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A Beginner's Guide to the Dance Dance Phenomena
An anonymous reader writes "I just saw a rather interesting article over at LANParty.com about breaking into the world of Dance Dance Revolution. The article has a humourous story about going from DDR mocker to DDR fanatic thanks to a seven-year-old kid. Also, it has reviews of some home DDR equipment for those too timid to play in public. The article is written from a beginner's perspective, and has some good resources for newbies! If you've ever thought of hopping up and 'busting a move', be sure to check it out."
huh?
Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
Though I have never played this game, I think it's still pretty addicting. I mean to go and try it someday, but fear that I might get hooked. It's like ...exercise!
I will always mock DDR. Cisco's DDR and the video game DDR are both a waste of time.
bleh
This is the worst fad ranking right next to pokemon.
I think this would be more fitting under the "Laugh, it's funny" category. ;)
DDR introduced me to social situations. I mean, before DDR, I never really mingled with people at large social gatherings. But DDR has made me a much more social person, forcing you to either deal with people or play at home. Not to mention the health benefits of being able to pass Max300 on maniac (I did that once, it hurt).
Job? I don't have time to get a job! Who will sit around and bitch about being broke and unemployed then?
I just got hooked to this new addiction back in May and I can safely say I've got more exercise over the past few months then i'd get in an entire year!
That whole article (and the pic of that guy) was so gay it crashed my browser.....and I JUST upgraded Mozilla!
I had no idea what this was until I read several of the articles. People actually dance at arcades now? Man, I _AM_ old, I never heard of this.
*sigh*
https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested
Is that DDR is also a great way to meet the neighbors that live below you ... :)
(Score:-1, Wrong)
At least in the introduction I couldn't find a short explanation what DDR is for non-insiders. Could someone of you please introducte as "outsiders"? Thanks :-)
I've done it. I thought is was stupid. But, I guess you have to like that sort of thing. Generally speaking I don't move my feet around like that unless I'm falling down the stairs.
I work on an open-source DDR/Pump simulator called StepMania. It's almost feature identical to the DDR MAX/MAX2 and has a ton of customizable features.
Download StepMania, download some songs, and at play it with a keyboard. Slowly you'll start tapping your toes. Then, buy some pads, some USB convertors, and practice up. You'll be ready to wow everyone at the arcade!
Samba de Amigo on Dreamcast is waaaaay better.
Haha! You're a bit late for a fp, right? Sucker.
This is really news for nerds. I can't see that it matters though.
Bringing DDR to the home is a huge step I think. It could be a more exciting and entertaining party game than say, Twister.
On second thought, I don't know if you can play naked DDR and have the same amount of fun as you would naked Twister.
At least if DDR makes it into the home, maybe the other 98% in here can get girls over to their houses/apartments (without any form of trickery or force). Everytime I see that game, there's always girls playing it. Then again, I don't think I've ever seen any guys playing it.
DDR is a very fun game, although it does take a little practice to get used to. For anyone interested, you can usually get 2 dancemats and the first US version for around $40-$60 dollars, and it's well worth it. And, once you start getting good, you'll enjoy it a lot more. Also, girls LOVE playing this game, I wish I could convey how often I have ladies over to "dance" with me. Highly recommended for excersise, improving pedal-dexterity, and impressing ladies who think 6'2" 200lb men can't dance.
DDR is news for nerds, and YES it does matter. :\
"player 4 hit player 1 with 0 stroms"
Going back, I see it must be on rotation coz it changed, but that original ad made the page unreadable. Doesn't anybody have quality control on ads these days?
.02
cLive ;-)
-- Trinity in high heels carrying a whip: The donimatrix - there is no spoonerism
You shouldn't. Please contact one of the addresses mentioned at http://www.befrienders.org/ immediately. Thanks and God Bless You ;-)
It's usually at http://sardius.fefea.org/, but since the site is down, click my mirror of it here: http://www.rahga.com/fun/konamix/
:)
For what it's worth, Michael Jackson is involved.... and trust me, it blows every other DDR review out of the water.
until you realize you just need to go with the beat.
