DDRMax2 Scores and Commentary

Since just one game of DDR is never enough, the successor to DDRMax has its own seperate page too. This section is another scoreboard for my best efforts, with commentary following on the songs at the bottom.

DDRMax2 is very similar to its predecessor; aside from some minor graphical changes on some of the menu screens, it's the same game with different songs. But since I like DDRMax a lot, that's a good thing! Originally, I only had a copy of DDRMax2 (USA), but more recently I was able to get my hands on a copy of the Japanese version as well. The two games share a lot of the same songs in common, but a number of the US-only songs from DDRMax (USA) were put in the Japanese version of DDRMax2. DDR 7th Mix (the Japanese version of DDRMax2) also included a lot of remixed songs that only had one "Challenge" difficulty. Of the 23 Challenge remixes, only 7 made it into DDRMax2 USA. In their place, DDRMax2 USA has a good deal of songs from licensed (that is, non-Konami) artists; these are all well and good, but they're pretty easy. The other big difference is that 7th Mix has Oni Mode while DDRMax2 USA has Non-Stop mode instead. On the whole, the US version ends up being a bit easier than the Japanese version. Both mixes have some pretty good songs, but if I had to pick one I would probably go with the Japanese version (Oni Mode adds a LOT of replayability).

In any case, the scores for both games are listed below in a common table. Those who are only familiar with DDRMax2 USA may see some songs here that they've never heard before.

