Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 3 - Strategy Guide (Page 01)
Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 3 - Strategy Guide (Page 01).
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Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 3
A FAQ/Song List by CyricZ
Version 0.5
E-mail: cyricz42 at yahoo.com
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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
3G. Dancing Tips for Doubles
4. Default Song List (Part 1)
4A. Alphabet Aerobics
4B. Bath of Least Resistance
4C. Body Rock (Olav Basoski's Da Hot Funk Da Freak Funk Remix)
4D. Crazy In Love
4E. Hateful
4F. Hey Mama
4G. I Just Wanna Live
4H. Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
4I. Mi Alma
4J. Play That Funky Music
4K. Rock Lobster
4L. So Many Times
4M. Superstylin'
4N. Virtual Insanity
4O. Walk This Way
4P. What I'd Say
4Q. Where's Your Head At
4R. Whip It
5. Default Song List (Part 2)
5A. Bassile
5B. Come With Me (by Yahel & Tammy)
5C. Come With Me (by Raindancer)
5D. Conflict (Turmoil Mix)
5E. Delta 32 (UFO! Remix)
5F. Hash the Sun
5G. Hot on the Phone
5H. I Am Gothic (2003 Remix)
5I. Imperfection (Tycho Brahe remix)
5J. Midnight Frankenstein
5K. Nari Narien (Jay Dabhi remix)
5L. Raise Your Hands
5M. Stakeout (Ultra:mix)
5N. The Cat In The Moon
50. The Cult of Gnosyllis
5P. The Imperial Carnival
5Q. The Spirit of Hawk
5R. Why (Club Mix)
6. Default Song List (Part 3)
6A. BUTTERFLY
6B. BYE BYE BABY BALLOON
6C. TOGETHER & FOREVER
6D. Balalaika, Carried With The Wind (Jondi & Spesh mix)
6E. MOMENT 40
6F. Rock-a-billy Willy
6G. AKUMAJO DRACULA MEDLEY
6H. CARNIVAL DAY
6I. pot-ourri d'orange
6J. Sunflower Girl
6K. bag
6L. BREAK DOWN!
6M. CANDY*
6N. Daikenkai
6O. Destiny lovers
6P. e-motion
6Q. Firefly
6R. KISS ME ALL NIGHT LONG
6S. Miracle Moon (L.E.D. LIGHT STYLE MIX)
6T. Sakura
7. Unlockable Songs
7A. BRILLIANT R•E•D
7B. Colors (Midihead's Sapphire Mix)
7C. Dança de Yuka
7D. ever snow
7E. Frozen Ray (DIRTYHERTZ Mix)
7F. Giudecca
7G. Himawari
7H. Insaner
7I. Jelly Kiss (Midihead's Smack Mix)
7J. LOVE THIS FEELIN' (ZONK REMIX)
7K. Music to Your Head
7L. PARADE OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS
7M. Rainbow Flyer
7N. Right On Time
7O. The legend of MAX
8. Song Pack Songs (13+)
8A. SP13 - Bass On the Side
8B. SP13 - Brazilian Anthem
8C. SP13 - CELEBRATE NITE (EURO TRANCE STYLE)
8D. SP13 - GHOST REVIVAL (Brownboy Mix)
8E. SP13 - Spin the disc
---
8F. SP14 - e-motion ~ROMANTIC STYLE~
8G. SP14 - Evolution
8H. SP14 - Gamelan de Couple
8I. SP14 - THE STRONG JAEGER (UFO! Remix)
8J. SP14 - WILD RUSH (PCM Remix)
---
8K. SP15 - HIGHER (next morning mix)
8L. SP15 - LIGHT MOTION
8M. SP15 - Outer Limits (Akira Ishihara Mix)
8N. SP15 - Sold It For a Song
8O. SP15 - SP-TRIP MACHINE (JUNGLE MIX)
---
8P. SP25 - 250bpm (Jondi & spesh remix)
8Q. SP26 - Love Me Do (The Acolyte's remix)
9. Secrets
10. Standard Guide Stuff
10A. Legal
10B. E-mail Guidelines
10C. Credits
10D. Version Updates
10E. The Final Word
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1. INTRODUCTION
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Hi and Konnichi wa! Welcome to my FAQ for DDR Ultramix 3 for the X-BOX!
