Best DDR game??

[evanft]

I'm looking to finally get into DDR, but I'm not sure which games to get. The Xbox ones (Ultramix) look to be the best, imo, what with the online play and all. Any opinions?

[daroga]

I'm looking to finally get into DDR, but I'm not sure which games to get. The Xbox ones (Ultramix) look to be the best, imo, what with the online play and all. Any opinions?
It's hard to go wrong with the free StepMania DDR Sim on the PC.

[YoshiFan1]

Overall I think it is the Japanese PS2 version of Max

But I figure you want a US version so I would say either Max 2 for PS2 or Ultramix 3 for XBox

[Strell]

Rap avatar, hard rock metal sig, and now DDR? What doesn't this man do?

[evanft]

Rap avatar, hard rock metal sig, and now DDR? What doesn't this man do?

I do kick ass, don't I?

Well, I've done some searching on the internets, and people seem to say these are the good ones:

PS2:
DDRMax
DDRMax2
DDR Extreme 2

Xbox:
DDR Ultramix 2
DDR Ultramix 3

Ultramix 1 and Extreme 1 seem to suck ass.

Also, could someone recommend a good, preferably universal, dance mat? RedOctane makes one for $20 for PS2, but I'd have to get a convertor (which is another $20).

[alongx]

I'd say stick with DDR Konamix...still my DDR of choice :D

[vietgurl]

Max 2 for a US version.

I'd definately go with the JP version of Max but I don't think you'd want to go through the trouble of importing it.

[evanft]

Yeah, I'm not going to import. Is the list I posted good?

[YoshiFan1]

I don't think the US version of Max 1 is that great. It has 74 songs but I found most of them to be kind of bad. Other than that, I think the games in your list are good.



I'd definately go with the JP version of Max but I don't think you'd want to go through the trouble of importing it.


Nice to see someone else likes that version as well. I honestly can't figure out why the majority of DDR players say the US version was better than the Japanese version (I know it's all opinion but still...). Other than 2 or 3 songs I can say that I like every song in that mix.

[brendan424]

Japanese DDR Extreme all the way for the ps2. US DDR Extreme was terrible, but what can you do?

[Rig]

DDRMAX --- Right behind Extreme 2.
DDRMAX2 --- Also right behind Extreme 2.
DDR Extreme --- Probably my least favorite of all the PS2/Xbox DDR's!
DDR Extreme 2 --- Close call, but I think this is my favorite, though unlocking songs is a bitch!


DDR Ultramix --- Middle Xbox version.
DDR Ultramix 2 --- Personal Xbox favorite version.
DDR Ultramix 3 --- Least favorite Xbox version.

That's how I like them. Oh, and don't purchase an Xbox version (hoping) to play on Live. Downloading songs is great, but there are practically NO opponents. (Which sucks!)

(I still want Cow Girl and Witch Doctor on some version!)

[evanft]

Thanks Rig. I'll get both Max games and Extreme 2 for sure. There seems to be a consensus about those games.

Is there overlap among the various games? Like does Max 2 have 50% of the songs from Max 1 or something?

[mcgavin27]

Extreme 2, Max 2 and Ultramix 1 are my personal favorites.

Avoid Extreme 1 and Ultramix 3!

[Rig]

For the most part, there is very little overlap between versions. They do add a few to the PS2 version, so you can use your edit data between games. However, it's not too big of a deal, since again, there aren't too many overlapping songs. To see full songlists, you can visit: www.ddrfreak.com (http://www.ddrfreak.com/) They have a very nice site.

(And I just looked and saw DDR SuperNova! *dies*)

EDIT: On the topic of dance mats, if you are looking to be a pro at the DDR series, I can only recommend getting metal mats. (Cobalt Fluxs are everyone's personal favorites) Eventually, almost all non-metals quit working as you get into the Heavy songs. My nephew just grabbed a universal dance mat (Pelican?) for $25(?) at Wal-Mart. It was the only mat they had. Worked pretty well when I tried it. Didn't slide around too much. However, I still like Konami's mats the best out of non-metals. You can also pick up a PS2 mat and buy a $10-15 universal adaptor. I have a metal mat specifically for PS2 and I use the adaptor to play on my Xbox, though the adaptor doesn't work with Mario Mix for some reason. Oh, and the adaptor could also be found at Wal-Mart. Sorry for rambling!

