Fans Of Best-Selling Dance Franchise Will Flock to GameWorks Arcades Across the Country to Compete in the First Official Nationwide DanceDanceRevolution Tournament

 
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – September 24 - 2009 – Time to put on those dancing shoes and let the search for the ultimate dancer in the United States begin – DanceDanceRevolution style. Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., today announced the launch of the official 2009 DanceDanceRevolution U.S. Championships. Beginning September 26, the first-ever national DanceDanceRevolution competition will bring together the greatest DanceDanceRevolution players from around the country to compete in seven different regional tournaments all over the United States. All this action will culminate when the top dancers in each region will advance to the National Finals in Las Vegas on December 5^th, 2009 where the number one DanceDanceRevolution player will be crowned. 

 
"For years, DanceDanceRevolution has evolved from an arcade game into a pop culture icon. Millions of versions of the game have been sold, fan clubs have been formed, and the people who count themselves as members of the DanceDanceRevolution community continue to grow exponentially each year," said David Daniels, Director of Marketing at Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "With such a large following and so many great players all across the country, the time is right to host an official competition that will appeal to both old and new DanceDanceRevolution enthusiasts as we look to find who is truly the ultimate."

The DanceDanceRevolution U.S. Championships will take place inside local GameWorks arcades in each region. Such a grand scale will put DanceDanceRevolution players up to the ultimate test as they compete against each other on the ever-popular arcade unit – DanceDanceRevolution Super Nova. Up to 160 elite DanceDanceRevolution players will compete in the full day competition. The top performer in each region, based on the highest number of points, will advance to the National Finals and a chance to win a $1000 Best Buy gift card and other prizes – as well as the title of top DanceDanceRevolution player in the country.  Additionally, all competitors will receive a $10 coupon to Best Buy when they show up at the event at GameWork locations. For information on how to register to compete, people should go to http://www.konami.com/ddruschamps/ .

 

The date/location for the DanceDanceRevolution U.S. Championships regionals are as follows (Date of events is subject to change):

September 26 – Dallas, Texas

October 2 – Miami, Florida

October 11 – Columbus, Ohio

October 17 – New York, NY

October 24 – Minneapolis, Minnesota

November 7 – Las Vegas, Nevada

November 14 – Seattle, Washington

December 5 – Las Vegas, Nevada (National Finals)

Dear DDR Fans!

First we must apologize for the lack of communication recently, as you may have guessed we have been busy.  However this is not to say we have not been watching and listening to the comments on the player websites / forums since the initial launch of the new DDR X machines.

We would like to thank you for your interest and your comments about the new DDR X machine.  There have been many comments made about various points of the new DDR X machines.

One of the most common points has been about the “Sync Issue”.  We are aware of this issue and a “fix” has been developed / finalized and will be fitted to the machines in the market ASAP, it is going to take a little time to get it to all of the locations but we are working to get this done ASAP.  Again, please accept our apologies for this issue, it will be fixed very soon.

We have also noticed a lot of complaints and negative comments about Betson Enterprises on the forums.  We would like to make you all aware, Konami is solely responsible for the redesign and manufacturing of the cabinet, Betson Enterprises are the exclusive distributor for the product in the US and are doing a tremendous job in the sales and distribution of the Konami product line and also in supporting our products.

On a more positive note we see a lot of you are asking “what are the USB slots for?”  We can now confirm (although some of you already know) these are for the Dance Step Editor function we are working on.  We cannot reveal the full details at this time, however we will be beta testing they system on Aug 11 before the mass roll out.

WEB Address: http://ddredit.konamionline.com/

Looking to the future we will continue to check the web forums for comments and feedback on the products.  We do check most of the major player forums on a regular basis but please feel free to post information and have discussions on the Konami DDR Community; http://www.ddronlinecommunity.com/ 

Thanks again for your passion and comments

All the best

Konami Amusement Team

 

Dear DDR Arcade Fans,

Thank you for being a loyal DDR fan.

We really value your continued support of our products.

 

Today, we would like to hear your voice for our next product.

As you may or may not know, we are planning to add a new feature to our next version of DDR Arcade.

This new feature will allow you to create/edit your own step chart data using your PC and allow you to use your own original step chart on the new DDR Arcade machine.

 

We are currently evaluating whether to allow this data transfer through the use of a USB device or an SD card.  This is where all you fans come in.  We would like to know whether you would rather be able to use a USB device or an SD card to transfer your step chart data to the next DDR Arcade machine.

 

Any comments or suggestions from you, would be greatly appreciated.

We would like to know which device you would rather use and why.

 

We look forward to getting your input.

 

Best regards,

Konami Arcade Team

---------------------------------------------

Let Your Voice Be Heard Today!

1.) Vote on the official poll located on the DDR Community Website Home Page

2.) Tell us why you made your choice on the official Konami Asks Discussion Thread

--------------------------------------------- 

Konami wants your opinion!

Konami values the opinions of each and every official DDR Community Website member, and thats why they want you to vote on a very special community poll. 

Below are seven images, each representing a possible character in an upcoming Nintendo DS Game.  Here is your chance to vote for your favorite, based on the images below.  Take a look at each character, and then vote on the official poll on the Home Page.  Which character would you like to see in an upcoming Nintendo DS Game?  Let your voice be heard!

