Dance Dance Revolution 4thMIX

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dance Dance Revolution 4th Mix
Developer(s) Konami
Publisher(s) Konami
Designer(s) Konami
Release date(s) August 24, 2000
Genre(s) Music
Mode(s) Single, Versus, Double
Platform(s) Arcade
System requirements None
Input Dance Pad Controller

Dance Dance Revolution 4thMIX, or DDR 4th Mix, is the fourth game in the main Dance Dance Revolution series of music video games. It was released as an arcade game by Konami on August 24, 2000. Although only officially released in Japan, units exist worldwide. DDR 4th Mix features 136 songs, 42 of which are new to this mix. Twelve of the songs are initially hidden and must be unlocked by the arcade operator.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

The basic gameplay of DDR 4th Mix follows the rest of the Dance Dance Revolution series. 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 Miss steps quickly deplete it. Good and Boo steps have no effect either way. If a player accumulates too many Misses, and the Dance Gauge becomes empty, the player fails the song and the game ends. DDR 4th Mix is unusual in that it is the only game in the series where Boo steps do not deplete the dance gauge.

A player may play anywhere from one to five songs, 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 "AA" (all steps Perfect) to "D" (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] Scoring

Each step is given a score based on the accuracy of the step and the running combo. A judgment of Great or Perfect will award points and increase the combo, whereas any lower judgment will break the combo, reducing it to zero. Each "jump" (two steps that must be hit simultaneously) is worth one judgment, and only adds one to the combo.

Each Great is worth 555 points and each Perfect 777 points. The player also receives 333 points multiplied by the current combo after every step.

[edit] Nonstop Mode

Nonstop Mode, a feature from DDR 3rd Mix, allows the player to play a course of several pre-determined songs without stopping.

[edit] Battle Mode

Battle Mode is equivalent to the Unison and Couple modes from previous mixes, and is chosen at the difficulty selection screen while on Versus mode. Battle steps must be played by both players, and are generally designed to make each player "take turns" between playing simple and complex patterns. As an added challenge, the steps rise from the middle of the screen, and drift to either player's side while continuing upwards.

[edit] Link Data

Some machines have the ports to insert Playstation memory cards. Such memory cards have to be Playstation 1 memory cards with Link Data from the home version of DDR 4th Mix or earlier. It can exchange data with DDR 4th Mix, as well as any earlier version that has songs that are in 4th Mix. It can also use Edit Data, custom steps made on the home version.

[edit] Interface and graphics

The menu interface of DDR 4th Mix is signicantly different from previous versions of Dance Dance Revolution. Players can now choose Single, Versus, or Double modes on a dedicated Style selection screen, instead of the button combinations required of older mixes. Players must also choose one of eight Genres, which each contain a portion of the total song list. The available songs during the game will be limited to those in the chosen Genre.

The song selection screen depicts a series of seven diagonal song banners on the bottom half of the screen. Scrolling off the right edge of the screen causes the next seven banners to replace the current ones. The top half of the screen displays the current song's background image and difficulty ratings. Pressing the start button chooses the song, and replaces the bottom half of the screen with a difficulty selection menu. Each player may choose to play on Basic, Trick (called Another in previous versions), or Maniac (or Battle, if playing Versus). A player can also modify arrow appearance and arrangement on this screen by performing various "step codes" on the dance platform. As in previous mixes, step pattern difficulty is displayed as a foot rating, but the ratings are no longer given text labels (like Catastrophic for 9 feet).

The color scheme of DDR 4th Mix consists mainly of black, blue, and violet. The main gameplay screen has a slightly revamped Dance Gauge and score display, and 3D-rendered dancing characters still appear in the background of each song. Which character appears for each player is dependent on the Genre selected.

[edit] DDR 4th Mix Plus

Dance Dance Revolution 4thMIX PLUS is an upgrade of 4thMIX, released on December 28, 2000. It adds twelve new songs not seen in any previous DDR version. Several older songs have received new Maniac step sets, with the old steps being moved to "Maniac-S" (for Single) or "Maniac-D" (for Double). The new steps are generally much harder than before, and are used as the default Maniac steps in 5thMIX. The old step sets have been restored for songs included in DDRMAX2, and certain 4thMIX PLUS steps return as Oni/Challenge steps in DDR EXTREME.

4thMIX PLUS also adds an All Music Genre, which allows full access to the song list during a game. The dancing character for this Genre is randomly selected.

[edit] Solo versions

Dance Dance Revolution Solo 4thMIX was released concurrently with DDR 4th Mix, designed for use with Dance Dance Revolution Solo cabinets. The changes in the actual game engine are few, but significant. The "Select Style" screen now offers "4 PANELS" and "6 PANELS", instead of Single, Versus, and Double. The arrow graphics have been replaced with the "chubby" arrows of the Solo series, and are aligned in the center of the screen during gameplay. The song selection interface and scoring/grading systems are identical to the standard version of 4th Mix. The song list is also exactly the same, and all songs have been given 6-panel step patterns.

Dance Dance Revolution Solo 4thMIX PLUS is the Solo version of 4th Mix Plus, and is analogous to Solo 4th Mix.

Multiplayer Mode from the DDR Solo series is not present in either game.

There is one confirmed Asian release of 4th Mix SOLO that is currently in West Bend, WI. This version is missing quite a few songs and the unlock code does not work on this machine.

[edit] Home version

The home version of DDR 4th Mix was released in Japan on March 15, 2001, for the Sony PlayStation (or PSone) video game console. It contains 55 songs, including 3 from DDR 3rd Mix (which were not present in the home version of that version) and six hidden songs: one from DDR 4th Mix Plus and one as preview songs for the next arcade version, DDR 5th Mix.