[kainzero]

regular 3rd mix!

haha...
i don't even think it got domestic release...
30 fps, 30 songs, songs determined by character selection, "catas," no speed options...

ahhh... back in the days...

[Supercake]

Be very cautious of Redoctane's Ignition Pad. Have one, and the UP arrow is very spastic, never know if it will register or not. It's a crappy pad. Your real best choice is getting a metal pad. It really does make all the difference.

[DMFunk]

I'm all about 5th mix (PS1), gotta import it, but defenetely my DDR of choice.

[YoshiFan1]

regular 3rd mix!

haha...
i don't even think it got domestic release...
30 fps, 30 songs, songs determined by character selection, "catas," no speed options...

ahhh... back in the days...

I didn't get a US release but the 3rd Mix engine was used for DDR USA (both the arcade and home version release). Unfortunately, the home version of DDR USA is horrible. Only 30 songs, no unlocks and no licenses from 3rd Mix.

3rd Mix is one of my favorite mixes. I really liked to play 3rd Mix Korean 2 in the arcades but the stupid arcade upgraded to Extreme a few months after Extreme came out.

At least with the home version of 3rd Mix, you can put it on 3rd ReMix mode so you can play SSR songs with vivid arrows and get the full songlist no matter what character you choose.

[evanft]

For the most part, there is very little overlap between versions. They do add a few to the PS2 version, so you can use your edit data between games. However, it's not too big of a deal, since again, there aren't too many overlapping songs. To see full songlists, you can visit: www.ddrfreak.com (http://www.ddrfreak.com/) They have a very nice site.

(And I just looked and saw DDR SuperNova! *dies*)

EDIT: On the topic of dance mats, if you are looking to be a pro at the DDR series, I can only recommend getting metal mats. (Cobalt Fluxs are everyone's personal favorites) Eventually, almost all non-metals quit working as you get into the Heavy songs. My nephew just grabbed a universal dance mat (Pelican?) for $25(?) at Wal-Mart. It was the only mat they had. Worked pretty well when I tried it. Didn't slide around too much. However, I still like Konami's mats the best out of non-metals. You can also pick up a PS2 mat and buy a $10-15 universal adaptor. I have a metal mat specifically for PS2 and I use the adaptor to play on my Xbox, though the adaptor doesn't work with Mario Mix for some reason. Oh, and the adaptor could also be found at Wal-Mart. Sorry for rambling!

Aren't metal mats insanely expensive?

[Strell]

Aren't metal mats insanely expensive?

A Cobalt Flux runs 300 I believe.

Probably before shipping, too.

[Rig]

Fluxs are, like Strell said, $300. However, many DDR fans will say against them, but I got a metal mat off ebay three and a half years ago, and it is excellent. I did have problems with each arrow though. They stopped working. Opened it and found they did a poor job of soldering it. Ten minutes of work and I haven't had a problem since. And I figure that's why everyone says they are not good; probably because they need to be soldered and nobody knows it. They are much cheaper than Fluxs, so if you can solder, I'd recommend one. (Oh, and my down arrow plastic cracked, but it doesn't affect gameplay. You can buy replacements for $5, but I don't mind...)

[evanft]

How much do the ones you're talking about go for?

[Rig]

How much do the ones you're talking about go for?

I'll check ebay right now...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ARCADE-PS2-X-BOX-DANCE-REVOLUTION-METAL-STEEL-DDR-PAD_W0QQitemZ8255215895QQcategoryZ21188QQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem

Okay, it took a little bit of searching to find that, but that's what mine looks like. (That has a different, better looking control box than mine though...) Again, knowledge with soldering will definitely be needed, but after soldering my arrows my pad couldn't be better.

Ebay now has a lot of "Ninja brand metals" and "Blade brand metals" but I don't know how those work, since I've never used one.

[evanft]

The shipping runs $70 on that thing. I'm not gonna spend that much on a dance mat, at least not yet.

[Renegade_Zero]

I still like Konamix for ps1.

[mentos888]

Dance Factory looks like it could own DDR if it's any good. (You can use your own music CD's and it choreographs steps for u!)

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/puzzle/dancefactory/news.html?sid=6142643&mode=recent

(available April 2006)