It's amazing that huge tubs of flesh can sweat so much while pretending to dance, yet not lose weight.
No, seriously - DDR is Japan's revenge for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Around these parts (Vancouver, Canada), the only people that play DDR are asian kids. It looks like fun, in the way that Karaoke is fun. (Which in my dictionary, is "marginally".)
The next step is for DDR to infect the minds of white folks. I expect to see long rows of these machines bringing in the line-dancing crowd in the very near future.
I've got a bad attitude and karma to burn. Go ahead. Mod me down.
We (Cryptic Allusion) are also developing a Dreamcast game with the freely available homebrew tools to go beyond the basic get-as-many-steps-right-as-you-can of DDR to something much closer to Puyo Puyo or Puzzle Fighter. Here's the link:
Feet of Fury
There's also Dance With Intensity that someone developed to play DDR songs on your PC, assuming you can track down the step files and MP3s/OGGs.
Cryptic Allusion - New Mac and Dreamcast Games!
Trolls -> |=====D (0) <- Slashdot
Im a troll. This is a revolution.
So you can limit me to 10 times a day, thats bullshit. All it means is trolls will increase quality, not quantity. Anyway i am a professional troll with several dozen IPS. Ban me and ill just move on to another. Don't even THINK about WASTING your PRECIOUS mod points on the Invincible troll.
This troll is protected by DTM (Digital Trolling Mangement) under the DMTA (Digital Milleumium Trolling Act).
When are they come out with a game where I can wave glow sticks to trance music?
from the slashdot readers that I know... top things they'd like to see added to a game:
10. golems
9. battle chariots
8. star cruisers
7. light sabers
6. dark elves
5. dancing girls
4. power axes
3. tanks
2. balistic missles
1. more cinematics of lara croft
things they wouldn't like:
10. calisthenics
9. exertion
8. breathing hard
7. movement
6. physicality
5. burning energy
4. working out
3. sweat
2. exercise
1. dancing
i see a critical flaw here.
There's nothing Intelligent about Intelligent Design.
This thing was on King Of The Hill, in the episode where they went to Japan. I had never heard of it before that episode, nor since, until today.
From the title, I thought this article was going to be about DDR vs Rambus ram. Hmph.
"Would it kill you to put down the toilet seat?" -- Maya Angelou
I first played in Indianapolis. I was with my then boyfriend at an arcade, and I did not want to play. (I also did not want to do the stupid Frankenstein thing, but such is life.) But I got up there and I whipped redengine's tail. He was so bad. It was pretty early in the morning, so there was no crowd, but I keep looking for them around here b/c I can't wait to be able to do it again. Anybody know where you can find DDR things in Central Illinois?
Liora
If, like, me, after reading the descriptions you're still having a hard time picturing just exactly what this game is about, here's a site with some videos, looks like mostly from tournaments.
http://www.ddrfreak.com/videos.php
Palaces, barricades, threats, meet promises
"If you've ever thought of hopping up and 'busting a move', be sure to check it out"
Um, no I havent - next article please.
martial arts, thanks.
Nah, I think I'll stay on the mocking side of the fence. No amount of explaining or justifying is going to get me to budge from this lofty position.
fslg503-985-8686503-985-8686503-985-8686503-985-8
Dude, Dance Dance Revolution is so much more fun than Radical Advanced Moronic Bouncing Up-and-down Skating!
DDR introduced me to social situations. I mean, before DDR, I never really mingled with people at large social gatherings. But DDR has made me a much more social person, forcing you to either deal with people or play at home.
For what it's worth, regular dance lessons (of pretty much any kind. I started with swing and proceeded into ballroom) will achieve the same result, teaching you to be more sociable and courteous -- especially with the opposite sex -- while also helping you get into better shape.
I was going to say that DDR is probably cheaper than dance lessons, but at a buck for three songs, it's probably not.
Crack your paper Yellow Pages to look for dance instruction in your area, or look in the quarterly park district catalog. Learn some partner dances. Swallow your pride and practice them in public. If nothing else, it'll make the next wedding reception you attend 100% more enjoyable.
when somethign you've been into for like over a year starts to become popular in a mainstream way. Our arcade has a 4th mix machine and we have a ps1 with pads at home, and we're pretty damn good.
