Dance Dance Revolution Extreme - Strategy Guide (Page 01)
Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Dance Dance Revolution Extreme - Strategy Guide (Page 01).
******************************************************************************
_________
/ _ |
/ / / /
/ / / /
/ / / / ___ ___ ___ ___
_________ / /_/ / ___ // // /___/
/ _ /|_________/ /___// //___ /___
/ / / / ___ ___ ___ ___
/ / / / ___ // // /___/
/ / / / /___// //___ /___
/ /_/ __/_________ ___ ___ / __/_ ' ___ ___
/________/_/ ______ | /___/| // /// / / / / // /
_________/_ /_____/ //___ |_//___///___/ / / /___// /
/ / / _____/______ _____ _______ _______ _______
/ ____ /_/ /| |_- _-/_ _// __ | / ______// // ______/
/ /____/___/ | _- _- / / / /__/ // /___ / _ _ // /___
/ _______/ |- _- / / / _// _____/ / // // // _____/
/ /______ _- _-| / / / /| | / /____ / // // // /____
/ / _- _- | /_/ /_/ |__|/_______//_//_//_//_______/
/_________/ _- _- |__|
_- _-
----
******************************************************************************
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme (USA Version)
A FAQ/Walkthrough by CyricZ
Version 1.2
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
3G. Dancing Tips for Doubles
4. Default New Songs
4A. A Stupid Barber
4B. Believe
4C. BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE
4D. Diving
4E. DO ME (H.I.G.E.O Mix)
4F. DON'T CLOCK ME
4G. Firefly
4H. Go West
4I. HIGHS OFF U (Scorccio XY Mix)
4J. JANEJANA
4K. JET WORLD
4L. KICK THE CAN
4M. Kids In America
4N. LADIES' NIGHT
4O. Like A Virgin
4P. LOVE LOVE SUGAR
4Q. MIRACLE
4R. MOBO*MOGA
4S. Move Your Feet
4T. Music (Bostik Radio Edit)
4U. NEVER ENDING STORY (Power Club Vocal Mix)
4V. ONLY YOU
4W. PARANOiA ETERNAL
4X. Pink Rose
4Y. Planet Rock (Swordfish Radio Edit)
4Z. Simply Being Loved "Somnambulist"
4AA. THE REFLEX
4BB. THEME FROM ENTER THE DRAGON (notorious mix)
4CC. THERE YOU'LL BE
4DD. WAITING FOR TONIGHT
4EE. WONDERLAND (UKS Mix)
4FF. Y.M.C.A.
4GG. Your Rain (RAGE MIX)
5. Default Old Songs
5A. .59
5B. Bad Routine
5C. DROP OUT
5D. ECSTASY
5E. HIGHER
5F. i feel...
5G. I'M FOR REAL
5H. PEACE-OUT
5I. SO IN LOVE
5J. TSUGARU
5K. WILD RUSH
6. Standard Unlockables
6A. 321STARS
6B. A
6C. ABSOLUTE
6D. B4U
6E. CAN'T STOP FALLIN' IN LOVE (SPEED MIX)
6F. DROP THE BOMB
6G. Frozen Ray (for EXTREME)
6H. Funk Boogie
6I. KEEP ON MOVIN'
6J. La Senorita
6K. MAKE IT BETTER
6L. ON THE JAZZ
6M. PARANOiA MAX (DIRTY MIX)
6N. Scorching Moon
6O. TRIP MACHINE
6P. V (for EXTREME)
6Q. You're Not Here
7. Challenge Remixes
7A. B4U (B4 ZA BEAT MIX)
7B. DROP OUT (FROM NONSTOP MEGAMIX)
7C. ECSTASY (midnight blue mix)
7D. HIGHER (next morning MIX)
7E. TSUGARU (APPLE MIX)
7F. WILD RUSH (FROM NONSTOP MEGAMIX)
8. Red Songs
8A. MAXIMIZER
8B. The legend of MAX
8C. TRIP MACHINE Survivor
9. The ??? Song
9A. MEMORIES
10. Nonstop Mode
11. Challenge Mode (aka Oni Mode)
12. Party Mode
12A. EyeToy Games
12B. Other Games
13. Mission Mode
13A. Normal Missions
13B. Hard Missions
14. Other Modes
14A. Endless Mode
14B. Lesson Mode
14C. Training Mode
14D. Edit Mode
14E. Workout Mode
15. Secrets
15A. Characters
15B. New Songs
15C. New Courses/Modes
16. Standard Guide Stuff
16A. Legal
16B. E-mail Guidelines
16C. Credits
16D. Version Updates
16E. The Final Word
******************************************************************************
1. INTRODUCTION
******************************************************************************
Hi and Konnichi wa! Welcome to my FAQ for DDR Extreme USA for the Playstation
2! 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 Extreme?