Alien 1

Alien 2




Alien 3





Boy 1





Girl 1





Animal 1




Animal 2




To make your vote official, make sure you're logged in and click back to the Home Page.  Scroll to the Community Poll (located in the center of the page), and make your vote.  After you're done voting click the official discussion link below, and speak your mind with the rest of the community.  Thanks for being great community members!

Character Vote - Official Discussion Thread

I found it uploaded by someone in Japan. Good catch!

Hiro@LA

Hello, DDR Universe 3 is coming soon and I would like to show some more new screens. Enjoy!!

 

DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #1
DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #2
DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #3
DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #4
DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #5
DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #6
DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #7
DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #8
DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #9
DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #10
DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #11
DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #12
DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #13
DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #14
DDR Universe 3 - Screenshot #15

 

I have also posted these images in our DDR Media Hub Forum, which you can find HERE.

 

-Dani

Hello. This is Mummy.

 

"DDR X" has finally been released.

Has everyone got it yet?

 

Please enjoy "DDR X" in this special "DDR 10th anniversary" year.

I hope you can find your favorite songs, dancers and game modes.

 

I am going to start introducing the features of "DDR X" soon.

Until then, please enjoy dancing! Later!

 

Mummy@TYO

Hello. This is "Takashi. U" from the Arcade version DDR team.

The location testing for "DanceDanceRevolution X" has started!

Many DDR fans came to attend the location testing from the first day! Thank you so much!

The testing is going to be held until 9/14. Please come over and experience the new DDR!

 

We are also holding the first location testing for "U Beat (tentative title)." We are introducing

the new Bemani series title to the US. This testing will also be held until 9/14.

Please stop by!

 

Here is the location of the testing!

Boomers!, Irvine

3405 Michelson Dr. Irvine, CA 92612-1605

 

http://www.boomersparks.com/park/irvine/directions.html

 

Takashi. U

I am going to Japan for a business trip next week. I mostly work hard so I will not have so much free time, but I am looking forward to going to one of the best Sushi restaurants. It is located in Tsukiji and it is not so expensive for the quality. My friend Stillwind, who is an audio director of Beatmania Production in Konami Japan introduced the restaurant. When we went there last time, we were combination of me, Japanese and Stillwind, American(Caucasian) so it looked like I took him to the restaurant to introduce but actually it is opposite. It is a bit funny that real Japanese person was introduced an authentic Japanese restaurant by an American, but I admitted that they were good. I was amazed that his tongue could sense the subtle differences of quality of sushi because he came to Japan just a year ago.

 

Sushi is very simple food, so it seems easy to make, but you can tell that it is not true when you try to make a good one after you experience truly good sushi. You will know why sushi is expensive. However, it is also true that it is hard to find a good restaurant and reasonable pricing.

Oh.. I cannot wait!

 

<Japan>

Sushi restaurant we went last time and will go soon: Sushi dai

http://www.sushidai-kachidoki.com/

About JPY3500 for chef's course sushi

 

<LA>

Good sushi restaurant in Torrance I usually go: Sushi Ken

http://www.sushiken.jp/la-siten.html

They serve good sushi for a reasonable price. About $35 for chef's course sushi.

 

Hiro@LA

I want to give everyone a little insight into the license music for this year's Wii and PS2 games. This year we really tried to bring some of the best license music yet to HOTTEST PARTY2 and DDR X. At the same time we wanted to keep the "feel" of the games separate. Both of these games have a very unique character, so the music that we choose has to promote this.

 

Our motivation for HOTTEST PARTY2 was to give it a really great "party" feel. Not so much a club party, but more of a rippin' house party. One of those parties where the DJ is playing all types of music, and every track seems to totally fit the mood and make the party more fun. To this end, we went after some of the greatest hits from the last 4 decades. Songs people know and love, even if they had forgotten about them. I want people to have the experience, "Oh Yeah, I know that song! I Love it!". Of course, we threw a few surprises in there too -  just to keep it interesting. ;-)

 

For DDR X, we had the "urban" theme to guide us so we went after music that follows this idea. Now, "urban" doesn't mean just Hip-Hop though. Urban environments are places where cultures collide and ideas such as music get shared. So X's music is a bit edgier, but still really exciting. Along side the smash-hits and well known songs are many tunes that are pushing the musical boundary - blending styles and genres.

 

Of course our over-riding rule when looking for music, from global hits to club anthems to underground masterpieces, is the "fun factor". Just because a song is popular doesn't mean it's going to be good for DDR. It has to be fun to play! I think we did a great job this year and we have some really solid tracks for both of these games. Enjoy - and definitely let us know your favorites (and least favorites)!

 

Stillwind

I found the article about robot called Manoi. This is going to be retailed. It costs over US$1,500, but you can register motion and program actions. It has may motors, gyros and sensors to balance its body.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5T0to-PVfY&feature=related

As usual, I imagine that I program to let it play DDR with dance mat... We need to make a small and sensitive dance mat. It may be possible to program play certain song with preset action sequence, but it must be hard to program to let it think, judge and play any song on the fly. DDR is a very simple game, consisting of just 4 directions, but it requires so various body moves. Human is intelligent enough to control body naturally, but it is logically difficult.