However, I've noticed a bad trend in DDR. There are lots of people who play just to hit the arrows. I mean if I can't beat every catastrophic song on maniac some people wont even bother talking to me. So for all you people who are bragging about your ability to hit every single 1/64th note crazy speed arrow on a 100 foot song, you suck, get a life. I mean playing a game instead of dancing is bad enough.
So for all you DDR people, it's about having fun and possibly even looking good! *gasp* or at least trying to look good.
If you don't know about DDR or Bemani check out
www.ddrfreak.com
www.bemanistyle.com
Paraparaparadise is pretty cool.
The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
Yes, I'm talking to you. I wish I could find out where you live so me and Steve could come over and hang out with you for a minute or two.
I've got a bad attitude and karma to burn. Go ahead. Mod me down.
Or the waltz? Quickstep? Tango? Cha-cha?
Eh -- I think DDR is great -- it gives the otherwise-tranced-into-everquest kids some excersize. God knows most americans need it.
The Dance Dance phenomenom started OVER THREE YEARS AGO. It's not news, it's not for nerds, it doesn't matter and it's stale as all f!@#. I realize some of the readers here are the secluded sort, but one visit to any major arcade within that time would have clued you in to this popular phenomenom. You certainly don't need a guide to figure things out. Please, don't disgrace the word Editor by applying it to yourselves. Infact, replace yourselves with a very small shell script as I'm sure it'd do a better job of finding real, not to mention interesting news. Heck, some of it might even be for nerds.
And yes, I already know K5 exists, thankyouverymuch.
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I live in New Orleans. There's an arcade in the French Quarter, called the Penny Arcade.
In the French Quarter, lots of poor inner city kids make money by tacking metal bottle caps to the bottom of their shoes and tap dancing for lurid tourists.
They take a break, and come to Penny Arcade to play Dance Dance Revolution, the big one with dual feet areas, etc.
Goddamn they fucking light up the arcade. It's no fucking joke, its really, really cool. There will be two hotshots on the pads, with like twenty kids all around, yelling, dancing themselves. Those that have had the opportunity to pass through the French Quarter may have an idea what its like.
It is filled with so much activity and life; truelly a fun, amazing thing.
and you liked it!! Youuuu loved it!!
Yaaaaaa.
...along with "How to Enjoy Macrame" and "Yogourt: Why I'll Live to 100".
Contrary to what the article said, there is a REAL DDR port by Konami for the PC that just came out recently... I've seen it for sale at Fry's electronics. You can use a dance pad that connects via the USB cable.
It's DDR 3rd mix only, though, I believe.
There's 10 types of people in this world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
Funny article/guide over at somethingawful.com on various opponents you may face at the arcade.p ?id=378
http://www.somethingawful.com/article.ph
That real geeks dont dance
First time I ran into DDR was at a local Fun Zone. Some kid was "dancing" on some pads, appearantly having fun. Paying a dollar for maybe 5 minutes. The night before I was in a club dancing for free. Better music, more people, and it didn't cost me a thing.
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, the music isn't the best, and you look like a fool in an arcade dancing on some buttons.
Whatever, I guess I'm just trolling.
Burn Hollywood Burn
StepMania web site
:-)
SourceForge project page
Songs for download:
DDRManiaX
DDR East Invasion
My apologizes for the sloppy posting. This is my final post
ddr destroyed my relationship :(
girls are evil
I play video games specifically because I feel like sitting on my fat lazy ass and NOT moving about. This is just like those old interactive mats and power gloves Nintendo had that never really took off. Most gamers just want to press buttons, actually having to dance or beat up a virtual opponent is too much like -gasp- WORK.
Is it great for people who like to dance and also like video games? I guess. Is it going to get ME into an arcade? No. If I feel like doing something physically active, I'd much rather be doing it in the great outdoors.
---
Siggy, siggy, siggy, can't you see? Sometimes your puns just irritate me.
