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DDRFreak.com

Basically it's a game with a very stupid premise. You stand on a metal platform with 4 arrows (UDLR) and you pick a song that varies in difficulty (arrows in a row, jumping to hit two arrows at once, holding one arrow down while hitting others) and speed (bpm goes from 70 to 330 or so, half/quater/eigth/sixteenth beat arrows) and you press the arrows with your feet.

Harder than it sounds, and more fun than it looks.

as an avid patron to arcades still today, i'll throw in my two credits. (don't mod me down for puns!)

this new strategy of Microsoft's is not going to work, and not because "the arcade is dead", but because they're going about it all wrong.

most successful arcade machines, today, are successful for one of two reasons: 1) it has an innovative playing style, 2) it has a classic, time-proven appeal. (one could argue, i'm sure, that this statements cover all possibilities, but that's not the case) a necessary foundation underlying both these requirements is that the game is FUN.

typically, the second category (classic gaming) is in a classic console, not a rehash. classic fighters like Marvel vs. Capcom, Street Fighter, MK, etc., etc. - racers - shooters. copy-cats are rarely as successful as the originals.

now - what's making the big money? fun innovation. and that's Konami, right now. consider the Cult of DDR - where i've witnessed at least $30 fly into the machine in the course of 2 hours. the game is fun, it's unconventional, it's SOCIAL, and a buck to dance to 3 or 4 songs (potentially 5 or more minutes of play) is fair - and the experience usually cathartic. Konami's also got the rest of the music game series, which is fairly successful. another of their big hits is Silent Scope - a simple shooter, yes, but unconventional and interesting gameplay.
another big success (in my observational experience) is Golden Tee - which looks, to me, to be the most boring arcade game of all time! but it's intended as a machine for a sports bar - where people enjoy golf. and this game, too, has an unconventional interface. the player spins a ball (think oldschool Centipede) to make the shot - thus putting physical skill (less than reaction-time) into the mix.

now - what does *not* make any of these said games successful? the underlying hardware! while, yes, the hardware makes everything run and look pretty - it's not the selling point. none of the games i'd mentioned above have ridiculously impressive graphics - it's the gameplay that matters. i play DDR because it's fun - i play pinball because it's fun - i play TMNT because it's fun ;p i might risk a dollar or fifty cents on a game with amazing UT2k-comparable graphics, but i won't play it unless it's fun! and i certainly don't play the game because i know it's got a certified IBM custom-built Gecko CPU! (Nintendo reference) and would not be drawn to a machine because i know Xbox's PC hardware drives the thing.

so, Microsoft can only really be doing this to try to get new developers, because only developers really pay attention to the underlying hardware. but really, then, developers already making arcade games already have their hardware and i doubt they'd switch to a glorified PC (Xbox) - Microsoft must be looking for new developers, who are only familiar with Wintel and therefore more likely to use that hardware.
unless they're stupid or self-aggrandizing enough to throw a big Xbox insignia on the title panel!

and even this is questionable... there aren't many up-and-coming game developers (though i'd like someday to be one myself) - and the arcade market is not what it used to be. if Microsoft *really* were looking to make money and compete with other coin-op companies, they'd start making gambling hardware. that's where the money is. even Konami, who is probably the most successful arcade manufacturer right now, makes Casino machines!

i really don't think Microsoft knows what it's doing with this. maybe Tux poked the octopus in the eye, and now it's just flailing about wildly?

Unicode contains merely the lower sixteen bits of the UCS (Universal Character Set), aka ISO 10646. UCS defines a 31-bit character set; the lower 65534 positions, which Unicode dupes, is the Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP) or Plane 0.

You're confusing Unicode with UTF-16. Unicode covers the entire defined UCS code space: "the Unicode standard and ISO/IEC 10646 now support three encoding forms that use a common repertoire of characters but allow for encoding as many as a million more characters."

But here's something I'm curious about, from the same page:

For example, a group of choreographers may design a set of characters for dance notation and encode the characters using code points in user space.

Doesn't dance notation require just four characters, left down up right?