When you play DDR, you use your left foot to step on LEFT, right foot on RIGHT I guess. How about UP(forward) and DOWN(rear)? The best way is to use a free foot. For example, if arrows come L-L-U, you can use your right foot for UP because your right foot is free. If it is U-L-L, again use your right foot for UP because you will use left foot for following LEFT. If it is U-L-R-U, use right foot for the first UP and  left foot for the second UP. Foot to step UP and DOWN depends on the next or previous steps. Sometimes such logic does not work, but then you need to devise. Also some beginners think that they need to put your foot back to the center position after step, but you don't have to. The game checks the moment you touch(press) the button, so you can keep your foot on the button after that. Good DDR players instantly know how to move their foot balancing their bodies, but it should be hard to program the robot to do that on the fly. I would not say it is impossible because the moves are not unlimited even though it is complex and there are various combinations of moves, but it will cost.

Hiro@LA

- Making your own rule when you walk the pedestrian crossing. For example, you can only step on white belts, black area is magma and you die so try to stay on whit zone.

 

- Trying to keep kicking the same rock on the way home from school, but it falls into a hole and you feel sad little bit.

 

- Twisting chains of swing before ride, but it is not fun as you expected.

 

- In a horror movie, a stupid couple die first.

 

- If a guy says "I will propose her when I achieve this mission..." before his mission, he will not come back from the mission.

 

- In a horror movie, the nicest and bravest guy helps the main lady and survives to almost the last, but he dies near end.

 

Hiro@LA

I listed very small experiences, actions and happenings that should be occurring to many people. It is called aruaru-neta in Japanese. I don't know how to call it in English, so I asked in the office and concluded to call it OH-YEAH. It is not worth talking about deeply, but many people can sympathize the feeling.

 

I don't know whether you can catch what I am trying to, but this is a list I come up today.

 

These are actions you unconsciously do, everybody should have experienced.

- I cannot help saying "AHHHH" in front of the electric fan.

- I cannot help making one sting of a fork into macaroni when eating.

 

These are mistakes that many people should have experienced sometimes.

- Looking for a TV remote control, which is sitting just in front of you.

- Unwrapping a candy and throw the candy to the trash can and holding the wrap in a hand.

- The thing you thought your mobile phone in your bag was actually a TV remote.

- Looking for your glasses sitting on your forehead.

 

These are experiences that many people may have had.

- Thinking "Who is this?" when you hear your own voice recorded.

- You think "I can eat everything! Is it enough for me?" when you are so hungry before eating, but you actually cannot finish your portion. (Especially I am a type of person to order larger portion additionally and cannot finish even the original amount...)

 

Hiro@LA

It seems very high tech, but it looks yacky.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1czBcnX1Ww

 

It may be able to program him to play DDR with 2 front legs. Imagine that he plays EXPERT very fast...ewww! Balance control of your body is a key of playing DDR so he must be a very good and yackiest DDR player!

 

Hir@LA.

PCM is one of the formats of audio file. I did not know until I checked Wikipedia, but PCM stands for Pulse Code Modulation. It usually stores wave information straightly so it is easy to guess the approximate file size when you know the spec.

The factors you need to focus are:
- Frequency
- Bit
- Stereo/mono/multi (Number of channels)
- Length

Frequency is frequency of pulse per second. When you see 44.1KHz, it means 44,100 pulses in second. Lower frequency sounds rough like radio while high frequency sounds very clear. In other words, it defines quality of the sound.
Bit is to express value of pulse. 8 bits (1 BYTE) can express 0-255 and 16 bits (2 BYTES) can express 0-65535. This also defines quality. It is like you have $20 in 20 $1 bills versus you have $20 in 2000 pennies. The former can express by every dollar like $1, $2, $3..., but the latter can express any price like 1.56, 3.87, etc.
When it is stereo, the file has two different audio streams (channels) so stereo is twice as big as mono, 5.1(6) is six times as big as mono in file size.
Length in second is the base of file size.

Equation to get file is like this: Frequency x Bit x Channels x Second

For example, if you have 44.1KHz, 16 bits, Stereo, 30 sec., it should be given by this:
44100 x 2 x 2 x 30 = 5292000 BYTES = 5168 KB (1KB = 1024 BYTES)

You need to take the header size into consideration. Header is the data chunk to store info. You don't know that the file is in 44.1KHz, 16 bits and stereo without this data chunk. Usually Header is very small so it can be ignored until you need very accurate number.

Anyway, using this principle, you can easily calculate seconds you can store in limited storage.
You can store 6087 seconds of 44.1KHz, 16 bits, stereo PCM in 1GB.

Compared to PCM, Mp3 format is compressed format so you need much less space to store audio files, but it is lower quality. It is popular because you can keep quality for the file size.

In our DDR, all songs are in the best quality. =)

Hiro@LA

I wrote very basic of game programming before, but I forgot to answer your questions.
"How the program works in video games?"
Like last time, written program in C or C++ controls video game's behavior, but you may not able to imagine how the code goes to video game machines.

First, you need is development environment. You need to have a test kit and SDK installed on your PC. Test kit is a developer version of the game system connected to the PC somehow. It cost much and you cannot get it until your company makes developer contract with first parties. You do not need such a thing if you are making PC games. SDK stands Software Development Kits, PC application to work with test kits. Microsoft Visual Studio works as PC game development application for example.