I just got back from Japan and I got addicted to another bemani (Beat Mania) kind of game.
It is called "Taiko No Tatsujin" (Drum Master).
It is really addictive: you have to play a japanese drum (kodo). The machine has an incredible bone shaking sound, that really gives you the idea of hitting a giant drum.
This game is particular, because it is very beginner friendly, but it can also be used by experts.
The tune selection is also great!
You can see the arcade machine here.
A PS2 is on its way, lucky me (and you)!
I always thing of that spanking game "Pogo-Pongo" or something, when I think of DDR. It's a WTF? kind of feeling.
Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
You forgot something on the first list - gay Hobbits.
"Would it kill you to put down the toilet seat?" -- Maya Angelou
This topic wouldn't be complete without a link to this.
That is all.
[PowerPoint] is a tool for capitalist presentation
Swipe your badge? No Way, dude.
Dance the right steps? You are in!
Combine security and corporate fitness all in one...
Study the demographics that play DDR (no sources, just spend a night at your local gameworks). Having skills in DDR is a good way to hook up with the ladies as this is one of the few games they seem to like and float around the most. On a side note, I'd be more impressed with people who play DDR if they could bust their moves at random instead of the physical game of memorization DDR is.
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What a slashdotter dance?
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 haven't tried DDR myself, but I did visit a friend who had Samba De Amigo, in which you gain points by shaking a pair of maracas! It's probably just a matter of time before someone combines the two to produce the ultimate video game workout!
I asked all my nerdy friends, but they didn't know either.
Is a girls some sort of 'next generation' gaming console?
I hate it for one reason: volume. Every time I come near one of those things the sound is turned up so high that it feels like it'll rupture my eardrums! Feeling like my ears have been boxed is not fun.. turn those things down. You in the cars with the too loud bass should listen too.. :P
;)
In addition to that bit of horridness about DDR, there is no redeming feature to the game.
Sorry but I am Caucasian ,therefore my ability to dance is impaired .
WE need MORE SLASHDot TROLLS IN THE WORLD (linux roolzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) FUCK THE Police and the RIAA ALL AT THE same TIME niggaZZZZZZZZZ
Come on, I know you're out there and I know you read Slashdot.
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.
slashdot!=valid HTML
Ever since that strip came out, I can't walk by a DDR machine without thinking about how much better it could be...
And the brethren went away edified.
Frantically smashing buttons on the ground is hardly dancing. I've seen a few really good DDR players that KIND of made it look like dancing, but seriously, most people just look like they're squashing bugs.
It's more acrobatics when they get all fancy than it is dance.
I haven't stepped into an arcade since 1988. I have no clue what Dance Dance is..someone wanna help me out?
If you're not a Liberal in your 20's, then you have no heart.If you're still a Liberal in your 30's you have no brain.
I think it's pretty established that playing DDR wil l make girls look at you and smile maybe, but get you laid? Nope. It's been done and tried.
http://www.somethingawful.com/article.php?id=378
The last entry is no joke. The kids you'll find in Hawaiian and Californian arcades (in my experience) just don't mess around.
I guess every generation needs its killer app arcade game. Back in my day (said the ancient 20-something), it was 2-D fighters like Street Fighter II et al. Seeing my nieces and nephews dominate the DDR machines reminds me of when _I_ was the little Asian punk keeping everyone else off the SF2 machine. =P I guess the difference (actual non-violent physical activity vs. non-physical fantasy violence) is a good one, but I'm too set in my fuddy-duddy fighter ways ever to give DDR a shot.
I'll take a joystick or Ascii Pad FT over a dance mat/platform any day.
< tofuhead >
It is still the dark of night.
I read most of the article(s), waiting for the punchline and for the author to start talking about CAS latencies, RAMBUS (is evil), etc. and then it dawned on me that he reall was talking about some sort of physical activity. At that realisation, I stopped reading since "physical activity" is something that I'm fairly averse to... :)
I must say this is one of the greatest arcade games ever invented.
