Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix

"A mediocre mix, but good if you don't own a ps2"

Firstly, I am an avid DDR player, I play this game everyday, and I enjoy it immenseley. This review is based upon how compares to other mixes, not how good it is stand-alone.

Music: This is obviously the point of the game here. This mix has a bunch of returning classics (On the Jazz, Healing Vision, Paranoia Rebirth to name a few), but what really defines a mix is what new stuff it brings to the table. This is where Ultramix falls short, really really short. I cannot honestly say there is one new song on this mix that I like (Discounting songpacks). It seems KCEH wanted to go a different way with this mix, and give it a R&B/Hip-Hop theme, but Vets of the series want Techno and Rave. Generally the aforementioned Ultramix songs disgust and insult DDR fans. What I will say, is that it has an abundance of easy songs, so a new player who doesn't ming the songs could easily step into the series through this.

Graphics: Backgrounds are nice. Characters are well animated, but annoying after the first minute. This is really not what DDR is about though. A really neat background might actually distract a noobie. So in a way, this was the correct thing to do.

Gameplay: Now all DDR Games play the same, but the simple yet engaging formula has yet to falter. However, previous DDR mixes have different modes of play (Oni, Nonstop, 6-Panel), Ultramix has none of them. Another simple, yet huge problem is the timing difference. The timing difference is so small that you might not notice when you first play, but if you get all your skills from Ultramix, then play in the arcade, or on any other mix, you may fail horribly.

Overall: This is a fun game, it just doesn't measure up. It lacks the finesse, music, game modes, and overall feel of the older mixes. If you don't own a ps2 then this is your only option, so if your interested in DDR you may just have to put up with it.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/25/04