The home version has the SOLO Mode which is similar with the Dance Dance Revolution SOLO. the SOLO MODE contains all the Songs from the DDR 4thMIX

The game engine and menus have also been used in two North American versions of DDR, Dance Dance Revolution for the PC, and Dance Dance Revolution KONAMIX.

[edit] Music

Notable songs from this version of DDR include:

  • B4U: A 155 BPM speed rave-style song, produced by Naoki Maeda, with lyrics sung by rapper Aaron G. The song has appeared in numerous DDR games since 4thMIX, and has been remixed twice, as "B4U glorious style" (from 5thMIX), and "B4U (B4 ZA BEAT MIX)" (MAX2). According to Naoki himself:
"B4U is my favorite song in DDR KONAMIX because this song best portrays the image of DDR by capturing the perfect blend of performance and physical activity from the player. This is what I wanted to achieve when I wrote the song." (Dance Dance Revolution KONAMIX Instruction Booklet, Konami, 2001, as part of an interview for the Konami Musical Show in 2001)

[edit] Soundtrack

The original soundtrack for DDR 4th Mix was produced by Toshiba-EMI under their Dancemania dance music brand. It contains all 42 new tracks from the arcade version, the seven songs introduced by DDR 3rd Mix Plus, four songs from the home version of DDR 4th Mix, three songs from the arcade version of DDR 5th Mix, and one from DDR 4th Mix Plus. It was released on March 15, 2001.

[edit] Original Soundtrack

[edit] 4thMIX songs

  1. NI-NI / 1, 2, 3, 4, 007
  2. KEN-D / THE 7 JUMP
  3. CAPTAIN JACK / ONLY YOU
  4. ANGIE GOLD / EAT YOU UP
  5. ANDY G'S MAGIC DISCO MACHINE / GOTCHA (The Theme From STARSKY & HUTCH)
  6. KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND / (SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE) SHAKE YOUR BOOTY
  7. THE OLIVIA PROJECT / HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW (MM Groovin Mix)
  8. E-ROTIC / IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT
  9. KING KONG & D.JUNGLE GIRLS / WALKIE TALKIE
  10. MORGANA / NEVER GONNA MAKE (Factory Dance Team Mix)
  11. REBECCA / YOUNG FOREVER
  12. BUS STOP / KICK THE CAN
  13. CUBIC 22 / NIGHT IN MOTION
  14. PAPAYA / PINK DINOSAUR
  15. BANG! / SHOOTING STAR (RMX)
  16. JOGA / DAM DARIRAM (KCP Mix)
  17. HABEGALE / MUSIC
  18. CAPTAIN JACK / DREAM A DREAM
  19. SMiLE.dk / BOYS (Euro Mix)
  20. JENNIFER / IF YOU WERE HERE (B4 ZA BEAT Mix)
  21. THE SAINT / SAINT GOES MARCHING
  22. CJ CREW feat. SEDGE / NINZABURO (FURUHATA'S THEME)
  23. DIVAS / BABY BABY GIMME YOUR LOVE
  24. SHIN murayama feat. Argie Phine / let's talk it over
  25. NM feat. SUNNY / HIGHER
  26. good-cool feat. JP Miles / never let you down
  27. RE-VENGE / ORION.78 (AMeuro-MIX)
  28. TaQ / era (nostalmix)
  29. SYMPHONIC DEFOGGERS with 1479 / GET ME IN YOUR SIGHT~AMD CANCUN MIX~
  30. MITSU-O! with GEILA / MY SUMMER LOVE
  31. Dr. Vibe feat. JP Miles / Don't Stop~AMD 2nd MIX~
  32. NAOKI / B4U
  33. good-cool feat. JP Miles / Make Your Move
  34. dj TAKA / .59
  35. NAOKI feat. PAULA TERRY / LOVE AGAIN TONIGHT~For Melissa Mix~
  36. NAOKI / BURNIN' THE FLOOR
  37. TaQ / holic
  38. BLUE DESTROYERS / HYPNØTIC CRISIS
  39. dj TAKA / LEADING CYBER
  40. DE-SIRE / TRIP MACHINE CLIMAX

[edit] 4thMIX BGM Production songs

  1. TITLE
  2. INFORMATION
  3. SELECT (NORMAL MODE)
  4. SELECT (LINK MODE)
  5. ENDING

[edit] 4thMIX: PlayStation Version songs

  1. U1 Jewel Style / MIDNITE BLAZE
  2. 2MB / ORION.78 civilization mix
  3. Julie Frost / Share My Love
  4. Sho-T feat. Brenda / Groove

[edit] 4th MIX plus/5thMIX songs

  1. JOE RINOIE / SYNCHRONIZED LOVE (Red Monster Hyper Mix)
  2. SMiLE.dk / DANCING ALL ALONE
  3. BeForU / DIVE

[edit] 3rdMIX plus songs

  1. E-ROTIC / GIMME GIMME GIMME
  2. PAPAYA / HERO (KCP Discotheque Mix)
  3. BAMBEE / BUMBLE BEE
  4. NPD3 / AFTER THE GAME OF LOVE
  5. CLUB SPICE / CUTIE CHASER
  6. Scotty D. / DROP THE BOMB
  7. 2MB / La Senorita Virtual

[edit] External links


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
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../d/a/n/Dance_Dance_Revolution_4thMIX_fe78.html"