Sure, when you are new to the game, you look like a retard who doesn't know the difference between stepping left and right on a pad, but hey, you have fun. Once you get good at the game, you can draw a crowd (seriously!) and have a lot of fun. It's one of the only games that women will actually stop and look at (yes fellow geeks, I said women, got your attention now?)
For those of you who say it is expensive, go to a place like Nickel City where games a lot cheaper. Many of these "nickel" places have DDR for you to play for around 20 cents. Now that is not expensive. It would cost you about 2 bucks an hour to just keep playing. Going to a movie is more expensive than that. And just imagine how many calories you could burn! You may actually *gasp* lose weight!
A great resource for information about DDR is www.ddrfreak.com. Go look at some of the videos.
BTW, there is DDR for the playstation if you are interested. Go to your local gaming store if you are interested in getting it.
The editor did not take into considerationt that slashdot is populated with nerds, just not _THAT_ type of nerds.
...And we despise their kind here.
We're more secluded in our own worlds, code a lot, discuss stuff that's boring to nowdays short-attention span teenagers, and generally are more conservative than jumping around the arcade while making an ass out of ourselves.
We're the best kind of Nerds. This story does not belong here. DDR is for people who don't care how things are made, they are the end users.
called Rave and Mamba Because U Should. (Rambus). Word on the street is that there is much less latency between moves with DDR even though RAMBUS is faster-paced
I tell you what, we hit those machines near our office at least 2-5 times a week, and it gives some of us something to talk about (other than slashdot.)
Not only that, it makes you feel good. Unfortunately we haven't been able to pull any of our female coworkers along yet, but then again they think we're all geeky anyways and I'm not sure taking them to an arcade to hit buttons on a metal pad would really help that oppinion much.
at a lan party. 45 people going DDR nutzo. I laughed till my stomach hurt, then realized..HEY, you know the ONLY women at the lan party were ALL there, and so were alot of guys. Just think guys, one thing WOMEN REALLY LOVE is DANCING, and this way a geek just might actually get close to one :)
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 8388608 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 11520 bytes) in
Slashdot has crashed a comic strip.
hahahhahahahahahhahaahahahahahahahahahah ahahah.. too funny.
Anything that gets peoples' fat asses out of their chairs is to be applauded. My only concern is noise; don't want to disturb my downstairs neighbors. Does anyone know of a good way to dampen the stomping?
There's an arcade game like that, but it's single-player, too short, and the bike settings are wimpy. A gym version is needed. There are gym-grade exercise bytes where you move along a road, but that's only mildly entertaining.
One of the first things I did after posting my reply is look up DDR on google and ddrfreak was the top listing. I downloaded the top player. He isn't that good at dancing, probabaly because of the artifical limitations on where the buttons are.
I'm wasn't impressed.
Burn Hollywood Burn
The guy is a dancing god! Check it! http://www.watchmedance.com
i am *convinced* that younger / smaller kids are more adept at games like this than relatively full grown adults like myself.
the key seem to lie within their short, therefore fairly limble (is that a word?) extremeties.
as legs grow longer, it need more and more energy to move them; and unfortunately our "power" (in J/s) grows at an inferior rate compared to volume (and therefore mass) as we get taller (and hopefully longer legs). Hence while a kid can match his legs to a 1/64th beat with no problems, you will sweat and pant and cry for miracles before your legs can keep up.
and last thing: most "soft" pads are no match for the arcade pad's quality. and i generally recommend against the soft ones cuz they and usually too sensitive and when you go to the arcade you tend to not press the button hard enough to reigster a hit. (if you practice with the "hard hit", you will torn up your pads mighty quick).
go on ebay for some "hard" pads, or build your own. it's probabbly going to get you much further.
My life in the land of the rising sun.
I realize that a thrill for everyone '80s related is quite now quite common (look at the MAME craze), but really, getting excited about the DDR? What, do these fans drive Trabants and Wartburgs while singing Die Partei hat immer Recht?
I'm a huge fan of DDR and I've been playing it since it came out in Japan.. I prefer the Beatmania series, but I'm not too big on the Beatmania IIDX branch.
