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Post by abrannan on Sept 22, 2004 17:14:07 GMT -5
Okay, so Konami tried to make a game that would:
a) Please the hardcore DDR fans
b) Yet be accessible enough to newcomers
c) But also act as advertising for Konami's other music games
d) And show off the Eyetoy
And I think they ended up with a game that feels solidly half-baked. I'm trying to decide if my disappointment is over the game or the fact that the waiting and specualtion is gone for at least another year. I've played for a solid hour now over most of the modes, and I'll try to sum up my thoughts here.
Music selection: Konami included a number of new songs, enough that there is actually very little overlap with the Japanese release of Extreme. Hey new songs aren't a bad thing, especially when they're recognizable songs that I can get my non DDR-ing friend to try. The problem is that a lot of the "popular"songs aren't the real versions but the Karaoke Revolutions versions. And they sound like bad Karaoke. They're close enough to the real songs that they just end up sonding weird. I think they'd have been better off either getting the real songs, or cutting dance remixes. I haven't unlocked everything, so there may be some hidden unlockable gems in there.
Interface: Konami went with a new interface, which is supposed to be the new interface for all of the new DDR games. It's okay, but I'd love the ability to select a skin and choose from the three different DDR selection screeens there have been.
Party Mode: This is the non-DDR and DDR+eyetoy modes. I'll run down the list:
Hyper Dash: NES power mat track and field. hit left nad right to run, up to jump and down to throw a hole in front of your opponent. Jumps are very hard to pull off. Didn't like playing versus the computer, but against another person may be a different story
Feeding time: Match the food to the animal with the arrown on the mat. This one wasn't to bad, and showed a lot of promise.
Watch me dance: SheScreamedClaudio's nightmare, the eyetoy shows you dancing.
Hands and Feet: DDR with two extra hand sensors at the left and right of the screen. This mode had a lot of promise, but ends up just highlighting how difficult it is to get good sensing from the Eyetoy.
Clean the screen: Didn't play
Coconut Panic: Didn't play.
I've got to give this one a fair chance, but my gut impression says they should have pulled out the party mode and made it it's own game, perhaps EyeToy:Party (Now with dance mat support).
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Post by SSC on Sept 22, 2004 21:35:07 GMT -5
Watch me dance: SheScreamedClaudio's nightmare, the eyetoy shows you dancing. Haha. So true. However, I have been contemplating getting any eyetoy... I've got to give this one a fair chance, but my gut impression says they should have pulled out the party mode and made it it's own game, perhaps EyeToy:Party (Now with dance mat support). I heard the eyetoy feature isn't all that spectacular... |
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sly rax
Heavy Mode
Exhausted
Posts: 392
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Post by sly rax on Sept 22, 2004 22:37:28 GMT -5
I have mixed feelings, but the new songs have surprisingly clever steps. Go unlock You're Not Here right now. Just beat Akira Premium challenge course: 1 Light and 2 Standard songs. After that, enjoy!
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Post by abrannan on Sept 23, 2004 6:17:42 GMT -5
I have mixed feelings, but the new songs have surprisingly clever steps. Go unlock You're Not Here right now. Just beat Akira Premium challenge course: 1 Light and 2 Standard songs. After that, enjoy! Yeah, the steps are enjoyable. I'll unlock You're not Here tonight. |
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Post by abrannan on Sept 23, 2004 21:06:33 GMT -5
I'm not as big of a fan of You're not Here as I am of Your Rain. The videos for each are neat, having the Silent Hill characters singing like that. It is more than a little creepy though.
My Day 2 impressions are more that my initial disappointment was just the end of all of the buildup. The songlist is pretty solid, though Like a Virgin has to be the worst version of that song I've heard. I've just got to slog through all of the unlocking again.
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sly rax
Heavy Mode
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Post by sly rax on Sept 24, 2004 2:47:01 GMT -5
I'm thinking I was a little more obsessed with the song than need be. It is a very nice song, but not as insanely cool as my first impressions. I still love playing those steps, though.
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Post by abrannan on Sept 24, 2004 8:14:19 GMT -5
Haven't tried the Heavy steps, but the Standard steps were very interesting. I was rocking through the Akira Challenge, right up until the slowdown at the end (which I didn't know about) and failed on the *last* step. Scared the living daylights out of my wife with my cry of anguish. I ended up unlocking the song through the normal 35 songs played means.
It was interesting playing with my wife in the room yesterday. She normally doesn't watch me play, but was sitting on the couch yesterday checking her e-mail while I played. I'm rolling along on Jet World, and she burst out laughing. It took me a few seconds to realize she was laughing the the background video for the song, where all the little blue guys are rocking out on the guitar (I mentally block out the backgrounds when I play). Once I realized what they were doing, I almost lost the song. The only other time she looked up was while I was AA-ing Kick the Can heavy (16 greats).
