I love this game. :)

Svenyip · Trick Member Joined: 05 Apr 2003 Location: Pittsfield, MA

[Warning: This topic serves no real discernable purpose other than my paying homage to DDR.]

Okay, I picked up DDRMAX on a whim a little over two months ago now. Not really sure what motivated me to do so - probably boredom with videogames overall as I'd played (and played out my interest in) most classic "gaming genres" over the past 10-15 years of play.

The thing that first hooked me was the Workout Mode. While I'm not alarmingly overweight, I've never been in anything remotely resembling "good shape." So the fact that I could play the game and tell myself, "no matter what else goes wrong today, at least I've burned 300 calories I wouldn't have otherwise" got me started.

For a while, I stuck with just Workout Mode, content with watching my overall calories burnt rise up, only dabbling in Game Mode periodically to unlock new songs. Eventually, though, my desire to improve kicked in - first to at least ATTEMPT all the songs, then to clear all the songs on Light, then to raise them all up to Cs, etc. My quest for Drop The Bomb (which I finally unlocked last weekend) was when I finally started to push myself and no longer care WHAT my downstairs neighbors might think of my antics.

Then I unlocked Drop The Bomb, which I knew was a crisis point. Would I now lose all interest in DDRMAX because I'd unlocked everything? So I took a 'break' and went to my generally ignored copy of DDR Konamix (I hate the "D-AA" ratings system), going through all the songs in that on Light and Standard again.

Then I went back to DDRMAX - my one nagging "C" in Orion .78 Light was still ... um, nagging at me. So last night I attempted that, and raised it to a B, first try. Then this morning after work, with a strange feeling of confidence, I faced the eight songs on Light mode I still had Bs in, and raised them all to As, one at a time.

I know my accomplishments pale to most of the people on the boards here. Heck, I still haven't even managed to CLEAR all the songs on Standard mode yet! (Guess that's my next goal.) But I'm almost 30 years old, and being physically inactive almost my entire life, I NEVER thought I'd be able to gain the rank of 'Dance Master (Light Single)' in this. Wonder how much further I'll be able to go ...

So I tip my hat to Konami on this one. If it wasn't for Workout Mode, I'd never have gotten into it in the first place. If it wasn't for the need to unlock songs, I'd never have played Game Mode. If it wasn't for the need to play 250 songs between Spin The Disc and Drop The Bomb, I'd never have cared about my rankings. And if it wasn't for the silly little text message calling me a Dance Master, I'd probably have never worked them all up to As.

I'm seriously pondering picking up a Japanese PS2 now (I have issues with mod chips) just so I can get the DDRMAX and MAX2 imports as well as probably some of the PS1 games like 5th Mix, and convincing myself it's a "health investment." Which, on a certain level, isn't a COMPLETE lie. But I guess that makes me obsessed, huh?

Sorry for the obnoxiously long babble. Who'd have thought in three months I'd go from mocking the very concept of DDR to worshipping the mat I now walk on?

--- Svenyip, Treader of The Dawn

Bahamut727 · Trick Member Joined: 05 Jan 2003 Location: CA

Good job

Glad to hear that you like DDR

By the way, you WILL keep getting better, and if you are persistent, I guarantee that you will be passing 10 foots eventually. I was the same way as you. I NEVER thought I would get as good as I am today. I thought 5 or maybe 6 foot would be my limit. Then, when I passed those, I thought 7 foot, and so on. Now I can beat 10 footers

_________________

I am the Lain of the wired. End the world, begin the nExt.

Member of the "Holy Order of the BOX"

The Reverend · Trick Member Joined: 05 Apr 2003 Location: :noitacoL

Glad to hear it too. I can only pass nine footers, but I can now pass MAX300 Heavy, no I am not good at it but I practice every now and then..
Keep it up man....

_________________

I can do whatever I want to be.

Pyroblaze · Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2003 4:04 pm Post subject:

We all love this game.

*Big hug*
_________________

NINZA wrote:

pyro ur a FAG

Phrekwenci · Administrator Joined: 27 Feb 2002 Location: New York, NY

As touching as the story is, it doesn't belong here. This is more of an N/N/I sort of thing, even though the basis is around DDR MAX US.

So off it goes.
_________________

Best thread on DDR Freak winnar | Second best thread | Posting and You...

LifeSP · Basic Member Joined: 31 May 2003 Location: Minesota, USA

umm, i don't have much of anything unique to say, (I'm glad etc.)
But I thought I should say that the people on this forum are a lot
more polite than on other forums I've gone to. ^^

Mysterio · Trick Member Joined: 20 Nov 2002 Location: Aiken, SC

It's good to hear about the old timers playing DDR.

Anyway, the import versions are absolutley worth picking up, most notably MAX and MAX 2.

I myself am reluctant to mod my PS2; however, it is my understanding that you can use a gameshark (a friend of mine did in order to play his bootleg copy of Japanese Tekken 4) to play imports, but I know some people have said that dosen't work.

It technically should; the gameshark boots up instead of the game, thus the Playstation "thinks" it is playing an American game.

Try that, prferably with a game that you don't have to buy first.

If worse comes to worse, you might as well go get you PS2 modded, however make sure that it is done by somebody absolutley sure of what they are doing.

Either way, if you wish to import, go for it. But I would wait untill I have first mastered/grown sick of the songs on MAX USA; personally I have yet to do either.

