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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ddr2009logo_6.png]]
2 [[caption-width-right:350:The franchise's logo from 2009 onwards.]]
3
4->''"Everybody's waiting for you!"''
5
6''Dance Dance Revolution'' (officially stylized as ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=]'', commonly abbreviated to "DDR", and previously called ''[[MarketBasedTitle Dancing Stage]]'' in European languages) is the worldwide premier series of {{Creator/Konami}}'s ''VideoGame/{{Bemani}}'' line of music games.[[note]]In Japan, it's almost always been overshadowed by VideoGame/{{Beatmania}} IIDX, and it could be said VideoGame/SoundVoltex and VideoGame/{{CHUNITHM}} are overtaking it in popularity as of late.[[/note]]
7
8Instead of a controller where you sit and mash buttons, ''DDR'' requires that you stand on a panel with four arrows. You follow the arrows that show up on the screen by stepping on the matching arrows at the right time. Mind-numbingly easy on the lower levels, but insanely hard in the later ones. Kids seem to catch on better than adults for some reason, and a ''very'' common sight in arcades is 20-somethings being put to shame by dexterous eight-year-olds.
9
10''DDR'' has spawned a variety of clones, including ''VideoGame/StepMania'', a DDR simulator that allows you to play with user-created stepfiles, and ''VideoGame/InTheGroove'', an arcade game series by Roxor Games that caters to fans of Western electronic music as well as [[ChallengeGamer DDR veterans looking for a challenge]] that got into serious trouble with Konami.
11
12Compare ''VideoGame/PumpItUp'', ''VideoGame/JustDance'', ''VideoGame/DanceMasters''.
13
14[[foldercontrol]]
15
16[[folder:Arcade DDR games]]
17
18[[AC:Main titles]]
19* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=]'' (1998) \
20Received an update that adds Internet Ranking and introduces the [[HarderThanHard Maniac]] difficulty.
21* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX=]'' (1999)
22** ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX with beatmania IIDX CLUB VERSiON=]'' (1999) \
23A spinoff of ''[=2ndMIX=]'' that features ''VideoGame/{{beatmania}} IIDX'' crossovers, and the ability to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPh7p3E1ZBI link the game]] with the corresponding ''beatmania IIDX Substream'' release.
24** ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX AND beatmania IIDX substream CLUB VERSiON 2=]'' (1999) \
25An update to the above, which raises the maximum difficulty rating from 8 to 9.
26* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 3rdMIX=]'' (1999) \
27First mainline DDR game to introduce course mode. Notable for having four different versions: The Japanese version, a Korean version that introduces some K-Pop songs but strips out some songs from the Japanese version, a second Korean version that adds more Korean songs, and an Asia-region version that lacks both the songs exclusive to the Japanese version and the Korean songs.
28** ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 3rdMIX PLUS=]'' (2000) \
29An ExpansionPack update, which adds 7 exclusives from the console versions ''[=2ndReMIX=]'' and ''[=3rdMIX=]'', as well as the K-pop licenses from the Korean version of ''[=3rdMIX=]''.
30* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 4thMIX=]'' (2000) \
31Also available in a Solo edition for single-player "Solo" cabinets, with 6-panel charts available.
32** ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 4thMIX PLUS=]'' (2000) \
33Also an ExpansionPack featuring more songs. Adds ''another'' Maniac difficulty level for select songs while refitting the older Maniac difficulty into either "Maniac-S" (for Single) and "Maniac-D" (for Double). Like the original ''[=4thMIX=]'', this one has a Solo edition, and is the last arcade ''DDR'' game to have such (Solo mode would be brought back one last time in ''Konamix'' in 2002).
34* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 5thMIX=]'' (2001) \
35First mainline DDR game to run at 60 frames per second. Deletes the old Maniac difficulty in favor of the 4thMix PLUS one.
36* ''[=DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX-=]'' (2001) \
37Introduced a number of features that would be commonplace on later versions, including new difficulty names (Light, Standard, and Heavy), Freeze Arrows (holds), the player options menu accessible before a song, the Groove Radar (a difficulty graph based on aspects of a song's chart), the Extra Stage (a secret boss song with a harsher lifebar, accessed by clearing a song on Heavy difficulty with a AA grade or better on the final stage), and animated full-motion video clips for background animations in-game. As it was positioned as a ContinuityReboot, this version also removed and replaced a number of features, including dancing characters, the numeric difficulty ratings (which the Groove Radar was intended to replace), as well as all songs present on ''[=5thMIX=]'' (with this edition featuring an entirely new soundtrack).
38* ''[=DDRMAX2 -DanceDanceRevolution 7thMIX-=]'' (2002) \
39Restores the old Maniac difficulty while refitting the 4thMix PLUS "Maniac" into "Challenge". Also introduces a new course mode, also named "Challenge" (but generally known as Oni mode), which features courses of multiple songs each, but with the lifebar replaced by a "battery" gauge with lives lost whenever the player breaks their combo, and some songs featuring charts exclusive to this mode. After feedback from the previous version, ''[=MAX2=]'' also restored difficulty ratings on a 1-10 scale (with "MAX 300", the Extra Stage song from ''[=MAX=]'', revealed to be the first 10), and Konami original songs from past versions.
40* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution EXTREME=]'' (2002) \
41The last arcade release for four years, and the last to use [=PlayStation 1=]-based hardware. It revives more songs and licenses from past versions, introduces the [[EasierThanEasy Beginner]] difficulty,[[note]]A sort of proto-Beginner difficulty appears in the first three games, but it's a separate mode; you can't switch between it and the main mode once you pick it.[[/note]] adds a number of crossovers from other active BEMANI franchises of the time, and also revives Nonstop mode (which had been removed from ''[=5thMIX=]'', and coexists with the similar "Challenge" mode). Both course modes also introduce a new step judgement, "Marvelous", which is tighter than "Perfect", while the Challenge course-exclusive charts from ''[=MAX2=]'' have been retrofitted into separate "(FROM NONSTOP MEGAMIX)" versions of songs for regular gameplay.
42* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA=]'' (2006) \
43Migrates to a Platform/PlayStation2-based hardware platform and a new engine (carrying over UI elements and background movies from the recent console version ''Extreme 2''/''STR!KE''), the return of characters to the arcade version (now rendered on three-dimensional stages), battle mode, and for Japanese builds, the introduction of Konami's online platform [=e-AMUSEMENT=] for online score tracking and updates. It was also the first arcade version to have a single international release with the same soundtrack (with the European builds falling under the ''Dancing Stage'' branding), a change which necessitated the removal of the licensed songs present on ''Extreme'' (including ending the franchise's long-standing partnership with [=Toshiba-EMI=]'s ''Dancemania'' album series).
44* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2=]'' (2007/2008) \
45An update to SN with a refreshed user interface, Marvelous timing used in standard gameplay (it was previously exclusive to course modes), and a new percentage-esque scoring system.
46* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution X=]'' (2008/2009) \
47The first arcade release on PC hardware and a new high definition cabinet. It celebrates 10 years of the franchise by throwing the classic 1 to Flashing 10 rating scale into the dumpster in favor of a new 1-20 system, and introducing charts with a new "Shock Arrow" mechanic (mine-like hurdles that briefly shock the arrows out of view if stepped on). Let's not forget the new announcer, man.
48* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution X2=]'' (2010/2011) \
49Introduced a refreshed interface with a new "Cover Flow"-styled song menu, the revised casual mode "Happy Mode", some consolidation on the step judgements, "Dance Drill" courses (an equivalent to the "class" mode of ''{{VideoGame/Beatmania}} IIDX''), and a more elaborate OptionalBoss system (modeled upon those seen in recent ''IIDX'' versions). It was the first mainline ''DDR'' version to not have Naoki as its music director, with ''beatmania'' mainstay dj [=TAKA=] taking over (which most likely explains the large amount of features and content that crossed over from ''IIDX'' on this release).
50* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution X3 VS 2ndMIX=]'' (2012) \
51Features an HD [[VideoGameRemake remake]] of ''[=2ndMix=]'' as a mode. Its UI and much of its base content is drawn from the U.S. Wii release, ''Dance Dance Revolution II''.
52* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=]'' (2013) \
53The first to utilize Konami's [=e-amusement Participation=] network (which depends on subscriptions bought by arcades, and causes the game to not start up unless it can connect to Konami's servers), meaning that there would be a larger dependency on ongoing online updates over a long-term lifecycle as opposed to the near-yearly releases since ''[=SuperNOVA=]'' (which also led some to suggest that all future content would be done through such DownloadableContent, and that this would be the "final" version. The next release would, essentially, be distributed as an online patch, but this has been the norm, to an extent, for all Bemani franchises as of late). Goods no longer break the player's combo, while courses have been removed. A new white-colored cabinet was also introduced, featuring a larger screen, but the pad's arrow panels no longer lighting up when stepped on. Received a major update in 2014 (generally regarded to be a new version by players and the group folders in-game, although still carrying the same overall branding as before), with a refreshed user interface, and another new season of song updates.
54* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution A=]'' (2016) \
55Announced on February 2016, released in March 2016 as an online update that replaced the previous release; it features a blue, white, and yellow-colored interface reminiscent of ''VideoGame/SoundVoltex'' (including a grid-based music selector to replace the "Cover Flow"-styled interface used since X2), and major changes to the grading and scoring systems. This was the first release to reach North America since 2010, with a list of licensed songs (including songs by Music/{{Pitbull}} and Music/{{Zedd}}) among others added to coincide with the North American release. The North American release is the first release to have proper [=e-amusement=] support.[[note]]There was a location test for [=e-amusement=] with the North American build of ''[=SuperNOVA=] 2'', but it never got beyond the testing stage. American ''DDR X'' cabinets had the hardware, but it didn't do anything.[[/note]]
56* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution A20=]'' (2019) \
57Announced in January 2019, released March 20, 2019; this version is designed to mark the 20th anniversary of the franchise. A new gold-themed cabinet (which is based off the ''VideoGame/DanceRush'' cabinet) was also introduced at JAEPO 2019 and used for the Konami Arcade Championship DDR finals (but running ''A''), featuring a gold-tinted pad with integrated lighting around the outer corners of each player's panels (as well as the return of panel lighting), and visual callbacks to the original cabinet's artwork (such as the pad decals, and a marquee featuring the classic "1st Mix" logo). Nonstop courses also returned. A20 was a timed exclusive to these new cabinets, and was pushed as an upgrade to existing machines on July 24. However, features such as Golden League (a seasonal ranking system that can unlock new songs), class courses (revived from X2, but now done using kyu and dan ranks like ''IIDX'' rather than levels), and remixes of classic licenses from earlier games, remain exclusive to the new cabinets (the version on upgrades also has a blue and teal-colored version of the interface to differentiate them).
58** ''[=DanceDanceRevolution A20 PLUS=]'' (2020) \
59An ExpansionPack update released July 1, 2020 for gold cabinets and all other machines July 6. Besides graphical changes, it features new songs, various song re-ratings, updated class courses, and a skill analyzer function (used to tailor songs for users without an [=e-AMUSEMENT=] login if they fail their first stage).
60* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution A3=]'' (2022) \
61Released for gold cabinets on March 17, 2022 and all other machines June 22, it generally continues on from ''A20 PLUS'' in terms of visual design and features, though shifting back towards a more "electronic" look akin to ''A'' (the gold cabinets use a yellow-gold and purple version of the interface, while the upgrade version replaces the yellow with silver, and the purple with a nebula-like blue and green). It now allows players to switch between the single and double styles from the music selector.
62
63[[AC:Spinoff titles]]
64%%
65%% This section is currently very incomplete. Contributions would be greatly appreciated.
66%%
67* ''Dancing Stage featuring True Kiss Destination'' (1999) \
68One of the few Japanese titles to use the ''Dancing Stage'' name that was typically reserved for European releases at the time. As the title suggests, it mainly has songs by Japanese pop group True Kiss Destination, although it also has some Konami original songs too. Notable for introducing a wide range of features that would not be put into the main titles until years later: 60 frames per second[[note]]introduced to the main series in ''[=5thMIX=]''[[/note]], an options/modifers menu[[note]]introduced to the main series in ''DDRMAX''[[/note]], a Hi-Speed option (though only the default x1 and x2 are available)[[note]]introduced to the main series in ''DDRMAX''[[/note]], [[HarderThanHard Super Maniac]] difficulty[[note]]introduced to the main series in ''[=4thMIX=] PLUS''[[/note]], and Double Maniac charts[[note]]introduced to the main series in ''[=3rdMIX=]''[[/note]].
69* ''Dancing Stage featuring Dreams Come True'' (1999) \
70Another "featuring specific group" title, this one is focused on Dreams Come True[[note]]of early ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' fame[[/note]]. It introduces more speed modifiers, and has a "Step Up" mode in which the difficulty level increases with each stage.
71[[/folder]]
72
73[[folder:Japanese home releases]]
74* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=]'' (1999, Platform/PlayStation)
75* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 2ndReMIX=]'' (1999, [=PlayStation=])
76* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 2ndReMIX APPEND CLUB VERSiON vol.1=]'' (1999, [=PlayStation=])
77* ''[=Dancing Stage featuring TRUE KISS DESTINATION=]'' (1999, [=PlayStation=])
78* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 2ndReMIX APPEND CLUB VERSiON vol.2=]'' (1999, [=PlayStation=])
79* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX Dreamcast Edition=]'' (2000, [[Platform/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]])
80* ''[=Dancing Stage featuring DREAMS COME TRUE=]'' (2000, [=PlayStation=])
81* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution CLUB VERSiON Dreamcast Edition=]'' (2000, Dreamcast)
82* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 3rdMIX=]'' (2000, [=PlayStation=])
83* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution GB=]'' (2000, Platform/GameBoyColor)
84* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution GB2=]'' (2000, Game Boy Color)
85* ''[=おはスタ DanceDanceRevolution=]'' (2000, [=PlayStation=])
86* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution ディズニーダンシングミュージアム=]'' (2000, [[Platform/Nintendo64 64]])
87* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution Disney's RAVE=]'' (2000, [=PlayStation=])
88* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution BEST HITS=]'' (2000, [=PlayStation=])
89* ''[=おはスタ DanceDanceRevolution GB=]'' (2001, Game Boy Color)
90* ''[=DanceDanceREV=]'' (2001, Mobile phones)
91* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 4thMIX=]'' (2001, [=PlayStation=])
92* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution GB3=]'' (2001, Game Boy Color)
93* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution GB Disney Mix=]'' (2001, Game Boy Color)
94* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution EXTRA MIX=]'' (2001, [=PlayStation=])
95* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution 5thMIX=]'' (2001, [=PlayStation=])
96* ''[=DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX=]'' (2002, Platform/PlayStation2)
97* ''[=エアロビクスレボリューション=]'' (2003, [=PlayStation=] 2)
98* ''[=DDRMAX2 -DanceDanceRevolution 7thMIX=]'' (2003, [=PlayStation=] 2)
99* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution EXTREME=]'' (2003, [=PlayStation=] 2)
100* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution Party Collection=]'' (2003, [=PlayStation=] 2)
101* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution DX=]'' (2004, Mobile phones)
102* ''ダイエットチャンネル'' (2004, [=PlayStation=] 2)
103* ''[=DDR FESTIVAL -DanceDanceRevolution-=]'' (2004, [=PlayStation=] 2)
104* ''[[VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolutionMarioMix DanceDanceRevolution with MARIO]]'' (2005, [[Platform/NintendoGameCube GameCube]])
105* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution STR!KE=]'' (2006, [=PlayStation=] 2)
106* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA=]'' (2007, [=PlayStation=] 2)
107* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution HOTTEST PARTY=]'' (2007, Platform/{{Wii}})
108* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2=]'' (2008, [=PlayStation=] 2)
109* ''ダンスダンスレボリューション フルフル♪パーティー'' (2008, Wii)
110* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution X=]'' (2009, [=PlayStation=] 2)
111* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution S=]'' (2009, Mobile phones)
112* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution S+=]'' (2009, Mobile phones)
113* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution MUSIC FIT=]'' (2010, Wii)
114* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution Pocket Edition=]'' (2013, Mobile phones)
115* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution GRAND PRIX=]'' (2021, PC)
116** A new PC release similar to the "Konasute" (コナステ)/[=eAMUSEMENT Cloud=] releases of other Bemani titles; it was initially based on ''A20 Plus'', while an update in June 2022 (concurrent with the release of it for existing cabinets) updated it to the ''A3'' user interface.
