Have visited Benma 1/2's Spring Splash II since April 21, 2000.
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I've taken The Comprehensive Dance Dance Revolution Personality Test, and you can too!!! I am...  Come take the Comprehensive DDR Personality Test! Created by ptocheia And I'll admit it...  You're giddy with the ddr lovin' when you play, just be careful not to drown in all the social drama surrounding the game. Are you overly obsessed with Dance Dance Revolution? Created by ptocheia UP... ...DOWN... ...LEFT... ...RIGHT... And no, I'm not going to follow that with "Kick, punch, it's all in the mind!..." Simple controller inputs with night club music equals THE MOST ELECTRIFYING video game to come out since Pong was first introduced. It's got to be pretty good if I plan trips around my friends' schedules so we can get together for DDR sessions! THERE ARE USUALLY two types of DDR players: PERFECT ATTACKERS and FREESTYLE. I used to be a SURVIVAL player (a THIRD type I am introducing.) I didn't care about the score, and I don't usually dance in the traditional sense of the word; I would rather make it through a stage without an ugly GAME OVER on the screen. Since about December, though, I've become a FOURTH type of player, one who likes to go into difficult songs cold (never having seen them before) and beating them--as I've done with Paranoias Rebirth and Evolution (both Trick) and La Senorita Virtual (Basic), for example. There are some exceptions to this, however. Songs that I do (or attempt to) FREESTYLE include SHAKE YOUR BOOTY (how could you not?), (ARE YOU READY) DO THE BUS STOP, PARANOIA DIRTY DOUBLE _ONLY_ with Pirating Ames, and attempts at freestyle during B4U, which is EXTREMELY difficult on MANIAC, but easy otherwise. When there are a number of arrows in the same direction (4+) I often spin, and I throw in an occasional hand slap or butt drop in, too. ONE TIME, on B4U (of course) I actually jumped over the bar off of the machine, then jumped right back over the bar (skinning my leg in the process.) And proceeded to lose the game. Next time I try that, I WILL NOT lose. ON THIS PAGE YOU WILL FIND a list of dance tips, my favorite songs, catas beaten (since they're WAY to numerous to list in my sig on ddrfreak.com...so let's get started! DANCE TIPS Some of these may be painfully obvious, but need to be stated. Besides, if you're a rookie who's stumbled onto my site, then these will certainly come in handy. I am ALMOST at MASTER LEVEL, but since I can only get halfway through MAX 300 as of yet, I still consider myself EXPERT level. 1. PLAYING SURFACE. Think about where you're planning to put that mat of yours. A thick carpet isn't going to cut it, because your steps won't register, but then again you want some sort of cushion between the wood or concrete and your mat. This is why the arcade is the best surface to play on. It doesn't move (see tip #2). It's got a bar for cool stunts. You get to show off in front of people. But the arcade has disadvantages also. If you screw up, EVERYONE knows it. You have to pay to play. And you can't go to the kitchen for water (see tip #3). 2. MOVING MATS. Mats sliding around when you are trying to bust DDR is not cool. ESPECIALLY when you're trying to bust anything DOUBLE. A protective sheet for the pad is a good investment, doubling the life of the pad, and keeps the mat from bunching up. But what about the bottom? Well, I found that the same stuff you put inside of drawers to keep contents from sliding around works wonders. It minimizes mat slippage, and keeps the mats together when you try DOUBLE. You can find it just about anywhere, but a sure bet is at a hardware store. One that is six feet will work for two pads, for DOUBLE. Of course, you can save yourself A LOT of movement by going the expensive route and getting a RED OCTANE pade. It's rubber bottom limits movement, but again on the 8+ songs it's going to move no matter what. 3. YOUR BODY. Do yourself a favor and stay hydrated. Just don't drink too much at any one time while playing, in case you throw up. If you're prone to cramping, you should stretch before, after, and when other people are on the machine. Water will help with that, too. You can also do the dances on the side to "keep your body warm" and practice at the same time. You will adapt, both with feet-eye coordination, arrow processing speed, and body stamina, so don't be upset if you can't bust a Maniac FOLLOW THE SUN your first time out. 4. DANCE MOVES. ALWAYS REMEMBER TO USE _BOTH_ FEET!!!!! A. TRIPLE STEPS. The up-left-down and similar combos are easy; in said example, place your right foot on the up arrow, the left on left, then bring your right foot down. Just keep the beat; the middle step falls on the HALF-beat. If you have to initiate with the reverse foot, then you will have to turn your body in order to make the combination. Just remember to look ahead so you don't miss any arrows! B. SIDE TRIPLE STEPS. These can be tricky for beginners, but angling your body is the way to beat it. R-D-L. Place your right foot on right, your left foot on down, then quickly swing your body 90 degrees and hit left with your right foot. Like salsa. Nothing to it! C. PATTERNS. All you have to do is recognize them: L-D-U-R-D-U is a common combination. Sometimes, they're not even that complicated, like a running, repeating L-D-U-R-L-D-U-R. Or they'll reverse, like L-D-U-R-D-U-L. Learn to recognize them, and how your body moves (or is supposed to move) to do them, and the trickiest combos can be made easy! D. JUMPING. You can't eliminate jumping completely even at Maniac levels, but you can't solely rely on it either and hope to succeed. You just have to know when to jump and when to run, and never get stuck in one mode or the other. E. THE DREADED TRIPLE JUMPS. If you don't have speed, you're not going to make it, bottom line. This is referring to jumps like those found in DYNAMITE RAVE Trick or PARANOIA DIRTY Maniac. These look like LR-LR-UD or LD-DR-LD, and are the same speed as the TRIPLE STEPS, with the middle jump falling on the half beat. Either build up your speed through a LOT of practice, or omit the middle step entirely. Just make sure that when you miss it on purpose, you have enough of a life bar to not end the game! F. YOU DON'T HAVE TO HIT ALL THE STEPS!!! If you try to hit every step, you're not going to make it. If you don't have the speed, stamina, or are just plain tired (which obviously affects the other two), skip extra steps. There's even a tournament style called MISS ATTACK, in which you try to miss as many arrows as possible without losing. Plus, I've heard a rumor that you lose less of the bar for a MISS than you do for a BAD. FAVORITE SONGS (ALL mixes; NOT necessarily dances): B4U/B4U GLORIOUS STYLE(If you DIDN'T know this was on my list by now, you don't know me very well...) BOOM BOOM DOLLAR K.O.G. G3 MIX (ESECIALLY the Nonstop Megamix version) BROKEN MY HEART BUTTERFLY UPSWING MIX (Butterfly with a good beat) CAN'T STOP FALLIN' IN LOVE SPEED MIX CAPTAIN JACK GRANDALE REMIX (Do YOU know the other verses?) CAT'S EYE VENTURA MIX DIVE EXOTIC ETHNIC FANTASY -MELISSA GENOM SCREAMS (My first 10-Footer!) IF YOU WERE HERE B4 ZA BEAT MIX IT'S A SMALL WORLD DUCKING HARDCORE MIX (It may be the only version of the song tolerable for extended periods of time) MAX 300 (which is a good thing, considering how I have to EAT, SLEEP and BREATHE it until I pass it...) NIGHT OF FIRE (from PARA PARA PARADISE) NORI NORI NORI PETIT LOVE SENORITA SPEEDY MIX TOGETHER FOREVER TWILIGHT ZONE R-C EXTENDED CLUB MIX WITCH DOCTOR GIANTS TOONS VERSION WWW.BLONDEGIRL MOMO MIX 10 FOOTERS BEATEN: 2 GENOM SCREAMS DOUBLE, 1-31-2003 SAKURA SINGLE, 7-9-2003--in sandals CATAS BEATEN--SINGLE: 55 + 1 Edit Data (B4U) AFRONOVA, 11-3-2001 The first song I ever had to train specifically for. AFRONOVA PRIMEVAL, 8-6-2002 B4U GLORIOUS STYLE, 7-5-2002 "Oh, he's doing the long one!!" I LIST THIS ONE FIRST for several reasons. If you've ever done, or seen it done, you know it's a marathon. 