Dance Dance Revolution Max 2

Fortunately, it's the best so far. There are quite a few songs NOT taken from the DDR arcade games that most people will recognize, such as Days Go By from the Mitsubishi commercials, Heaven, Get Down Tonight, etc. Some may be disappointed that the difficulty of these new songs is not great, even on the hardest levels. But they're fun and sound great, and one of them (A Little Bit of Ecstacy) has a tricky tempo change.

There are a lot of old favorites here that arcade players will recognize: Burning Heat (remake of a song from an old Nintendo version of Gradius), Maxx Unlimited (one of the hardest songs ever), Kakumei (based on the classical Chopin piece "Revolutionary Etude"), Let's Groove, Twilight Zone (the jock-jam anthem), So Deep (so hard), and a couple of Captain Jack songs.

New to this mix is the Nonstop Mode, which lets you play predetermined or random sets of songs with no pauses in between. Also new is actual videos behind the arrows in several songs, and the dancing characters and Endless Mode (dance 'til you lose) are back from previous mixes.

Some have complained about songs repeated from other U.S. versions. Yes, it's annoying. I'm dealing with it. Hopefully next time, we'll get all new songs.

If you want to take this game seriously, I recommend you research and buy a metal dance pad from eBay or Red Octane. Soft pads (available at stores) will work for the less, er, intense players.

One more note, I have been using this game as my workout regime for the last year. Benefits I've noticed so far have included increased stamina and lung capacity and stronger calf muscles. I've played almost every day since August 2002 and I'm not even close to tired or bored of it. In fact I own only three games for my PlayStation 2: this, another DDR game, and a third game I've played only once.

Unlimited replay value, fitness benefits and great fun: you can't lose. Buy it now.


Great Aerobic Game!   January 14, 2004
Miranda Prince (USA)
142 out of 149 found this review helpful

I'm 34, overweight, and easily bored with exercise programs. I just hooked up DDR Max 2 and the dance mat that came with it, and so far, I love it! It's *quite* a workout, even on the beginner level (beginner means less intricate steps, *not* less intense workout).

There's a workout mode, too, which you can set so that you're playing the game (hitting the right symbols at the right time) but the game doesn't end if you screw up too much. That's cool too.

If I had young kids, I think I'd love this game as a tool for using up some of their energy. :-)

If you buy this game, get the dance mat. (Toys R Us sells the mat and the game packaged together.) Using the hand-held controller for this game would be utterly lame.


Prefect for beginners.   February 14, 2004
Michelf (Orange County, CA)
45 out of 46 found this review helpful

Let's get something clear here. I am a total novice where it comes to DDR. I wanted to find a version of DDR that would let me grow from total newbie to super grand boogie master.

If you are like me, and you're a little intimidated by DDR but you really want to play, listen to me. I've looked around, and I can help you.

The version you want to start on is DDRMax2.

Most, if not all, other versions of DDR have three levels of Difficulty. (Light, Medium, Hard) And Light mode isn't really much for beginners.

DDRMax2 has those three settings, but it also has a Beginner mode. The steps Beginner mode are sufficiently simplistic enough that you can just jump into most of the songs right off. You might feel a bit foolish at times, playing in beginner mode, because of the shear amount of time between steps in some of the songs. But it's a good confidence builder and gets you used to watching the arrows fly up and to using your dance pad.

Beginner mode also shows you a kid standing on a dance pad, doing the steps with you. So you if you're unsure about what to do with your feet, there's an example right there.

The best part of this is that, two players can each select their own difficulty. (And many, but not all, of the songs have step sets for different difficulty settings.) So somebody who's very advanced, and somebody who's very inexperienced, can play together without to much hassle.

Going back to the issue of learning how to use your feet, DDRMax2 is also unique, as far as I can tell, in having a "Learning" mode. Now all versions of DDR have a "Training" mode, but that's really more like practice. (That is, you can play the different songs over and over again without being graded. But there's no actual instruction.)

Learning mode actually gives you advice and instruction about what to do with our feet. And as it does this, teaches you a few of the songs in "Light" difficulty.

Most of the hard core DDR fans I know prefer the Japanese version of Max2, or just about any other version of DDR. It's not that they don't like Max2, it's just that they seem to think that the song lists are better in other versions. This is a minor gripe at best and has yet to cause any of my DDR playing friends to not want to play at all. Usually, them mention this fact, and then they get on the pad. :)

I hope you find this helpful. See you on the dance floor.