Assuming you have a test kit hooked and SDK installed on your PC, then how can you program video games? First you write a program in C or C++ usually like last time. It is kind of human familiar looking so people can understand. You need to COMPILE it first, which is making sure that code is understandable by PC. It checks glamour like period at the end of sentence. It gives you an error if you forget to add ";" as the end of each sentence for example. It is very strict because no vagueness allowed. The code is translated to machine language that you don't usually have to care. Next PC does LINK process. LINK process is to make sure that everything defined connectable and make executable file or the game. Executable files is just a binary file that people cannot read and understand usually. Then the executable files will be transfer to the test kit to run it. You keep doing this until the code becomes good to go.

How to display pictures and play sound? Program called "library" is provided by the First party. It is sets of functions you can call to do such things. For example, there are something like DrawColorTriangle() to draw a triangle, PlaySound(), (actually such functions are not that simple, but I listed as a concept...) DrawColorTriangle needs x,y of 3 corners and color, PlaySound() needs sound file name so you can pass these to the functions when you call. DirectX-SDK was one of the libraries of PC game development.

I guess that now you understand how to make your program work in video game machine but at the same time you know that it is a long way to be a game programmer. Still want to be a game programmer? You can do it if you think this article interesting!

Hiro@LA

In weekend, I usually take my 2 year-old-daughter to walk around the apartment in the morning. It helps my wife to do house work with no obstructions and to have a little bit of free time. The daughter likes the walk also. I don't have specific course, but generally we go to McDonald's near house to buy apple juice for her and get back with different route. Sometimes we stop by grocery store to buy stuffs asked by my wife. It is just about half mile walk, but it takes 1.5 to 2 hours, 2.5 hours if I pass by the grocery store. It is the only time to be just me and her alone in a week. She is always with her mother except that chance. It is a sweet date. She is curious about everything on the sidewalk, taking 20 minutes to walk one side of a block. She likes to climb up the stairs of unknown apartments, wave to airplanes and fly seeds of dandelions. She rarely blows the dandelion seeds because she is too weak to blow away. She pats it, scratches it on the ground, stumps on it or picks off seeds with her fingers. This weekend and Monday (I took a day off on Monday because I and my wife were sick), She flew seeds of 50 dandelions. She seems to like the walk so much because I just let her do anything she wants. We may make the route longer as she grows up, but it is fun to walk half miles taking 2 hours.

Hiro@LA

Enter Unlock Code at the title screen after you have entered your credits.

After you have entered the unlock code successfully, a new Icon appears on the top left of the title screen.

Unlock Items:

Unlock Songs:

『L'amour et la liberté（Darwin & DJ Silver remix）』 / NAOKI in the MERCURE
『Venus』/Tatsh+RayZY
『FIRE』/Mutsuhiko Izumi

Unlock Courses:

『HARD CORE』 (NONSTOP MODE)
『V For Vibes』 (CHALLENGE MODE)

Enter Unlock Code at the title screen after you have entered your credits.

After you have entered the unlock code successfully, a new Icon appears on the top left of the title screen.

Unlock Items:

Unlock Songs:

『MOONSTER』 / kobo uniting Marsha & D.
『SUNKiSS♥DROP』 / jun with Alison

Unlock Courses:

『A Midtown Night's Dream』 (NONSTOP MODE)
『jun』 (CHALLENGE MODE)

Making a video game, this is much to do. It is easy to throw the game after 3 minute-play, but making games requires many steps and processes.

Here I want to focus programmers. They are the smartest in a development team and they make a core, a heart of games. Graphic engine, Audio engine, AI, etc... If programmers are not good, the game will never be fun. They need not only skills and technique, but also need creativity and productivity of fun game. Good programmers can make UI menu comfortable and smooth, AI smart, powerful graphics... Even the timing of sound effects really matters on comfortableness.
You may have experience that Super Mario is very comfortable to do a jump action because timing of sound effects and moves are natural, but some other similar type games are not as comfortable for some reasons. There is a difference of skills and sense of programmer.

I guess that the biggest question is, "How does the program work for games?” First you need to understand how the TV/monitor works. They update the screen 60 times a second for example (It depends on monitor systems). The game provides new picture every frame just like how cartoon works. The difference is that the game updates the picture on the fly based on the interaction while cartoon shows prepared pictures.
So, how you move the ball from the left edge to the right edge of the TV screen? First you know the frame rate, 60 frames per second. Secondly you need screen aspects like 320x240 and size of the ball of radius 8 pixel. It should look like this.

(0,0)                                         (320,0)
+-------------------------------------------+
|                                                             |
|                                                             |
|                                                             |
|                                                             |
|                                                             |
|                                                             |
|                                                             |
|                                                             |
|(8, 160)>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>(232, 160)|
|o____________________________________o|
|START                                             GOAL|
|                                                             |
|                                                             |
|                                                             |
+-------------------------------------------+
(0,240)                                   (320,240)

Horizontal position of the center of the ball is X. The ball touches the left edge of the screen now, so value X is 8. The goal of the ball is to touch the right edge of the screen, so value X will be 232 (240 - 8).
START X = 8
GOAL X  = 232
If you want the ball finish moving in just 1 second, the ball should move from left to right in 60 times of screen updates.
So we need those functions to move the ball as you wish. Function is an action command chunk so to speak .