117[[/folder]]
118
119[[folder: North American home releases]]
120* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=]'' (2001, [=PlayStation=])
121* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution Disney MIX=]'' (2001, [=PlayStation=])
122* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution KONAMIX=]'' (2002, [=PlayStation=])
123* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=]'' (2002, PC)
124* ''[=DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution-=]'' (2002, [=PlayStation=] 2)
125* ''[=DDRMAX2 -DanceDanceRevolution-=]'' (2003, [=PlayStation=] 2)
126* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution ULTRAMIX=]'' (2003, Platform/{{Xbox}})
127* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution EXTREME=]'' (2004, [=PlayStation=] 2)
128* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution ULTRAMIX2=]'' (2004, Xbox)
129* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution EXTREME2=]'' (2005, [=PlayStation=] 2)
130* ''[[VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolutionMarioMix DanceDanceRevolution MARIO MIX]]'' (2005, [=GameCube=])
131* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution ULTRAMIX3=]'' (2005, Xbox)
132* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA=]'' (2006, [=PlayStation=] 2)
133* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution ULTRAMIX4=]'' (2006, Xbox)
134* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution Strawberry Shortcake=]'' (2006, TV)
135* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution DVD Game=]'' (2006, DVD)
136* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution UNIVERSE=]'' (2007, Platform/Xbox360)
137* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2=]'' (2007, [=PlayStation=] 2)
138* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution HOTTEST PARTY=]'' (2007, Wii)
139* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution UNIVERSE2=]'' (2007, Xbox 360)
140* ''[=My First DanceDanceRevolution=]'' (2007, TV)
141* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution Disney Channel EDITION=]'' (2008, [=PlayStation=] 2)
142* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution X=]'' (2008, [=PlayStation=] 2)
143* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution HOTTEST PARTY2=]'' (2008, Wii)
144* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution Mobius=]'' (2008, Mobile phones)
145* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution UNIVERSE3=]'' (2008, Xbox 360)
146* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution S=]'' (2009, Mobile phones)
147* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution Disney Grooves=]'' (2009, Wii)
148* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution X2=]'' (2009, [=PlayStation=] 2)
149* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution HOTTEST PARTY3=]'' (2009, Wii)
150* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution S+=]'' (2010, Mobile phones)
151* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=]'' (2010, Platform/PlayStation3) (2011, Xbox 360)
152* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=]'' (2010, Wii)
153* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution FREEDOM=]'' (2011, Mobile phones)
154* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution II=]'' (2011, Wii)
155* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution Classroom Edition=]'' (2012, PC)
156* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution DANCE WARS=]'' (2013, Mobile phones)
157* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution Pocket Edition=]'' (2013, Mobile phones)
158[[/folder]]
159
160[[folder: European home releases]]
161* ''[=Dancing Stage EuroMIX=]'' (2001, [=PlayStation=])
162* ''Dancing Stage Disney MIX'' (2001, [=PlayStation=])
163* ''Dancing Stage PARTY EDITION'' (2002, [=PlayStation=])
164* ''[=Dancing Stage MegaMiX=]'' (2003, [=PlayStation=] 2)
165* ''Dancing Stage Fever'' (2003, [=PlayStation=], [=PlayStation=] 2)
166* ''Dancing Stage Unleashed'' (2004, Xbox)
167* ''Dancing Stage Fusion'' (2004, [=PlayStation=], [=PlayStation=] 2)
168* ''[=Dancing Stage Unleashed2=]'' (2005, Xbox)
169* [[VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolutionMarioMix ''Dancing Stage MARIO MIX'']] (2005, [=GameCube=])
170* ''Dancing Stage Max'' (2005, [=PlayStation=] 2)
171* ''[=Dancing Stage Unleashed3=]'' (2006, Xbox)
172* ''[=Dancing Stage SuperNOVA=]'' (2007, [=PlayStation=] 2)
173* ''Dancing Stage UNIVERSE'' (2007, Xbox 360)
174* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution DVD Game=]'' (2007, DVD)
175* ''Dancing Stage HOTTEST PARTY'' (2008, Wii)
176* ''[=Dancing Stage SuperNOVA2=]'' (2008, [=PlayStation=] 2)
177* ''[=Dancing Stage UNIVERSE2=]'' (2008, Xbox 360)
178* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution Winx Club=]'' (2009, Wii)
179* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution S=]'' (2009, Mobile phones)
180* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution hottest party2=]'' (2009, Wii)
181* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution hottest party3=]'' (2010, Wii)
182* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution S+=]'' (2010, Mobile phones)
183* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution FREEDOM=]'' (2011, Mobile phones)
184* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution New Moves=]'' (2011, [=PlayStation=] 3)
185* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution hottest party4=]'' (2011, Wii)
186* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution hottest party5=]'' (2011, Wii)
187* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution DANCE WARS=]'' (2013, Mobile phones)
188* ''[=DanceDanceRevolution Pocket Edition=]'' (2013, Mobile phones)
189[[/folder]]
190
191'''Note:''' ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=]'' has two rating scales: the classic 1-10 scale, and the current 1-20 scale[[labelnote:note]]all old difficulties are roughly multiplied by 1.5; "MAX 300" on Expert, for reference is a 10 on the old scale and a 15 on the current scale[[/labelnote]] used from ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=] X'' onwards. When using difficulty ratings, please specify which scale you're using if the context doesn't make it clear.
192----
193!!These tropes are gonna be off the hook!
194
195[[folder:# - F]]
196* AfterCombatRecovery: In the nonstop modes that use lives instead of a lifebar, you'll often gain a life or two back after each song.
197* AllOrNothing: Three particularly {{Brutal Bonus Level}}s -- "Love Is The Power -Re:born-", "Over The 'Period'", and "Ace for Aces", back when they were exclusively Encore Extra Stage songs -- demanded a Perfect Full Combo (all Perfect or Marvelous) to clear; even a single Great would result in an instant failure.
198* AllTheWorldsAreAStage: The Single Challenge chart of "Dance Dance Revolution" by DDR All Stars, Extreme's [[TrueFinalBoss Encore Extra Stage]], reuses Heavy step sequences from "Brilliant 2U Orchestra Groove", "Dead End", "Dynamite Rave", "End of the Century", "AM-3P", "Celebrate Nite", "[=B4U=]", and finally "Dance Dance Revolution" itself.
199* AndYourRewardIsClothes: Even the arcade version ([[BadExportForYou well, in Asia anyway]]) isn't immune from having unlocks merely be just alternate outfits.
200* AnnouncerChatter: The arcade games feature an announcer who comments on the player's performance mid-song. The home console versions sometimes have ways to disable this.
201* AntiFrustrationFeatures:
202** When a player's health gets low, the games will reduce the penalty for bad or missed steps and increase the amount of life recovered for good steps. The hardest charts or challenge modes don't do this, but that's part of their difficulty.
203** In games where both players have to play on the same difficulty, "Little Mode" is a modifier which allows players who aren't as skilled to keep up with the harder charts; in Little Mode, only quarter notes have to be hit.
204** Many machines are more lenient when [[SocializationBonus playing with two players at once]]. Some allow players in a multiplayer round to be "saved" from a GameOver if they fail, or won't end the song when a player's life runs out as long as the other player is still alive. This is not the case in Challenge courses though; if one player runs out of lives while the other is still alive, gameplay will stop for the former and display a "GAME OVER" banner for them.
205* ArrangeMode: The very first home port of the series that appeared on the Platform/PlayStation in Japan contains its own ''Arrange Mode'' selectable from the main menu. This mode makes things harder by lowering your health bar every time you step on an arrow you're not supposed to. This triggers the "Ouch!" judgement, and is similar to what happens when hitting the wrong buttons in the ''VideoGame/{{beatmania}}'' series. Subsequent games would drop this mode, though future games like ''In The Groove'' and ''Dance Dance Revolution X'' would modify the "don't hit this" concept with Mines and Shock Arrows respectively.
206* ArtEvolution: Starting in ''Dance Dance Revolution Supernova'', the characters were given a redesign and now look more realistic than the previous games although not as realistic looking as they were in the Ultramix and Universe series of games for the Xbox and Xbox 360.
207* TheArtifact:
208** "Sakura"'s Challenge chart was originally meant to be used for the One More Extra Stage of ''Extreme'', just as "Kakumei"'s Challenge chart was used in ''[=MAX2=]''. However, beyond the location test, the plan didn't carry on and "Dance Dance Revolution" is instead used as the OMES. This is also why it's easier than its Heavy/Expert chart (in contrast to the Challenge charts of other Bemani crossovers in that game); like Kakumei, it had special purpose other than just to provide challenge.