Fun For Everyone! DDR Max:2!!!   November 16, 2004
31 out of 34 found this review helpful

What is the game you see when people are dancing on a medal square with arrows on them at the arcade? It's DDR! This game is awesome! I also did a review for the DDR Extreme Bundle! (check that out too! if you want!) I rated fun 5 stars cuz this game is: FUN!!!! Educational, 4 stars cuz you have to concentrate on dancing and what arrow to step on and stuff. Durable, 5 stars. I rate this toy overall, 5 stars! There are A LOT of songs to dance too. There would be some sections in different colors, I usually choose the green ones, I think they're the easy songs to dance too. If you say it's too hard and stuff, just choose beginner! Or choose a slow song. I think there are a couple of DDR kinds. All I know of really is DDR Max, DDR Max:2, and DDR Extreme. In this one, they have Workout, Game, and I think Lesson Mode. That's all I can remember though. And then they have the NEW! Information thingy. Anyways, invite your friends over and play DDR! A great game..(like I said before!) Sleepovers, parties, exercise, or just for fun! Any occasion! I guess....LOL!! If it's your first time playing, it might be a little hard or not use to it. But don't worry! You'll get better and better once you do it more and more! You can probably buy this game at: Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, Toys "R" Us, etc. I really hope my review helps! If it did, please please click the Yes button below my review! Thanx a bunch! Cya!


DDRMAX2 Partial Songlist...   September 20, 2003
ddrfreak (Oceanside, NY)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

Crystal Method, KC & The Sunshine Band, and Kylie Minogue will be among the artists providing tracks for the next Dance Dance Revolution game.

Konami of America has released a partial song list for DDRMAX 2, the latest game in the Dance Dance Revolution rhythm game series for the PlayStation 2. The game will include 65 songs, including tracks from artists such as The Crystal Method, KC & The Sunshine Band, Kylie Minogue, and Dirty Vegas.

Song - Artist

A Little Bit of Ecstasy - Jocelyn Enriquez
AM-3P - KTz
Break Down! - Be for U
Busy Child - The Crystal Method
Celebrate Nite - N.M.R
Conga Feeling - Vivian
D2R - Naoki
Days Go By - Dirty Vegas
Destiny - Naoki feat. Paula Terry
Do It Right - SOTA feat. Ebony Fay
Dream a Dream - Captain Jack
Drifting Away - Lange feat. Skye
Get Down Tonight - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Ghosts (Vincent De Moor Remix) - Tenth Planet
Groove - Sho-T feat. Brenda
Heaven - DJ Sammy & Yanou featuring DO
Hysteria - Naoki 190

I Feel... - Akira Yamaoka
I Was the One - good-cool
In the Navy '99 (XXL Disaster Remix) - Captain Jack
Jam & Marmalade - Final Offset
Keep on Liftin' - DJ Nagureo
Kind Lady - Okuyatos
Let's Groove - Tips & Tricks Vs Wisdome
Long Train Runnin' - Bus Stop
Love at First Sight - Kylie Minogue
Lovin' You (Rob Searle Club Mix) - Vinyl Baby
Rain of Sorrow - NM feat. Ebony Fay
Secret Rendezvous - Divas
Silent Hill - Thomas Howard
So Deep (Perfect Sphere Remix) - Silvertear

Spin the disc - good-cool
Still in My Heart - Naoki
Super Star - DJ Rich feat. Tail Bros.
Take Me Away (Into the Night) (radio vocal) - 4 Strings
The Shining Polaris - L.E.D. feat. Sana
The Whistle Song (Blow My Whistle Baby) - DJ Aligator Project
Tsugaru - RevenG vs De-Sire
Twilight Zone (R-C Extended Club MIX) - 2 Unlimited
Will I? - Ian Van Dahl

"Dance Dance Revolution has always been known for its revolutionary gameplay and pulsating music. Now, DDRMAX2 brings the revolution to the masses by raising the bar in both areas," said Jason Enos, product manager at Konami of America. "The exciting catalog of music, videos, and difficulty settings in DDRMAX2 offers something for everyone and is a testament to the ever-growing popularity of the series."

DDRMAX 2 is currently scheduled for release on September 23.

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