The difference here is that DDR isn't your "typical" peripheral game. It's an obsession. None of the peripherals you mention above had the soft of following that DDR does. You don't see the Power Glove in Sketchers commercials on MTV.

You can buy cheap DDR pads from the mall, but there's a whole industry of much better pads, really great pads, and custom, homemade pads. Cottage industries like this don't crop up without the following to support them.

It's not unusual for people without room in their house to drag a TV out to their garage to play. There's DDR clubs at colleges. DDR's been used in high schools as an alternate gym class activity.

DDR is a Whole Thing.

The boxing game you speak of is called Mo-Cap Boxing, and it's produced by Konami, the same company that brings us Dance Dance Revolution, Para Para Paradise, DrumMania and Percussion Freaks (the drumming game you mention), and a wide variety of other motion-sensor and music-based games. Their Bemani division produces all of these (except for Police 911 and Mo-Cap Boxing).

The Korean knock-off is called Pump It Up, and it's produced by Andamiro. It is more difficult, but in my opinion it's not as fun as DDR. The song selection isn't very good. Another Korean knock-off, Techno Motion, basically builds off the Andamiro formula, which says "More arrows *must* mean more fun!" There's also Stepping Selection, by Jaleco, which is the system that is the basis for Britney's Dance Beat. That's a pretty loathsome game there.

Para Para Paradise, for the uninformed, uses five vertically positioned infrared beams placed in a pentagon shape around you. Similarly to DDR, you follow the arrows on the screen and break the light beams at the appropriate time. You don't have to use your feet, unlike DDR - Any body part will do. The orientation of the arrows makes it so that you have to rotate and twist more often, frequently making upper-body motions more efficient and viable. It's named Para Para Paradise because the motions you perform in the game are similar to a type of Japanese karaoke bar dancing called "parapara".

For a good combination of both DDR and Para Para Paradise, try DanceManiax/Dance Freaks. These games have sensors on the front of the machine which you can place your hands/arms/knees/whatever over or under, and foot panels on the bottom similar to DDR.

Bemani makes a lot of other good stuff too (Like Beatmania!), but it's not exercise-oriented, and so I won't mention it here. For anyone interested in Bemani products, take a look at BemaniStyle.com and DDRFreak.

Read more about it here.

-Bryan

I'll agree that not all DDR players look like they're dancing (me for instance) but have a look at some of the videos here and you'll see that any decent freestyler looks very much like they're dancing, mainly because they are.

I guess that explains why when I go to play DDR on weekends (and I'm on the east coast even), that the machine is swamped and there is often at least a 20 minute wait to get a game? Just in case you are thinking where I am is the exception and not the rule, you may be interested to see that there are over 1325 DDR machines in the US alone. Three out of the four places I usually play at have had to buy a second machine to accomodate the demand. So I guess if that's your definition of 'never really happened'... :)

See ddrfreak.com

I've been playing Dance Dance Revolution since the end of may of this year, and I can attest that it is indeed an addictive game, and a fairly fun one at that. When I started I, like so many technically inclined people, had absolutely no rhythm. DDR can be an aid for developing rhythm (most songs are in 4/4 time, there are a few exceptions). Here's a little info for those who haven't played or might be interested:

DDR is a great way to lose weight, when you get good you'll be sweating from just one song, granted it may be an expensive diet (see below for cheaper ways to play)

DDR can be basically free: there are a number of projects dedicated to bringing DDR to the PC (Konami released a version...but it isn't better than some of the freely available ones). There is Dance With Intensity, Diet Diet Revolution, and my personal favorite (also a sourceforge project), Stepmania, www.stepmania.com. You can play with the keyboard, but chances are you don't want to burn fat from just your fingers. You can build a dance pad (you even get a fun hardware project doing this!), you can find links and help on the forums on www.ddrfreak.com - ddrfreak also provides a nice little script that will spit out all the steps for a song, and another script that shows all known machine locations in the US! If you are lazy (what?) you can buy Konamix (available at www.redoctane.com or Electronics Boutique, and some other places). It runs on a PS1, so you can use the ps2 to play it. You can get a very good (IMO) dance pad from www.redoctane.com for about $100, the ignition 2.0 pad is excellent. You can go with cheaper ones if you wish, but you'll be very frustrated when your skills improve, the mat sticks to your free, and you flop around like a fish out of water.

