Dance Dance Revolution (1stMIX)
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| Dance Dance Revolution 1st Mix | |
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| Developer(s) | Konami Game Music Division |
| Publisher(s) | Konami of Japan |
| Designer(s) | Konami Game Music Division |
| Release date(s) | November 1998 |
| Genre(s) | Music |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Input | Dance Pad Controller |
Dance Dance Revolution is the first game in the Dance Dance Revolution series of music video games. It is typically referred to as "Dance Dance Revolution 1stMIX", or "DDR 1st Mix", to avoid confusion with the series itself. The arcade game was initially tested by Konami in September 1998. The final version, sometimes called "Dance Dance Revolution Internet Ranking" or "DDR 1.5", was released on November 21, 1998. The game features 11 songs (see the song list).
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[edit] Gameplay
The general premise of DDR is to move one's feet to a set pattern. One player can play using one dance pad (Single mode), two players can play using one dance pad each (Versus mode), or one player can play using both dance pads (Double mode).
A player must step to the beat, matching the beat to the arrows presented to them on screen by stepping on arrows on a metal-and-acrylic glass dance stage. A judgment is displayed for each step, depending on the player's timing: "PERFECT!!", "GREAT!", "GOOD", "BOO" or "MISS..". An on-screen life meter, known as the Dance Gauge, begins halfway full at the start of each song. Perfect and Great steps slowly fill the Gauge, while Boo and Miss steps quickly deplete it. Good steps have no effect either way. If a player accumulates too many Boos or Misses, and the Dance Gauge becomes empty, the player fails the song and the game ends.
A player may play anywhere from one to five songs (not including extra stages), depending on how many the arcade operator sets the machine to play each game. At the end of each song, the player sees their accumulated points, bonus points, and how many of each kind of step they stepped. They also get a letter grade that is dependent on the judgments received during play, ranging from "SS" (all steps Perfect) to "E" (failure, only seen in Versus mode when the other player passes). If the player manages to pass his or her songs, a cumulative results screen is given, totalling the stats from all played stages.
[edit] Interface and graphics
The song-selection interface of DDR 1st Mix is a jukebox-like menu of CDs that represent the available songs. On this screen, various "step codes" can be performed on the dance platform to modify the arrangement and appearance of arrows during gameplay. Such codes must also be used to increase the difficulty from Basic to Another or Maniac.
During gameplay, 3D-rendered dancing characters appear in the background of each song. Different characters can be selected at the main title screen by standing on either the Left or Right arrow panels while pressing the green start button.
The arrows in DDR 1st Mix do not have different color-cycles based on their time signature. The "Vivid" arrow colors familiar to players of later mixes were not introduced until Dance Dance Revolution 2ndMIX with beatmaniaIIDX CLUB VERSiON.
[edit] Releases
The test version of Dance Dance Revolution has three songs that are not included in the final release. These songs are "MONEY" by Ragga Twins, "JUMP" by Bus*Stop, and "BOYS" by Smile.DK. "BOYS" was later included on DDR 2nd Mix. The final version (typically referred to as DDR 1.5) adds the Internet Ranking feature, which allows players to compare their scores online. It also hides the songs "TRIP MACHINE" and "PARANOiA" during normal song selection, making them playable only as an Extra Stage. Extra Stage is earned by receiving "A" grades on each of player's previous songs.
[edit] Home version
The home version of Dance Dance Revolution was released in Japan on April 10, 1999, for the Sony PlayStation (or PSone) video game console. It features fifteen songs: ten from the arcade version, and five from the arcade version of DDR 2nd Mix. Only Basic difficulty is available on this version. The game has a unique "Arrange Mode" which penalizes players for hitting extra steps not on the screen. The player receives an "OUCH!" judgment, draining even more from the Dance Gauge than a Miss.
[edit] DDR US 1st Mix
The North American arcade version of Dance Dance Revolution was released in 1999 by Konami of America. For more information, see Dance Dance Revolution (North America).
[edit] Music
The music in DDR 1st Mix consists of eight songs licensed from the Dancemania record label, and three Konami Originals. The three additional songs in the test version are also from Dancemania.