A: DDR Extreme is Konami's latest foray into the DDR world as it gradually
makes its way to American shores.
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: 70. One less than MAX, one more than MAX2. (Well, 71, maybe.)
Q: Are there any more songs than the ones you have listed?
A: NO. There is no MAX. (period), no PARANOIA Surivor, no PARANOiA -Respect-,
no bag, no CARTOON HEROES, no BUTTERFLY, no DAM DARIRAM, no Sandstorm, no
Sakura, no Dance Dance Revolution. Sorry, but there's always next year.
Q: EyeToy!? WTF?
A: Yeah, the EyeToy peripheral has been applied to the DDR scene with this
release. Using it isn't required for gameplay, but there are a few cute new
games to play with it, as I will explain in the Party Mode section.
Q: Is this just like the DDR Extreme in the arcades?
A: Not really. For licensing reasons, the fact that the USA has missed
several old songs from previous mixes, 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, but mostly from the later mixes in
the arcades. There is a distinct abscence, however, of DDR Extreme Konami
Originals.
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: Does this mix have Oni Mode?
A: Yes! Challenge Mode (more coloquially known as Oni Mode) makes its
triumphant return after being absent in the last game. Also, Nonstop Mode
stays on, and there's Endless Mode, Party Mode, Mission Mode. It's crazy.
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 Dancemania?
A: A rather large series of albums, developed by Toshiba-EMI, which showcase
a lot of dance music from artists all over the world. Konami's BEMANI studio
has a long-standing partnership, where DDR gets Dancemania licenses (for
relatively cheap) while DDR plugs Dancemania in its games.
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: 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: What song plays on the "How To Play" screen?
A: "DDR Extreme DEMO" by NAOKI.
Q: What song plays on the Game Mode Select screen?
A: "DDR Extreme SELECT" by NAOKI.
Q: What song plays on the EDIT DATA screen in Game Mode?
A: "To Step" by Supa Fova.
Q: What song plays on the Lesson Mode main screen?
A: "DDR Extreme SONG LIST" by NAOKI.
Q: What song plays on Lesson Mode 1?
A: "Try 2 Luv. U" by S.F.M.P (featured in DDRMAX2).
Q: What song plays on Lesson Mode 2?
A: "A Stupid Barber" by Sho-T.
Q: What song plays on Lesson Mode 3?
A: "BABY BABY GIMME YOUR LOVE" by DIVAS (featured in Konamix and DDRMAX).
Q: What song plays on the Information Screen?
A: "I Need You (Insideout Door 3Mixes)" by Supa Fova.
Q: What song plays on the Endless Mode Break Stage?
A: "SO IN LOVE ~train~" by Caramel S. and The Master
Q: Why are there no "Dance Play Settings" on the Options screen?
A: Because Konami hates us, or they just plumb forgot. You'll just have to
refine your feet to step more properly on the arrows. Alternatively, if you
have a device to transfer game files from your PC to PS2 (like a MAX drive),
download the system files from the following link:
Q: How do I unlock "MEMORIES"?
A: Through the game? No one knows how to, yet. Check the special section
on MEMORIES later in the guide for info on this well-hidden song.
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.