3 minutes and 744 steps without a break or water is stamina draining--and then some. Second, it was at AX, meaning there were spectators (and the potential for A LOT of them, not that I had time to look behind me.) FINALLY, this wasn't on my comfortable (and most would say easier) Red Octanes at home, nor was this on an arcade pad which still has a little give and take. THIS was done on a Topway pad taped to a CONCRETE FLOOR in the DEALER'S HALL. This could have been severely debilitating, but it was the ONLY WAY to complete one of the agenda items I set for AX 2002. So I sucked it up, and it becomes my #1 performance. BOYS, 3-5-2003 BRE\/K DOWN, 1-8-2003 BROKEN MY HEART, 11-7-2002 BUTTERFLY UPSWING MIX, 12-31-2002 CAN'T STOP FALLIN' IN LOVE SPEED MIX, 12-28-2002 CAPTAIN JACK GRANDALE REMIX, 7-9-2002 CHIM CHIM CHEREE, ??? The thing with Disney Mix is, are the 9* songs really catastrophics? Or is it just this song being so easy that I question the fact? DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION, 5-8-2003 D.D.D. HAPPY 65TH ANNIVERSARY DONALD DUCK, ??? DEAD END, 5-7-2002 DROP OUT, 12-23-2002 To those who complain about its promotion from Exorbitant for MAX 2: IF YOU DON'T THINK DROP OUT IS A CATA, GO **** YOURSELF! DYNAMITE RAVE, 10-12-2001 Isn't that EVERYONE'S first cata? ELECTRO TUNED THE SubS MIX, 11-10-2002 END OF THE CENTURY, 6-3-2002 EXOTIC ETHNIC, 2-26-2003 FANTASY (Melissa), 5-24-2003 GRADUISTIC CYBER AMD G5 MIX, 11-13-2002 HEALING VISION ~ANGELIC MIX~, 1-11-2003 I FEEL, 9-12-2003 INSERTION, 2-26-2003 IRRESISTIBLEMENT, 3-25-2003 IT'S A SMALL WORLD DUCKING HARDCORE MIX, 10-23-2001 JUSTIFY MY LOVE, 2-15-2003 KAKUMEI, 3-11-2003 LEADING CYBER, 6-3-2002 LEGEND OF MAX (STANDARD), 8-1-2003 LUPIN THE 3RD '78, 2-5-2003 LUV TO ME (DISCO MIX), 6-13-2003 MATSURI JAPAN, 5-11-2002 MICKEY MOUSE MARCH SUMMERTIME EXTENDED, 11-16-2001 MR. BASSMAN, 11-16-2001 MY FIRE, 3-5-2003 MY SUMMER LOVE, ??? Another point of discussion on ddrfreak.com...this IS a cata. Songs should be played in their original form, not having arrows manipulated (i.e. SPED UP). This was a cata when it was created--BEFORE you could change arrow speed. DEAL WITH IT! NIGHT OF FIRE, 10-23-2001 ORION.78 AMEURO-MIX, 5-11-2002 ORION.78 CIVILIZATION MIX, 3-17-2003 PARANOIA ETERNAL (HEAVY), AX-7-7-2003 PARANOIA KCET/CLEAN, ??? OK, this is one promotion I'm not sure I agree with; I did beat it before I beat my first cata, Dynamite Rave...It's by no means easy, but...with its promotion, I'll still count it... PARANOIA REBIRTH, 8-6-2002 RAIN OF SORROW, 10-31-2003 RHYTHM AND POLICE, 3-17-2003 Must have been luck of the Irish, but I'll take whatever I can get to beat the song I should have beaten WEEKS, if not months, prior. I FINALLY cracked the second chain of gallop-pivots to the point where I could close out the song, and barely hung on enough (and I mean BARELY) to get the pattern at the end, which I almost forgot how to do, I was so desperate near the end. But I beat it feeling like CRAP, when I ought to have beaten it so many times before feeling 100%. But as I said, whatever it takes. Now the only single song left for me to do at home is the infamous Max 300... ROMANSU NO KAMI-SAMA, 1-9-2003 SAINT GOES MARCHING REMIX, 1-6-2003 SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS, 10-31-2001 SWEET SWEET <3 MAGIC, 2-5-2004 Because I just HAD to beat a cata while in Japan...injured or not! TEARS, AX-7-7-2003 TRIP MACHINE CLIMAX, 11-13-2002 TRIP MACHINE SURVIVOR, 8-1-2003 TSUGARU, between 11:30 PM and 12:30 AM on 1-31 or 2-1 2003 TWILIGHT ZONE R-C EXTENDED CLUB MIX, 12-28-2002 WONDA, 2-5-2003 XENON, 6-13-2003 CATAS BEATEN--DOUBLE: 30 20, NOVEMBER