- This article is about the Japanese version of the game. For the United States release, see Dance Dance Revolution EXTREME (USA).
DDR_Extreme.png
The logo for DDR EXTREME made for StepMania
Dance Dance Revolution EXTREME is the eighth game in the Dance Dance Revolution series of music video games. It was released in the arcades by Konami in late 2002. Although only officially released in Japan, units exist worldwide. It featured 240 songs, 14 of which were hidden and unlockable. 59 were new to DDR, and 23 were never seen before in any other Bemani game. It was speculated to be the final arcade version of Dance Dance Revolution.
The interface used is a recoloring and smoothing of the song wheel interface first introduced in DDR 5th Mix. The names of the difficulty modes are "Light," Standard," and "Heavy," just as they were in DDRMAX and DDRMAX2. A "Beginner" mode, color-coded light blue, is now available. First seen in DDR 3rd Mix, it is easier than Light mode. "Challenge," or "Oni," steps, color-coded dark blue and first seen in DDRMAX2, are also available for some songs, but it is not selectable before the game starts. By pressing the two arrow buttons on the machine simultaneously, you can change the sorting method from the default (New songs first, then returning songs, then unlocked songs) to an alphabetical sort, a sort by song speed in BPM, and a sort by popularity. In this version, a sort by origin, the mix or Bemani game a song is originally from, is also available, and placed between the default and alphabetical sorts.
How to play
The general premise of DDR EXTREME is the same as the previous Dance Dance Revolution games. One player can play using one dance pad (Single play style), Two players can play using one dance pad each (Versus play style), or One player can play using both dance pads (Double play style).
A player must step to the beat, matching the beat to the arrows presented to them on screen by stepping on arrows on a metal-and-plexiglass dance stage. Depending on the timing of each step, the step is scored "PERFECT," "GREAT," "GOOD," "BOO" or "MISS." A health bar is on the screen, and starts half-way at the beginning of the routine. PERFECT and GREAT steps increase the health bar until it is full. BOO and MISS steps diminish it. GOOD steps have no effect either way. If a player accumulates too many BOOs or MISSes in rapid succession, and the health bar fully diminishes, then they fail the song and the game ends.
Freeze Arrows, introduced in DDRMAX, have returned. Instead of just stepping on the arrow, you have to hold it for as long as the green arrow line remains on the screen. If you hit the arrow and keep it held, you score an "OK," which scores six dance points. If you do not succeed, it scores an "NG," with is worth nothing when your dance points and grade are calculated. OKs help build up the health bar, and NGs diminish it. You get extra base score points for successfully holding a freeze arrow.
A player may play anywhere from three to seven songs (not including extra stages), depending on how many the arcade owner sets the machine to play each game. At the end of each song, the player sees their accumulated points and how many of each kind of step they stepped. They also get a letter grade, ranging from E (only seen in two player modes when one player fails but the other passes) to AAA (all steps PERFECT), solely determined by the kind of steps they make. At the end of the game, they get a cumulative score based on the last three songs they played plus Extra Stages, if obtained (read on about the Extra Stages).
Scoring for each song has changed as well. There are now two systems: the long-score system used to determine rankings, and an independent dance point system now used to determine the grade.
The long-score system is the same as in DDRMAX2. The maximum score for a song is the foot-rating for that routine multiplied by 10 million. The highest number of points possible for a single song is 100 million points for a 10-foot song.
The dance-point system uses raw step values to determine the grade. It goes by the following formula: A 'perfect' step adds two points, a 'great' step adds one point, a 'good' step is worth nothing, a 'boo' step takes away four points, and a 'miss' step takes away eight points. An 'O.K.' freeze adds six points, and an 'N.G.' freeze is worth nothing. The dance points are also tied to the life bar. As always, if you take too many bad steps and deplete the life bar, you will fail, and the game will end immediately. In two-player games, if one player fails, they can continue dancing, but it ceases to accumulate dance points for the failed player, accumulates score points at only 10 points per step, and automatically gives the failed player an 'E' for the song.
The grade is dependent on the number of dance points you accumulate: 100% dance points is 'AAA', at least 93% is 'AA', at least 80% is 'A', at least 65% is 'B', at least 45% is 'C' and anything below 45% is a 'D'. If you manage to get a net dance-point total of zero without depleting the life bar and, thus, failing, then you get an 'E'. The final grade for the entire game is an average of the grades from the last three songs and not derived from the actual dance points scored.
FMV backgrounds
The arrows scroll over clips of full motion video. The screen refreshes at a full speed of 60 frames per second.
Groove Radar
The Groove Radar is a graphical representation based on a five-point difficulty system. The five skill areas are as follows:
- Stream is the ability to smoothly go through from step to step. This is determined by the number of steps in the song.
- Voltage is the ability to hit the fastest steps consistently. This is determined by the fastest tempo of the song, and how long such tempo is sustained in aggregate.
- Air is the ability to hit "jump steps," steps that require you to hit two arrows at the same time. This is determined by the number of jump steps.
- Chaos is the ability to navigate rapidly-changing step patterns. This is determined by analyzing the overall step routine.
- Freeze is the ability to hold onto the freeze arrows. This is determined by the number of freeze arrows.