******************************************************************************
3. BASICS
******************************************************************************
This covers most of the stuff you can find in the instruction booklet, but
we all know how often people hang onto those.
==============
3A. Controls =
==============
Directional Buttons: Moves your selection on all the menus or steps in that
direction.
Circle, X: Confirm selection
Triangle, Select: Cancel selection
Start: Start game
Start and Select at the same time: Return to title screen
====================
3B. Menus/Displays =
====================
Main Menu
Game Mode: Select this to access the main game (see How To Dance for more
info).
Party Mode: This is a separate aspect of the game, used if you wanna add a
little more spice to your DDR experience. There are some modes that use the
EyeToy and some that don't.
Mission Mode: UNLOCK (Play 45 Songs) In this mode, you can play specific
challenges that the game creates for you.
Endless Mode: This needs to be unlocked first. Set your options, pick your
poison, and dance until you drop!
Lesson Mode: Tutorial for total beginners.
Training Mode: Practice any open song in any kind of situation.
Edit Mode: Create your own step patterns for any open song.
Workout Mode: A more fitness-oriented way to play.
Records: View your high scores for Game Mode and Workout Mode.
Options: Basic option stuff. Check below for more info.
Credits: Select to view the game credits whenever you wish.
Information: Whenever you get new stuff, you'll see a big flashing NEW! next
to this. Check to find out what you got.
---
Options Menu
Sound Options:
Sound: Select from Stereo, Monaural, or Dolby Pro Logic II.
Voice: Select to have All voices, No Booing, or no voices.
Timing: Changes the sync between the steps and music.
Controller Settings:
Double Mode Settings: Allows you to adjust the controls for Double Play if
you use a controller
Save/Load:
Save: Save system data.
Load: Load system data.
Auto Save: Will Auto Save whenever you change anything or do anything.
Edit Folder Load: Will automatically load Edit Data at startup if On.
Game Options:
Game Level: If set to a harder difficulty, the Dance Meter will decrease more
if you miss.
Max Stage: Set how many stages to a play.
Game Over: "Arcade" will stop immediately once you fail. "End of Music" will
game over at the end of the tune if you fail.
Event Mode: If set to On, then you cannot access the Extra Stage, and whenever
you finish a play, you immediately go back to the Song Select screen. Also,
you will not drop out at all if you fail.
Default Difficulty: Allows you to set where the cursor will be at the "Select
Music" screen. Useful if you're impatient.
Graphic Options:
Dancer Display: Toggle whether or not a dancer will dance in your background.
Movie: Toggle whether or not the background movie plays.
BG Brightness: Set how bright the background is if it's distracting you.
Step Mark Colors: Type1 is the default. Type2 has solid different colors to
tell between 1/4 notes, 1/8 notes, etc.
Flicker Free: Adjusts for flickering on your TV.
Screen Adjustment: Use to center the screen on your TV.
==================
3C. How To Dance =
==================
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 Character
Hey! The characters are back for good (it seems)! From the get-go, you'll
only be able to select Rhythm or Blues. Once you play songs, you'll unlock
more characters. Additionally, you can select RANDOM for a random character,
or OFF to not have characters displayed.
---
Select Music
Use Left and Right to switch songs. Tap Up or Down to change the difficulty.
Press X or Circle to select.
Press Start to change the sorting from the standard alphabetical full list, to
an alphabetical list where you can pick the letter, to by BPM from slowest to
fastest, and your "favorites", which is measured by the total score from all
your plays of the song divided by the number of the difficulty each time you
played.
While your selection's on a song, you'll see a little graphic for the name.
Above the picture, you'll see which song in your current play this one will
be (1st, 2nd, Final, etc.) and the BPM for the song (which may be dynamic).
Below the graphic, in the center of the screen, is the foot rating for the
each difficulty in the song (the higher number, the harder the song).
Difficulties:
Beginner (BEG): Almost all songs are 1-footers. You also have an on-screen
dancer stepping the steps along with you.
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.