An excellent DDR Sim for the PC is called "Dance With Intensity" and it allows you to use mp3s to recreate the DDR experience at home..all you need a dance mat for the PSX with a PSX-> USB adaptor and maybe some tv out to go to your tv. I have a laptop that functions as a dedicated DWI machine.
http://dwi.ddrei.com/
I guess the guys at lanparty.com will only be "LANning" for some time now...
A must read. Hopefully doesn't get redir'ed. ;)
This artcile summary was hard to read. I kept seeing Double Dance Rate and Dance Data Revolution. I kept thinking things like.. the digital equivilent of playing a record at 75 rpm vs. 42. Or something. Double Dance Rate, for increased throuput!
For me this is still the "classic" physical arcade game. Possibly because it is a social acceptable way to vent one's frustrations without getting arrested. Also the game bears a certain resemblance to many sysadmin/programmer situations, i.e. spam, viruses, lusers, etc.
Happy Fun Ball is for external use only.
People have been having ddr competitions
http://www.johnandward.com/directors/dance.html
.mov but so worth the hassle.
11.5 Mb of
".....it's time to show the people what I can do."
I know that DDR is the big popular dance game, but if you want one that's really fun play Pump It Up (PIU). I find that one to be a lot more challenging than DDR, plus you don't have the annoying announcer screaming "Good Job!" or whatever the hell he says.
:-) DDR only has playstation pads as far as I know. I'm sure there's a hack to get them going on your PC so you can download songs, but PIU is ready to go over USB.
:-(
Also, I own the home pads for DDR and PIU, and PIU has much better pads IMO. Plus those are pads for your PC, so you can download fan made songs to dance to.
Reading this I want to run out and play some PIU. To bad I'm getting my ACL repaired this time next week.
A friend of mine in Orange County, CA told me that one of the P.E. Teachers brings DDR into school once a week for the students to work out on.
They are /. user compatible. Since /. members are generally not allowed to have a life or go out clubbing, this fits in nicely with our reader demographic. :D
BE THAT AS IT MAY, I would LOVE to see one of these out in a club where it could change projected visuals depending on how the dancer dances.
I can feel the vibe. Feels trancey or maybe uptempo London/SF House.
Mmmmmm. uptempo London/SF House. Mmmmm.
- Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...
Be sure to try Rich "Lowtax" Kayanka's take on DDR:
http://www.somethingawful.com/article.php?id=142
It's quite fun, with two action-packed levels of flash goodness.
Just a thought worth remembering:
DDR is just a dance SIMULATOR
Does as scoring a perfect mission in flight sim stealth bomber automatically qualify you for the USAF?
More to point, a high DDR score does not mean you are ready for the dance floor of your local club.
If it were anywhere near a close approximation to life it would at the very least tell you just what the fuck to do with your arms!
Things they'd like to see added...
Until I saw this article I'd never heard of this game.
signs you are becoming an old fart:
1) Slang has gotten to the point that is sounds like a foreign language to you.
2) Teenage trends/fads/fashion don't make any sense and just look stupid to you.
3) You first hear about the above trends/fads months after they are already "over" among the kids.
Happy Fun Ball is for external use only.
Are you kidding, while naked twister has the high rubbing factor, naked DDR has a higher bounce factor.
Xaotik Designs
Seriously, folks, try some of these games! Not necessarily arcade DBR, which is basically unplayable for beginners (try the home PS1 version), but "Police 911", if you want a great example of how physical motion can really add to the game experience. (But be ready to have aching muscles the next day! )
I'm hoping that more game console manufacturers will enable these kind of input devices, since I think this is a potential new frontier for game designers. And, hey, putting exercise in games is a great way to get the parent associations to =get off our backs= about kids spending too much time playing videogames!
---Lady Blue
This should be modded +5 for eloquence, pretty much sums it up in a monosylable.
I read the articles, and it seems to have not much to do with RAM, and something more to do with stepping on arrows in a manner approximating dance?
Now I am reminded of an old Dilbert cartoon to which Alice is chiding Dilbert and the other males for playing a notebook game that is about a driving range (golf). Basically, they are rather pathetic for playing a game of a practice of a game that is not known "by any decent human being" as being a real sport. Now for real we have this fad that is about a game about dancing. This has got to be one of the more sad (but not most) things around today.
