SeanH reviews DDR Extreme US.

[SeanH]

Songlist:

By far the best one released in the US. There's something here for everybody. Older licenses such as Like A Virgin, YMCA, and Believe for the older fans who grew up on such music. There's retro DDR songs for those who already have imports. Do Me and Theme From Enter the Dragon come to mind instantly. For those who want a taste of Extreme Arcade, there's 321 Stars, Janejana, Jet World, and others, along with favorites like A and V. For those who want difficulty, well, there's The Legend of MAX, and also a new shot at difficulty. (Keep reading)

Interface:

There's some kinks, but overall, it's very polished, smooth, and a nice break from the songwheel we've been getting for countless mixes now. I don't really like the course selection screen, and not being able to see my grades for all the songs at one time. But I DO like being able to get into Nonstop or Oni and back out again mid-game, and I like being able to switch difficulties easily.

Content:

Konami really stuffed this game. There's the normal game mode, along with Oni and Nonstop. And the courses are actually WELL-MADE this time, unlike that monstrosity of an Oni mode that was MAX1US. Endless mode returns.

Mission Mode:
Looking for a challenge? Look no further. Want harder edits of songs, including Drop the Bomb, Keep on Movin', and the brand-new Maximizer? Mission Mode has it. Or if you want just plain HARD. Try passing a song on sudden, without stepping on the down arrow at all, or hitting only jumps? How about full-comboing Frozen Ray with the Left and Right arrows SWAPPING POSITIONS on the screen? Try Drop Out and Full-Comboing the jumps on Sudden. Songs on 5x. Songs on .5x flat. And The Legend of MAX. On 8x Shuffle. And these are some of the easier ones. This mode will keep you busy, and frustrated, for a while.

Party Mode:
Good for a party, really. Less fun when you're by yourself. But there's nothing like making yourself look like even more of an idiot playing Hands and Feet more. And Hyper Dash is just plain fun. I still hate Clean the Screen, though. Whoever thought THAT one up?

General Mechanics:

I don't know what the testing department was doing, but someone dropped the ball. Biggest complaint? No Dance Play setting. Well, there is, but only for official pads. On a sort of brighter side, if you don't have large feet, you're fine, and there's fixes out there for most major pads. Still, there's no reason why this option is not present. Complaint two: Apparently, a song got pulled last minute, and along with it the possibility of getting DANCE MASTER on difficulties except CHALLENGE and a "You've Unlocked All the Songs!" message on the Information screen. Other than these, everything works fine and as it should.

Difficulty:

Beginner friendly, mostly. Though Mission Mode will appeal to the hardcore crowd, and there are 12 9-foot and above songs in this mix. And the new material actually has GOOD STEPS this time! *gasp*

Overall:

A solid mix, with songs appealing to everybody's tastes, from the mainstream newer DDR players to the small group of DDR Hardcore players. Konami is obviously taking the US mixes in their own direction, and it's working very well. They just need to work on fixing some of those bugs as mentioned above. Final score: 8/10