Dance Dance Revolution 4th Mix

"The arcade port is better, but excellent nonetheless"

Ya know, it’s a wonderment to me why the Bemani series (Konami music series) is not a big thing in the self proclaimed Great U S of A. The games in the series offers adrenaline rushes like no other. The soundtracks of all the games surpasses any other games. DDR offers more of a workout than most games you see in the gaming world. Well, you get the idea. Anyways, I’m not here to complain, but rather to review Dance Dance Revolution 4th Mix. This game is the first DDR game to offer features from both the main series of DDR games and the solo editions. As good as it is on the PlayStation, it does not live up to the arcade version. It misses something from what I felt was the “complete” version seen in the arcades. But nonetheless, DDR4 will make a great addition to any PlayStation game collection.

As I have said many times before in previous Bemani reviews, the gameplay is extremely simple. There is really not much to know about the game play. The gamer stands in the middle of the dance stage. There are four panels surrounding the player (one in front of you, one behind you, one to the left, and one to the right). During the game, arrows will come on screen, going from the bottom of the screen to the top. When the arrow reaches the top and matches with the line of clear arrows (the clear arrows will respond to your movement on the panels), you must step in that direction. Scoring is based on how accurate you can step in the direction. Combos can be made if you dance really accurately, but the combo is broken when you make a mistake. Combos will multiply your score into an amazingly high score. Does this all sound simple? Well, it is! But learning it and mastering it is a whole different story. A lot of the songs features very tricky beats and rhythms and extremely tricky steps. Also, a lot of the songs go really fast, hence the dancer must be very coordinated. In fact, feet eye coordination and fairly good physical fitness is required to play this game.

As I have said before, this game offers features from the solo editions. When playing in the solo mode, you have the option to dance with six panels. In addition to the usual front, left, back, right panels, you will also get the top right panel, and the top left panel. This provides a much greater challenge, as you have more arrows to look at, your coordination must be better than a 4-panel game, and it makes it much harder to find your way back to the middle.

The number of modes has expanded from DDR 3. For all you people who are not physically fit, there is a diet mode. This mode keeps a log of how many calories you lose every time you play. This is very handy for people looking for a fun exercise to do to lose weight. There is now a challenge mode. This mode offers you specific goals for each song. Such as passing it without missing, passing it with max combo. You won’t advance to the next level until you can pass all the goals in the current level.

Something that is different from the previous games are that each character has a category of songs attached to them . By picking a character, you only have access to his or her songs that game. You cannot go to another character in the middle of a game. I find this sometimes very frustrating, when I want a song in another category. However, as you play more, you can unlock a “all music mode”, in which you will have access to all the songs.

A special mat is required to play this game. This mat is a playstation controller whose sole purpose is to duplicate the dancing stage seen in the arcades. It has the 4 primary panels on it, plus the circle, triangle, square, and X buttons. It also, of course, has the start and select buttons. The X and circle buttons are placed in a location so that you could play 6 panels with them. This mat is valued at about $40 Canadian (for all you Americans, make the conversion yourself. I’m terrible at math ;). But if you don’t have access to a mat, or just simply cannot afford one, not a problem! This game could be played with a controller (though if you do, it cuts down on the fun factor). The controls with the controllers make the game a lot easier, as hand eye coordination is a lot easier than feet eye coordination. The challenge in this game surpasses any other game you would see. Mainly because not only do you have to be coordinated, but you have to be physically fit to do well. However, for those newcomers, there is no fear. There is a training mode, in which you can play without failing. Also, you will get an evaluation when you finish the song. There are also songs in which they are extremely easy.

The graphics are much better than DDR 3. First, the opening movie is a lot smoother than it was in DDR 3. All the details are well done. The backgrounds are more colorful and attractive than they were in previous games. Other than that, there are not much differences from previous games. The audio is as good as ever. I must say this soundtrack is the best Bemani soundtrack up to date. Many songs make their return. But ironically this is also what I find disappointing. There are much more songs in the arcade port. This game lacks a lot of songs. The announcer during the game also has a annoying voice. But luckily, his voice can be turned off.

The fun factor tin this game is out of this world high (should this come as a surprise?!). This game is even more fun when playing with a group of friends, as you could cheer each other on (or taunt each other, it doesn’t matter). The solo mode makes this game fun for playing by yourself. The repay value is as high as ever. There are much more things to unlock, as well as the challenge mode will keep you occupied for a while.

Overall, I demand you buy this game. That is all…

FINAL RANKINGS:
Gameplay: 10
Challenge: 10
Controls: 10
Graphics: 10
Audio: 10
Fun Factor: 10
Replay Value: 10
Overall: 10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/27/01, Updated 05/27/01