DDRMAX has plenty of songs, but plenty of them are bad.
July 7, 2018
Finally, Vincent Valentine gets his time in the spotlight.
July 7, 2018
Author’s Note: This review was originally published on October 7th, 2003. Once again, ouch. This review is just whirlwind of bad writing and train wreck language. This is one review I’d like to go back and edit because DDRMAX 2 is my favorite game from the franchise. My friends and I share amazing memories thanks to this game.
The next Dance Dance Revolution game is definitely one of the better ones! Many people think that it’s been too ”Americanized” or ”n00bified.” Well, as an experienced DDRer, I say that they’re wrong and should be thankful for what they get.
Story: N/A
There is no story in DDR. All you do is dance the night away!
Gameplay: 10/10
Well, I’ll explain DDR for those of you who’ve never played it. Basically, you have an arrow bar at the top that has the four directions (left, down, up, right). Arrows from the bottom of the screen rise on up, and when they land in the bar, you have to hit that direction. The grading skill goes: Perfect, Great, Good, Almost and Boo. If you get a Perfect or Great, you can combo them. It’s pretty basic, but the steps can get really complicated. Some arrows are doubled, some arrows come in a fast order, and some arrows are long. These are called freeze arrows. So that’s the basics of game play. There are four difficulty levels: beginner, light, standard, and heavy. New to this game is the non-stop mode, and the endless mode. The endless mode plays ALL of the songs. Both continuous modes don’t allow time for a break or anything, so it really test your endurance and stamina! All of the new game play options are great! Also, the old things are just as great as they’ve always been. You have your training mode, lesson mode, edit mode…all the things you know and love.
Graphics: 10/10
The dancers are back and this time have gone cel-shaded! So that is always a wonderful addition. The backgrounds are very fun, full of random colors and designs. Some songs have real life music videos, showing that the PS2 movie player seriously rocks. There isn’t that much to say about the graphics. You can see the arrows perfectly fine, and if the backgrounds or dancers become a distraction, then you can just turn them off.
Music and Sound: 9.9999999/10
For the most part, all of the songs are great. They’re upbeat, fun, and pulsating with great lyrics and rhythm. Some American pop culture songs are actually in this game. Examples include Kylie Minogue, Dirty Vegas, KC and the Sunshine Band, The Crystal Method…just to name a few. The songs made from Japan or from Konami are also great. Some of my favorites are Breakdown, End of the Century, and D2R. However, Konami has put on some of the worst songs I’ve ever heard…and they were on previous mixes! Seriously, AM-3P or whatever is OLD! Get something new! And the R&B songs are just bad because that type of music is one that is impossible to dance to. So some of the songs that they brought back are kind of annoying, but overall the song selection is great! I’m sure many won’t agree on a lot of the songs, but music is something of personal taste.
That crazy announcer is back, and he brought some fun new comments with him. The other sounds are fine. All you’ll be listening to is the music in this game.
Replay Value: 10/10
With songs, modes, and other features to unlock you’ll be playing this game over and over. And even after you unlock everything, it’ll still remain a great game to pop into the PS2 and enjoy for a long time.
Difficulty: Various
You set the difficulty level when you start game mode. Some of the songs are very difficult, others are so easy you can play them backwards. So, the difficulty allows the player to play at his or her own level.
Buy or Rent: Buy
This is a definite buy. Also, buy a pad along with it so you can fully enjoy the greatness of DDR. It’s well worth the money.
DDRMAX 2 is a great addition to the DDR collection. I really hope Konami realizes that many of the repeat songs are bad and they won’t put them into their next mix. So overall, this game is one any DDR pro will enjoy. And with the beginner mode, anyone can learn and enjoy this great series.
Overall, 9/10.