Unlike other FAQs I've done in the past for the DDR series, I'm unable to
get my hands on this game to play it properly, so I can't give a complete
FAQ/Walkthrough as I'm used to. However, the game deserves, at least,
something, so I'm giving everything I can get without dropping all the money
for a new X-BOX.
What you'll find in this guide:
- The song list
- Their statistics and difficulties
- Lyrics, where I can get them
- Where all the songs come from, their artists, etc.
- Basic info on Song Packs 13 and up
- Basic info on the game's other modes
- How to unlock the hidden songs
What you WON'T find in this guide:
- Play/Heavy notes
- Extended information on the game's other modes
- Information on Song Packs 1-12 (please refer to my UM1 and UM2 guides for
that information)
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2. FAQ
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Q: What is Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 3?
A: DDR Ultramix 3 is the third game in 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: Can I rip my own songs to the X-BOX hard drive and play them?
A: Nope. Copyright issues, of course.
Q: How many songs in this mix?
A: 56 standard, plus 14 unlockable. Add an extra 72 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 with other people on LIVE, as
well as download additional content for a small fee.
Q: Can I use Song Packs 1-12 in this game?
A: Yes. I'm not sure how the backwards compatibility goes with Song Packs in
this game, but I'm assuming so far that if you want to use SPs 1-6 on Ultramix
1, make sure you download through that game.
Q: Does this game support Song Packs 13 and up?
A: Yes, and only in this game. You cannot use those Song Packs in Ultramix 1
or 2.
Q: Is this just like any DDR in the arcades?
A: Not really. Konami of Hawaii is trying to distance themselves not only
from the arcade scene of DDR, but also the PlayStation console DDRs in
general. Not only is the game setup non-arcade (no stages, for example),
but there are actually very few songs in this mix that have been in other
DDRs.
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. Additionally, Konami of Hawaii is trying to distance themselves from
the PlayStation and arcade games, so we're receiving fewer "established"
DDR tunes.
Q: What does this mix have for special modes?
A: In addition to all the modes of the last game (including Training, Workout,
Edit, Battle, Challenge, Bomb, Attack, and Synch), there are also two new
modes of play: Quest and Freestyle, as well a Jukebox mode.
Q: Does this game seriously have Quad Mode?
A: Yeah. If you have four pads, a big enough TV so you can see it from all
four, and a whole lotta room, you too can play Quad Mode.
Q: Just who is NAOKI?
A: Naoki Maeda has been with Konami for many years. 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 and
vocalists, 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 are Guitar Freaks and drummania?
A: These ongoing series are favorites from BEMANI. Guitar Freaks uses a
guitar with three neck buttons and a "pick", which allows you to insert
music into the song. drummania is similar, using a drum set. A few mixes
into the series, BEMANI got the wise idea of combining the two series,
giving each mix the same list, and allowing the machines to link up.
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: What is Keyboardmania?
A: This is another short-lived series based around a keyboard. Much like
Konami's other games, you're required to play the keyboard (composed of two
octaves) to create the music as the game dictates to you.
Q: What is pop'n music?
A: This is a currently ongoing BEMANI series that is similar to beatmania,
only it just involves a bunch of colored buttons. It has a more cartoonish
look to it than other BEMANI series, and many of the songs are happy songs,
or songs from popular anime.
Q: What is "A Different Drum"?
A: Described as "the source for synthpop", this is a label group that
distributes the music of several different artists/groups to put them further
in the public light (similar to Toshiba-EMI's Dancemania series, actually).
You can check out their site at adifferentdrum.com for more info.
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.
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3. BASICS
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==============
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).
Party Mode: Play new game types against your friends.
Freestyle: Play songs without step charts and get rated on your performance.