I know people who saw others playing DDR and thought it was easy, wow, you step on a little pad when an arrow hits the template...their views quickly changed when they played the game. For new players it can be very difficult, but once you are over that little peak you can really start to have fun. I enjoy the challenge of playing more difficult songs.

Well, the point of DDR is not only to possibly look cool "dancing," but that there's a challenge to it. The underlying fundamental is that the steps follow the beat, so the game tests how well you can "groove". Remember, it's a game, and no game is really fun if it's not challenging.

I'm all cool with what people find fun, but DDR is outright lame. Not because dancing in public is lame, but because it's expensive,

If you're looking to just dance, then yes, it is expensive. But if you like the game, then it's really not that much more expensive than any of the other novelty games (light gun, racing, etc.) you'd find in an arcade.

the music isn't the best,

Like a lot of things in life, "good" music is subjective. I personally like the music in DDR. Sure, it's not the same kind of music you'd find at a club or a rave or something, but you also have to keep in mind that this was originally a Japanese game. So, most of the music was produced in Japan, and for me, that's what I find appealing about it. The songs are unique and different, and ever so slightly catchy.

and you look like a fool in an arcade dancing on some buttons.

Well, if you're enjoying the game, what does it matter what other people think? You're having fun, and that's all that matters. :) But if you want to look smooth, too, you don't have to play for just step accuracy. You can play what's called "freestyle," where you hit the arrows correctly enough that you don't fail, but you also pull your own moves. That brings on the extra challenge of getting the steps AND looking cool. Just check any of the top player tournament footage out there, and TELL me you're not impressed.

Whatever, I guess I'm just trolling.

Eh, maybe just a little. ;)

Well, the point of DDR is not only to possibly look cool "dancing," but that there's a challenge to it. The underlying fundamental is that the steps follow the beat, so the game tests how well you can "groove". Remember, it's a game, and no game is really fun if it's not challenging.

I'm all cool with what people find fun, but DDR is outright lame. Not because dancing in public is lame, but because it's expensive,

If you're looking to just dance, then yes, it is expensive. But if you like the game, then it's really not that much more expensive than any of the other novelty games (light gun, racing, etc.) you'd find in an arcade.

the music isn't the best,

Like a lot of things in life, "good" music is subjective. I personally like the music in DDR. Sure, it's not the same kind of music you'd find at a club or a rave or something, but you also have to keep in mind that this was originally a Japanese game. So, most of the music was produced in Japan, and for me, that's what I find appealing about it. The songs are unique and different, and ever so slightly catchy.

and you look like a fool in an arcade dancing on some buttons.

Well, if you're enjoying the game, what does it matter what other people think? You're having fun, and that's all that matters. :) But if you want to look smooth, too, you don't have to play for just step accuracy. You can play what's called "freestyle," where you hit the arrows correctly enough that you don't fail, but you also pull your own moves. That brings on the extra challenge of getting the steps AND looking cool. Just check any of the top player tournament footage out there, and TELL me you're not impressed.

Whatever, I guess I'm just trolling.

Eh, maybe just a little. ;)

One of the best parts about DDR is that if you go to an arcade with the right crowd, it is a very social atmosphere. I started out on the home version, but it's gotten to the point where I don't bother even playing unless I can go to an arcade. I have met over 20 new friends (many of whom I have become very close to) by playing DDR, and I'm sure there will be more to come. If you are new to DDR, you will want to be sure to go to DDR Freak. It has locations for arcade machines across the US (and some international regions too), and each machine location page shows the average rating from people who play there of how they like it. Also, they have a forum system that includes regional sections, so you can see what's going on in your area (upcoming tournaments, etc.). Half the fun of DDR (at least for me) is just getting out there and meeting new people, so while the home version is fine, if you like it you really owe it to yourself to find a good arcade in your area. If anyone has any questions about DDR, I can try to answer them here.