Good luck, and welcome to the "family".
_________________

[quote:ed89271168="Frozen CaffMaj 4 Extreme"]just because i play ddr, does that mean i'm going to go randomly stomp someone to death?[/quote]

...but Rhythm and Police is no longer crazy!

Svenyip · Trick Member Joined: 05 Apr 2003 Location: Pittsfield, MA

> It's good to hear about the old timers playing DDR.

Ack. "Old-Timer?"

I can't DENY it, but it's still something you never want to admit to yourself. How long before I start telling 'back in the day' stories? "DANCING games? Back in my day we didn't even have FIGHTING games. Street Fighter II didn't come out until after I was old enough to drive. And you had to walk uphill fifteen miles in a snowstorm - both ways - to get to your nearest arcade. And we LIKED it!"

> Either way, if you wish to import, go for it. But I would wait untill I
> have first mastered/grown sick of the songs on MAX USA; personally
> I have yet to do either.

That's a good point, actually. If I try to track down more mixes now, it might actually HINDER my progress, because I'll be tempted to play new, easier songs, instead of pushing myself to get better on the Standard and Heavy modes. And there's still the Oni courses that I've never been any good at, Doubles mode if I want to rearrange the room to allow for two pads without killing myself, the Extra Stage (and beyond) that I've only reached once ... Konamix has 6-Panel Mode ...

So yeah, there is still a whole lot of "meat" to the US games that I haven't even begun to delve into. Thank you for reminding me of that BEFORE I imported MAX2. Fall, and its US release, isn't THAT far away, after all...

--- Svenyip, Treader of The Dawn

Drenchfur · Trick Member Joined: 27 Feb 2003

How'd you reach the extra stage? Did you AA you last song on Heavy? Which one?

I'm almost 30 myself and I do tell "back in the day" stories now. I just open my mouth and BAM there they go sometimes. It's an age thing.

Yeah, I wouldn't rush out to get the imports if you can hold off until DDR MAX 2 comes out for the North American market.

DDR USA was incredible when I first got it. Then Konamix was even better. DDR MAX blew me away. I can't wait for the next installment!

Furiozo · Trick Member Joined: 21 Sep 2002 Location: Norman, OK

That's a great story!

I remember about a year ago my friend sent me a link to a DDR parody flash called, "Dance Dance Karnov". Something about the game appealed to me so much that I looked up the closest DDR machine and it was only about 15 miles away at a mall.

I made my friend go to the mall with me, and we played DDR for our first time. Although he never got in to the game like I did, it was an amazing experince.

I remember going back the second time, we did two 3-4 foot songs and I was totally out of breath. I'm amazed that there's only three songs in the game that kick my buttocks.

I ordered my own DDR pads and Konamix shortly after my trips to the arcade. I was so excited about DDR, it was wonderful. I remember while I was waiting for my pads to arrive in the mail I downloaded stephcharts and MP3s and shadowed the steps on my floor without a pad

Man, that was great. I played so much DDR when I first got it. Like 3-4 hours a day. It helped me get into shape, and I loved it with all of my might.

I kept on playing until November, when I got a steady girlfriend who made fun of the game, so I stopped playing actively until around ... mid February when we parted. The break gave me a lot more enthusiasm going into the game.

I also happened to get two of my best friends obsessed with the game. It was cool seeing their youthful energy going into the game, and it inspired me to get better so I could live up to my name of the 'amazing DDR player'.

Both of my friends have gotten pretty good, one can pass most 7-8 foot songs, while the other has passed quite a few catas and even AA'd his first heavy song (Holic) a few days ago.
_________________

stealing from walmart is a good time(tm)

Svenyip · Trick Member Joined: 05 Apr 2003 Location: Pittsfield, MA

> How'd you reach the extra stage? Did you AA you last song on Heavy? Which one?

Well, initially (and I'm sure I'm not alone on this), I used the CONTROLLER to get by "Remember You" just so I could reach the Final Stage, lose in about five seconds and unlock Silent Hill. Blew away the record after that, and haven't gone back yet to see if I can do it legitimately yet. Probably because I know I'm not ready for the extra stage yet - I still can't clear Max 300 Standard, let alone modded Heavy.

> DDR USA was incredible when I first got it. Then Konamix was even
> better. DDR MAX blew me away. I can't wait for the next installment!

Yeah, and that's where the import temptation comes from. Because of the crisper-looking interface, I play better at Max than I do either USA or Konamix ... the arrows and everything are easier to follow, and even though you're not actively looking at them, the larger variety of animated backgrounds is nice.

Unfortunately, I don't really have anybody else in the area who's into DDR (the only friend I have who has any interest in it at all lives over three hours away and has no time to play), so I'm only competing with myself and my personal records.

Oddly enough, I've still NEVER played the game in the arcade either to see what I'm really missing with the home version. Probably because I have this inner fear that no matter how good I am at home, I'll try to play in the arcade and either get laughed off the stage for playing a 3-footer song

or worse, FAIL said song. There's an arcade nearby that has 7th Mix and not too many people go there, I should really give it a shot ONE of these days...

Ramble off.

--- Svenyip, Treader of The Dawn

Maistorm · Trick Member Joined: 14 Jun 2002 Location: B'ham, AL

Wow, nice. That's kind of how I started playing DDR. Just keep going at it, and you'll soon being 10 footers (I can get a B on Max300, and I never even though I'd ever be able to do Heavy).

OT> How do you get Dance Master thing in the Information on DDRMAX US? I went through with a controller and AA'd every song on Heavy (EVERY song, Drop the Bomb included), and it still didn't show up until it just popped up randomly a week later.