Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2

"Revenge of the Paranoias!"

Why does it seem like a lot of people don't like this mix very much? This is a great version, with nearly 75 songs! Well, anyways, let's get on with the review.

Songs – 9.5/10

This mix has awesome songs, such as Get Busy, Daikenai, La Bamba, Crazy in Love, and the Paranoias have 3 songs here with the normal Paranoia, Paranoia Survivor, and even Paranoia Survivor Max, which was the hardest song before SuperNOVA! There are 4 10-footers; Sakura (which was the Japanese symbol in the arcade version of Extreme), Paranoia Survivor, and PSM, which is a 10-footer on both Heavy and Oni! So, you may be wondering why I gave it a 9.5 instead of a 10. Well, I'm a big MAX fan, and this mix doesn't have any (unless you count PSM, but I don't really think that counts.). But I still really like the Paranoias, so it evens out.

Graphics – 8.5/10

By graphics, I mean the backgrounds of the songs. These are great (no more backgrounds repeated several hundred times, like in the PS2 Extreme)! Especially the Get Busy video. The problem is, though, that's the only video in the game. Also, some of the backgrounds are distracting and contrast with the arrows, making them hard to hit with accuracy. But, the majority of them are very good, so this gets an 8.5.

Dance Master Mode – 9/10

Dance Master Mode is the new Mission Mode, where you unlock the songs, modes (Endless, Survival, and Combo Challenge), and courses. You start out with 2 beginner songs to choose from, and once you beat it, 2 more become available, and then another 2 more after you beat another, and then a final 2, where you unlock the ability to go back and do the missions again by looking at them from a grid, and you get Area B, where you go up to Light difficulty. And, on many of these missions, there are special conditions that need to be met, like getting over 7,000,000 points or don't step on the down arrow. The only problem is that you have to go through easy missions until you get to areas C and D, where you get Standard and Heavy songs.

Online – 7/10

I recently hooked my PS2 online, and tried playing DDRE2 with this newfound power. It was pretty good, as all of my friends and family aren't very good at DDR and it gave me a chance to play against people around my level. There are a few Ranking Challenges, which is like a course that you play to get your ranking up. The problem was, when I went on, there were 5 other people online. :O Also, you cannot choose the songs, they are randomly assigned.

Replayability – 11/10

This is a DDR game, what do you expect? You will get countless hours of trying to clear that one mission that you're stuck on, or trying to AAA your favorite song.

If you've never played DDR before, then I would suggest trying it out at a friend's house that has it, or at an arcade. If you like it, then buy this. Also, if you know you like DDR, then definitely buy this. This is my favorite mix so far (at the time of the writing of this review.). So, have fun, and good luck at beating AAAing PSMO!

9.5 (songs)
8.5 (graphics)
9 (Dance Master mode)
7 (Online)
+11 (Replayability)
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An overall score of 9

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/31/06