If you want your home DDR pads to last you need to take a trip down to Home Depot (or Lowes or whatever) get some supplies and mod your soft pad into a durable hard pad. Follow the instructions here: home modding

• I think one poster already mentioned this, but when you have a choice between an elevator and stairs, always take the stairs, even if you're carrying something. If you can open the door to the stairwell and don't have a bumm leg/foot/kneee, there's no excuse.
• Small but helpfull, get a stress ball. They're not only good for stress relief, but they do build up wrist/forearm muscles if you use them long enough.
• Go find an arcade that has the Dance Dance Revolution game and throw a few dollars into that. Better yet, get the home version.
• Like to play console games do you? Why not make it impossible to play the games without exercising? Take the power source of the Playstation or whatever console you're on and make it so that it is only on if the treadmill belt is rotating at a certain RPM.
• I've heard of some other video games that incorporate exercise, like bicycles and treadmills. Look/ask around.

Hope that helps!

• I think one poster already mentioned this, but when you have a choice between an elevator and stairs, always take the stairs, even if you're carrying something. If you can open the door to the stairwell and don't have a bumm leg/foot/kneee, there's no excuse.
• Small but helpfull, get a stress ball. They're not only good for stress relief, but they do build up wrist/forearm muscles if you use them long enough.
• Go find an arcade that has the Dance Dance Revolution game and throw a few dollars into that. Better yet, get the home version.
• Like to play console games do you? Why not make it impossible to play the games without exercising? Take the power source of the Playstation or whatever console you're on and make it so that it is only on if the treadmill belt is rotating at a certain RPM.
• I've heard of some other video games that incorporate exercise, like bicycles and treadmills. Look/ask around.

Hope that helps!

A great way to achieve a 'flow' state is to play Dance Dance Revolution at the appropriate skill level. Which makes sense, since the game combines some elements of both video games and sport -- you receive the benefits of both mental concentration and exercise.

Puzzle games have long proved otherwise. Just ask anyone who's played Tetris, The Incredible Machine, or, for the kids, Math Munchers, Oregon Trail (Pretty much anything originally by MECC), and the Where the Fsck is Carmen Sandiego series.

However, it's well known that video games can increase your physical activity, which in turn boosts your mental capacity, aptitude, and reaction time. :)

There are a lot more mixes than that. There are about 19 home mixes, I'm not going to bother with the arcade versions (according to ddrfreak). The U.S. versions have incldued a total of 2 new songs so far, and probaly shouldn't be counted, but were.

Um. Typos are so evil. DDR Freak

The principles are easy; you pick a dance track to listen to, and as the song plays, steps scroll up from the bottom of the screen. Your controller is actually a gigantic platform with four directional arrows on it, which you step on in time to the music. All you have to do is match the right arrow to the one scrolling by on screen. Easy, right? I mean, come on, we've all got incredible hand/eye coordination due to all our years of video gaming! No problem.

..heh. The game's physically intense and a great workout, in addition to being far more fun than it has any right to be.

Here's the mandatory link to DDR Freak, which has some basic information on the game. And for the Python friendly out there, check out pyDDR, a DDR clone for Python.

Good points. Ever read the old Games magazine? Every issue had one fake ad buried in amongst the genuine adverts. That's another element of a good fake: you bury it in among the genuine articles.

They still do the fake ads. ;-)

Say what you will about these jokes on Slashdot, but I liked some of them. At least it wasn't like DDRFreak, who had a post that someone well-known in the community had died in a car crash.

I could blow this up and then walk on it. Maybe I'd get more exercise this way.

(and you get to use geek friendly DDR memory instead of paying through the nose for evil RDRAM).

Well, I don't know about the RDRAM, but my DDR memory is terrable. Maybe it's that I don't practice enough, but I can only keep one or two arrows in my memory at once. I suppose that it is geek friendly though, most geeks that I know are too embarrased to ask a girl to dance...

Just play Dance Dance Revolution. After a few hours in non-stop mode, I'm sure you'll have had enough of a workout.

