Dance Dance Revolution Extreme

Lore & Background

DDR Extreme is similar to DDRMAX2 7th mix. The game introduced 'Beginner' and 'Nonstop' modes, a mode similar to the previous 'Challenge mode', but with an updated 'life bar', a graded rating at the end of each course and a random banner. Perhaps the most noticeable changes in DDR Extreme are the extra stage and the updated green color scheme. Players can pick their own song to try to pass the extra stage, including 'The Legend of Max'. If they do well on the 'Extra Stage', they can progress to One More Extra Stage. The banner of Dance Dance Revolution unlocks access to other songs. If the player passes, a special ending is unlocked. New songs are introduced, including the Bemani revival songs, like 'Beatmania IIDX', 'pop'n music' or 'Keyboardmania', and versions of DDR Solo, Home DDR and DDR Club songs created by DDR Extreme. A 'cheat code' reveals the true number of songs, including hidden songs. Pressing the left and right buttons simultaneously unlocks the Series, Alphabetical, Beats-per-minute, Player-best and Default sort orders. The home version was released October 9, 2003. This was a follow-up to the DDR Party Collection which featured 58 characters. DDR Extreme included lesson mode and credits too. Also included were 4 new Bemani songs, 6 CS Extreme songs and a new song, Max. (period). Unlocked characters can play all nonstop modes, Nonstop orders can be turned into Oni orders and a 'diet' mode is available.

Reader's Guide

Nonstop mode uses the same gameplay and life found in regular modes, except that players must complete four consecutive songs without pausing. Also, players lose more of the dance gauge bar for each missed step as they progress further along each song. Challenge mode, returning from DDRMAX2 Dance Dance Revolution 7thMix, is the most difficult game mode. In the arcade version, each player begins with four lives, and loses a life for breaking a combo (getting a judgment of 'Good' or inferior) or letting go of a freeze arrow. Some songs replenish the life bar when completed, but if a player runs out of lives during a song, the game ends for that player. In the PlayStation 2 version, players are presented with specific goals to meet, such as passing a particular section of a song with different variations, playing a song with special modifiers, or earning a set score. Nonstop and Challenge modes contain a new step judgment called Marvelous. The judgment uses a stricter timing window than Perfect, representing very accurate steps made by players. Marvelous is displayed after each such step in white, and is not displayed during normal gameplay. A fan project known as Dance Dance Revolution Extreme Pro enables the Marvelous judgment in all play modes. DDR Extreme introduces two difficulty modes as mainstays in the series. The first is Beginner mode, which appeared in Dance Dance Revolution USA and Dancing Stage EuroMix. It is easier than Light, only available in four-panel mode, and represented by a light-blue color. The background animations in Beginner mode are replaced with an on-screen dancer who follows the actual step patterns of the song, cueing the player when and where to step. Players are also given a brief tutorial on how to play Dance Dance Revolution after selecting their first stage. By default, 'Beginner' mode automatically passes players on their first stage regardless of accuracy; subsequent stages play to end of the song even if failed. Players can exit or enter Beginner mode anytime during stage selection. The 'Challenge' difficulty level is above 'Heavy', but the complexity of its step patterns are not necessarily always greater than 'Heavy'. Challenge mode cannot be selected at the start of the game; instead, players must enter during stage selection, represented by a purple color. Unlike other difficulty levels, relatively few songs have a Cha

Did You Know?

• The arcade version of DDR Extreme was exclusive to Japan, but was exported to many arcades worldwide, most of them being bootlegged.
• The arcade release contains one of the largest soundtracks of any DDR game, featuring 240 songs.
• Konami issued an in-game thank you to fans and announced a rejuvenation of the series, leading some to believe Extreme might be the final DDR release.
• The game introduced 'Beginner' mode, which includes an on-screen dancer who follows the actual step patterns to cue the player.
• A fan project known as Dance Dance Revolution Extreme Pro enables the Marvelous judgment in all play modes.