Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix

"Not up to par with the PS2 DDRs, but hey...it's still a solid DDR title."

Around 2003, Konami decides to shine their DDR magic to the X-Box. Nice. Now X-Box gamers get to enjoy Dance Dance Revolution, a huge hit that still holds up respectively in arcades today. After playing DDRMAX and MAX2 on PS2 I was expecting this title to be quite familiar. Turns out that this, and all of the other X-Box DDR games have changed a lot.

Graphics: 6.5/10

Well what can you say about a home DDR game. Graphics are not that special for this type of game. One thing that really bothers me is some of the new flashy background they added in Ultramix. It can really screw you over if you are attempting Max 300, then suddenly one of the tacky backgrounds from the video makes the arrows hard to read. Another part of the game I really did not like is the dancing characters in Ultramix. Sure I wouldn't mind having the characters from the past DDR games in this, but in this mix, they seem more...."humanized" and realistic. I mean...they look hideous! Of course you can just turn off the ugly characters in the options menu so you don't have to look at those ogres while playing. Ugh....

Sound: 9/10

I was really happy to see a huge load to Konami originals in Ultramix. They have some fan favorites like Healing Vision and some of the Paranoias in there. The new songs added to this mix are actually not that bad. Some songs like Ballad are too slow and unnecessary, but songs like the original Dive and Graduistic Cyber are enjoyable.

Controls: ?

Well I dunno...it depends on what kind of pad you are using. If you are new to DDR, it's best to get a cheap, plastic, flat pad (you can probably find one at your local store for about 15-25 bucks). Or if you have a ton of DDR experience like me, then it's best if you look online and purchase a more expensive, but more effective pad for playing. A flat, cheap pad will not do any good if you an experience player.

Gameplay: 8/10

Okay, so I have mixed feelings about the gameplay of this mix. It has a good song selection and all, but Konami pretty much changed everything else completely. First off, there's no arcade mode. Why did they get rid of it? Heck if I know...but the new "game mode" is fine (same as arcade mode except no Extra stage). Announcers are totally different as well. I was fine with the DDR Extreme announcer, but what is up with these other announcers? Honestly, I was annoyed while playing so it's best to turn them off. There are songs that are unlockable, but you have to do certain things to unlock them (just like the past DDR mixes). Another new mode which was quite interesting is the workout mode. The game keeps track of all of the calories you lost in each song you do.

Oh and I almost forgot about the online feature in Ultramix, which is new to the DDR home games. I never used the online feature, but it's an interesting feature if you are able to play against anyone online via X-Box Live. What's also new to the multiplayer category is 4 players can join in at the same time in the all new battle mode for Ultramix.

The new challenge modes are fun, but a lot of them seem way too easy for expert players. Very few of the challenges made me fail a couple times before I passed them.

One thing that really pissed me off is the timing and judge difficulty. Sure you can change all that stuff in the options, but the default settings are absurd. For the DDR vets, the timing window is ridiculously high. It's pretty easy getting a great even though you were way off. Getting perfects is even harder though. Yes, I know I said the timing window is bigger, but the "perfect timing" is extremely strict. Double-Aing a song is also a lot harder then the DDRMAX games for the PS2. Missing an arrow will lessen your chance of AAing a song. Even if you full combo a song with about 80+ greats, it will still be a AA. What were they thinking? why not keep it old school like the past DDR games?

Replay Value: 8/10

Replay value is generally high for DDR games. However there is quite a low amount of songs in this mix (around 50). But replay value is still high for those trying to AA a song or trying to pass Max 300 on heavy. The challenge mode will keep you quite busy if you have the patience to beat them all. If you happen to have three other pads (or controllers) and three friends who are willing to play with you, then give the battle mode a spin. Online is also a special feature to test your skill.

Final Thoughts

If you own a PS2 and PS2 ddr titles, it's best to just ignore this game (and the other X-Box DDR titles). The PS2 versions offer a bigger variety of songs and different game modes. I feel that this mix, and all of the other Ultramixes after this one are watered down and disappointing. These titles are more beginner friendly and more appealing to beginners with licensed tunes that they are all familiar with. I scored this title an 8 out of 10. If this was on the PS2, I would give it a 5 because it does not live up to the other DDR games on PS2. If you only own an X-Box and must play a DDR game, then this titles is your best bet. It's not a bad game, but you are missing out on all of the fun from the precious PS2 DDRs.

Mean Score: 7.8

Estimate: 8

Final Score: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/18/06