Quest Mode: Travel North America and build your dance team to become "famous".
Workout Mode: A more fitness-oriented way to play.
Challenge Mode: Play special challenges set for you by the game.
Xbox Live: Play against other dancers online or download new content.
Training Mode: Practice any open song in any kind of situation.
Edit Mode: Create your own step patterns for any open song.
Options: Basic option stuff. Check below for more info.
---
Options Menu
Sound Settings:
Voice: Turn the announcer on or off.
Volume: Adjust the volume of the SFX, voices, 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.
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.
ABXY: Also known as "Dance Play Settings". Turn this off and the ABXY buttons
will not register when you step. If you have a proper pad, they will
automatically shut off when you play, but this is if you have an adapter and
a PS2 pad.
Thumbsticks: If you wish, you can make it so the thumbsticks register steps.
Graphic Settings:
BG Movie: When on, the movie will play in the background.
BG Dancer: When on, you'll have a dancer getting his/her groove thang on in
the background.
BG Brightness: Set how bright the background is if it's distracting you.
Show Time: Turn on and you can see a clock showing how long you've been
playing.
Show Balloon: Toggle the ballon that shows each player's name as a song starts.
Step Mark Colors: Set between normal, note type, and order type.
Arrow Shape: If you're into aesthetics, you can change how the arrows look.
There are ten options. One option is turtles. ^_^
Game Settings:
Timing: Changes the sync between the steps and music.
Empty Gauge End: If on, then the song will fail you immediately if you lose
all your Dance Gauge. If not on, then you can continue to the end even if
you fail.
Exit To Screen: 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.
Game Level: Changes the rate at which the life bar depletes and replenishes.
Weight Units: For Workout Mode. Set it to go by pounds or kilograms.
Dancer Settings: Use this to change which dancer will be displayed for each
player. There are six default dancers: AFRO, LADY, RAGE, EMI, MAID-ZUKIN,
and KONSENTO:03.
Records Options: View the highest scores for songs you have played, as well as
how many times each song has been played.
Name Entry: Enter a name to be used for Quest Mode. Four names can be made for
each controller port.
Workout Profile: Change the player's weight for Workout Mode.
Quest Profile: Change the default dancer for Quest Mode, as well as view flags
and items you have collected.
Credits: Access this to view the game's credits, and try your hand at the
Credits Mini-Game.
==================
3C. How to Dance =
==================
Select Game Mode on the menu screen to get underway.
---
Select Your Style
Single Mode: This is a 1-player or 2-player mode. Each player uses one
controller.
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
Beginner (BEG): There's no difficulty level for these songs, but you may as
well assume that they're mostly 1-footers. You also have an on-screen
dancer stepping the steps along with you, but only if you have the option
"BG Dancer" turned on in Graphics.
Light (LGT): Most songs range from 2 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.
Oni (ONI): A few songs (including some Song Pack songs) have this as another
"Heavy" difficulty. It could be a lot harder, about the same, or even a
bit easier.
---
Select Music
Use Left and Right to switch songs. Tap Up or Down to change the difficulty.
Press A to select. Press B to go back a screen.
Press Start or select "SORT" to change the sorting from the standard setup to
alphabetical by title, by BPM from fastest to slowest, and alphabetical by the
song's artist.
If you have Edit Data for a song, continue pressing Up or Down to cycle
through the difficulties until you reach your edit.
While your selection's on a song, you'll see a little graphic for the name.
Below the picture, you'll see the BPM for the song (which may be dynamic).
To the right of 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 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:
Step: Yet another chance to change the difficulty of your song.
Speed: This is the speed of the arrows on the screen. It doesn't affect the
speed of the song, just the arrows. You can set it to x0.5, x1, x1.5, x2, x3,
x5, or x8.
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. "Phantom" is a combination of both Hidden and Sudden (arrows will
only be visible for an instant in the middle). 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. "Dark" makes the Step Zone
invisible. "Help" 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.
---
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 Beginner Mode and 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 =
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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.
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