Name	Score Points	Grade	Dance Points	Max Points	Percentage	Missing DP	Comments
A Little Bit of Ecstasy (Heavy)	68,816,640	AA	570	580	98.3%	10	-
Afronova (Challenge)	80,000,000	AAA	764	764	100%	0	"AAA" #226!!!
Afronova (Heavy)	89,988,865	AA	739	740	99.86%	1	SDG (1)
AM-3P (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	488	488	100%	0	"AAA" #80!!!
AM-3P (303 Bass Mix) (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	484	484	100%	0	"AAA" #79!!!
AM-3P (AM East Mix) (Challenge)	70,000,000	AAA	596	596	100%	0	"AAA" #227!!!
B4U B4 ZA Beat Mix (Challenge)	70,000,000	AAA	534	534	100%	0	"AAA" #230!!!
B4U (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	650	650	100%	0	"AAA" #30!!!
Baby Love Me (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	814	814	100%	0	"AAA" #242!!!
Bad Routine (Heavy)	60,000,000	AAA	594	594	100%	0	"AAA" #22!!!
Break Down! (Heavy)	90,000,000	AAA	836	836	100%	0	"AAA" #222!!!
Brilliant2U G3 Mix (Challenge)	68,664,640	AA	537	546	98.4%	9	SDG (9)
Burnin' the Floor Blue Fire (Challenge)	70,000,000	AAA	572	572	100%	0	"AAA" #73!!!
Burning Heat (Heavy)	89,533,860	AA	850	856	99.30%	6	SDG (6) Woohoo!
Busy Child (Heavy)	69,251,700	AA	808	814	99.26%	6	SDG (6)
Can't Stop Fallin In Love (Heavy)	79,277,760	AA	650	656	99.09%	6	SDG (6)
Candy Heart (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	754	754	100%	0	"AAA" #221!!!
Celebrate Nite (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	554	554	100%	0	"AAA" #247!!!
Celebrate Nite Euro (Challenge)	80,000,000	AAA	588	588	100%	0	"AAA" #71!!!
Conga Feeling (Heavy)	78,831,500	AA	614	622	98.7%	8	SDG (8)
Crash! (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	844	844	100%	0	"AAA" #166!!!
Cutie Chaser Morning Mix (Heavy)	50,000,000	AAA	302	302	100%	0	"AAA" #13!!! (DDRMax)
D2R (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	696	696	100%	0	"AAA" #235!!!
Days Go By (Heavy)	60,000,000	AAA	496	496	100%	0	"AAA" #248!!!
Dead End (Heavy)	90,000,000	AAA	820	820	100%	0	"AAA" #240!!!
Destiny (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	712	712	100%	0	"AAA" #75!!!
Dive (more deep style) (Heavy)	49,852,640	AA	642	644	99.69%	2	SDG (2)
Dive to the Night (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	688	688	100%	0	"AAA" #68!!!
Do It Right (Heavy)	49,846,280	AA	568	570	99.65%	2	SDG (2)
Do It Right 2Step Mix (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	674	674	100%	0	"AAA" #238!!!
Do It Right 80s Mix (Challenge)	70,000,000	AAA	598	598	100%	0	"AAA" #228!!!
Don't Stop (Heavy)	69,688,400	AA	427	428	99.77%	1	SDG (1) Black Flag
Dream A Dream (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	502	502	100%	0	"AAA" #18!!!
Drifting Away (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	754	754	100%	0	"AAA" #234!!!
Drop Out (Challenge)	90,000,000	AAA	586	586	100%	0	"AAA" #243!!!
Drop Out (Heavy)	90,000,000	AAA	794	794	100%	0	"AAA" #245!!!
Drop the Bomb System SF (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	616	616	100%	0	"AAA" #72!!!
Dynamite Rave B4 Beat (Challenge)	70,000,000	AAA	616	616	100%	0	"AAA" #23!!!
Dynamite Rave (Heavy)	89,697,160	AA	791	796	99.37%	5	SDG (5)
Dynamite Rave SOTA Mix (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	730	730	100%	0	"AAA" #78!!!
Ecstasy (Midnite Blue) (Challenge)	78,941,410	AA	555	560	99.11%	5	SDG (5)
End of the Century (Heavy)	89,527,395	AA	693	698	99.28%	5	SDG (5)
ever snow (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	698	698	100%	0	"AAA" #233!!!
Fantasy (Heavy)	60,000,000	AAA	484	484	100%	0	"AAA" #33!!!
Feeling of Love (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	698	698	100%	0	"AAA" #89!!!
Forever Sunshine (Heavy)	50,000,000	AAA	500	500	100%	0	"AAA" #3!!!
Get Down Tonight (Heavy)	59,172,670	AA	564	570	98.9%	6	SDG (6)
Ghosts (Heavy)	78,900,440	AA	724	732	98.9%	8	SDG (8)
Groove (Heavy)	49,496,610	AA	521	528	98.7%	7	SDG (7) (DDRMax Japan)
Heaven (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	802	802	100%	0	"AAA" #19!!!
Higher (Next Morning) (Challenge)	70,000,000	AAA	586	586	100%	0	"AAA" #74!!!
Hysteria (Heavy)	79,074,450	AA	600	606	99.01%	6	SDG (6)
Hysteria 2001 (Challenge)	70,000,000	AAA	684	684	100%	0	"AAA" #223!!!
i feel... (Heavy)	90,000,000	AAA	674	674	100%	0	"AAA" #244!!!
I'm For Real (Heavy)	69,562,600	AA	709	716	99.02%	7	SDG (7) Worst steps ever
I Need You (Heavy)	50,000,000	AAA	504	504	100%	0	"AAA" #58!!!
I Was the One (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	582	582	100%	0	"AAA" #81!!!
In the Navy '99 (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	614	614	100%	0	"AAA" #20!!!
Jam and Marmalade (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	502	502	100%	0	"AAA" #36!!!
Kakumei (Challenge)	80,000,000	AAA	676	676	100%	0	"AAA" #186!!!
Kakumei (Heavy)	90,000,000	AAA	784	784	100%	0	"AAA" #187!!!
