Dance Dance Revolution Extreme

"The greatest, most intense game that has ever graced the world... and it's a dancing game?!"

For those of you who don't know, Dance Dance Revolution Extreme is the latest, and quite possibly the final arcade mix of the mega-popular rhythm action game, Dance Dance Revolution. DDR premiered in 1998, and was quickly picked up and turned into a hugely popular game in Japan. Soon enough, the revolution came to America and England, with two arcade mixes released in the early days for America, and under a different name for England, Dancing Stage. In late 2002, the rumored final mix, Extreme, was released. By now, DDR was pretty much dead in Japan, but the popularity in America was skyrocketing. Therefore, most of the machines were shipped over here to America, and to even this day the game's players are growing. There are even
some arcades dedicated solely to Dance Dance Revolution, and it's fellow rhythm games made by Bemani, such as Beatmania and
Drummania.

What is DDR?

DDR is what it sounds like- a game where you dance. It's actually quite simple; as the arrow scroll up the screen and the music plays, you step on the arrows to the beat of the music when they reach the grey deadzone at the top of the screen. Sounds simple, but once you step into the hardest songs in the game on the hardest levels, it can get chaotic. DDR takes months of physical training to get skilled. DDR also doubles as a great workout, if you play enough, you'll start to notice results. It does wonders for your leg muscles, and I myself have even lost 30 lbs thanks to DDR alone.

Graphics: Extreme's graphics are the tried-and-true method that's been used on every mix, only, upgraded. Unlike older mixes, Extreme runs smoothly at around 55fps, and has psychedelic themed background videos per song. For example, intense, hardcore songs like Daikenkai and MAX 300 have a mine floating around in the background, traditional Japanese songs such as Matsuri Japan and Tsugaru have ancient Japan and samuri-themed videos, and a few songs such as TwinBee and Graduation have exclusive videos.

Music: Can you say almost any genre you can think of? DDR has it all, from trance to hip-hop, from happy hardcore to guitar riffs, from eurobeat to techno, from J-pop to bagpipes, there's a song in there for just about everyone. Some songs you may already know, such as a cover of We Will Rock You. With over 260 songs, the list just goes on and on.

Difficulty: There are five difficulty levels, Beginner, Light (for those who've learned the basics), Standard (for those who wish to try out realistic dance steps), Heavy (for professionals only!), and Challenge (which are like an extra Heavy step). And for the pros, there's Nonstop (Four songs in a row, can you keep up?) and Oni (only for those who have mastered even the most difficult songs on the
most difficult settings). One for every day of the week. With -seven- difficulties, you're not going to be done with Dance Dance for a long, long time.

Closing: If you stumble across a local Dance Dance Revolution machine, specifically an Extreme, give it a try- it tends to be only 50 cents - $1 to play. Just remember to stick with it- DDR is one of the most intense games out as of now, if not THE most intense. Remember to concentrate and breathe. And one key thing to remember, you are not good at it, provided you haven't ever played. Everyone's horrible at Dance Dance Revolution the first time, so don't worry if you fail the first time.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/09/03