I trully believe that if I could gather enough people together, word things just right, wear the right clothes, etc.; I could then make it a fad to punch your self in the testicles every 5 minutes. Perhaps the moniker should be, "Generation: Dumb fucking stupid sheepish bastards"
All these 'future war' predictions (sadly by the majority of top brass) walk right into the door of complacency through dependency (on tech). I am much more confortable with a fighting force that can adapt to anything than a bunch of uniformed game jockeys in their billion dollar tubs. Tubs as in, it gets hit with a nondirectional EMP (or similar) energy blast and it becomes just another balistic missle coming in on final. When that boy ejects, he becomes nothing but a liability that must be rescued like some 103 old school teacher in the middle of an invasion. AF pilots = victims in a cockpit. Man I hope we don't go to war with China.
What next reviews of Broadway musicals? You have sunk to new lows. I am starting to doubt the integrity of /. .
Here a chance to take more Karma! If I allow the +1 bonus, that allows you to mod for up to 3 karma points to -1. Damn, I'm generous. But to masquerade this artical as a story? I can't even imagine generousity on that level. I mean, the world isn't exactly starved for news. Hell, Stephen King is dead, but the by-no-means-new DDR wave makes front page and he doesn't? I don't even like Stephen King, but this is horse shit. H-O-R-S-E S-H-I-T. I know, hit that -1 button, because the truth hurts. Troll it or Flame it, but the simple truth is Timothy fell down hard today. News? We ain't got no stinkin' news...
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"Cute asian gamer chicks" Am I a hormone on a string? Sure, but paying isn't without fringe benefits.
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They are in malls accross the world, ive never even seen one. but my friends play it all the time.
Is the discovery that the Nintendo Power Pad wasn't a stupid idea, it was just ahead of it's time...
That was good. Funny even. The resident arcade junkies at Gameworks are even worse. They'll get get one of those $20 all night passes and simply pound games like DDR until they are mastered. And the cute asian girls? I managed to avoid such a setup by noticing the bottle of water and change of gym shoes at the base of the machine... I'll be savin' those quarters and my pride, tank you very much.
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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.
Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes
Though the fighter simulator depends on the level of realism, getting good at DDR actually does help you in the dance department. Foot/eye coordination, visual on screen dancing representations... it's not that huge of a leap to go it on your own, actually.
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Those ten least wanted sound an awful lot like sex.
I don't know how many men, much less /. readers would turn that down.
You need to restart your computer. Hold down the Power button for several seconds or press the Restart button.
I'm glad someone said it! Not to attract flames from the DDR crowd (no really) but I have to agree. I'm glad some people like this game and all, but I for one would like to moderate this entire submission as "off topic". I mean seriously? We might as well start talking about the virtues of pokemon. Guilty pleasure of many, but definitely not "Stuff that Matters".
--Not to be worried, Pitr fix.
Since you're going there, that's "da bomb" and yes, you're right. A majority of them do look like epileptics on triple shot expressos. But there are those who, after spending their body weight in quarters (or yen), have achieved a zen like state and actually do a damn good job at- get this -dancing. I know, it's tought to believe. Hell, I was surprised I started learning dance moves from Jet Set Radio Future, but that's besides the point. And I'll be more than happy to be one of those "kids" at 27, thanx ^__^
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There is one game beyond this in gayness. It is dancing with ONLY your arms!! I was walking past an arcade and burst out laughing watching two mall-trash types standing still but trying to be like Madonna Vogue dancers.
Wasn't there an article about this a month ago where they introduced this into Phys Ed classes for kids in California?
And I thought trepanation was stupid.
But it's fun. Try it in the privacy of your own home or in some obscure arcade during daytime hours.
;)
It's been going on a long time though, surprised it's only hit Slashdot now. Guess folks are not quite up to speed with the youngsters eh?