Keep On Liftin' (Heavy)	50,000,000	AAA	534	534	100%	0	"AAA" #62!!!
Kind Lady (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	678	678	100%	0	"AAA" #4!!!
Kind Lady Interlude (Challenge)	80,000,000	AAA	656	656	100%	0	"AAA" #17!!!
Let's Groove (Heavy)	59,760,060	AA	460	462	99.6%	2	SDG (2) VERY close!
Little Boy (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	746	746	100%	0	"AAA" #232!!!
Living in America (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	730	730	100%	0	"AAA" #70!!!
Logical Dash (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	556	556	100%	0	"AAA" #77!!!
Long Train Runnin' (Heavy)	69,645,040	AA	528	534	98.9%	6	SDG (6) Tough but fun
Look At Us (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	642	642	100%	0	"AAA" #236!!!
Look to the Sky Trance (Challenge)	70,000,000	AAA	556	556	100%	0	"AAA" #32!!!
Look to the Sky True Color (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	622	622	100%	0	"AAA" #25!!!
Love At First Sight (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	530	530	100%	0	"AAA" #35!!!
Love Shine (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	750	750	100%	0	"AAA" #7!!!
Lovin' You (Heavy)	79,476,200	AA	576	580	99.31%	4	SDG (4)
Matsuri Japan (Challenge)	70,000,000	AAA	576	576	100%	0	"AAA" #224!!!
Maximum Overdrive (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	592	592	100%	0	"AAA" #237!!!
Maxx Unlimited (Heavy)	86,435,845	A	1180	1446	81.6%	266	An "A" on Maxx! 6 months of trying.
more deep ver.2.1 (Heavy)	60,000,000	AAA	624	624	100%	0	"AAA" #63!!!
My Summer Love (Challenge)	70,000,000	AAA	656	656	100%	0	"AAA" #26!!!
Nothing Gonna Stop (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	698	698	100%	0	"AAA" #24!!!
Overblast! (Heavy)	50,000,000	AAA	496	496	100%	0	"AAA" #205!!! (DDRMax)
Paranoia KCET (Heavy)	90,000,000	AAA	702	702	100%	0	"AAA" #191!!!
Paranoia Rebirth (Heavy)	90,000,000	AAA	866	866	100%	0	"AAA" #193!!!
Paranoia Survivor (Heavy)	95,984,875	AA	986	1042	94.6%	56	A true ten-footer "AA"!!!
Peace Out (Heavy)	50,000,000	AAA	502	502	100%	0	"AAA" #203!!! (DDRMax)
Put Your Faith In Me (Heavy)	60,000,000	AAA	406	406	100%	0	"AAA" #93!!!
Radical Faith (Heavy)	78,937,280	AA	713	720	99.03%	7	SDG (7)
Rain of Sorrow (Heavy)	86,156,160	AA	634	654	96.9%	20	-
Secret Rendezvous (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	546	546	100%	0	"AAA" #27!!!
Sexy Planet (Challenge)	70,000,000	AAA	636	636	100%	0	"AAA" #67!!!
Silent Hill (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	530	530	100%	0	"AAA" #95!!!
Silent Hill Christmas (challenge)	70,000,000	AAA	764	764	100%	0	"AAA" #29!!!
So Deep (Heavy)	87,391,080	AA	977	1002	97.5%	25	2x Full combo, 25 Greats!
So Fabulous So Fierce (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	530	530	100%	0	"AAA" #229!!!
So In Love (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	542	542	100%	0	"AAA" #69!!!
SP Trip Machine Jungle (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	490	490	100%	0	"AAA" #98!!!
Spin the Disc (Heavy)	50,000,000	AAA	656	656	100%	0	"AAA" #209!!! (DDRMax)
Stay (Heavy)	88,056,295	AA	665	680	98.0%	15	Much worse than DDR Extreme's Stay
Still In My Heart (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	580	580	100%	0	"AAA" #34!!!
Still In My Heart Momo (Challenge)	80,000,000	AAA	726	726	100%	0	"AAA" #220!!!
Super Star (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	578	578	100%	0	"AAA" #168!!!
Super Star Megamix (Challenge)	70,000,000	AAA	612	612	100%	0	"AAA" #151!!!
Sweet Sweet Magic (Heavy)	90,000,000	AAA	942	942	100%	0	"AAA" #150!!!
Take Me Away (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	698	698	100%	0	"AAA" #246!!!
The Shining Polaris (Heavy)	50,000,000	AAA	918	918	100%	0	"AAA" #12!!!
The Reflex (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	656	656	100%	0	"AAA" #239!!!
The Whistle Song (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	622	622	100%	0	"AAA" #231!!!
Think Ya Better D (Heavy)	50,000,000	AAA	474	474	100%	0	"AAA" #171!!!
Tomorrow Perfume (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	714	714	100%	0	"AAA" #21!!!
Trance de Janeiro (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	576	576	100%	0	"AAA" #76!!!
Try 2 Luv U (Heavy)	50,000,000	AAA	480	480	100%	0	First-ever "AAA"
Tsugaru (Heavy)	89,066,240	AA	772	780	99.0%	8	SDG (8) This is impressive
Tsugaru Apple Mix (Challenge)	90,000,000	AAA	742	742	100%	0	"AAA" #241!!!
Twilight Zone (Heavy)	49,659,720	AA	773	776	99.61%	3	SDG (3)
Vanity Angel (Heavy)	78,883,440	AA	745	752	99.07%	7	SDG (7)
Waka Laka (Heavy)	80,000,000	AAA	722	722	100%	0	"AAA" #225!!!
Wild Rush (Challenge)	70,000,000	AAA	504	504	100%	0	"AAA" #31!!!
Will I? (Heavy)	70,000,000	AAA	790	790	100%	0	"AAA" #82!!!
Xenon (Heavy)	87,710,400	AA	796	816	97.5%	20	Weird but Fun