The classic foot-rating system is also used as a simpler method of determing a song's difficulty. It is arbitrary. A new rating, referred to as flashing 10, is introduced, and represents an extraordinarily difficult song. Only two routines, the Heavy routine for The legend of MAX and the Oni routine for PARANOIA survivor MAX, are rated flashing 10.
Modifiers
Modifiers are changes that can be made to modify the step routine. A menu is available to make these modifications easily. This menu can be accessed by holding the Green select button when you choose your song.
Some of the available modifires:
- Speed mods change the speed at which the arrows scroll on the screen. You can increase it to multipliers of 1.5x, 2x, 3x, 5x or 8x. The default is "1x."
- Boost, when turned on, causes the arrows to accelerate as they near the step zone. The default is "Off."
- Appearance mods change how the arrows appear on the screen. The default is "Visible." "Hidden" makes the arrow fade out half-way up the screen. "Sudden" makes the arrow fade in half-way up the screen. "Stealth" means the arrows are not visible at all.
- Turn mods affect the pattern of the arrows themselves. The default is "Off." "Left" turns all the arrows 90 degrees left. "Right" turns all the arrows 90 degrees right. "Mirror" flips the step pattern so that all left and right arrows swap, and all up and down arrows swap. "Shuffle" creates a random swap of the arrows, and can vary from turn to turn.
- Other mods affect the difficulty of the step routine. The default is "Off." "Little" eliminates all steps that are more frequent than standard 1/4 steps. "Flat" makes all the arrows appear the same, regardless of their step fraction. "Solo" changes the colors of the arrows to the colors used in DDR Solo 2000. "Dark" removes the "step zone," forcing the player to rely solely on the beat to determine when to step.
- Scroll mods affect the direction in which arrows scroll. The default is "Normal." "Reverse" makes the arrows scroll from top to bottom instead of bottom to top. The health bar is also moved to the bottom.
- Freeze can turn the Freeze Arrows on or off. The default is "On."
- Step is the last chance to change the difficulty of the song. The default is whichever difficulty you selected before choosing the song.
Extra Stages
Once more, the 'extra stages have returned.
If, on the final stage, you get a grade of AA or better on any Heavy step routine, the game gives the message "Try Extra Stage." Unlike previous versions, you can choose any song for your Extra Stage. You are forced to play Heavy steps in a Reverse Scroll modifier and a 1.5x Speed modifier. On top of all that, Extra Stage is played in "Pressure" mode, which means the health bar starts full and does not regenerate if it depletes with missed steps. Challenge-only songs may also be used for Extra Stage.
If, by choice or chance, a dancer chooses The legend of MAX (a flashing-10 in Heavy difficulty) for their Extra Stage and scores a grade of AA or better, then they are forced to play "One More Extra Stage." This time, the Song Wheel is locked on the Oni steps for the song Dance Dance Revolution, a song so named because it samples instruments from many classic Konami original Dance Dance Revolution songs, and because these Oni steps copy sequences from the Heavy step routines of many of the same songs. The player is forced to play its Oni steps in a Reverse Scroll modifier and a 2x Speed modifier. On Another Extra Stage, it is in sudden-death mode, which means just one step that is not scored "Perfect" or "Great" or one freeze that is scored "NG" ends the game.
Nonstop Mode
Nonstop Mode, which appeared in DDR 3rd Mix and DDR 4th Mix, has officially returned. You must choose a course of four songs and play through it to the end (or until you fail). The courses Pop 4 and Random Caprice are used to determine rankings. Your base score is used to determine your rank. Base score is always a maximum of 100 million points. Since base score is always graduated, the first song generally worth up to 10 million, the second song 20 million, the third song 30 million, and the fourth song 40 million.
A new timing, "MARVELOUS," is used in Nonstop Mode. It is stricter than "PERFECT" timing, and a MARVELOUS step is worth three points.
Challenge Mode a.k.a. Oni Mode
The Nonstop Challenge feature from DDRMAX2, also referred to as Oni Mode, returned and was officially renamed Challenge Mode to avoid confusion with Nonstop Mode. It can be selected when you select difficulty before choosing your first song. You have to complete a set course of anywhere from four to twelve songs, with difficulties set and, in some cases, different mods. You cannot mod any songs in Oni Mode, and must play them all at native scroll and whatever mod the machine deems is part of the course. Unlike Nonstop Mode, you have to be perfect with your steps. The health bar is replaced with a battery. If you get a GOOD, BOO, MISS or NG up to four times in any one song, it fails you out and the game ends.
Your score is based on the number of dance points accumulated in the song, unlike DDRMAX2, which shows the percentage of available dance points instead. BOOs and MISSes do not take away from your dance points. The courses Naoki Neo-Standard and Dancemania are used for rankings. Both the dance points and how long you last, if no one has passed the course on that machine yet, determine your rank on each.
MARVELOUS timing is also used in Challenge Mode.
Home versions
The home version of Dance Dance Revolution EXTREME was released in Japan in September 2003 for the Sony Playstation 2 video game console. It featured 111 songs, and had all the features of the arcade version.
The North American home version of DDR EXTREME was released on September 21, 2004, for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console. The songlist is considerably different from the Japanese version, and the feature set is closer to that of .
Soundtrack
The Original Soundtrack for DDR EXTREME was produced by Toshiba-EMI under their Dancemania dance music brand. It contained 30 of the new songs.
External links
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