Challenge (CHA): A special "second Heavy" difficulty. Only certain songs have
this difficulty, some as the only difficulty.
If you can't figure out what song you want, you can select ROULETTE. This
will start the song list rolling. Press X 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.
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 NONSTOP and you can access the NONSTOP Course screen. Go to the
pertinent section of the guide for more information. If you decide to play
a NONSTOP course, it will count as your entire play.
Select CHALLENGE and you can access the CHALLENGE Course screen. Go to the
pertinent section of the guide for more information. If you decide to play
a CHALLENGE course, it will count as your entire play.
Select EDIT DATA and you pick some of the Edits you've thrown together.
---
Select Options
Hold down X or Circle 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 rotation, but all steps of the same arrow go to the
same of another arrow, for instance, if one up arrow becomes a left arrow,
then all up arrows will be left arrows.
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" will remove the "Step Zone"
from the screen.
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 Meter. It starts about half full. As
you step properly, it'll fill more. If you misstep, your Dance Meter 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 meter increases, and you get the maximum possible score from that
step.
GREAT: You just about stepped on the arrow. Combo continues, the dance meter
increases, and you get half the maximum possible score for the step.
GOOD: You're off on the step by a bit. Combo stops, but the dance meter
doesn't change. You get no points.
ALMOST: You're off on the step by quite a bit. Combo stops, and your dance
meter decreases. You get no points.
BOO: You completely missed the step. Combo stops, and your dance meter
decreases. You get no points.
OK!: You stepped on the whole Freeze Arrow. You get the normal maximum score
for a step.
NG: You stepped off the Freeze Arrow before it ended. Combo continues, but
your Dance Meter will decrease. You get no points.
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, your maximum combo,
and your score.
Scoring is measured by the following algorithm:
X = The total number of standard steps (double steps count as one) +
(2 * the total number of Freeze Arrows)
Y = 70,000,000 / X
Each PERFECT and OK is worth Y points. Each GREAT is worth Y/2 points. All
other types of steps are worth no points.
So, your maximum possible score is 7 million, plus however many bonus points
you've received, which maxes at 10 million, I haven't figured out the bonus
algorithm, yet.
The letters are AAA, AA, A, B, C, D, and E.
The letter grade is determined by tallying up the number of Dance Points you
scored in the song (see above for how each step gives you Dance Points).
E is a failing grade.
D, C, B, and A are progressive grades based on your score (including bonus).
AA is given for a large score. To get this, you'll have to get a full
combo, since you get about an extra million bonus points for the full combo.
AAA is given for all PERFECTs and OKs on Freeze Arrows.
In addition to the letter, you'll get a star if you have a full combo.
---
Extra Stage!
If you played your last song on Heavy or Challenge difficulty and the rating
was 8 or more, and you got at least a AA on it, you'll access the Extra Stage.
Here, you'll be forced to play TRIP MACHINE Survivor on Heavy. The song will
be played with the options 1.5x and Reverse turned on. Your Dance Meter is
special here, too. Instead of a normal Dance Meter, you'll have a No Recovery
Dance Meter, which will start completely full. If you misstep, the Dance
Meter will go down, and you cannot increase it back up.
If you pass the Extra Stage, you'll permanently unlock TRIP MACHINE Survivor.
From then on, if you earn the Extra Stage, you'll play The legend of MAX under
the same conditions. The same is true if you unlock TRIP MACHINE Survivor
by playing 95 Songs.
===================================
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 PS2 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 Lesson Mode the game provides you. It will walk you
through the basics and coach you to be a better dancer.
Despite the Lesson 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, and the Lesson Mode (largely) completed,
head into Beginner 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. When that just gets too easy, take a deep breath and head into
the real DDR world with Light Mode. 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.
At this point in your career, it's time to consider a new pad. For me, this
meant going to redoctane.com and ordering their standard soft pad. This pad
has a soft bottom which won't slip or bunch up as much. It's still not a
serious pad, but you could do worse with fifty bucks.
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 pink pink 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 or Endless 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:
| Next Page » |
