Dancing the morning away...

[jducoeur]

I know I've asked one or two people about this, but it was in the crush of the housewarming party, and I don't think I internalized all of the answers. So:

Now that we've unpacked most of the high-priority stuff, I finally have floor space in the playroom. And now that I've mostly gotten over The Sick that I came down with after Christmas, I have little excuse not to get off my ass and start exercizing every morning. In the medium term, this particularly means getting an elliptical machine, which seems to be the device I most like for burning calories and getting a decent cardio workout. But whilst I'm shopping around for that, I may as well do the fun alternative, and get myself a proper DDR setup.

So -- which DDR game should I start with? (Bearing in mind that I'm playing this on a PS2.) I seem to recall that keshwyn recommended starting with DDRMax2, on the grounds that it was the first game with a good beginner mode for getting oneself up to speed -- is that correct? Even more important: what recommendations do people have for which pad to buy? (This will be on a tile floor; I'm willing to go for either a foldable or rigid pad.) Finally, any suggestions of where to buy this stuff? I've noticed that the selection at my local EB is pretty lame; I suspect I can always resort to Amazon, but if there are any good mom-and-pop video game stores around, that might be an interesting alternative...

Comments

[johno.livejournal.com]

Best Buy's sometimes have a good selection of DDR stuff.

We have DDRMax2 and like it a lot, but have not explored other versions of the "game."

[keshwyn]

The problem with BestBuy is that they won't take it back if it breaks. (This is why I don't buy from them, even though they're more convenient than waiting for shipping.)

My suggestion (gleaned from the DDRFreak forums and a friend who's even more into this than I am) is:

Get a RedOctane Ignition pad -straight- from RedOctane, if you want the soft pad. Resign yourself to the fact that between 2 and 12 months from now, it's probably going to break. (It might not! But if you expect it might, you won't be so disappointed when it does.) And start with DDRMax 2, as I said.

The other option is to shell out $300 for a CobaltFlux pad. These are the hard pads that they've driven SUVs over and still work. If you think you might want a hard pad, and you think you can decide that within 30 days, get the RedOctane pad anyway - they accept returns for any reason up to 30 days of purchase (less shipping and handling, they'll give you a full refund.) If you don't think you can decide that quickly, you might try one of the cheaper $20 pads - those WILL break within a few months of hard dancing, but you won't be out quite so much money as you would be with the RedOctane.

You need to wear shoes with the CobaltFlux. You must not wear shoes with the RedOctane.

Good luck!

[jducoeur]

Okay -- that's just the sort of nuts-and-bolts advice I need. Thanks. I suspect I'll start with the soft pad and make sure I'm serious before shelling out that sort of money (and finding space) for the hard one...

[outlander.livejournal.com]

If you haven't bought a pad yet, the Toys R' Us near the old Fresh Pond Cinema is going out of business. They have two versions ($20 & $40, original price) available at 50% off. So if you are just wanting to get started, you might try those. The $40 one has a one inch foam insert, so you aren't dancing on the floor--it is also less easy to store, but can be taken apart.

[jducoeur]

Actually, I've got a loaner to start out with, so I'm probably set until I get the Red Octane that keshwyn recommended. But thanks for the suggestion...

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

If you're interested, my sister wants to get rid of her bells-and-whistles Nordic Trak.

[jducoeur]

Hmm. Probably not quite the sort of machine I'm looking for, but it's probably worthwhile for me to at least find out what model it is...

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

My sister writes: Nordic Track Pro, all pieces accounted for; "computer" may not work

[leanne-opaskar.livejournal.com]

I'd second the recommendation on Max2. Extreme might be fun, too. Haven't played Extreme2.

I have a pair of RedOctane firm pads that are very nice and not very slippery, but we play on the carpet. I'm not sure how well they'd hold up on tile, or if they'd slide around lots. We got them a few years ago, and they are very nice, but we haven't used them much since we took up hockey. *sheepish grin*

[mindways]

I'm familiar with four of the games:
> DDR MAX. Pros: Good music. Cons: Bad for complete beginners (no beginner mode, and very few 1- and 2-footers).
> DDR MAX 2: Pros: Very good music.
> DDR Extreme: Pros: Some good music. Cons: Can't turn off "Dance Mode"*; no dance radar**. Other: Has a different UI than the other three - better in some ways, worse in others.
> DDR Extreme 2: Pros: Very good music, continuous play**, slightly better UI (keeps the good parts of DDR Max, discards the rest). Cons: Unlock system can be annoying, particularly for experienced players.****

Personally, I'd recommend DDR MAX 2 or DDR Extreme 2 - though the games are the cheapest part of the whole setup, so if you want you can always spring for both. They both have Beginner mode and some very fun music. (In my opinion, at any rate. Obviously, preferences may vary.)