NOTE: I'm not a "youngster"
They had a few machines over at E3 this year, I think it was for one of the consoles. Two random guys (versus folks who worked for the game) were "playing" and they looked pretty good.
~Fricka
OffLineTshirts.com
Never heard of it.. but looks extremely gay.
.. that I would be interested in hooking up with the kind of women who frequent arcades.
and you are I am sure well aware of which nut you can suck right? Good, just so we're clear on that.
Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
ok game...
shitty music.
I bet ya Slashdot's got a decently high percentage of weirdos who would say 'Ew, bodily fluids!'
Wow, imagine a Beowolf cluster of these things.
--
Random GeoCities Link: _
You've obviously never seen Riverdance.
It just makes them turn it up farther.
post pix pls. k thx bye
You forgot to say which day, silly. And by the way you describe yourself, it look like you want a date, not a fight. Perhaps another /.'er from the NY area could help this guy get over his homophobia? I promise to pay for the condoms.
I've got a bad attitude and karma to burn. Go ahead. Mod me down.
Will somebody please, please mod this up?
ROFL
Happy people make bad consumers.
Max300 on Maniac? Dude.
;-)
;-)
;-)
I'm still climbing the ladder of DDR
Just passed Healing Vision (4th Mix/Konamix Version - Not the remix from 5th Mix... which is my current goal) and I was completely drained
Bring a bottle of water when ya hit the arcade, you'll be glad ya did
It doesn't even have anything to do with the former German Democratic Republic which is called DDR in germany (and that's still my prime association with this abbreviation as that was it's only meaning for most of my lifetime). But as the DDR didn't have much to do with democracy I think that's consistent
He saw some dirty arabs and fired. Too bad it was just some friendly kurds, BBC reporters and his fellow cowboys.
I remember my first dance lessons almost twenty years ago. It would have been better to have practiced with a machine first. Without some minimal level of either social or physical skills, real dance lessons can just aggravate the geek social isolation problems you describe. Trust me, it didn't make me _more_ comfortable with people. It was just humiliating.
Later, I was slapped by a girlfriend for trying to dance with her. She thought I was making fun of her.
Taking lessons with my wife (about fifty bucks for about an hour in prep for our wedding) more recently was great fun, but I'm a little more practiced at dancing, and socially a tad more graceful now.
Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.
Private lessons are expensive, but group lessons are much less expensive and more social. If you need to learn the most dance skills in the least amount of time, then book exclusively a professional dance teacher's time and pay for his or her time. If you want to break into the competition scene, you'll need private instruction -- and, believe me, the costs of that will be moderate compared to all the other expenses of the strange competition sub-culture. If you just want to learn social dancing, a group class will teach you what you need to know for a fraction of the cost of private lessons.
Sound likes to travel lets just say. I thought my building was pretty secure so when me and a friend went splits on 2 red octane DDR mats (came to $200 CDN each) we had no problems for about a week. One day though, when my friend was trying to beat MAX300 on maniac I got a loud knock on my door. Lo and behold an old man with bloodshot eyes and really bad breath starts yelling at me. I tried to explain that we were just playing a game and we'd try to play quieter but he just yelled "THIS BULLSHITS GOTTA STOP!" He was pissed.. his teeth were showing and he shoved his face into mine. Not to mention he brought a lackey who just stood back to the old man's side and kept nodding and repeated "yeah, I thoguht it was construction" atleast 4 times.
All wasn't lost though. Me and my friends learned to play very lightly on our toes, hense playing very gracefully. It won't be long until I'm good enough to play most songs on Maniac mode. Oh and yes.. its true. DDR really helps social status. I've run into the old man's lackey a few times in the elevator since and I can tell he wants me to die...
I forgot to mention that the lackey lives below me and the old man lives a floor or 2 below him.
Also, the 200 dollar pads have surely paid for themselves in all the quarters I've saved (in merely a month), but I'll still go to the arcade for the big shabangs.
-Tom
check out http://www.pokemyhampster.com
probably 4 the same reason girls r into cheerleading, line dancing, or any synchronized activity...perhaps it's a subconscious manifestation, similar to women living 2gether falling into synchronized menses;-);-);-)