Play Dance Dance Revolution!

The Nintendo Power Pad was a great idea in concept, but the system wasn't powerful enough to provide a decent entertainment experience with it. DDR is addictive and fun. If you don't want to play in the arcades where people can see you and make fun of you, then get a home set - It's domestically available for PSX, though Konami has only domestically published two titles, and has a third in the works. If you import, Japan has over ten Dance Dance Revolution titles, and they're almost totally in English anyway, so you'll only need to get a modchip or a GameShark.

Konami also released two DDR games for the Dreamcast in Japan, and a Disney-themed DDR for the N64 (Which is also now available for the PSX) but I don't think they made any first-party dance mats, so you'll have to stick with third-party crap mats if you want to play DDR on your Dreamcast. To my knowledge, nobody makes 3rd-party mats for the N64.

Don't knock it until you've tried it. It's loads of fun, and while you might not be very good at it right away, it doesn't take that much practice to get good. It's especially fun to show off in front of a crowd at your local arcade.

Get dance dance revolution for the playstation.

For those unfamiliar with the game, basically you have a pad with 4 arrows, up down left right. On screen you see 4 static arrows at the top of the screen and then some colored arrows floating upwards toward them. You press the arrow on the pad when the colored and static arrows overlap.

It's a great form of exercise, it even includes a diet mode where you set the amount of calories you want to burn and itll make you play until you reach your desired goal.

heres a site with some more information: www.ddrfreak.com

Play Dance Dance Revolution! With a nice floor mat and a Playstation, or even a PC, you can burn those calories in no time.

I would say definatley go with dance dance revolution on the playstation. If you need more info or havent heard of it check out ddrfreak.com alot of people look at it and go that looks stupid but you would be amazed how much people get into once they try. If you have any other questions on it email me @ fabel@indirect.c()m

Heh, when I saw the headline I thought that there was a Linux version of Dance Dance Revolution coming out or something. Now that'd be sweet, dancing penguins, songs to DeCSS (look about halfway down the page), or maybe even the Free Software Song. It'd be popular in San Francisco at least....

Personally, I'll stick with my Dance Dance Revolution pads.

These can be had for around $15 each if you know where to get 'em...and I'm still on my first set of pads after four months of usage.

The game itself is quite a workout...especially after a few hours of play on the harder levels.

That is, assuming you can handle the fact that all your friends will be laughing at you the first time they see the game. At least until they play it. Most people get hooked at that point.

Konami's Bemani series is the modern equivalent of Mortal Kombat. The games to look for are Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Freaks, Drum Freaks, and Para Para Paradise. Some of these are available in home versions but you can't get decent controllers in the US. Especially for the dancing games, where even the import home controllers aren't good enough to accomodate some of the showoff techniques.

DDR is one of the few arcade games that has a local fan base and regular tournaments. If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, they have DDR tournaments at the Metreon with prizes and judging expertise donated by Konami.

The scene was a lot better in Hong Kong, though. And Tokyo's not bad either.

Have you been in an arcade lately?

The newest rage in the arcades are the BEMANI music games by Konami! Dance Dance Revolution, Beatmania, DanceManiax, Guitar Freaks, Para Para Paradise....

These games have been making a mint -- even at a dollar per play, a price previously thought impossible to get people to pay for -- because they're fun. Something new and different! DDR makes you actually stand up and dance to the game. PPP is probably the first game that you play without touching it at all.

Try them. Midway's fault is for blindly pumping out generic fighting and driving games. Arcades are not dead -- yet -- the Bemani games are keeping them in business for now.

Super eurobeat from Avex and Konami unite in your DANCE!

Afro 3 writes: "Konami is again showing us their moves in the music game war with a new high-energy product: Dance Dance Revolution 4th Mix, designed to operate on the 6-arrow DDR platform. There are a couple of reviews pitting the 4th Mix DDR versus Parappa the Rapper, Umjammer Lammy, and Bust a Move at DDR Freak and at DDR UK." I'm still staying cool with last-year's 3rd Mix -- does anyone harbor any lingering thoughts that that's not their real dance, they can do better?