209** For that matter, the Challenge difficulty itself became an artifact shortly after it was introduced. Orginally, only select songs had it as their sole selectable difficulty (the so-called "Challenge remixes", which could only be accessed in Oni Mode); the only exception was Kakumei, and even then, it was used specifically for the One More Extra Stage, so the chart being harder or easier than the Expert chart had nothing to do with its purpose. ''Extreme'', however, [[{{Retool}} retooled]] Challenge to mean [[HarderThanHard Harder Than Expert]], and much later, ''X'' retooled it again as a space for Shock Arrow charts (although the HarderThanHard concept is still going strong). This makes the ''[=MAX2=]'' songs who have it stick like a sore thumb.
210* ArtifactTitle: The "Perfect" timing window was originally called such because you had to be on the exact frame to get it, in a game that runs at only 30 FPS. Later games run at 60 FPS, but the timing windows remain the same, so you're granted some degree of leniency in getting a Perfect. This trope kicked into full swing when ''EXTREME'' introduced the "Marvelous" judgement, which is higher than a Perfect, even moreso when ''[=SuperNOVA=] 2'' made Marvelous judgements apply to all modes, not just nonstop or Challenge courses. Now, while you still get a "Perfect Full Combo" recognition for getting all Perfects but no Marvelouses, it's no longer a perfect performance; in fact, if you're using EX Score[[note]]an alternate scoring system that, among other things, gives Perfects 2/3 as much value as Marvelous[[/note]], an all-Perfect run means you've only obtained ~67% of the maximum score.
211* AscendedGlitch: bag's Challenge chart in ''X2'' is simply its Expert stepchart pre-''X'' era, i.e. with all its 24th notes rounded to the 64th notes.
212* AuthorAvatar: Naoki Maeda, Junko "jun" Karashima, and Yuichi "U1" Asami have placed themselves as playable characters in the Hottest Party DDR Wii games. Naoki, NMR, U1 (No not "That" [[VideoGame/GitarooMan U-1]]) , and 2MB (A U1 Alias) are also unlockable characters in ''[=5thMIX=]''.
213* {{Autosave}}: The games save if there is any important changes.
214* AwardBaitSong: A number of the slow songs, such as "Love Again", "Remember You" and "Graduation". All three are sparkle synth-heavy, and "Graduation" has an acoustic version used for the credits on DDR Extreme (both Arcade and [=PS2=])
215* BagOfSpilling: DDRMAX did not have any returning songs. Averted with every other sequel in the main series.
216* BalanceBuff:
217** Traditionally, the step judgement of Good has been [[NonIndicativeName anything but]], as it awards no points, breaks your combo, depletes "battery" lifebars, and ends the song if [[OneHitPointWonder Sudden Death / Risky]] is enabled. However, the 2013 version revised Goods to now count towards combo and no longer cause damage, and ''A'' makes Goods worth 20% of the maximum note score[[note]]More specifically, 20% minus 10 points, out of 1,000,000[[/note]]. However, Goods are still worth 0 EX points.
218** ''A'' also increased the score weight of Greats from 50% to 60%[[note]]More specifically, 60% minus 10 points[[/note]].
219* BigWinSirens / BossWarningSiren: Many of the games play a siren on the results screen if you unlock the Extra Stage by getting an AA or better on Expert/Challenge difficulty.
220-->[[GratuitousEnglish TRY EXTRA STAGE!]]
221* BoringButPractical:
222** Holding onto the safety bar makes the player look like they're not dancing at all, but it does help the player maintain their balance on harder charts. This has earned accusations of cheating from certain sectors of the fanbase however (i.e. bringing it up is considered FlameBait), as the technique does significantly reduce the difficulty associated with the songs. Nonetheless, most expert players are keen for it, and the official Konami Arcade Championship allows use of the bar, so as far as things are concerned, the safety bar is fair game.
223** "Bracketing", in which the player keeps their feet on the inner corner brackets of the four panels so that they don't have to move their feet as much.
224* BossInMookClothing:
225** Several songs that while not that difficult at first glance, become absolutely monstrous in difficulty. Why? Because your stamina will drop faster than a lead weight while playing it. "Flashdance: What A Feeling" (Level 8 Maniac in 3rd Mix) is the first of many, followed by "Sunkiss♥Drop" (Level 7 Expert in ''[=SuperNOVA2=]'').
226** DDR [=5thMIX=]: Moonlight Shadow Doubles Maniac, disguised as a 7-footer, was ridiculously known for its very awkward and difficult twists, comparing this to a hard-8 or an 9.
227** DDRMAX: "So Deep (Perfect Sphere Remix)" from DDRMAX is also a particularly infamous one; it's a 9 on Heavy, but it's filled to the brim with tiring gallops.
228** Near the end of the classic-scale era, songs that would have easily been rated high before were being rated lower to accommodate the new ''really'' hard songs. "[=PARANOiA=] ~HADES~" is a good example. Its Single difficulties were rated, in order, 3/7/8/9/10. No, we're not kidding. They actually considered the Difficult chart as easier, and the Expert chart the same level, than/as "BROKEN MY HEART" Expert. In reality, players who expect for a merry way ''will'' get destroyed before they reach 10 seconds in. The X scale, meanwhile, rated them as 7/11/15/16/18, compared to BROKEN MY HEART's 3/5/7/12. [[{{Understatement}} There's a little difference]].
229** ''DDR Extreme'' gives us the following:
230*** "[[{{Music/Aqua}} Cartoon Heroes]] (Speedy Mix)" on Singles Heavy. A very cutesy, upbeat song from the Dancemania album series, but don't let that fool you. It is widely considered one of the most difficult 9-footers, if not the most difficult, in the entire series because it throws a wide variety of patterns at you, from gallops to crossovers to double steps to jackhammers to lengthy streams, all at a relatively fast speed (170 BPM). Unless you're adept at each of these patterns, expect to fail this song over and over again. The chart's return as the standard chart for the 20th Anniversary remix confirms that it's a 14 by the post DDR X rating.
231*** Daikenkai Double Challenge, like its Singles Challenge counterpart, looks like a cluttered mess, except it adds step patterns that don't flow to jumps randomly placed in uncomfortable areas. Though rated a 9, this is very close to being a 10. The chart was re-rated to 14 on ''X''.
232*** "The least 100 seconds" Double Heavy, labeled as an 8. The crooked step patterns, combined with a very high speed makes it very easy to get thrown off. It was given a 13 rating on ''X'', and re-rated to a 14 on ''X2''.
233** A3's 令和 (Reiwa) being given a challenge chart. Often times, licensed songs rated below a 13 are not given level 18 challenge charts. This one in particular? While their Expert charts are labeled 10 and 11, their Challenge charts are all labeled as an 18.
234* BossRush: Hope you have enough stamina, body strength, and dead-on consistent accuracy ([[SomeDexterityRequired required for courses past DDRMAX2 due to the Oni/Challenge Mode that penalize you for getting anything less than a great]]) to do the following:
235** [=3rd mix=]: Step Step Revolution Mode had all 4 of the [=PARANOiA=] songs in order: The original [=PARANOiA=], MAX -Dirty Mix-, KCET, and Rebirth.
236** [=DDRMAX2=] had Paranoia Brothers. These songs were [[DegradedBoss 5 previous bosses]] minus Eternal. The only difference here is you cannot get a good or lower.
237** Extreme has a few:
238*** Paranoia Brothers 2. This time, it adds the revised Eternal and adds the 2 survivor songs, both being 10.
239*** Trip 5. Like Paranoia Brothers, these songs were [[DegradedBoss 5 previous bosses]].
240*** Legend Oni course; which featured all three of the original Max songs, Sakura, and the hidden [=PARANOiA=] Survivor Max on Challenge; the latter considered to be the hardest song in the franchise up to that point. This is the only course that were all 10s at this point.
241** [=SuperNOVA=]: Pretty much did a TakeThat to all the players who complain that DDR has become too easy, compared to harder games like Pump It Up and In The Groove. Here are 2 big examples:
242*** MAX of MAXX has the first 5 of the Max songs, all on Expert.
243*** [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin BOSS RUSH]] Episode IV has 5 songs. The first 3 of those Episodes only had bosses on the last song(s) while the first few of those songs are filler or older boss songs degraded as regular songs. This one, however, are all Boss Songs; the first 2 from previous mixes (5th Console and Extreme) and the last 3 from that current mix: Healing Vision ~Angelic mix~ Expert, [=PARANOiA=] Survivor MAX Challenge, CHAOS Expert, Fascination MAXX Challenge, and Healing D-Vision Challenge. [[FakeDifficulty Enjoy the gimmick stops]] and extreme crossing.
