Reviewed: October 3, 2005
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Konami
Developer
Konami TYO
Released: September 27, 2005
Genre: Music
Players: 1-2
ESRB: Everyone
8
9
9
8
8.8
Supported Features:
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
Konami has had some phenomenal success with their DDR series of games, and Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2 is their ninth installment in the ongoing franchise. Admittedly, the core gameplay hasn’t changed much over the years. It still hearkens back to the arcade original that launched the simple concept of stepping on directional symbols as they scroll across the screen.
Frankly, I’ve been getting just a bit more bored with the series with each new release. Sure, Konami adds new contemporary music, and they’ve even toss in some music videos and new game modes to mix things up and make the game more “party friendly”, but at the end of the day DDR has always been just another dance game…until now.
As a club DJ for more than ten years I know a lot about music but I’ve never been the best dancer – curse of being in the DJ booth rather than on the dance floor. Breaking out the dance mat and attempting to play this game in the privacy of my own home with the blinds closed still takes a huge effort in blocking out any self-consciousness and with the enhanced support for the EyeToy, there is no escaping my awkward antics.
Admittedly, I’m much more comfortable and have better skills at playing this game with the gamepad, but using the Dual Shock takes away a huge part of what makes DDR Extreme 2 what it is, and most of the new modes now require your hands to be free. So lose the controller and your inhibitions and prepare for the ultimate dance game to ever hit the PS2.
DDR is founded on the principle elements of directional commands that rise from the bottom of the screen toward their matching outlines along the top. Your goal is to match those symbols precisely as they pass through their outline. In theory this sounds like an easy proposition, but just wait until they start throwing multiple directions at you at the same time, or perhaps combining “holds” (where you have to keep the button pressed for an extended duration) while continuing to match other symbols.
The speed of the symbols is based on the BPM (beats per minute) of the music and the number of symbols is based on your chosen difficulty. On the easiest skill level a song might have 80-100 steps in the entire mix, but on the Light setting this number doubles. Choosing Normal or Hard drives the difficulty into the realm of impossibility. Only professional dancers and speed freaks need apply.
DDR Extreme 2 can be played with the gamepad or a dance mat or a pair of dance mats for an even greater challenge, and this latest version supports the EyeToy USB Camera. The camera lends itself way to numerous new game modes that will give you a full body workout.
All of the original modes are back along with several new modes including an Advanced mode, Beginner mode, and an online mode for Internet play and online rankings. The Dance Master mode will have players performing a series of missions on their quest to become the most "extreme" dancer. The Endless mode allows players to play all the songs as one long continuous nonstop mix, while the Lesson and Edit modes lets players learn and customize their dance moves. Rounding out this complete DDR package and ensuring players are getting off the couch and onto the dance floor is the popular Work Out mode, allowing players to track the calories they burn as they dance off the pounds.
While not much has changed in the way you play the game, there is a whole DVD full of content including more than 40 dancers, half of which are unlocked when you start the game and the rest you get to unlock. Add to that more than 70 new songs, 24 of which are available out of the box, and more than 100 minutes of some of the most intense dance music you can hear without a cover charge, and you are ready for one heck of a party.
DDR Extreme 2 is not about the graphics, but even so they do a surprisingly good job for the most part. The symbols are generally easy to see and “holds” and “double-tap” notes are clearly indicated by unique symbols. Things can get distracting when the background gets cluttered with animated dancers or FMV music videos. And now we have the added distraction of having to watch my own awkward attempts at dancing “in the mirror”.
The menus are simple and the scoring and music selection screens are colorful and easy to navigate. As you unlock new banks of music they are color coded so you know what’s new. The information on the HUD during the game is clear and easy to read provided you can take your eyes off the streaming steps long enough to read it.
As with any music or dance game the soundtrack is the driving force behind the gameplay. DDR Extreme 2 features a massive song list ranging from dance, techno, disco, and some interesting hybrid mixes. Here is just a sample of the great titles included in this game:
- 1998 - NAOKI
- AGAINST ALL ODDS(TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW) - Déjà Vu featuring Tasmin
- AIR - DJ SIMON
- As The Rush Comes(Gabriel & Dresden Sweeping Strings Radio Edit) - Motorcycle
- BE LOVIN - D-Crew
- Block Rockin' Beats - The Chemical Brothers
- BOOM BOOM DOLLAR(K.O.G G3 MIX) - King Kong & D.Jungle Girls
- butterfly(UPSWING MIX) - SMILE.dk
- Can Be Real - Vision F
- CAPTAIN JACK(GRANDALE REMIX) - CAPTAIN JACK
- CARTOON HEROES(Speedy Mix) - BARBIE YOUNG
- Colors(for EXTREME) - dj TAKA
- Crazy In Love - wg feat. Indra J
- Genie In A Bottle - nc ft. NRG Factory
- Get Busy - Sean Paul
- Heaven is a '57 metallic gray(gimmix) - Hiro feat. Sweet little 30's
- I Need You(Insideout Door Mix) - Supa Fova
- I will Survive - AKIRA feat.Daline
- IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT - E-ROTIC
- INFINITE PRAYER - L.E.D.Light feat.GORO
- IRRESISTIBLEMENT - WILDSIDE
- LA COPA DE LA VIDA - PATRICK VICTORIO
- L'amour et la liberte(DDR Ver.) - NAOKI underground
- LOOK AT US(Daddy DJ Remix) - SARINA PARIS
- My My My - Armand Van Helden
- Oops!...I Did It Again - AKIRA feat.Susan Z
- PARANOIA survivor - 270
- Play That Funky Music - wg feat. Tony L
- Polovtsian Dances And Chorus - Naoto Suzuki feat. Martha
- Pump Up The Volume - M/A/R/R/S
- Quickening - dj TAKA
- SAKURA - RevenG
- Saturday Night Love - Sota feat. Brenda V.
- Seduction - nc ft. FINALFORCE
- Silence(Airscape Remix) - Delerium with Sarah McLachlan
- SPEED OVER BEETHOVEN - ROSE
- Spin Spin Sugar(Armand's Dark Garage Mix) - Sneaker Pimps
- Tomorrow - nc ft. Dreamscanner
- un deux trois - SDMS
- Wonderful Night(radio edit) - Fatboy Slim
- You gotta move it (feat. Julie Rugaard) - Yuzo Koshiro
By the time you unlock and make your way through all the songs you’ll be ready to hear them all over again. The numerous modes, multiplayer gaming, new camera modes, and even the quirky potential to use this game to shed a few excess pounds gives DDR Extreme limitless replay value. Whether this becomes your next favorite party game or just a guilty pleasure you experience behind closed doors, DDR Extreme is the definition of addictive gaming...to the extreme.
Of course the newest feature is also the biggest enhancement to the value of this game - the online gameplay. Even though you might have a hard time finding real people playing online the community is sure to grow over time. You can play head-to-head, which is basically the same thing as playing with somebody in the same room without the embarrassment when they school you. The game also scans your memory card to see how much you have played and how well you have played then compares those stats on ranked leaderboards.
You’ll never catch me playing this game in the arcades or even when other people are in the same room but having Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2 on my PS2 ready to humiliate myself in the privacy of my own home is undeniable fun, and now I can challenge somebody online and still keep my dignity intact. I suppose there is a certain demographic that will really enjoy this game, girls and anyone who can dance, and the camera will certainly feed the ego of those wanting to become TV stars, even if it is just in your own home.
As with most of these dancing games you either “get” it or you don’t. For those that do, you won’t find a more comprehensive or fun dancing game out there. The new online modes add greatly to an already fantastic DDR package and sets the bar just that much higher for the next installment.