Heavy, AX-7-7-2003 AFRONOVA, 3-3-2002 I wasn't quite home when I made it through "The Sequence" relatively unscathed, but I knew I had a chance. (The sequence is the counterclockwise alternating running 4 steps LDLDRDRDRlRldldl... that goes around the double pads 1 1/2 times.) Don't ask me to demonstrate doing this; if I've only made it through SINGLE Afronova Maniac once, how am I supposed to get through DOUBLE Afronova Maniac twice??? But it's saved for all eternity on my memory card _and_ backed up onto a 3 1/2" disk! AFRONOVA PRIMEVAL, 5-20-2003 ...Ditto...only the "Evil Sequence" is that much more difficult. But enough was ENOUGH, and over a year later, despite the new pad kicking up and being tired even before starting, Konamix is now completed... BOOM BOOM DOLLAR K.O.G. G3 MIX, 4-26-2003 CAN'T STOP FALLIN' IN LOVE SPEED MIX, 1-9-2003 CAPTAIN JACK GRANDALE REMIX, 3-11-2003 CAT'S EYE VENTURA MIX, 2-5-2003 DROP OUT, 5-20-2003 END OF THE CENTURY, 12-26-2002 EXOTIC ETHNIC, 6-7-2003 FANTASY (Melissa), 2-15-2003 You wouldn't think that 1/2" of metal would make much of a difference, but it does when you're transitioning from home doubles (where the pads are taped closer together) to arcade doubles. Despite falling off of the stage SIX times during Midnight Madness, I beat my first arcade double cata not long after starting. It's the 100 Tsugaru attempts that got me...:) GRADUISTIC CYBER AMD G5 MIX, 7-24-2003 HEALING VISION, 5-20-2003 IT'S A SMALL WORLD DUCKING HARDCORE MIX, 1-31-2002 LA SENORITA, 3-11-2002 LEADING CYBER, 12-26-2002 LOVE THIS FEELIN', 6-7-2003 MICKEY MOUSE MARCH SUMMERTIME EXTENDED, 2-23-2002 MR. BASSMAN, 2-23-2002 MY SUMMER LOVE, 11-8-2002 NIGHT OF FIRE, 1-31-2002 PARANOIA, 1-21-2002 YES you are READING THIS CORRECTLY. PARANOIA. DOUBLE. MANIAC. PARANOIA. DOUBLE. MANIAC. It only just sunk in two days later what an accomplishment this really is... The FIRST _NINE_ FOOT song I've ever passed on double. The first DOUBLE MANIAC PARANOIA I've ever passed. And if you think that's nothing special...I'd like to see YOU try it! A couple more freebie tips: Use two (Red Octane) pads and TAPE them together so they don't kick up. Do the lesser songs first. And like Parappa says, "You gotta believe!" PARANOIA CLEAN/KCET, 1-27-2002 PARANOIA MAX DIRTY MIX, 1-27-2002 PARANOIA MAX DIRTY MIX CLUB ANOTHER TRICK=MANIAC, 11-11=23-2002 PARANOIA REBIRTH, 2-3-2003 SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS, 1-31-2002 TRANCE DE JANEIRO, 2-15-2003 TRIP MACHINE ~LUV MIX~, 2-3-2003 WONDA, 2-5-2003 CATAS BEATEN--SOLO (6-Panel): 9 AFRONOVA, 8-21-2003 CAPTAIN JACK GRANDALE REMIX, 1-6-2003 I get few opportunities to play this, since Solo machines are so rare. So to the chagrin of my friends and everyone else at Giant Pizza, I played this for a good 2 1/2 hours before I FINALLY beat it. DEAD END, 2-3-2003 DYNAMITE RAVE, 9-4-2002 FURUHATA'S THEME, 4-25-2003 History repeats itself, so they say, and DDR history repeats itself more when I'm doing it. It's time for cata #75, and I'm searching for a Solo 4th Plus in the area so I can do one worthy of being #75, being that it has above average-to-high cata difficulty AND has to be 6-Panel to match the 25=single, 50=double so naturally 75 has to be 6-Panel (I was originally thinking Afronova.) Well, I couldn't get to a machine, but Video Game Night was upon us and I knew there would be a modded PSX, as well as a copy of 4th Mix. So I quickly check the database and learn that there are four Solo catas I have not beaten. I was thinking this from the beginning, but with Orion.78 Civilization Mix still locked up, there wasn't much thought required. Furuhata's theme, vapor. And in the tradition of #25 (B4U Glorious Style) and #50 (Genom Screams Heavy Double), #75 was on a soft pad taped to an extremely hard floor. But who cares about the conditions; all that matters is the little grade on the records screen. LA SENORITA