// function to initialize values. Called once before start moving.
function BallInitialize()
{
    ballX = 8;
    ballY = 168;
    frameCount = 0;
}

// function to move the ball. (update X value) called every frame
function BallMove()
{
    ballX = 8 + (232-8) * frameCount / 60;
    if(232 < ballX)    ballX = 232;
    frameCount = frameCount + 1;
}

In BallInitialize(), ballX is set to the starting point. It also resets ballY, height of the ball to 160. so now ball is at (8,160). frameCount needs to be initialized, too.
The function will be called only once before moving the ball but the merit is that you can call this function when you want to redo the action. For example, you can call this function every time button A on the controller is pressed and the ball will jump back to the original place and start moving.

In ballMove(), ballX value is calculated using frameCount value. The frameCount will be incremented every frame so ballX gets greater every frame at the same time.
If ballX gets greater than GOAL X, force it to stay there.
frameCount is incremented in the last line.
frameCount and ballX will be updated as frameCount increased like this.

fr    bX
0    8
1    12
2    15
3    19
=-=-=-=-=
58    225
59    228
60    232

This is extremely simple example, but this is how we move the object in the game basically. This is 2D base and 3D is much more complex that I cannot explain in here. Also the real code needs more lines to define everything accurately. You need to understand many logics and I should be paid =). Hmm... how about opening game programming school after retirement?
Anyway, it should show the ball like moving smoothly from left to right.

Just for your information, I put more realistic code version in C++ here; (I did not try compiling and this is my style of coding)

//=====================================================================
// static variables
static int g_ballX;
static int g_ballY;
static int g_frameCount;
// constant variables
static const int s_ballX_start = 8;            // tsrating position
static const int s_ballX_end   = 240-8;        // goal position
static const int s_ballY_0     = 160;        // height
static const int s_frameCount_max = 60;        // duration

void BallInitialize(void)
{
    g_ballX = s_ballX_start;    // set ballX to the startiing position
    g_ballY = s_ballY_0;        // set ballY(height)
    g_frameCount = 0;            // reset frameCount
}

bool BallMove(void)
{
    g_ballX = s_ballX_start + (s_ballX_end - s_ballX_start) * g_frameCount / s_frameCount_max;
    // check if the ball reach to the end
    if(s_ballX_end < g_ballX)    // can be also "if(g_frameCount_max <= g_frameCount)" instead
    {
        g_ballX = s_ballX_end;
        return true;
    }
    else
        g_frameCount = g_frameCount + 1;
    return false;
}

Hiro@LA

Recently press releases of console version of DDR have phrase like "featuring 100+ minutes of music!". Today I had a chance to burn Audio CDs of DDR Universe 2 music. I needed 2 blank CDs to put everything on discs. I realized that the game is so valuable because it holds value of 2 or more CDs. If a product contains 70 songs and costs $50, one song is cheaper than $1. You may have likes and dislikes so it is not that straight, but I believe that it is worth trying!

Hiro@LA

If you are old DDR fan, you know that we have changed names of difficulty in long history of DDR.
Early version used to be: BASIC - TRICK - MANIAC
Then we changed to: LIGHT - STANDARD - HEAVY
Finally we are using: BASIC - DIFFICULT - EXPERT

Personally I like version 2 "LIGHT - STANDARD - HEAVY". What do you think?

Hiro@LA

I was asked by marketing to make instructions for DDR Universe 2 demo at 24 hour fitness so I made a song list. I made the list to have songs getting faster gradually and it assumed that difficulty was fixed at BEGINNER. After the first demo, I was asked to make it harder because everybody felt a bit too easy and they wanted to get more sweaty. Then I made version 2. However, I was asked to make it even harder after the second demo. I was surprised that people learned so fast! I guessed that people in demo were non-gamer so I tried to get down to their level I could imagine. Actually they didn't have evaluation for each step because we cannot utilize real game dance mats for many people. They used printed sheet. May be that helped also because they don't feel to fail at each step. It is important to try to follow the instruction and it is not to know success or fail. They think that they are doing well. Finally I had to set the difficulty higher to BASIC. Then you will not have visual play sample in the game screen and difficulty gets much higher than BEGINNER. I am a bit worried, but also I am looking forward to hearing the feedback of version 3. This experience helps me to design workout features in DDR Universe series.

Hiro@LA 

It is not annoying for me to ride a bike anymore. I am not sure, but riding a bike seems to give me a good side effects. I feel that my brain works a bit more flexibly and I am released from stresses a bit.

3-4 days a week, 40 minutes ride in the morning and evening. After a month, I am 69 Kg (151 lbs.) now. Did I lose weight by 1 Kg (I was 70Kg)? I am not sure, it can differ by various conditions. I look forward to seeing more significant difference, it is time for me not to think too much. Just keep doing...

Hiro@LA 

There is a good Mexican fast food restaurant near my house. When my family members stayed in Japan for 1.5 months and I was enjoying my single life, I used to go get some to the restaurant. I thought that Mexican food is healthy because you have tomatoes, avocados and onions. After the 1.5 months, my wife told me that I looked gained weight but I did not believe it because I believe that I tried to take lots of Mexican food and usually I lose weight thanks to single's free and inconstant life cycles. However, I was shocked to see my weight heaviest ever! Since then, I stopped eating Mexican food, looking most doubtful for me and this event made me start riding a bike.

