I almost got upset at the absence of Queen-Zukin from the poll, but then I noticed the Set 1 of 2 part of the question.  I think it's time for a new pair of glasses.

It was a pretty tough choice for me. I've been a huge fan of most of the characters on the poll, so I actually had to think about it pretty hard.  I've never really been too much into Rage and Alice (other than her alternate SN2 outfit) and I like Gus, but not quite so much as the rest of the characters listed.

Emi and Yuni are hot, especially in their new outfits for DDR X, but with the exception of playing as Emi when I first started playing 5th Mix, I haven't really played as either of them that much.  Afro (bite me, his name's Afro) has always been awesome, but something about how he looks in X just kind of irked me.  It's not his goofy new suit.  In fact, it looks awesome on him.  Actually, it's about his hair.  In the previous games, his afro has always been kept smooth and tight.  In DDR X, parts of it stick out and make the whole thing look nappy.  All of the Afro art appearing in X is still excellent, but his character model was killed by his hair.

That leaves Baby-Lon: A baby that dances as well, if not better, than most of the adults in the game.  Not to mention, he's the son of Maho, my all-time favorite DDR character.  How can I vote against him?

...I put way too much stock in the characters.

More Beatdrop and SMiLE.dk?  I can't wait to hear these.

25.) Kimochi - NAOKI feat. Melody & Mezzo 
Naoki AND Melody & Mezzo?  I predict great win will come of this.

27.) Consuela - Captain.T
Wait, the same Captain.T that made La Senorita?  Oh, hell yes.

34.) Akibarrific - Ko Kimura
Akibarrific?  I hope this doesn't resemble Akiba Drift.  I found that song kind of boring and forgettable.

15.) Midnight Blaze (SySF Mix) - System S.F.
I think I just crapped myself.

AgoraByron: I'm Byron, and I'm the new sheriff (read: Moderator) around these here parts.  First day, and first post in fact!

Welcome.  We'll try not to give you too many headaches.  Is Elliot still around and you're helping him out, or did you give him the boot and usurp the throne of power?

Your link led me to Captain Jack Communications, the "search engine expert", because What good is your website...if no one can find it?

...But I assume you're talking about the recent Captain Jack that surfaced and seems to specialize in rap, but not so much in dance music.  I'm indifferent about him.  I'm not terribly big on what I've heard of his so far, but it may be too early for me to form a decent opinion about him yet, though.

I dunno, the music syncs with the video and the arrows just fine if I set it right, and I'm pretty sure it's for the TV, unless the input lags the exact same amount for both of my PS2's and my 360.

I tried fiddling with the two separate timing settings on SuperNOVA2.  I don't know if I was just messing around with them too much or what, but I could never get that game synced just right.

DariusKoopa: The Announcer is actually more intruiging than the Original...

..."Yo B... These beats are the Bomb Diggity Yo!" < < < Funniest Line Ever!!!

...INTRIGUING.

For the record, annoyingly retarded =/= intriguing.

DariusKoopa: I didnt give it a full 10 because they did make it like MAX and MAX2 abit... where you have to UNLOCK your courses... which everyone knew was a ***** to do in Dance Dance Revolution 6th Mix (DDRMAX) and Dance Dance Revolution 7th Mix (DDRMAX2)

That's funny, I thought you had to unlock the courses in nearly EVERY PS2 version of DDR.

Snapps: Licenses are a big issue here and I don't think people have noticed Konami has switched it from being KO songs first and then pick and choose the best licenses for the mix, to licenses first and then pick and choose the best KOs for the mix. A lot of people only see the situation as Konami is adding more licensed songs.

The only problem is that I don't think DDR has fully adjusted to this yet.

I dunno, it seems to work great for the XBox series.  Maybe it's the actual choice in licenses.  I haven't been a big fan of recent licenses on the PS2 games, but I've loved most of the ones in the Universes.

Yes, and when you do, please make separate threads for each and every little course you think up.  After you start the thread, be sure you don't give us any details as to what it is and make us give you a post begging for whatever it is you're peddling.  We really love that.

reenyreenyreeny: Good job Konami, now PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE fix the timing options so this game will be playable for those of us with TV lag.

There's a setting to tweak the timing in the Options menu.  I have an Ilo HDTV and setting the game to +7 timing makes my game sync up fine.

Good job, Konami!  You're doing achievements right this time!  I was tired of the Quest Mode/Songs Played/Challenge Mode achievements after the first time I saw them.  Where to begin?

