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[Dilbert]

A couple of questions since I'm newly curious about DDR:

1) What are the best DDR games for PS2? Are any of them rare or out of print?

2) What are the best dance pad choices? How much do they usually cost? Can they be bought in brick-and-mortar stores, or will I need to order online?

3) Do I need two pads for multiplayer, or do the pads have two-player layouts?

4) Is it possible to play the game on harder levels without jumping around or otherwise causing a lot of "thump" on the floor? (I live in a second floor apartment, so if I can't play in a reasonably quiet way, it's a no-go for now.)

Thanks!

 

[Xdrive05]

Oh shit I thought this was a tech thread about PC ram.

I Am fail total.


ummm.... I uh... I know you can buy heavy duty (universal console) dancemats at TRU...

 

[Prospero]

I've played for about two years, and have four versions of the game--some around here are more hardcore than me (but isn't that always the case). Anyway--

1. The best easily available version for beginners is DDR Max 2, because it has the best practice mode by far. You can play each song at one of five speeds, and for each speed the song is appropriately slowed down and pitch-corrected to match the tempo. DDR Max, Extreme, and Extreme 2 aren't as fully featured.

2. I ordered my pad from Buy 'N' Shop (http://www.buynshop.com) and I'm quite happy with it after two years or so. It was around $50, has a foam insert, and is roughly equivalent to the Red Octane Ignition pad that used to run about $100 in stores (though the price on those must have dropped by now). The stock $20 pad with no insert was good for me as a beginner, but once I started to get past 6 feet or so, I had to upgrade.

3. You'll need two pads for multiplayer.

4. I don't know--maybe it won't be so bad if you get the pad with the foam insert. At harder levels, when the game throws buckets of arrows at you, I find that I actually have to step pretty lightly in order to hit them all, so it makes a bit less noise than on lower levels when I have time to stomp every note. Some people I've watched seem to hit the pad harder at higher levels, though.

 

[Bloodwake]

A couple of questions since I'm newly curious about DDR:

1) What are the best DDR games for PS2? Are any of them rare or out of print?

2) What are the best dance pad choices? How much do they usually cost? Can they be bought in brick-and-mortar stores, or will I need to order online?

3) Do I need two pads for multiplayer, or do the pads have two-player layouts?

4) Is it possible to play the game on harder levels without jumping around or otherwise causing a lot of "thump" on the floor? (I live in a second floor apartment, so if I can't play in a reasonably quiet way, it's a no-go for now.)

Thanks!

1. My personal favorite is DDR Max (the first PS2 one), but it really just depends on your taste. Max 2, Extreme, and Extreme 2 all have beginner modes, so they may be better for you (and Dance Master mode on Extreme 2 will be less of a pain, if you are just starting out, because that is how you unlock the extra songs on that game) Overall, they are all pretty good, with my least favorite being Extreme 2

2. If you are just starting out, the cheapo thin pads will work until you get to standard (they did for me, anyways). After that, invest in one of the padded RedOctane Ignition pads. Metal ones are good, but waaaaay too pricey unless you are REALLY hardcore into the game.

3. Yes.

4. Depends on how you play. Probably not. From my experience, playing on the RedOctane Ignition pads makes less noise, but probably not that much less.

Edit: There are cheaper alternatives to the RedOctane pad, but they are hit and miss in terms of quality in my experience (for example, if you pick up a GameStop padded pad, you will need to buy or acquire some RedOctane foam, mostly because the foam they gives you sucks.)

 

[nexes]

I agree with Prospero, DDR Max 2 is a great game for beginners. DDR Extreme 2 also has something called Dance Master Mode which seems like it'd be a fun intro for newbies, although I found the beginning a bit frustrating (soooo slow) as I've been playing for over two years now. But I'm sure it benefits beginners.

DDR Max is also good. I'd really just avoid DDR Extreme for the most part, unless you want more songs later on down the road. There's another game that's based on DDR called In The Groove, but it's really aimed at long time players. The lower level steps are kind of boring, so I'd avoid it starting out.

As far as pads, even as a heavy player, I'd recommend the basic In The Groove pad that RedOctane sells. It's one of the best DDR pads you can get for the price. It doesn't have a foam insert, but it's ridicuously accurate for what it is. It'd definitely work great for a beginner. I use it when my homepad is going crazy or when I take DDR over to a friend's place.

http://www.redoctane.com/itgdancepad.html

They just dropped the price to $20. Also, if you're outside of CA, you should just go ahead and order a DDR game from them. It'll put you over $50 and get you free shipping, so it's better than running out to retail.

Anyway, DDR might be an issue in an apartment. I have friends that would piss off neighbors with how they hop around like morons. But for me, it wouldn't be an issue. I'm like 6'5" and about 230 or 240lbs, but I jump in the air very little. You just need a little control to keep the noise down, but it should benefit you by helping you remember to keep control and speed.

There are also some songs that are mostly full of what DDR calls stream. Instead of having pauses, jumps, etc, it has lots of fast consecutive steps that stream together without interruption. So if jumping is an issue, you should be able to find songs that are a bit more apartment friendly.

Have fun. =P