again time for a new pad.  Although 
7, 8, and even some 9-footers are possible on a soft, flimsy pad, you just 
won't get the high scores you cherish.  For this, I turned to RedOctane's 
Ignition 2.0.  It's also a soft pad, but the thick foam insert, soft gripping 
bottom, and raised step platforms make it a good pad for aspiring champions, 
all for a paltry 100 clams.

Of course, if you have the money to blow (approximately $300), you may want 
to take it even further and buy the Cobalt Flux pad, which is a custom-made 
hard metal pad.  It's VERY resilient, and much like pads you'll see in the 
arcades.

Anyway, pads aside, it's time to get down to business:

First, you better have mastered the stuff from the previous sections.  I want 
to be able to yell out a song title and for you to hum it right there so you 
know what it sounds like.  I don't wanna see your feet touch that center, 
soldier, or you'll drop and give me fifty.  At this point, you should also 
have quick enough eye-foot coordination so that matching arrows on the screen 
with proper steps is second-nature.

Now, for some new tactics:

Chaos.  You'll soon find as you reach the higher levels, that not all arrows 
are quarter notes and eighth notes.  You'll find sixteenths, twelfths, and 
thirty-second notes thrown in to mess you up.  Very rarely will they be in 
random.  Almost always, they'll match up with how the song goes, so you'll 
at least have that going for you.  So, a thorough knowledge of the songs will 
allow you to surmount this hurdle with little difficulty.

Taps.  This is the name I like to give eighth notes all on the same arrow.  
These are always a pain, because you have to train your foot to tap rapidly on 
the same arrow for a possibly long time, and it can really wear you out.  
There's no easy way to get around this, you just have to learn it as you go.

Gallops.  This is the popular name for a series of steps that has two 
sixteenth note steps together, then two sixteen notes of dead space, then two 
note steps together, and so on.  When you step these notes, you'll feel like 
a horse gallopping, which derives the name.  Oftentimes, these notes will be 
strung so that the last note in one gallop is the first note of the next 
gallop.  To properly step these, leave your last-stepping foot in place, so 
it'll be ready to step the next gallop while your other foot moves to the 
next note.  This leads to the final tactic.

Axis of Rotation or "crossovers".  Contrary to popular belief, you do not have 
to have your upper body directly facing the screen at all times.  A very 
important tactic for the toughest songs is turning your body so that making 
truly difficult steps becomes easier.  Using alternating feet on long series' 
of eighth notes is far less taxing than taking two or more eighth notes with 
one foot.  The best way to start turning your body is with left-down-right 
eighth note combos.  Left foot on the left arrow, right foot on the down, and 
turn so that your left foot hits the right arrow.  It'll be very disorienting 
at first, but the hard songs will really take it out of you if you don't 
learn.  After learning a basic turn, learn to maintain your body at a 90 
degree angle to the screen for extended periods of time, and then taking it 
further by rotating 180 degrees, or even 270 and 360, if you're brave enough 
to take your eyes off the screen.

Finally, it's important to be in relatively good shape for this.  You have to 
have the proper stamina and leg strength to pull off the toughest ones, 
because rather dexterous and tiring feats will be required of you, so keep 
pounding at it, do hard songs repeatedly to build up strength, and push 
yourself harder and harder to go all the way up to the great green Heavy 
Mode.

And lastly, never tackle 10-footers without a good insurance plan backing 
you up... ^_^

******************************************************************************
4. DEFAULT SONGS
******************************************************************************

The way the song list has the normal set up is to arrange the licenses first, 
then the Konami Originals first by order of their Light difficulty, then 
alphabetically after that.  Well, that's all well and good, but it makes for 
lousy FAQ ordering, so, for simplicity's sake, we'll go alphabetically.

=========
4A. .59 =
=========

Artist: dj TAKA
Genre: Chill Out*
BPM: 135

Difficulty: 
    Sgl Dbl
LGT: 4   4
STD: 6   6
HVY: 7   7

Play Notes: The song carries at a steady pace, until the end, where it slows 
 down ever so slightly.

Heavy Notes: Prepare for lengthy streams during the main melody, with a 
 couple of gallops thrown in to match the piano hits.  The streams are fairly 
 straightforward, though.  Also, during the bridge, you'll find some streams 
 of sixteenths, but they stay on the same two arrows.

---

Song Type: Konami Original
First Appearance: beatmania IIDX 2nd Style
DDR Debut: DDR 4th Mix (Arcade)
American Appearances: DDR Konamix, DDR Extreme USA
Artist Notes: dj TAKA should be no stranger to Bemani fans.  Often considered 
 to be just as popular (if not moreso) than Naoki, Takayuki Ishikawa has been 
 with Konami since Beatmania IIDX.  He's done many DDR and Beatmania tunes. 
Misc. Notes: So, what's the significance of ".59"?  Well, "point five nine" 
 in Japanese is "ten-go-kyu".  This is very similar to "tengoku", which is 
 Japanese for "heaven" or "paradise".

====================================
4B. ABSOLUTE (Cuff-N-Stuff it Mix) =
====================================

Artist: Thuggie D.
Genre: Epic Trance
BPM: 146

Difficulty:
    Sgl Dbl
LGT: 3   4
STD: 6   7
HVY: 6   7

Heavy Notes: Definitely not as tough as the original.  It's mostly small 
 streams.  The thing that might throw you is the large number of freezes, and 
 a few odd tricks they try do with them.

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