First full combo on Beginner/Basic/Difficult/Expert - I get the feeling I won't be able to just get the Full Combo on Expert and automatically get the achievements below it.  Still good stuff, though.

First grade AAA - Excellent.  I'm glad there's some good skill-based achievements this time around.  Actually, didn't I request this one specifically?  Silvercube, remember: The achievement doesn't specify a difficulty.

Unlock the first/5/10/20/30/all songs - Sneaky, Konami.  Very sneaky.  Not giving away any hints on the unlocks this time, are we?  That's cool.  That just means I'll "Holy crap!" even more when I unlock a song I recognize.  ...Wait, does this mean there's at least THIRTY songs to unlock?

Finish HOW TO PLAY - Ahh, crap.  I hate it when an achievement requires me to play the tutorial.  Ah well, anything's better than pulling my hair out in Challenge Mode.

Purchase 10/50/100/200/all male/female outfits - Konami, let's talk about how much I love you.  Not because of the achievements specifically, but because they tell me you've decided to put so many customizations in the game for characters, and anyone who's seen my Soul Calibur and Mortal Kombat videos on YouTube knows how much of a customization monkey I am.  I imagine "200 outfits" doesn't actually mean 200 full suits, but rather, 200 different items you can use to edit the characters.  That's okay; I love picking apart outfits and making different combinations of them.

Konami, you done good this time.  My hopes for Universe 3 are already looking up.  Well-thought achievements, a good-looking songlist (so far), Senses isn't exactly "Senses" anymore (so I don't want to smash a baby with a crowbar), and character customizations out the wazoo.  If Universe 3 is even half as good as I think it's going to be, I'll be a happy camper.

With two new versions of DDR out and another on its way, people are probably a little too distracted to play the Ultramixes.

The only ones I've noticed that Konami only sold in bundles were the Universe series.  What about the Wii?  Do they sell those separately too?

...But yeah, Konami, do that.  I've heard so many people saying they won't buy the Universe games because they don't come without pads.  I can understand holding off on releasing the game-only version for a week or two to push sales of the bundles, but to not sell them separately at all is a pile of crap.

I see some songs I like on both games, but I don't think I play my Wii enough to warrant getting any games at the moment.

I'll pass.

Silvercube: the new character is called QueenZukin, which reminded me of you because you are a Zukin fan :)

Drooling over the weird girls.  That's me, all right.

I went with the new characters.  I haven't even played the game yet, and already I have a real bad obsession with Queen-Zukin.

Silvercube: Yeah, I was thinking of you when I was playing DDR X. The story mode in the game is nothing that special..

ARE YOU SAYING I'M NOTHING THAT SPECIAL?

Kidding, but I'm curious: How does playing X remind you of me?

Silvercube: And the shock arrows are what I would call "Poison Arrows gone stupid".

Poison Arrows were already stupid.  This is more like "Basic ignorance gone glue-sniffing brain damage".

Actually, I meant in the Options menu of the game itself, not the PS3.  Every version of DDR I've seen has the option to tweak the syncing of the arrows.

There should be something in the Options menu (usually under Sound Options, I think) where you can fine-tune the syncing of the arrows.  Is that not available in X?

I still haven't played it (yet), but I saw a few videos floating around YouTube and I have some early opinions.  (Copied from my Z-I-V post, edited for some clarification and language.)

**SPOILERS** 

- Taj He Spitz. With Binghi Ghost and Drew Campbell backing it, this was the song I was looking forward to hearing the most. Unfortunately, I found it unimpressive. The Tommie Brooklyn What's-His-Face Remix is better, but still easily forgettable.  I guess after hearing Big Up and Makes Me Cry, I was expecting something more breakbeat and/or more reggae-like, not rap.
- On the Bounce. Is this a boss song? And its difficulty doesn't make me want to direct excessive force towards baby seals? I declare shenanigans.
- Saber Wing and its remix. Maybe it's just me, but I don't hear what's so amazing about them.
- Horatio. It sounds great, but the Oni chart is crap, because...
- Shock Arrows. Konami, if you decide to continue this idea, please put some actual thought into it next time instead of pulling it out and messing with it at the most inappropriate times like a kid that just discovered himself.

...Oh, and one more thing.  Why was I not informed that Konami added such a sexy new Zukin in X?  She may be the hottest one since Maid-Zukin. I can't wait to play her story in SMM.  (How sad is it that my biggest motivation for getting the game is one of the characters?)

**SPOILERS**