Today, I went to a Mexican fast food restaurant for lunch. Hmmm, yummy! Well, I will burn calories tonight by riding a bike back home. I hope it works.

Oh, besides, I played DDR Universe 2 for an hour today to make a song list for demonstration at 24 hour fitness.

Hiro@LA

Three brand new DDR games have just been announced!  DanceDanceRevolution® X for the PlayStation®2, DanceDanceRevolution® UNIVERSE 3 for the Xbox 360™, and DanceDanceRevolution® Hottest Party 2 for the Wii™!  The 10th anniversary of DDR is looking to be huge!  Here are the facts:

DanceDanceRevolution® X:

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the hottest revolution and bestselling dance video game! Brand new to the PlayStation®2, DanceDanceRevolution® X explodes onto the dance floor with enhanced graphics, fun interactive gameplay, an incredible song selection and innovative new game modes.

Awesome soundtrack packed with 70 major hits and brand new songs
Brand new LAN Battle Mode will let up to 8 players battle simultaneously through the LAN lines on their PS2
Create your own workout and fitness program through an enhanced Workout Mode
New DanceDanceRevolution characters and enhanced graphics
Utilize the PlayStation®2 EyeToy to implement yourself into the game

DanceDanceRevolution® UNIVERSE 3:

DanceDanceRevolution® UNIVERSE 3 dances it's way to you with an all new sleek enhanced interface, fun new modes and settings for players of all skill levels, cool smash-hit songs, robust online and offline support and exciting new exclusives!

Over 70 songs with truly universal appeal with music from 70s to today!
Everyone can play, accessible for all skill levels
DJ Mode makes its debut on the Xbox 360 – create your own tracks and song lists to dance to!
Brand new City Mode lets you compete against bosses throughout the DanceDanceRevolution city to become the ultimate champion
Enhanced Quest Mode lets you customize your own character with over 400 options of clothing, faces, skin tones and hair styles
Do more on Xbox Live, play online and download new music seamlessly
Compete internationally with a different song list every week

DanceDanceRevolution® Hottest Party 2:

The hottest selling dance game returns, with an entirely new soundtrack, game modes and interactivity. DanceDanceRevolution® Hottest Party 2 enhances the series’ trademark interactive gameplay by combining the physically engaging, innovative and easy-to-pick-up-and-play mechanics of the Wii platform. DanceDanceRevolution® Hottest Party 2 is sure to be the life of the party with 4 player multiplayer, Wii Remote and Nunchuk support, smash hits taken from the last 4 decades of music, entirely new modes and more!

All-new soundtrack includes smash-hits from the last 4 decades:

“Makes Me Wonder”
“Umbrella”
“Black or White”
“We Got the Beat”

Cool new modes and features:
Your Wii Mii can now be incorporated onto the DanceDanceRevolution dance floor
Brand-New Gimmicks, such as the Triple Stomp, add to the next evolution in DanceDanceRevolution gameplay
More Wii mote interaction in the Dance n’ Defend Battle Mode where players use Wii mote movements to beat their opponents
Non-stop dance action with the new Course Mode, various set themed song lists that players dance along to
Unlock hidden features in the Groove Arena Mode as you battle your way to the top of this new venue
Players can learn real dance moves and practice the same routines as the characters with the brand new Hottest Training Mode
All new DanceDanceRevolution characters exclusive to Hottest Party 2

Enhanced motion capture will be applied to all characters for increased realism and customization
New stages with enhanced effects, with more than 50 unique dance environments

Wii version of DDR "DDR HOTTEST PARTY" features the song called "Lesson by DJ". U1 made it because he is the one of the rare people who can compose music and understand DDR game at the same time. The song is well designed for beginners to understand how and when to step on the dance mat. In the song, there are combinations of Down, Down and Right. The vocalist says "Down-Down-Right" earlier to let the player to prepare to step, and say "D-D-R!" at the timing of actual steps. I want to give applause to him about finding it. If you are not a beginner anymore, you may not have a chance to play the song, but please check it out if you have a chance.

Hiro@LA

Last Weekend, I and my family went to Mexican restaurant at night. They gave crayons and paper to my 1-year-old-daughter. My daughter was so happy to get the goodies and started drawing quietly. When you go to the casual restaurants with kids, they do it to entertain and to let kids sit at the table nicely. I knew that they sometimes do and it looks familiar to me, but it was the first time for myself to be served. When I came to the US I was a single, 24-year-old-guy at that time but now I have 1-year-old daughter, so I finally had a chance to have the real experience. I realized that it was so helpful service because sometimes it is hard to keep her nice at the restaurant.

Knowing and experiencing are bit different. It is hard to explain, but I hope you know what I am trying to say. Playing DDR is based on a simple concept but playing with your feet on dance mats gives you a totally different experience. If you have never played DDR with dance mats, try it! But not too fast, I recommend to start from Beginner level and step up to Basic (Light) level and stay there for a while because Basic level is designed to play fun. Higher levels are challenging and busy, so it is better to play Basic if you want to feel yourself playing to the music.

Hiro@LA

Greetings from Japan! 