244** [=SuperNOVA 2=]: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin BOSS RUSH]] ([=Ver.SN2=]), which contains all of the Extra Stage and Encore Extra Stage songs ALL ON CHALLENGE: [=PARANOiA=] ~HADES~, NGO, Trip Machine [=PhoeniX=], Pluto, and Pluto Relinquish. Ummm, yeah. Have fun with that.
245** [=X2=]: Has 3:
246*** Dance Drill, inspired by IIDX's dan/class mode. The highest one was Trigger, Healing-D-Vision, [=PARANOiA=] ~HADES~, and Pluto Relinquish. Though available in the easier Nonstop course than Challenge, it will wreck you if underestimated.
247*** BOSS RUSH X2, which contains all of the console boss songs.
248*** VS Replicant, containing ALL 7 of the songs in the hidden Replicant D-Action extra stage folder, including the final Valkyrie Dimension. Have fun with playing 3 songs on level 17 and the final being an 18.
249** [=X3=]: Has 2:
250*** Evolved. Four of the then-console-exclusive Boss Songs, particularly the Wii's Hottest Party Games, are in this courses, with the addition of a [=DDRX3=]-introduced Tohoku EVOLVED. Fortunately, since this is Nonstop mode instead of a Challenge mode, you don't have to worry about the last jump killing you.
251*** "Revolution". A reference to the title's name and quite fitting to the last 2 songs. Contains all of the Extra (and Encore Extra) Stage songs in order, including the final 2 songs: Trip Machine Evolution and [=PARANOiA=] Revolution. Fortunately, you don't have to read the course like it's [=2ndMIX=].
252** [=A20's=] Kaiden course also qualifies as this, since it contains four of the hardest Level 19 charts [[note]]two hard level 18 charts and two level 19 charts on Double Play since A20 PLUS[[/note]] in the game.
253* {{Bowdlerization}}:
254** Some songs that do this, such as "The Earth Light" and "Injection of Love" had these sound effects removed before being used outside of Japan. Ironically, the clean instrumental version of "Injection of Love" was the first to appear anywhere, in America's ''Extreme 2'', whereas the explicit English version (Titled "Injection of Love(e)") was in Japan's ''Str!ke''.
255** One of the reasons it was difficult to export the games early on was because of the choice of licenses. In particular, the decision to include a couple of Germany-based Europop acts known for racier lyrics: Captain Jack, and E-Rotic.[[note]]Ironically, the original title singer of Captain Jack, Franky Gee, was a Cuban-American expatriate.[[/note]] Several of Captain Jack's cleaner songs ultimately made it to America, and even one E-Rotic song ("In The Heat of the Night", admittedly probably their cleanest song) made it to an American home version (''Extreme 2''). There were several other E-Rotic songs which have a much harder time making it over, such as "Oh Nick Please Not So Quick" and "Do It All Night," both of which feature a woman [[TheImmodestOrgasm moaning in orgasmic pleasure]] and lyrics that leave no doubt that they're about IntercourseWithYou.
256** "After The Game" is a subversion; it appears in American ''DDR'' games and seems like this trope, as the Japanese versions have "After The Game Of Love" which has lyrics, but the former song is actually the ''original version'', having been originally composed for Konami's ''NBA In The Zone'' series.
257* ButtonMashing:
258** First-time players are likely to try it, but it generally gets punished in the series, as hitting an arrow far too early results in a poor rating which cannot be improved by hitting the arrow again.
259** ''Extreme 2'' has two missions that require you to get nothing but Boos ''and'' press the buttons X times. Of course, this means hammering the arrows when there aren't any actual steps.
260* CallBack: DDR SELECTION, which was added to ''A'' to commemorate the series' twentieth anniversary. It was a category that allowed you to play a selection of songs with the interface and announcer of a previous game depending on what era it first appeared in (the official subfolders were 1st to [=5thMIX=], MAX to Extreme, the [=SuperNOVA=] series, the X series, and 2013 to A). It even banned you from using modifiers if you selected a song from the 1st to [=5thMIX=] era.
261* CamelCase: Officially, the title is stylized as ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=]'', with no spaces.
262* Music/TheCancanSong: "Kick The Can", a licensed song by Bus Stop in ''[=4thMIX=]''.
263* CanonImmigrant: Some songs had their first appearance in more obscure entries before showing up in the core arcade series, such as "AM-3P (303 Bass Mix)" (''Konamix'' -> ''Extreme''), and "Cutie Chaser (Morning Mix)" (''Oha Sta.'' -> ''MAX USA'' -> ''Extreme''). A whole bunch of songs from Universe 3 (including one that was Universe 3 ''DownloadableContent.'') also made the jump to X2 (and then went back to America full circle on the Wii version DDR II)
264* CapcomSequelStagnation:
265** 3rd and [=4thMIX=] had "Plus" variants, which added songs from their Korean versions and other tweaks (such as the ability to play Maniac difficulty without going to SSR mode on 3rd Mix, and an All Music mode on 4th) 4th Mix also had a version compatible with the Solo cabinets (which previously had their own exclusive series)
266** "X3 vs. [=2ndMIX=]" evokes this kind of naming style with shades of a ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' style crossover. However, it is still an otherwise normal sequel to X2.
267** "A" and "A20" also evoke this, with the latter being a continuation of A for the franchise's 20th anniversary.
268*** Again with "A20+".
269* CatchPhrase:
270** "Here We Go!" (both in-game, and written most prominently on the screen bezel artwork of ''most'' pre-X cabinets ([=SuperNOVA=] and [=SuperNOVA 2=] tried to introduce the slogan "Freak That Body" on its cabinet artwork, but failed. Every upgrade kit for classic-style cabinets between [=SuperNOVA=] and X2 came with new artwork for the monitor bezel that matched its theme, while X3 just switched to a generic one with the franchise logo on it)
271** "Stay Cool!" and "Show Me Your Moves!" are written everywhere on the old machines; both were used as AnnouncerChatter too, especially by the original announcer (1st Mix to DDRMAX).
272* ChallengeRun:
273** Using modifiers to make the game harder has been relatively common since they first showed up. In addition to making the notes move faster, there's also modes that hide the notes at places on the screen, shuffle them around, or penalize a player for stepping on a pad any time that there isn't a note.
274** The Double mode, where one player uses both dance pads.
275** [[NintendoHard Stealth + Shuffle]]. Stealth is a mode where you can't see the notes at all, and Shuffle makes an arrow's step random to the beat. Combining both of these makes even the easiest of songs a LuckBasedMission.
276** The original [=PlayStation=] version had a mode called "Arrange Mode", which penalizes you with an "Ouch!" for hitting ''any'' panel when there isn't an arrow there.
277* ColourCodedForYourConvenience:
278** Since 3rd Mix, the Vivid, Note, and Solo/Rainbow will colour the arrows differently depending on the type of the note (i.e. depending on whether it is a 1/4, 1/8, 1/12, 1/16, etc.) Of course, this point has a counterpoint in the form of the "Flat" modifier, which makes all the arrows use the 1/4 colour.
279** The difficulties have also had signature colours; light blue for Beginner, orange for Easy, magenta for Difficult, green for Expert, and dark blue for Challenge.
280** With DDR A20, the game interface uses different colours according to the cabinet type: gold for brand new cabinets, and blue for upgrade kits.
281* ColorCodedMultiplayer: Each player is traditionally colour-coded in interface accents: blue for Player 1, and pink for Player 2. This is especially noticeable in Battle Mode from DDR [=SuperNOVA=].
282* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: Battle mode involves various interface screws like the steps rotating, speeds changing, or arrows disappearing. The computer is unaffected by any of these. Made even more JustForFun/{{egregious}} in ''Disney Mix'' where attaining the unlockables can only be done by playing in the Battle mode. At least the computer has terrible accuracy, getting loads of Greats.
283* ContinuityReboot:
284** ''DDRMAX'' was supposed to be one since it changed so much: it introduced a new scoring system, introduced an overhauled difficulty system (with new difficulty names, and replacing old difficulty level system with the Groove Radar, a 5-point graph that rates charts on certain characteristics), introduced a new options menu to replace pad codes, dropped the 3D characters, added new full motion video backgrounds, freeze arrows, the new Extra Stage system, and console ports migrating to the Platform/PlayStation2. However, it also removed ''every'' song from previous versions in favor of a completely new soundtrack. Most players were happy when [=MAX2=] and EXTREME brought them back.