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jerradk
Standard Mode
DDR
Posts: 123
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Post by jerradk on Sept 24, 2004 12:13:46 GMT -5
I love Kick the Can on Heavy, I am able to pass it with at best 26 greats...I still can't AA, there is a part I can't ever handle. I can get up to 200 combo and then whatever is after that I lose my footing, any ideas?  |
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Post by abrannan on Sept 24, 2004 12:42:47 GMT -5
The section you highlighted is all right foot-left foot alternating (Starting right foot). The first measure is what I call a "vertical crossover" where you're running back and forth with your left foot. The second measure(plus 1 beat) is a figure eight where you'll move left and right along the pad, very similar to the ending of the song. It all follows the music exactly. Memorize the music and you've got the rhythm
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sly rax
Heavy Mode
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Post by sly rax on Sept 24, 2004 13:05:57 GMT -5
Jet World's background scared me. Then I go to the arcade and play Heaven Is a '57 Metallic Gray (Gimmix), and I start paying attention to the background a bit...THERE ARE THOSE THINGS AGAIN. They look like muppets. I love the background stuff for the B4Us. I know it is mostly from D2R, but it just seems better with B4U.
Something that I noticed is missing from the arcade: the shark. A shark would appear in the background when you were losing. It would really mess with me. Instead, I think danger just appears in your bar. Much easier on the eyes. I wonder if it was even possible to use the shark with the ones that had real background videos. That is probably why they removed it.
Ah yes, many have complained about the slowdown in You're Not Here when they first try to get it in challenge. That wasn't my problem unlocking it. My problem was that I would get phatom steps during the beginning that lost me 3 lives, then I just had to slightly screw up elsewhere and I was dead.
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Post by abrannan on Sept 24, 2004 13:23:02 GMT -5
...I start paying attention to the background a bit...THERE ARE THOSE THINGS AGAIN. They look like muppets. My wife said they looked like Snorks. Please tell me people here are old enough to remember Snorks! |
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sly rax
Heavy Mode
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Post by sly rax on Sept 24, 2004 15:06:44 GMT -5
YES! I remember the Snorks! There was that wild one that had two snorks on his head and whatnot. I don't remember much about the show, but I remember watching a lot of it.
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Post by SSC on Sept 24, 2004 20:26:41 GMT -5
Yeah, I seem to block out the backgrounds.
Also... I for some reason cannot FC Kick the Can, but it is probably one of my new favorites. Yipee.
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Post by loki on Oct 11, 2004 14:16:25 GMT -5
I just picked up Extreme a few days ago. My initial impression wasn't so great. I wasn't huge on the new menu, and it took me a few rounds before realizing where it was putting my grades. I also was annoyed that I had to select a dance buddy (or off) everytime, but eventually realized it was under graphics options rather then game options. I think it was a good idea for them to skip the choosing difficulty screen altogether, that was always an unnecessary step.
I agree that Like a Virgin is terrible. I also don't like that "go west" song (or due west, or something). Kick the Can is one of my favourites. I can AA* it on Standard but it just completely wrecks me on heavy, despite the fact that it feels like I am hitting the right steps! ARG!
I'd have to say Max1 is still the best mix so far, but that's just my opinion. I don't have an eyetoy so I couldn't really check out those games. Maybe someday if I REALLY feel like blowing some cash I'll pick it up. Spent too much though the other day!
$63 for DDR Extreme
$80 for a new thick foam insert pad
$60 for maracas (used for samba on dreamcast)
Anyway, the woman is bothering me to go for a walk... later!
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sly rax
Heavy Mode
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Post by sly rax on Oct 11, 2004 18:08:11 GMT -5
Extreme especially kicked ass by being $40. You got ripped off.
Yeah, skipping the difficulty is great. Now we just need the power to switch from Single to Double on the song select!
The new menu isn't horrible, other than the counter-intuitive movement (I understand why they did that, though). It would be good if you can see your score somewhere, and if you could see on the score screen the difficulty/"style." They kept the sort intact, and you can see all of the letter grades, so that is a bonus.
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Post by loki on Oct 11, 2004 18:25:58 GMT -5
Those prices are in Canadian $$$ ;D
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sly rax
Heavy Mode
Exhausted
Posts: 392
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Post by sly rax on Oct 11, 2004 18:32:00 GMT -5
Ah, that would explain it.
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DK
Light Mode
Started on Oct. 11, 2004 at 225lbs. I am now at 178lbs.
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Post by DK on Oct 13, 2004 12:16:54 GMT -5
You guys are being too tough on Konami. Hands and Feet and Clean the Screen are cool features. They're not the best but hey, they're an added bonus. If they would have left party mode out of the game I doubt they would have added a bunch more songs anyway. The complaining that is going on about the menu is hilarious. It’s a MENU big deal  |
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Post by abrannan on Oct 13, 2004 14:19:04 GMT -5
You guys are being too tough on Konami. Hands and Feet and Clean the Screen are cool features. They're not the best but hey, they're an added bonus. If they would have left party mode out of the game I doubt they would have added a bunch more songs anyway. The complaining that is going on about the menu is hilarious. It’s a MENU big deal Yeah, they're an added bonus, but I'd give that up to take away the programming errors in the game. No dance mat mode, incorrect messages regarding song unlocks, etc. It just feels like they ignored QA testing of the product to add these "extras". |
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sly rax
Heavy Mode
Exhausted
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Post by sly rax on Oct 13, 2004 19:44:43 GMT -5
I hear TLOM Heavy on Hands and Feet is ridiculous, even though the hand part doesn't get any harder. It doesn't have to get harder! I wonder if anybody has AAA'ed it yet.
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