The first "arcade version DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2 Ranking Event" has started at the game arcades which support "e-AMUSEMENT."

It will be held from May 1 to May 22, 2008. 

Please try!

For more details, please visit the below site.

http://www.konami.jp/bemani/ddr/na/am/sn2/index.html 

I want everyone to give a challenge!

Takashi.U from Japan

You may be able to enjoy DDR more to know these terms.

- BPM

Beats Per Minute. Unit to express tempo of music. If you clap you hand at 60 BPM, it is 1 clap every second.. If the number gets bigger, music gets faster. DDR usually have songs from 90 BPM (Hip hop is about 90-100 BPM). If you are a beginner, start from slower song. Please find BPM display in song selection screen.

- Bar(DDR specific)

It is called "MEASURE" in general. If you go to TRAINING MODE, you can find bars separating linear sequence. 1 bar usually have 4 beats. Most of music have sections every 8 (or 4) measures. Please listen to the music carefully, you can notice that music changes at every 8 measure. For example, vocal starts from 9th measure in many songs.

- 4th note

It means 1 beat. 1 Major consists of 4 of 4th notes.

- 8th notes, 16th notes.....

Divide 4th notes in to half, quarter....

In DDR, arrow colors of 4th, 8th and 16th notes are all different. It may help when you play.

- Triplets (12th notes)

If 4th notes get divided into 3, it is called triplets. (I heard that triplets in old DDRs might be off beat, but recent versions have triplets working properly for sure.)

Arrow color of triplets is the same as 16th notes.

Hiro@LA

I watch one Japan's TV show featuring Otaku in Akihabara the other day.

Wikipedia: "Otaku is a derisive term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime and manga"

It says anime and manga, but Otaku means broader and sometimes we make a combination with other word like "Kenko(Health) otaku" in Japan. Otaku means people who love something so much and the object is what the other people don't care that much in general. Health otaku people love to try any goods, activity and love to have knowldge good for health. They sometimes say "I can die for my health."

Now, back to the otaku in the TV show. They were "underground(indies) Idol Otaku". There are many indie idol groups doing live shows on the road in Akihabara. They were big fans of one of the most popular groups called "FICE". During the live show, they were dancing rapidly to the music. Everybody danced the same way. Para Para dance looks a bit odd to me personally but it is even more weird.

I don't totally understand their thoughts, but at least I know that they are soooo happy. They must have a lots of endorphin in their brain. The fact is so cool. I must have something making me crazy like that. When you die, imagine you have a result screen like DDR and it shows your total endorphin rate thru life caluclated from duration and level of endorphin. Their endorphin rate must be so high even though people don't understand them because they are so into it and that's everything for them. I cannot be a member of them, but I want to find something as they do.

Hiro@LA

We have a carpet on the floor of our office so I put hard clear sheet to make my chair slide smoothly. Recently, I put a dance mat on top of it. It made the chair stuck annoyingly, but I did it for me to keep in touch with dance mat anytime. I can try stepping on it whenever I want and I believe that it helps me inspired. A dance mat is designed for DDR, but there must be some other evolutional usages. Not only I try to think totally new way of play style for DDR, but also I try to think totally different game, not limited to music games. You may think of "Whack-a-mole" and "Twister" type  game? Yes, I thought of them also, but it is too primitive to make a well designed game plan. I want to hear your suggestion if I have a chance. I know that DDR is very well designed and this is something we should not change, but people may be happy to see more new ways to have fun with dance mat. I always think about this....

Hiro@LA

Hello Dancers!

We've got an exciting new contest for you.

We want you to show us your inner DDR, design your own character for the new mobile DDR game! Have fun, be creative, and make a character for everyone to see and dance along with!

You can make a character in your likeness, a background, or go nuts and make an out-of-this-world dancer!

It’s your choice and the sky’s the limit. It's simple and free to enter, plus there are great prizes.

First Grand Prize (1): Your character featured in a future DanceDanceRevolution Mobile Video Game set to release this fall, plus you will receive a design trophy!

Second Grand Prizes (top 20 finalists): Your submission included in a special Winners Gallery, plus you will receive a limited edition DDR T-shirt!

Check out these Character Samples:

BassHead

BassHead is one of the oldest players in the game. He has been dancing since all the arrows were the same colors. BassHead always had an interest in dancing, but never really showcased his talent, due to the fact that he was shy. When DDR took off and talent from all over started competing, he could not resist the competition. He decided to put a boom box on his head and go by the alias BassHead to conceal his identity. BassHead instantly became a fan favorite, as he breezed through the competition. To this day, BassHead continues to dance and teach all of the rookies a thing or two about DDR. He may be old school, but watch out because he can still dance with the best.

Spike 

Spike comes from a long time lineage of heroic fire dogs, but he has other dreams in mind. Spike felt that being a fire dog was boring and wanted to do something more interesting and exciting. Spike always loved to dance and had been watching DDR competitors ever since he was born. On his off time from fire dog training, he studies the current DDR greats and practices as much as possible. He wishes to become one of the greatest DDR dancers in the world. Even though his family has strong objections to his decision, he is willing to put it all on the line to have his name next to the greatest DDR competitors ever.