285** A similar reset happened for the Platform/{{Wii}} and Platform/PlayStation3 versions released in 2010, which were titled just "Dance Dance Revolution" in North America. The Wii version also brought an UnexpectedGameplayChange by extending its motion control integration into a new ''VideoGame/JustDance''-esque "Choreography" mode, which used special charts containing a variety of new hand motions for the Wii Remote and Nunchuck to form more varied routines (Meanwhile, the [=PS3=] version had players using the [=PlayStation Move=] wand to hit targets in the corner of the screen. It wasn't that great) In Europe however, they got re-branded as "Hottest Party 4" and "New Moves" respectively. The next game "Dance Dance Revolution II", was essentially the console port of X3 vs 2nd Mix (well, not really. It is mostly a port of X2 AC, but with many new songs that were then ported to X3 vs 2ndMix. Yes it is complicated.)
286** The 2013 arcade version is also titled just "Dance Dance Revolution"; a new white cabinet design was also introduced for this version, featuring a relatively stripped down design (most of the fancy lights from the X cabinet are now gone), a 42-inch display, a more pronounced shelf under the screen, no more USB ports, and revised pads that don't light up anymore. While it feels like the types of changes Betson would do to cheapen things, lo and behold, it was Konami who did this. You ''can'' instead get an update if you miss your old cabinet, but Konami only promotes the new version as it is cheaper than the old one. The idea is that this is the final upgrade for the arcade DDR series, with new songs and other content distributed through Konami's e-Amusement network. Of course, it got shot down when DDR A is announced three years later (admittedly, that game is also an arcade update, but it changes the interface, the scoring system, and so much else that it might as well be a different game altogether).
287* ControllableHelplessness: In installments where the [[OptionalBoss Extra Stage]] or [[TrueFinalBoss One More Extra Stage]] forces you to select a specific boss song on Heavy/Expert difficulty, the game will still go to the song select menu, but attempting to change the song will result in the song selection wheel twitching in that direction before being helplessly bounced back, and attempting to change the difficulty level will result in a buzzer. The real point of this being to give you a chance to breathe before siccing what is usually the hardest challenge in that iteration of the game on you. With a nice side of ThisIsGonnaSuck, of course.
288* CopyProtection: The 2013 and succeeding versions require a connection to Konami's e-amusement network in order to run, as it is part of Konami's shared-profit "e-amusement Participation" network. No connection, no DDR for you. And don't think about simply attempting to make a connection to e-Amusement, as Konami only accepts connections from arcades officially registered with the network. Before the arrival of DDR A in select Dave & Buster's outlets and in [=Round1=] USA outlets, there were no DDR machines connected to the official network in the states.
289* CriticalAnnoyance:
290** The flashing danger background and crowd booing. The arcade version of ''Extreme'' was particularly notable. If the player let their lifebar drop too low, the (usually cheerful) background videos would be suddenly replaced with an animation of a shark swimming straight at you. [[UnstableEquilibrium This is unlikely to help you recover]].
291** It was even ''more'' distracting on 2nd Mix, with the background blinking [=quickly=] to a flashing orange background with scrolling caution triangles. On top of that, 2ndMIX's lifebar was cruel enough that this distraction most likely contributes to your failure. For accuracy, this effect also came up in X3's 2nd Mix mode; the struggle to clear [=PARANOiA Revolution=] caused a lot of players to see this.
292** Beginning on Extreme U.S./Fusion/Festival, there's now just a flashing "Danger!" text overlayed on top of the lifebar. DDR A onwards complements this with the darkening of your playing line (sort of like applying "dark lane" option when you haven't before) and warning signs to the left and right sides of your line.
293** ''Hottest Party'' doesn't change the background, but the announcer starts shouting at you to stop sucking. Aside from how distracting it is, it feels like the game's mocking you. Thankfully, you ''can'' adjust that so it doesn't, or just turn him off entirely.
294* CulturalTranslation:
295** In earlier years, none of the US or European versions had songlists close to their Japanese/arcade counterparts. Most of the major Konami originals were retained, but that's all they have in common. This became less of an issue starting with ''Festival/Extreme/Fusion''.
296** America's ''Dance Dance Revolution Konamix'' and Europe's ''Dancing Stage Party Edition'' are practically identical, except the one Japanese-language song in Konamix got replaced with five licensed songs: "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" by Kylie Minogue, "Don't Stop Movin'" by S Club 7, "My Favourite Game" by The Cardigans, "The Bad Touch" by The Bloodhound Gang and "You Got The Love" by Rufus feat. Chaka Khan. It's also one of the better games to be released in Europe having more songs than many [=PS2=] versions and the licences weren't bad either.
297* DamnYouMuscleMemory:
298** There are modifiers which re-arrange the charts using predetermined patterns (i.e. shuffle, mirror, left, right, etc.).
299** Playing DDR after playing ''VideoGame/PumpItUp'' or the other way around. You may find yourself stepping where there aren't any arrows.
300** In one of the [=SuperNOVA=] games, the game's "Master Mode" (AKA Mission Mode) includes a mission where three arrows at a time scroll up the screen and it's your job to step on the arrow that's ''not'' one of those aforementioned three. When there are two arrows at a time, you're supposed to step on the two ''others''. Cue tormented cursing of muscle memory.
301** God help you if you initially learned how to play on [=EXTREME's=] "Beginner Mode" by returning to the center panel after each note. You're in for a rude awakening once you leave "Beginner Mode".
302** DDR X3's boss "Tohoku EVOLVED" takes this to a whole new level: While most Evolved songs do have more noticeable variations, the only thing that changes is a ridiculously high-speed jump at the end.
303** A visual feature on some missions that merely swaps the up and down columns is enough to throw off long-time players.
304** Playing songs like "Ska a GO GO" on Expert can prove quite irritating after being used to hitting 4th steps (ALA on the beat, or coded as red) as they feature a lot of isolated 8ths (Color coded as blue.)
305* DanceSensation: Quite a few of the selectable songs are these.
306* DarkerAndEdgier:
307** Songs remixed by [=U1-ASAMi=] under his 2MB alias are usually a lot darker and/or creepier than the original versions. Oh, they also tend to be much harder, as well. "Healing Vision (Angelic mix)", "MAX. (period)", and "Fascination (eternal love mix)" are examples.
308** [=DDRMAX2=] features a lot of [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver black and red]] in its menu graphics, and almost of all of the new songs are {{Trance}}[[note]]Trance is mainly used to evoke a personal emotional feeling on the listeners[[/note]] in one way of another. The boss songs, MAXX Unlimited and Kakumei, are a lot darker than the previous boss songs MAX 300 and CANDY: MAXX Unlimited is stuck up with the Trance syndrome unlike the drum-heavy MAX 300, while Kakumei is a modern rendition of classical music[[note]]Fun fact: trance is widely considered to be something of a SpiritualSuccessor to classical music.[[/note]] (namely, Chopin's Revolutionary Etude), in contrast to the happy hardcore CANDY.
309* DegradedBoss: As mixes continue to get released, songs that were once bosses fall under this category because future boss songs or even regular songs have difficulties equal or higher than the mentioned, as well as the restrictions for those specific songs no longer in effect.
310** The Trip Machines and [=PARANOiA=] songs from 1st - [=5thMIX=] were once bosses. When higher difficulties were released, other songs with the same difficulty were just as hard. Averted in [=DDRMAX2 7thMIX=] as the 10-foot rating was introduced while those songs returned.
311** The first 3 MAX songs and [=PARANOiA=] Survivor songs are no longer this as DDR X introduced the new ratings. While they are still re-rated a high 15 and 16, it is not uncommon for other songs that aren't boss songs to reach those levels.
312** Extra Stage and Encore Extra Stage songs become this once unlocked or moved to the next mix.
313** The Extra Stage in general is this. In the past, Extra Stages were usually the hardest songs in the game. However, starting with X2, Extra Stage songs started mostly being around the 15 rating even though there were several 18-footers in each game.
314* DoublePlay:
315** The Double mode, where you use ''two'' dance controllers, has been around since the start of the series for anyone willing to spend twice the money (or lucky enough to have a machine with "Joint Premium" enabled). Older games allowed this mode for one credit, but half the songs (rounded down).
316*** The Ultramix and Universe games further expanded this with the Quad mode, which let you use ''four'' mats instead.
317** [=3rdMIX=] features "Unison" mode, which had the two players share one set of "guide arrows", with the steps being color-coded to indicate who has to hit them. However, you can hit the other player's arrows, making it possible albeit NintendoHard to play it alone.
