Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2

"A new DDR game to tie down fans of the series..."

What can I say that already hasn't been said about DDR Extreme 2? It is a great game overall and if you're a fan of dance simulation games (like me), then you will enjoy Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2. To go more in depth, I would like to touch upon the soundtrack of DDR Extreme 2, graphics and backgrounds for each song, playability and on-line play.

Soundtrack: The soundtrack of this DDR is, in a word, the best (at least I think so). This game gives players many of the songs that they were disappointed to see missing from the previous DDR (that is, Extreme). If you're a beginner and you want a list of songs that are not too terribly difficult, this game has it and more. For the more hardcore players, there are OTHER songs that will cater to your skill level. While I personally hate songs by Britney Spears and other artists of that type, some of the songs that they chose to include are not THAT bad (I'll admit it, I like the trance influence added to the song Genie in a bottle). Of course, there are the classic songs from the earlier DDR installments like Dynamite Rave, Butterfly (Upswing Mix) and Brilliant 2U so any DDR player who is feeling a bit nostalgic about the older DDR games will be pleased to know that some of these classics are back in DDR Extreme 2. Overall, the soundtrack of this particular DDR is one of the best (DDR Extreme 2 and DDR Max are a close match, in my opinion).

Graphics (Background videos accompanying each song): The graphics of DDR Extreme 2 were nicely done. The graphics are as smooth as ever in the DDR series with this latest installment and I feel that the videos (most of them anyway) fit the mood and tone of each song. Of course, there are some that are severely misplaced, but background videos never stopped any DDR player (any of them that I know) from playing their favorite songs. The Playstation 2 DDR games never had any graphical problems so, in summary, the graphics of this DDR are, again, more than adequate for any DDR player.

Playability: The past DDR games on the Playstation 2 were never TOO difficult for even beginners to play (except for maybe DDR Max which had no Beginner difficulty). However, this DDR, I believe, is the most difficult one to date. What we have in this DDR is the all-new Dance Master Mode. This mode consists of missions (similar to the Mission Mode of DDR Extreme) which must be played through in order to unlock various items (songs can be unlocked in this mode). However, some people just want to play their favorite songs and nothing more or some people simply are not "good" enough to finish the Dance Master Mode. Fortunately for them, songs can be unlocked in the same manner as the past DDR games as an alternative (which is playing through songs in Free Play mode). And then, we have the Advanced Mode which seems to cater to the most hardcore of DDR players. This mode consists of four "sub-modes" which are Course, Endless, Combo Challenge and Survival. Course and Endless have been staples in the DDR series since DDR Max 2. The new modes Combo Challenge and Survival are modes that only hardcore players will want to attempt. Survival is a mode in which you get a life meter of four life bars and nothing more. If you get anything lower than a Great, you lose a life bar and the challenge is to see how far you can get with a limited life bar. The other mode, Combo Challenge, is exactly what the name implies. Players must play through as many songs as they can WITHOUT missing a single step. Very difficult for most casual players indeed. Again, I do emphasize the point that this game, while difficult in many aspects, should not deter any player (no matter what skill level they are at) from trying this installment out.

On-line Play: From what I have heard about this mode, there are many shortcomings. For one, choosing what song to play against an opponent is not allowed (the selection is done at random). Second, you and other players cannot see prospective opponent's win/loss record, which makes for some interesting match-ups. Finally, you cannot tell if your opponent is using an actual dance pad or a controller. However, some might say that being unable to see your opponent's win/loss record is more of an advantage than a disadvantage. These are just some things that I have heard about On-line Play though I am sure that there are more positives to DDR Extreme 2's On-line Play mode.

Overall: I feel that Konami has done an exceptional job with this latest installment of DDR. Despite some of the downsides to this game (as all games will inevitably have), there are many upsides to this game that will make any fan of the DDR series want to buy this version, not to mention players new to the DDR series. The soundtrack is excellent, the graphics are quite beautiful for a DDR game, the playability of the game (while it caters to more seasoned players of DDR) is good enough to cater to casual and new players alike, and the on-line play feature adds a twist to the competitive aspect of home-version DDR games. To me, this is another DDR masterpiece created by Konami and it certainly holds its own against the likes of other new Dance Simulation games (namely, In The Groove. Ironically, however, I play that game too).

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/05/05