* = "Dance Mode" is a setting that exists (and is 'on') by default in all four games. If your pad supports corner hits, "Dance Mode" will register them as arrow hits for an arrow on the other side of the pad - which can be very annoying under some circumstances. On DDR Extreme, you can't turn the option off without doing PS2-memcard-hacking.

** = DDR MAX, DDR MAX 2, and DDR Extreme 2 all have a little display that shows some of a song's characteristics - how much jumping there is, how frenetic it is (both on-average and at-peak), etc. - when you're selecting what to play. This can be useful.

*** = DDR MAX, DDR MAX 2, and DDR Extreme all emulate the arcade game: 3 songs, then you have to re-start another game. Not a big deal (and it gives you built-in rest breaks), but I prefer the "just keep on playing" feel. It's not an arcade game; why be limited by arcade conventions?

**** = DDR MAX, DDR MAX 2, and DDR Extreme all have automatic unlocks - as you play, more songs slowly appear. DDR Extreme 2 has this weird level grid (called "Dance Master Mode") where you play challenges, and as you progress in Dance Master Mode new songs become available at the Store; you can then "purchase" (unlock) them using Points that you earn every time you play a song (both in regular play and Dance Master Mode). The catch is that the difficulty of DMM starts very low, ramps up slowly, and cannot be made more difficult or skipped - so if you're good enough that the really easy stuff is tedious, you're in for some annoying hours unless you can get someone else to come over and play through the easy DMM for you.

[leanne-opaskar.livejournal.com]

You can always just turn on Event Mode, rather than playing 3 songs and starting over ... I believe all of those games have Event Mode available.

[mindways]

Hadn't explored that option - thanks! I'll try it this evening. :)

[leanne-opaskar.livejournal.com]

No problem. I think you can also use the options to turn Dance Mode on and off, too. I don't know. I really haven't played in ... er ... um ... a year? Part of that is due to the remodel of the living room which makes DDR a pain to set up.

[mindways]

*nod* You can turn it off for DDR MAX, MAX 2, and Extreme 2 - but not Extreme 1...for some bizarre reason, they didn't include the option in that one. According to various online sites, here's a way to disable it, but it involves weird tech tricks to directly edit the memory of the save-file on the memory card.

[leanne-opaskar.livejournal.com]

Huh, that is odd. Worth knowing, though sadly I don't think we'll be doing DDR much until we move. Our house just isn't designed for it any more, and the hockey is eating all our time. ^_^

[jducoeur]

Very useful reviews -- thanks! Given that I expect to be playing frequently (assuming this works out at all), and exercise is a major motivation here, some of the UI details are going to be quite relevant...

[hakamadare.livejournal.com]

alternately, if you’ve got a PC you can repurpose, just run Stepmania (http://www.stepmania.com/) instead. it’s got a plethora of user-settable options (over and beyond any commercial DDR game).

you should be able to find downloadable songpacks for all or most of the commercial DDR games, plus a significant number of third-party songs (and you can make your own as well!). you’ll need a PC with a reasonable CPU and video card (but by no means do you need a high-end gaming rig), and ideally you’ll want the video card to have a TV out.

you’ll also need a gamepad-to-USB adapter to connect your gamepad(s) to the PC; the Stepmania website has recommendations and links.

-steve

[jducoeur]

Hmm. Very intriguing option, but the barrier to entry is more significant. (That is, I don't currently have a PC to devote to the purpose, and it's less of a plug-and-play option.)

I think it probably makes sense to start with the PS2 games, which should be comparatively easy to set up. If I wind up getting serious about it, then I can contemplate obtaining a cheap PC for Stepmania (which I suspect has a deeper song list). Thanks for the idea!

[outlander.livejournal.com]

Thanks for starting this thread--I am looking to get a DDR setup as well, so it is extremely helpful for me.

[asdr83.livejournal.com]

The offer to borrow laurion's dance pads and try them out is still on the table if you'd like.

[jducoeur]

Roight! Yes, I really ought to do that. Thanks -- now I just need to go find myself a copy of DDRMax2, first...