318* DoubleDoubleTitle: While ''Dance Dance Revolution'' itself isn't an example, some song titles consist entirely of repeated words:
319** "Dance, Dance" by Music/FallOutBoy
320** "Gimme Gimme Gimme" by E-Rotic
321** "I DO I DO I DO" by CREAMY ([=Extreme=])
322** "Jump! Jump! Jump!" from ''Mario Mix''
323** "Kiss Kiss" by Hanna
324** "KISS KISS KISS" by NAOKI feat. SHANTI
325** "LOVE LOVE LOVE" by Dreams Come True
326** "more more more" by capsule
327** "My My My" by Armand Van Helden
328** "NA-NA" by BUS STOP ([=4thMix Plus=])
329** "NORI NORI NORI" by JUDY CRYSTAL ([=DDRMAX=])
330** "rainbow rainbow" by Ryu☆ ([=SuperNOVA=])
331** "Ring! Ring! Ring!" by Dreams Come True
332** "WOOKIE WOOKIE" by MACHOMAN ([=SuperNOVA=])
333* DoubleX: "[=MAXX=] Unlimited", "Fascination [=MAXX=]".
334* DownloadableContent:
335** Used by the Xbox-exclusive Ultramix and Universe sub-series.
336** By [=SuperNOVA=], e-amusement online networking system has crept in to replace the unlocking codes of previous games. While its usage is at first rather harmless (added and removed "Beautiful Life" for the ''Backdancers!'' event and unlocked the boss songs for regular play, but you still can access them through Extra Stages), in later games you practically cannot play the game without e-Amusement. Or at least not being able to enjoy the game as it should be, as your song directory will be dumbed down, and you can't access the official events and ranking systems. Unlock codes were still given until DDR 2013, where Konami had officially made it impossible to play the game without the network.
337* DubNameChange:
338** "Rin to shite saku hana no gotoku" gets re-named to just "Nadeshiko" on English versions of DDR X.
339** This happens a lot to songs with convoluted Japanese titles. Some examples include:
340*** DDR X2's 不沈艦CANDY is transliterated as YELLOW CANDY despite "不沈艦" literally means "Unsinkable battleship".
341*** DDR [=SuperNOVA=]'s 夢幻ノ光 is transliterated as Mugen despite that the whole thing is read as "Mugen no Hikari"[[note]]It's Japanese for "Illusion of Light". Mugen alone means "Illusion"[[/note]].
342* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
343** The game had relatively few songs in comparison to the hundreds playable today, modern-day Expert charts were hidden in a "Step Step Revolution" mode on 3rd (3rd Mix Plus fixed this), the original build of 1st Mix ''didn't even have the arrows vanish when you hit them'', Flat was your only option before 3rd Mix, two players couldn't play on different difficulties, and you didn't even have speed mods yet until DDRMAX! [[note]]in the mainline games, that is. Spin-off games like True Kiss Destination and Solo 2000 HAD speed mods[[/note]] DDR as most people knew it, began to appear on 5th Mix, and was mature by Extreme.
344** The early DDR games had a very different design than current ones; originally your song selector was a giant "jukebox" wheel of discs with a distinctively clunky sound. 4th Mix shifted to a theme-based sort system along with a song picked with a horizontal selection of 7 slanted banners, though this particular system got a little cumbersome given that said banners were shown as "pages", and when you went beyond what was on screen, it shifted to a completely different page. 5th Mix introduced the more familiar "song wheel" interface that lasted until ''X'' before being replaced by a song select interface that is often compared to the iPod's Cover Flow interface. ''DDR A'' replaced it with a ''VideoGame/SoundVoltex''-esque jacket grid.
345** Until ''[=5thMix=]'', it wasn't possible to select the same song twice on the same playthrough. This was [[TheArtifact a leftover]] of the very first arcade game, which offered only six (or seven plus Extra Stage) songs per playthrough. Since the arcade operators could set the stage limit to five, six is the minimum number of songs that prevents players from [[ControllableHelplessness being forced to a single option in Final Stage]].
346** Earlier games featured a Beginner difficulty, but it's accessed in a separate mode, so both players must play them together. The European game ''Dancing Stage [=EuroMIX=] 2'' was the first to offer Beginner in normal gameplay, before it was introduced to the mainstream in ''Extreme''.
347* EasierThanEasy: Beginner mode. In many beginner modes (especially pre-[=SuperNOVA=]), you get, in place of the background animations and video, your character on a pad showing how to do the steps. Unfortunately, the way they step on the panels (step on panel, then return foot to the center) is a very well-known mistake that stops beginners from progressing past the easiest of songs. Recent versions dropped this feature entirely, and the tutorial levels in the Wii games (then later in DDR A) have used more desirable starting positions.
348* ElegantGothicLolita: Some of the dancers.
349* EmbeddedPrecursor: ''[=2ndMIX=]'' has gotten this treatment twice:
350** ''[=3rdMIX=]'' has ''[=2ndMIX=]'' mode, which has most of the song list from ''[=2ndMIX=]'' but with ''[=3rdMIX=]''[='=]s interface.
351** ''X3'' has a ''[=2ndMIX=]'' mode that actually recreates the ''[=2ndMIX=]'' interface and most of its songlist. Subverted, in that it has two boss tracks that aren't in the original ''[=2ndMIX=]''.
352* EndOfSeriesAwareness: A downplayed example for Extreme. While DDR was never meant to end with that game (as many people believe), Bemani did want to take a break for the arcade production for some time, hence the 4-year hiatus. Since four years are not a short time, some send-offs were thrown: several songs were created with a celebration theme (1998, Dance Dance Revolution, Graduation, MAX. (period)) and the fact that the arcade version includes almost all Konami Originals that have appeared in the series so far hints at its "ultimate" nature. The console version also boasts 100-something tracklist, ''far'' higher than any previous game's list (which range from 40-70ish).
353* {{Exergaming}}:
354** Although the point is to dance, it does burn calories. Workout Mode allows you to capitalize on this, with calorie counters and song lists designed to be workout courses, as well as a complete lack of the ability to fail out. Through e-amusement profiles on the arcade version, players can also store their weight for calorie counts on the results screen too.
355** Konami released a special version of DDR intended for use in fitness centers in Japan, and also released a similar version in the U.S. known as the "Classroom Edition"; unfortunately, the quality of the latter game is questionable at best.
356* FakeDifficulty:
357** Songs with exceptionally low BPM, to the point where you can't see the notes very well because they're so mashed together. Bag is horrible in this regard. Then there are songs with a made-up high BPM ("Drop Out" and the MAX series, just to name a few examples where the in-game BPM is double the song's real BPM), just so they can be made more difficult without looking like Bag. Then there are songs that do ''both'' by having the BPM arbitrarily double or half itself at certain points and still play like the MAX series during the slow sections. A prime example: The ''Private BEMANI Academy'' song "Elemental Creation" has charts that alternate between 212, 424, and 106 BPM. In all other BEMANI games, including games where BPM influences the appearance of notes, the song is pegged at a constant 212 BPM.
358** Any song that tries to fake you out with sudden stops and BPM changes. There are two flavors of these: on-beat, musically-justified stops which challenge your sense of rhythm in a challenging but fair manner (not this trope), and the ones that follow no rhyme or reason and you simply have to memorize or react to very quickly. Chaos wouldn't be that hard if the whole thing weren't a steaming pile of fake difficulty. Especially on a pad. On a keyboard, you don't have to worry about balancing or shifting your body weight. Then there's the Pluto series, which takes the speed and stamina requirements of the MAX series and packs it with BPM changes and short stops. Some stops are the better type, but about two-thirds of the way through the original Pluto, we get a large cluster of nearly random stops "just because".
359** The whole point of Battle Mode is dealing with Fake Difficulty mods. For example, take a song that's challenging to begin with (like Moonster) and throw in random, semi-applicable modifiers at times, like Sudden on some arrows and double speed on others, and try not to fail.
360** An interesting case is the boss songs on the Xbox 360 games which are harder simply because no one has made a decent dance pad that's compatible with the 360. Then again, there's also the bizarre [[GameBreakingBug frame rate issues]] the Xbox 360 versions have too, HD lag, etc.
361** One of X3's boss songs, "[=PARANOiA Revolution=]", used to have to be played within 2nd Mix Mode, which emulates 2nd Mix's nuances. This meant no speed mods, forced flat, and having to play a 10-footer in the skin of a game where 10-footers (or 9-footers for that matter) didn't even ''exist'' yet. Before it was unlocked for regular play, the song could later be played on the Revolution course, where full mod control is restored to the player. However, you only had [[VideoGameLives 4/8 missteps available to complete it]]. It doesn't help that the song is already an 18 (19 on challenge) on the DDR X scale.