VIRTUAL, 2-3-2003 PARANOIA REBIRTH, 9-4-2002 SYNCHRONIZED LOVE (RED MONSTER HYPER MIX), 4-25-2003 WONDA, 2-5-2003 And DROP OUT, which SHOULD BE a cata (it has the same amount of steps as the single version, doesn't it? -rhetorical question-), 2-26-2003, but it's not a cata until Konami says its a cata... THE PERFORMANCE LIST--SPECIAL OK, having beaten all 262 songs in USA and DISNEY I had to find a "new angle" until KONAMIX came out. So I said to myself, what could I possbly do with DDR to make it fresh again, so I can keep playing songs I've already beaten until Konamix comes out...so this is what my buddies, fellow freaks from the DDRfreak.com message board, and I came up with: 5. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN MELLOW (BASIC, LEFT LEG), Wednesday, March 20, 2002 READ #4 FIRST! So after beating BOOM BOOM DOLLAR with my right leg, I figured I should try the most basic song with my left. And I got almost exactly the same score (EXACTLY the same grade and max combo) as I did with my right leg. Only the right leg (which is dominant) is more impressive because it's a harder song. I don't think I'll try that again; it was almost impossible to do without balance checks from my right leg. And it's so tiring to boot! But if you're as crazy as I am, then go for it! 4. BOOM BOOM DOLLAR (BASIC, RIGHT LEG), Wednesday, March 20th, 2002 One of the guys on DDRfreak thought he was so smart..."You can tie up one leg and hop around on the other foot!" Well, HA! Smart guy, I'm the one who perfected playing Street Fighter in the arcade with one hand, so that's EXACTLY what my insane mind decided to do! I hopped on my right foot, and passed my first one-footed song. So...any takers? 3. BOOM BOOM DOLLAR (BASIC, 1P RIGHT, 2P LEFT), Wednesday, March 20th, 2002 I like playing Single, and I like playing double, so I thought, "Why not combine the best of both worlds?" and try to keep both the 1P and 2P sides alive. So 9 days after beating LA SENORITA DOUBLE I chose this as my "new angle." Of course, this is EXTREMELY difficult as my legs are not as long as they should be for extended 2P gaming. Nor are soft pads in any position to be taking this kind of abuse. BUT...I did it anyway, and managed to keep both sides alive (with a D/D). If only there was a way to hit both the far left and the far right arrows at the same time (without being SHAQ....) 2. TEAM--BU DAM SWITCH OUT (MANIAC), Monday, January 6, 2003. Cinnabon and Pirating Ames usually like to throw down and switch on the machine during Bu Dam, and it's so easy to do with the mile-long breaks in the step pattern. So after a while they're getting bored going with going solo (and watching me fail 6-Panel Captain Jack Grandale Remix every time on the damn machine), so Cinnabon decides to start the routine...only this time with THREE people. So he started off, Pirating Ames jumped in, I jumped in, then Cinnabon returned for the fourth phase and I finished it off (because as the "Running Man," Pirating Ames can't do the jump steps LOL J/K). It's the perfect number, because any more people would be too crowded. 1. TEAM--PARANOIA DIRTY (MANIAC), Thursday, July 26, 2001. Pirating Ames and I got this crazy idea that we could hustle people, a la "White Men Can't Jump." "I'll pick anybody here to team up with. Hey you, you wanna play DDR?" "You mean Dance Dance Revolution?" So we came up with a routine. I start off, then jump off the machine while he goes solo, I jump back on, and then we switch sides during play. Very cool looking; sooner or later we'll get to an arcade and have people crowd up for our performance! Benma 1/2's Spring Splash II (BSSII) (c). Anything Goes School of Masquerade Arts (AGSMA) (c). All content, including pictures, on this page (unless otherwise noted) is copyright to BSSII or AGSMA, and cannot be used without prior permission. This page hosted by Geocities. Get your own Free Home Page |