Anyone else addicted to DDR?

Just wondering if I was the only fat white man shamefully addicted to Dance Dance Revolution. I am about to spend 110 ten dollars on a game and two dance pads I was waiting until I finished Cowboy Bebop but now I have and have run out of excuses.

Under the surface of the most jaded cynic lies a dissappointed idealist- George Carlin

 

Ah Chanchai will have plenty to say on this topic,I'm ashamed to say I've never played (only watched) games like DDR,Guitar freaks,Beat Mania etc.

When I was at Galaxy World in Sydney I was kept well entertained by the endless stream of Asian guys playing DDR,though I'm sorry to say I've never seen any fat white men playing it but it certainly looks like good excercise,I can't believe they don't have them in fittness centre's yet.

 

I must say if I continue to play at the current rate I wont be a fat white guy for long. Although I am dismayed at the lack of the game in the U.S. I am going to have to import ther game and pads which is going to be expensive.

Under the surface of the most jaded cynic lies a dissappointed idealist- George Carlin

 

So does anyone know where to get the first party Konami Dance Pads. All I can seem to find are the third party ones and we all know how well third party products work. I have checked www.ncsx.com and www.express.com my primary import outlets and have had no luck.

Under the surface of the most jaded cynic lies a dissappointed idealist- George Carlin

 

I actually prefer some Third Party Pads. In the long run, if you don't do some measure of protecting the pads (Konami/Bemani or Third Party), they are gonna get torn if you play the game quite a bit.

Many people have used different methods, probably the most outspoken one using those carpet protectors (plastic sheets that have traction that you create pathways over the carpet with, you can find them at Home Depot). Most of these methods are good for adding a sort of slick-traction (oxymoron), excellent for performing slides and what not.

The DDR scenes I am aware of:
Vancouver, BC
Irvine, Santa Monica, LA (not sure where), and some in the Bay Area as well - CA
Seattle, WA
Chicago, IL (did I get the state right? hehehe, I'm not sure of the current status there)

And I think other areas are growing in popularity towards it. Basically, look for asian communities and you are bound to find it. With all of the Koreans in Portland, OR, we don't really have DDR, but we have Pump It Up which has a platform of 5 steps in the X formation (pretty much everywhere the DDR steps don't exist) and lots of K-Pop. It's actually a really good alternative, but I still find DDR as the most exciting of the platform dance games.

I'll probably post a bunch of links later on DDR sites. There are tons now (mostly in CA). I haven't been active in the online DDR scene for awhile, I was active most when it was a rather small scene (around the same size as the VF scene hehehe).

-Chanchai

 

I have only realy played it at my local arcade. Which third party pads are good. Sorry if you mentioned it in your earlier post.

Under the surface of the most jaded cynic lies a dissappointed idealist- George Carlin

 

I think Singapore is only of the few rare places...where it's mandatory to dance with ur shoes off!!!

<font color=red>SummErs' 'Ride the Lighting Legacy'

 

Does not that lead to the spread of athlete's foot and other feet fungi.

Under the surface of the most jaded cynic lies a dissappointed idealist- George Carlin

 

I personally think it's best to play the game on real platforms with shoes on (excluding the reason for foot hygiene). Well, you are supposed to have socks on when you play it. In Thailand it's just an implied rule to play it without shoes on. I don't see people having issues with foot fungi though.

About Third Party pads, I couldn't tell you which ones are good and which ones suck. My recommendation is to go to a DDR forum and look it up or ask around. If those forums are as active as they were a few months ago, should be no problem.

Also, an alternative are the acryllic platforms made in Hong Kong. 3 piece set that you put together, they light up as well, and I don't know, sounds great. Haven't read a review on them yet though. But if they were responsive and worked well, they'd be the next best thing to actually having a platform.

I wish 3rd mix or 4th mix would come out in the US, in the arcades. Not like DDR is in any arcade around me though.

-Chanchai

 

Thanks for the info Chan-Man. I ordered the 2 Pads, First Mix and Third Mix yesterday I just hope the Third Party pads arent utter crap even if they are Konami's bringing out the first party pads in the U.S. in May.

Under the surface of the most jaded cynic lies a dissappointed idealist- George Carlin

 

This game caught my interest a lot as well, however I never played it in arcade. Because by the time I first saw this game in arcade (in Asia), this type of games have long become very popular, therefore there are a lot of very good players, I was too shy to play in front of them. I know that Japanese Playstation and Dreamcast both have this game, but somehow US Dreamcast release is never heard. Not owning a Playstation, so far I am playing Samba De Amigo as the only music-action game I have ever played, and I love it!

There was a news saying that DDR will soon be ported to US Playstation, I wonder if it is released already?

 

I think US Mix (for PSX) is coming next month. It has some tracks from original and 2nd mix I believe (hopefully 3rd as well). But a lot of songs are missing (legal issues).