Notable songs from this version include:
- BUTTERFLY: Licensed from the album Dancemania 10, this song is known for its catchy tune and lyrics, and relatively simple step patterns. The song's Basic steps introduced the "Butterfly Turn", a pattern consisting of Right, Down, Left, Up, and Right. If performed correctly (alternating feet for each arrow), the player executes a complete 360° turn. "BUTTERFLY" has appeared on several Japanese DDR games, but due to licensing issues in North America, it has only appeared on the North American version of 1stMIX, and on DDR Ultramix 3. The song received new Challenge-difficulty steps in DDR Extreme.
- PARANOiA: A Konami Original produced by Naoki Maeda. The listed artist is "180", a pseudonym which represents the approximate BPM of the song. "PARANOiA" is often considered the most difficult song in 1st Mix, and 11 remixes have appeared in subsequent DDR games. A common misperception among DDR players is that all "PARANOiA" songs have a lowercase i in their title, but several exceptions exist: "PARANOIA EVOLUTION", "PARANOIA survivor", "PARANOIA survivor MAX", and the DDR Extreme version of the "PARANOIA BROTHERS" Oni Course.
- TRIP MACHINE: Another Naoki production, with step patterns comparable in difficulty to "PARANOiA". The song has spawned four remixes, which have been compiled along with the original in the DDR EXTREME Oni Course, "TRIP FIVE".
[edit] Song table
This list covers all the songs appearing in the arcade version of Dance Dance Revolution (1stMIX). A total of 11 songs are available for play, with three additional songs that appear only in the initial test release.
The difficulties are abbreviated to conserve table space:
- B = Basic
- A = Another (renamed "Trick" in later installments)
- M = Maniac
[edit] Songs from final release
| Title | Artist | Single | Double | |||
| B | A | M | B | A | ||
| BUTTERFLY | SMILE.dk | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW | OLIVIA PROJECT | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| KUNG FU FIGHTING | BUS STOP | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| LET'S GET DOWN | JT PLAYAZ | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7 |
| LITTLE BITCH | THE SPECIALS | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| MAKE IT BETTER | MITSU-O! | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 |
| MY FIRE (UKS Remix) | X-TREME | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 |
| PARANOiA | 180 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| STRICTLY BUSINESS | MANTRONIK VS EPMD | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| THAT'S THE WAY (I LIKE IT) | KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| TRIP MACHINE | DE-SIRE | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
[edit] Songs only in test version
| Title | Artist | Single | Double | |||
| B | A | M | B | A | ||
| BOYS | SMILE.dk | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| JUMP | BUS STOP | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| MONEY | RAGGA TWINS | 5 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 |
[edit] Soundtrack
The original Dance Dance Revolution arcade game does not have its own soundtrack. Instead, the songs are included on the soundtrack to DDR 2nd Mix.
[edit] External links
- Official Dance Dance Revolution (1stMIX) Arcade website, from Konami. (Japanese)
- Dancemania (Japanese)
- DDR Freak
- DDRers' Stompin' Ground
| Games from the Dance Dance Revolution series | |
|---|---|
| Japan / Asia: | 1stMIX - 2ndMIX - 3rdMIX - 4thMIX - 5thMIX - MAX (6thMIX) - MAX2 (7thMIX) - EXTREME - Best Hits - Extra Mix - Party Col. - FESTIVAL - Mario Mix - STR!KE - SuperNOVA - Universe |
| North America: | DDR - DDR USA - Konamix - MAX - MAX2 - Ultramix - EXTREME - Ultramix 2 - Extreme 2 - Ultramix 3 - SuperNOVA - Ultramix 4 - Universe |
| Europe: | Dancing Stage EuroMIX - PARTY EDiTiON - Disney Mix - MegaMiX - Fever - Unleashed - Fusion - Unleashed 2 - Mario Mix - Max - Unleashed 3 |
| See also: | Dancing Stage - Disney versions - Game Boy versions - DDR Solo - List of DDR games |
| Related topics | |
| Notable songs: | MAX series |
| Notable artists: | BeForU - Takayuki Ishikawa - Naoki Maeda - Taku Sakakibara - List of Bemani musicians |