Flars Vultum

Flars Vultum, an alien being from the planet Funkton. Flars is a high school student that loves competition. Flars was an all-star at anything he tried. He grew tired of the fact that no one could challenge in anything he did, so he decided to find other avenues of competition. Once he learned of DDR and the many competitors, his interest was automatically sparked. Flars trained and practiced to become the best in the universe. On his home planet, Flars owned anyone who challenged him to a DDR competition. Now he travels the universe searching for someone that can give him a good challenge.

I have been playing the game for a while. I felt that it was too difficult for me for the first play, but now I am used and having so much fun to play it. IGA, the producer of the game is very talented to make fun games. I achieved 62% of the exploring the map so far and I have difficulty to find a new paths. I must be able to find more because I have 38% left! I am tempted to see web sites but I should not... It will make me feel good for a moment, but it will end up spoiling the game... Seeing website may give me more than I need. Should I ask IGA...? No, he would not tell me for the same reason... I should keep trying...

Hiro@LA

I have been playing "Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles", and I could finally unlock the "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night"!!! Yeah! the game is ten years old, but it is still sooooo fun! When I was working for Konami as entree level in Japan, which is 10+ years ago, IGA(a producer now, was a director) was making the game. I remember that I was so amazed to play the final version on PS1. Now it is on PSP so I can play it anytime anywhere! IGA is great!

IGA has kept entertaining me for a long time, but I have never released a game to entertain him yet. I learned a lot from him when I was young so someday I want to make a game to amaze him. Hm... it is hard, but it is one of my goals as a game producer.

Hiro@LA

I hear some opinions that it is hard to focus on arrows with too bright background. If it annoys you, you can go to options to turn down the brightness of background. Xbox360 DDRs have 100%  brightness as a default. The reasons are that I personally don't have any problems with 100% brightness and I wanted to entertain watchers, not only players. It is difficult to make entertainment products because everybody feels differently, so we try to meet majority's expectations and give options to customize. Please check out options and customize your DDR.

Hiro@LA

In the song selection screen, you have a choice to modify Arrow Options. How to open option window is different in versions, but there are a lot of settings you can set. If you get confused with order of arrows(inputs) easily, I recommend to set scrolling speed to x1.5 or x2.0. scrolling speed get faster but distance of arrows gets longer so it may help you to figure out. There are some common options in versions and consoles but there are some specific options for versions, so please check out and try to find out your best settings and enjoy challenges.

Hiro@LA

Hello Dancers! Welcome to the grand opening of the new, official DDR Community!

The first 1,000 people to register for the DDR Community will be eligible to receive a free DDR Hottest Party or DDR SuperNova2 soundtrack sampler CD! If you are among the first 1,000 people to register, we will follow up with you via email to get a little more information (like your address).

If you are not one of the first 1,000 people to register, don't fret! There's lots more coming your way very soon ;-) !

Create your own profile to automatically show off your in-game stats, watch and post videos, make your own blog, and chat in the forums! Stay tuned to track your stats from future DDR games too!

We really want to hear from you, this is your chance to help shape the future of the DDR franchise! Please participate in our polls, community discussion in the forums, and you can also email us at ddrcommunity@konami.com This site is organic, and will constantly be growing with new features, so please let us know what you want to see!

We look forward to having an awesome time with you on our new, official DDR Community! Please enjoy!

 

DDR COMMUNITY LAUNCH SOUNDTRACK SAMPLER CD GIVEAWAY OFFICIAL RULES

When my daughter was a new born baby like 2 months old, she started smiling and laughing when I played kids music CD. She was new to this world with no experience and bias, but music made her happy. I realized that I had underestimated the power of music. My body and soul may be reacting the same way to the music, but I may be too old to notice.

When I work on DDR, I try to imagine how people feel when playing DDR. Please try to feel changes of your body and soul when you listen to the dance music. DDR Universe series (Xbox360) have Jukebox mode to play music with cool graphics endlessly. Please use it for your home party. It will make your party fun! No need of hiring DJ!

Hiro@LA

I gained 18 lbs. in 2007. Why?  Didn't I play DDR enough? Now playing DDR at the office is limited because people claimed that the floor shakes. Now I need some other solutions to move my body... What I did was purchase a bicycle for my Christmas present. I swore to keep riding to work in 2008. I just started so I will update my weight when I have significant change. DDR? I will play it at home or at office after 6:00 PM =)

Day1: 70Kg (155 lbs.)

Hiro@LA

Our CEO gave us mugs to all employees last Christmas. We have stopped using disposable form cups in the office now. One of the reasons is to save cost, but I think that it is cool to have more than one reason. Being ecological is another good reason. Having multiple reasons makes things look more reasonable.

When I think about myself riding bike to work instead of driving a car, I can think of 3 reasons. It saves cost of gas, it is ecological and good for health. Riding a bike must be a reasonable conclusion because it is supported by 3 good reasons. However, it is not easy for me to keep my motivation.

Why?

Because I am lazy. I need to keep encouraging myself until it becomes my routine and I wish that I will reach to the point to be able to enjoy riding a bike to work everyday. 

Do you know that there are 2 reasons to play DDR? It is not only fun but also a good exercise. Since it is fun, it is easy for you to keep your motivation. I wish that riding a bike is as fun as playing DDR for me. (I want to play DDR for my exercise, but it is limited in the office to prevent floor shaking.) 

Chiwata Hiroyuki