DanceDance Rev. experts please come in

S

setscrew

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jul 19, 2000
Messages
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Ok, my best friend called today inquiring about Dance Dance Revolution for her six and a half year old. He has been talking about this product nonstop for months and she finally is interested in picking this up for him. Then she called me and I told her what I know.

DDR was written for Gamecube and PS2. There are a couple dance mat versions out for both platforms. There is one mat that is accepted as the best, but I lost the information after she decided not to pursue this purchase last Christmas. Both platform versions are essentially the same, with a slight nod to the Gamecube version by hardcore users.

So am asking the DDR experts out there, which platform is superior (They do not have any console, so a used one will need to be procured.)?

Which mat is the best (plan on heavy usage)?

TIA
 
I'd almost say just get a Wii and Gamecube version of DDR, but i don't know your friends fiscal situation.

I do know that the GC had a mario kind of DDR game. Ps2 probably has a ton more options though (PS1 DDR games too). GC can also be picked up for like $30 though.

As for pads, the crappy one i had did well when i had DDR for PSX/PS2. Though people say the thicker pads are much better. I'm not really sure of the best option in this department though, i wasn't a hardcore DDR guy..

Edit: How about the red octane ignition? I think that used to be a pretty good pad..
 
As a hardcore player I'd say PS2 for the platform with no doubt. There's just so much choice when it comes to the different versions you can get and pretty much every mat supports it. That said, stepmania on the PC is fantastic... but obviously not so easy to get playing on the TV.

As for mats... well the established best are the MyMyBox BlueShark and Cobalt Flux. They're hard pads though and aren't cheap. As for soft pads... well these days there's really not that many that stand out. Some people say redoctane ignition but the v3 isn't as good as the v2 was. To start with though it doesn't really matter how good the pad is at the start, as long as it works. As you get better you should start looking at different pads.

http://www.ddrfreak.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=37

Has lots of useful info and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_Dance_Revolution#Home_releases

Will show you the home versions.
 
I got a Cobalt Flux with arcade mod and its the best dance pad there is. Its almost indestructible and and needs little maintence. I tried foam pads but none of them really are on par with a Cobalt Flux. They are inaccurate, slippery, and a hassle to deal with. Not worth the time and you get what you paid for. I haven't tried MyMyBox's Blueshark but I heard the sensors are exactly like the ones used at the arcade machine. However, if you do get the blueshark, maintenance is required.
 
Thank you very much for the replies to date. This will give me a good basis to start looking for platform (PS2?) and pad (Cobalt Flux or Red Octane).
 
Dont do Red Octane pads, they're far overpriced and if something goes wrong with them you'll never hear from them again. If you want a cheap pad and effective pad, any 1" Foam Insert pad will do.
 
for a 6 1/2 yr old tell him to pick up a GCN and Mario DDR (most available). For so called "hard core" players pick up any ps2 version (super nova or ddr max2) or the xbox versions. I have most of the ddr titles (I need to grab Universe still :( ). As far as pads go there are many, like the mentioned cobalt flux... but again this would be a stupid recomendation for a 6 yr old child... The included pad with most sets or the $20 multi platform pads will suffice for your average user.
 
I have 2 cobalt flux pads also and they are great.

Indestructible :D
 
A hearty thank you to all who continue to provide me with great information. Now I need to find a decent PS2 or GC.
 
If money isn't an option...then go Cobalt. However, if you don't know if this is a "fad" with the child, I would recommend just getting a POS softpad and taping it down to a piece of 36x36 plywood. That should have enough accuracy to do 6-7 feet which is probably the limit of a child that age.
 
Great idea about the plywood base. I would like to minimize the expenditure level until we can gauge the commitment demonstrated by the young child.
 
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