DDRMAX2 Dance Dance Revolution

"Nice songlist and features, but no new challenges..."

Quick pros and cons:
Pros:
- More licenses than ever before... and good ones, too
- Excellent variety in the songlist
- New expanded, customizable Nonstop mode
- Beginner mode for the newbies
- New Endless mode and expanded Workout mode
- Extra cosmetic features like music videos and dancing characters
- DDR's gameplay is timeless

Cons:
- Lack of Oni mode really hurts
- None of the new USA exclusives' steps are very difficult
- Some may dislike the large number of repeated songs
- Not much to attract importers and experts

-----

NOTE: I'm assuming readers already know about Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) and how it is played. I don't want to duplicate the basics that are already in 4,000 other reviews. This review will focus exclusively on THIS version of the game, and what makes it different from the others.

Dance Dance Revolution continues to evolve in the USA. Last time, for DDRMAX USA, we got a good-sized songlist containing lots of great Konami Originals, a couple of classic DDR licenses, and even five new USA exclusive licenses. Oni mode made a surprise appearance, although the implementation was quite flawed; only six courses, and two of them were too long to be entertaining. We gave the feedback, Konami listened, and here we now have DDRMAX2 USA. How did it go?

As usual, not everyone will be satisfied with the results. But most fans of the series will find DDRMAX2 USA worth the $40, and will find plenty of hours of enjoyment within.

Perhaps the most ambitious additions in MAX2 USA are the new licensed exclusives. The feedback from last time was positive, and now we have new tracks from the likes of Jocelyn Enriquez, Kylie Minogue, The Crystal Method, Dirty Vegas, Ian Van Dahl and others. And these are not bottom-of-the-barrel, either... they're the songs we've heard on the radio and on TV: Heaven, Days Go By, Busy Child, Love At First Sight and Will I? are just five names that will be recognized by people who've never even touched DDR. The exclusive licenses sound great and fit DDR like a glove.

On top of this, we've received some recognizable licenses from previous Japanese versions of DDR: Twilight Zone, Let's Groove and Long Train Runnin' to name a few. DDR players will likely immediately recognize The Whistle Song, So Deep, Ghosts and Drifting Away; and if they've been playing for a while, they may remember Conga Feeling and Dream A Dream. Konami of America did *not* skimp on the licenses this time. All told, there are about 20 licenses... the most we've ever had!

Oddly, the Konami Originals in the songlist are composed mostly of repeats. From the start, you can choose 6 from the original DDRMAX2, 1 new beatmania song, 1 from the older 5th MIX... and 13 that already appeared on earlier USA versions. Once you've unlocked the hidden songs, you'll find 8 more KO repeats alongside 19 new KO selections.

So out of the total list of 69 songs, only 48 are new. It's nice to have some of the repeats from the technologically inferior, older PS1 versions, but some people may be turned off by the large number of repeats. That said, the songlist on the whole contains a ton of variety, possibly even more than MAX USA's list, and a wealth of songs everyone will enjoy. Personally, I don't mind the repeats too much...

That's the songlist. What about features? MAX2 USA comes with several features never seen before in an American version, and some features have been expanded. The Dark modifier that removes the step zone from the screen is now selectable. The new Beginner mode dramatically simplifies all of the step patterns, allowing anyone to easily learn how to play and get into the game. Workout mode now allows you to create your own programs of up to 20 continuous songs. Endless mode selects songs randomly until you lose or quit. A few cosmetic features, too: many of the licensed songs have real, authentic music videos that play in the background, and the dancing characters from the PS1 versions have come back.

Argubly the biggest new feature, though, is Nonstop mode. Which is funny, because it's not really ''new.'' After all, it was present in the old DDR USA and Konamix. But this Nonstop mode is an expanded form of the new version used in DDR Extreme. There are 15 courses to attempt on two different difficulty levels, ranging in length from 3 to 12 songs. There are also Random courses and Player's Best courses as in DDR Extreme, and you may create up to 3 courses of your own, consisting of up to a whopping 20 songs! You could easily spend hours upon hours in this mode putting together new and different challenges...

...which brings me to the main problem of MAX2 USA. Challenge.

Oni mode is gone. It's not hidden, unlockable or off to the side somewhere... it's just flat-out not there at all. After getting Oni early last time, many players assumed we'd be getting both Oni and Nonstop this time around, but were proven wrong. Nonstop does *not* provide the same level of challenge, no matter which way you play it, and even a somewhat proficient Oni player will not have any difficulty passing all of the Nonstop courses in this version (with the exception of Ultimate 12, which features MaxX Unlimited Heavy at the end).
Also disappointingly easy are all of the new songs' steps. While many of them are interesting or fun to play, none of the new USA exclusive steps are rated more than 7 feet (out of 10). You can of course create your own steps, but most players will not put forward the time and effort required. There *are* songs with challenging steps, like So Deep, Xenon, Burning Heat! and MaxX Unlimited, but seasoned players will have seen them all already. So if you're looking for a new challenge, you will not find one here.

If these issues don't trouble you, you'll probably get a lot of mileage out of MAX2 USA. Heck, even if they do, you'll probably enjoy it. The fact remains that it's still DDR, and DDR is still incredibly enjoyable. If you like DDR, then you'll almost certainly like MAX2 USA. So stop reading about it and go play already. =)

Graphics: 8
The arrow graphics are unchanged, and they still move with the smoothness they should. The background animations have been improved and are much smoother than in MAX USA. The new music videos are distracting at first but then just seem to blend in with the rest. The dancing characters are a nice touch, but their animations still don't necessarily go along with the music in any logical way.

Sound: 9
The songlist is great. The variety of both the Konami Originals and the licenses is as good as you can get in a home version. Sound quality is perfect, of course. It's too bad that we couldn't have had more of the excellent MAX2 remixes, but maybe next time...

Gameplay: 10
It's Dance Dance Revolution. It's fun, challenging, a good workout, a great time with friends, and the most fun you can have stomping your feet on arrow panels. What more could you want?

Features/Replay: 8
Replay value is, as with any version of DDR, very high. Plenty of steps to try and songs to enjoy, and lots of fun can be had in Nonstop and Endless modes. But the lack of Oni really hurts the longevity of this game as a player's skills improve.

Overall: 8
This new American version--the most accessible, and very possibly the most enjoyable American version so far--is longer on great songs but shorter on expert challenge, mainly because of Oni's absence. If you import the Japanese versions, or if you're an Oni player, you may want to import DDR Extreme for PS2 instead, with over 100 songs, Oni, Nonstop and all the trimmings. Otherwise, MAX2 USA is a must-buy that you'll love for a long time.

Also try: DDRMAX USA, DDRMAX, DDRMAX2, DDR Extreme, beatmania IIDX, Pump It Up

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/29/03