Heavy/Challenge Totals: 87 "AAA"s, 111 SDGs, 35 "AA"s, 1 "A"
Highest Song Score: Paranoia Survivor (Heavy) - 95,678,500

A couple notes about the table... Most of the songs are Heavy, except that DDRMax2 introduces a new "Challenge" difficulty similar to Heavy. Challenge songs were originally songs available only in Oni courses in DDR 7th Mix (Japan), and as such, most of these Challenge songs only have 1 available difficulty (rather than the usual four). Challenge steps are usually about equal in difficulty to Heavy steps, and in this mix, all of the Challenge songs are remixes of other songs. The point scores in DDRMax2 are a little different than in DDRMax; there is no bonus, and each song has a maximum score of 10,000,000 times the foot rating for the song. Therefore, a 7-footer would have a maximum score of 70,000,000 (which would be achievable only with an "AAA"). As before, "SDG" stands for "single-digit greats" and I have used "Almost/Miss" to avoid confusion surrounding the word "Boo".

BreakDown! is another very fast (200bpm), very Japanese pop song sung by the group BeForU. The lyrics are in Japanese so I have no idea what they are saying, but the song is very peppy and up-tempo. The steps are primarily short eighth note runs that require extensive turning, with lots of freeze notes mixed in for fun. On the whole, this song is very reminiscent of Candy from DDRMax, only slightly faster and more difficult. I suppose that's also why it's a 9 rather than an 8. Even though I am bad at the steps, I still like this song.

Chaos! That's all I can really say to describe this one. Burning Heat is not all that fast at only 166bpm, but the steps are amazingly chaotic. The song is a remixed version of an old Gradius tune (anyone old enough to remember what that was?), and the steps are a nightmarish progression of non-stop triplets. I can't even read the song without 1.5x on, and it's nearly impossible to get a low Great count on this song. As if all the rest wasn't enough, there are two stops in the music there to screw up anyone trying to sight-read it. I rate this the second-hardest 9-footer in any DDR mix.

Kakumei (that's the song's title) is a very unique song; it's a remixed classical song that was originally a Chopin piano etude. Now with a background like that, you know that this has to be a good song. Kakumei has some fairly complex rhythms in its Heavy steps, but once you memorize the pattern the song is just fun to play. This song is also noteworthy for being the only song in this mix to have steps on 5 different difficulties (Beginner/Light/Standard/Heavy/Challenge) and for being this game's One More Extra Stage.

Now this is a bit of an unusual song to mention, since it's both a slow song (only 127bpm) and listed as a 7-footer. Long Train Runnin' may be called a 7-footer, but if so, it's the hardest 7-footer I've ever seen (along with DDRMax's Ordinary World). The steps for this song are very complex, with sixteenths all over the place and a lot of turning. Unless you know the rhythm, this song is very difficult to play; I failed out the first time I played it, and I hadn't failed a 7-footer in months! This was also one of the last songs I "AA"ed in this game; it's much harder than the pathetically easy Paranoia KCET (listed as a 9).

So Deep is not my favorite song to play, but it deserves a mention just because it's one of the hardest 9-footers in any DDR game. The song has a moderate speed (140bpm), but its chaos is off the charts, fully as high as for Burning Heat (the other monstrously hard 9-footer in this mix). Sixteenth note patterns absolutely everywhere. And yet... if, IF you break this song down in Training Mode, it actually repeats only three different step patterns over and over again, with a slight variation at the end. They are very difficult patterns, but they can be done surprisingly well with practice. With speed mods, this song can actually be deceptively easy. You can really impress your friends though if you know this one and run up a full combo (500+ steps).

Tsugaru is another 9-footer with some unusual features. The song has a traditional Japanese music theme in much the same way as Matsuri from DDRMax, and the steps include a number of gallops again as well. Tsugaru is infamous for being the first song to introduce 32nd notes - great, as if 16ths weren't fast enough, this song has steps even faster. In practice, however, the 32nd are not too hard to step. Once you know the pattern of the steps, this is a fairly easy 9.

DDRMax2 sure likes the songs that have chaos; even though these can be fun, I think that's another reason why I prefer DDRMax. Xenon has more crazy steps out the wazoo, although (fotunately) simpler than Burning Heat and So Deep. Xenon is only 158bpm, but the high number of sixteenth notes in this song make it play like it's much faster than that. The music itself is strange, synthesized atmospheric stuff that sounds vaguely reminicent of the 80s. And yet, for some reason, I like this song and keep coming back to it for reasons I don't understand...

The sequel to Max300! Maxx Unlimited is faster, has more steps, has more chaos, has about a billion freeze notes, changes speed twice, and is all-around more difficult than its predecessor. I absolutely love this song, and it's nice to finally be good enough to play it without worrying (much) about failing. Even more so than with Max300, the rhythms in this song have to be learned before playing; there simply is no time to try and read the notes when the song is zipping along at 320bpm. Loads of fun if you can move fast enough to get the steps, this song is even better than Max300.

On to DDR Extreme next.