362** DDR 2014's final boss, Over The "Period", seems to be the fakest difficulty song yet. First of all, you have to AA the 18-rated MAX.(period) Challenge on Extra Stage in order to even play it as the EES. What you get is a Level 15 Difficult chart... with ludicrous amounts of tricks, including BPM changes and stops.[[note]]The song starts at 32.5 BPM, which is just about impossible to time without a high speed mod, and peaks at 840 BPM. There's a long pause between the end of the intro and the main segment, and you can only guess the timing there. In the middle, there's actually a wave effect, where the song increases and decreases gradually in BPM ''just to mess you up''.[[/note]] That's bad enough before you consider that ''you need to get a Perfect Full Combo or else you fail''. The Basic and Beginner charts had to become available before anyone heard the whole song, and the original Difficult chart was completed AFTER it was unlocked.
363** The BPM gimmicks were such a blatant fake difficulty that DDR A's final Encore Extra Stage, Ace for Aces, marks the first time in DDR history that split-BPM has ever been used. Like Over The "Period", accessing it as an Encore Extra Stage involves AA'ing an exceptionally hard song (Endymion, a 19 on Challenge that many would argue should be a 20), and you have to get a Perfect Full Combo to clear it, with the charts also including BPM changes all over the place... except on Beginner and Basic, which just stay at a consistent BPM (plus one stop on Basic). Even Konami realized how unfair the BPM gimmicks were and threw the people doing this song on lighter difficulties a bone. Oh, and good luck with Expert, which doubles the consistent BPM.
364** A20's Extra-Exclusive song ORCA plays incredibly dirty. In addition to some sudden stops and BPM doubling/halving, the song intentionally de-quantitizes the chart in the middle, similar to Fascination MAXX. What this means is that the colors arrows use shifts: on the Note skin in particular, the song's 4th notes turn into yellow notes (fitting, given the game's [[GoldColoredSuperiority visual theme]]) normally reserved for 16ths. In combination with the slowdowns, this means you start having to use orange notes (reserved for 32nds, which in all likelyhood you haven't even seen before this) in place of 16th notes. The muscle memory alone can absolutely screw with your timing, and it doesn't help that the chart is difficult enough as it is.
365** An example that's mainly one at the highest levels of play used to exist in the form of the Marvelous timing window. To make [[https://remywiki.com/AC_DDR_A#General_Information_.2F_Changes a long story short]], timing windows are rounded to frames (1/60ths of a second) and the Marvelous window is only one frame, and timing windows for steps would get rounded in weird ways if the chart BPM is not one of several specific "magic numbers". This was fixed in DDR A, and Marvelous Full Comboes have become much more common at all [=BPMs=] since.
366* FakeLongevity: Every game-specific Extra Stage events since ''X2'' seem to be designed to suck up a player's pocket.
367** "Valkyrie dimension" in X2's Replicant D-Action can only be accessed by collecting six medals from six songs whose unlock requirements are notorious GuideDangIt. Collecting medals requires you to AA them on Expert (keep in mind that 3 of them are 17 footers, though if you're going for [[NintendoHard VD]] you're most likely experienced already), and when you access VD (more like being forced to do it; earning the sixth medal immediately prompts you for the next stage), ''all medals are thrown to the garbage can''. 23 credits are the minimum threshold required for this event, which is honestly far tamer than the ones in the next games (see below).
368** DDR 2014's Replicant D-Ignition mode has a similar, but even more convoluted premise.
369*** Before you are even allowed to open the folder, you will need to complete another event first, which is a Fake Longevity in its own right and requires at the very least 45 credits, assuming you are in PREMIUM PLAY and manage to get Extra Stages every time. This will unlock six vials which have to be filled 100% in order for the songs to appear in your next playthrough's Extra Stage. After you do so, you also need to AA them on Expert to get orbs one by one. Five orbs and an additional Extra Stage song will appear. AA it on Expert (if you can't, too bad; the song is gone in your next credit and you have to collect the orbs again) and you access Encore Extra Stage immediately, a la Valkyrie dimension. At the very least, 32 credits are needed from the moment you first fill a vial to the EES, assuming you get all the bonuses when you fill the vials and play for a single day (which you probably don't). Combined with the previous event and that's a total of 77 credits. Lesson of the day: they really want your money here.
370*** Three weeks after the event started, an additional chapter is available. After you clear the EES before, you must collect the medals ''again''. Luckily, you don't need to unlock the five songs again.
371** DDR A has one in the form of the unlock requirement for Endymion. You need to complete two entire quests before you even have hopes to get it, which take at least around 86 credits in total (give or take depending on your dedication on playing), after which you need to be on Rinon Level 3, which takes 7 credits for an upgrade that only lasts for a day. Lasting a day or not, however, becomes moot when you find out that selecting the song demotes you to Level 1 anyway.\
372\
373Exaggerated with Endymion's Challenge Chart (19). To unlock it, you have to not only complete Endymion Expert (18) with an AA or higher, but beat the Encore Extra Stage (Ace for Aces) with the required Perfect Full Combo. The process to play Endymion as listed above still applies, but with Challenge being available. Good luck with that.
374* FanService:
375** Yuni's panties and hatless Emi.
376** Root from ''Hottest Party 2''. Chordia in ''Hottest Party 1'' wears a bodice, and Harmony and Domi by themselves are fanservice. Look at their outfits!
377** [[AuthorAvatar jun]] shows a lot of her legs in the Hottest Party series.
378** Rena manages to pull off ZettaiRyouiki in her Hottest Party 2 outfit. [[http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z183/Fairy-red-hime/Hottest%20Party/HP2Rena.jpg See for yourself.]]
379** Jenny in both [=SuperNOVA=] games.
380** The Ultramix and Universe series are the ''other'' kind of fan-service, with lots of fan-favorite songs and character revivals that the main series don't usually offer.
381* FinalExamBoss: The Challenge charts of "Dance Dance Revolution" (the One More Extra Stage of ''EXTREME'') and the Expert charts for "[=PARANOiA=] REVOLUTION" (formerly a Final Stage and Extra Stage song in ''X3'') are each composed of bits and pieces of other charts, with the latter using ''other'' boss charts. Their respective chart orders can be seen [[https://remywiki.com/Dance_Dance_Revolution_(song)#Trivia here]] and [[https://remywiki.com/PARANOiA_Revolution#Trivia here]].
382* {{Flatline}}: Incorporated into the song "Healing Vision" if you listen carefully as part of the near-death experience motif. It's much more prominent in the "Angelic Mix", as the music is laid over by an EKG heartbeat monitor that starts out steady, then goes a bit nuts about halfway through as it starts to fibrillate for a few measure before going flatline -- at this moment the arrows stop scrolling for a split second to draw attention to it before the arrows resume, the steady flatline continuing all the way until the final two beats of the song. On this song's Heavy/Expert stepchart the arrows in this section are a nonstop stream of eigth-notes running at 196 BPM, 132 arrows in all.
383* FluffyFashionFeathers: A [[PaletteSwap white or black]] feather-trimmed angel-themed dress in ''Dance Dance Revolution (Platform/{{Wii}})''.
384* ForcedTutorial: On Hottest Party 1's Groove Circuit Mode, you have to play a lesson song before you can play any remaining missions on any difficulty level you want. Granted, it at least tells players to not return to the center panel this time around. Choreography mode does so too.
385* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: Low-key, but if you clear "Tohoku EVOLVED" (one of the boss songs from X3) on any DDR machine, instead of saying "CLEARED", the clear screen will say "PRAY FOR ALL" with respect to the victims of the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the region.
386[[/folder]]
387
388[[folder:G - N]]
389* GaidenGame: The ''Dance Dance Revolution Solo'' sub-series, which offers a 6-panel mode that utilizes two new "up-left" and "up-right" arrows and has speed modifiers in an options menu, [[OlderThanTheyThink a few years prior to their "introduction" in DDRMAX]]. Solo was later just merged back into the 4th Mix series, and went away entirely until Hottest Party 3 (where a few songs had a gimmick causing some of the left or right arrows to be replaced with diagonal arrows). The unique arrow color scheme from the Solo games (with orange, blue, and purple for 4th/8th/16th notes respectively) became an option on later games under the name "Solo" -- said mod was re-named "Rainbow" beginning on [=SN1=].
390* GameBreakingBug: We've had several over the years;
391** Arcade versions before DDR X (those on [=PlayStation=]-derived hardware) rounded all notes' timing to 64th notes. This was fine for most songs, but it made "bag" and other songs using 24th notes very tricky to time perfectly. Songs with 12th notes, such as "Burning Heat", were affected to a lesser extent. Charts with this bug were fixed on DDR X (which switched to Windows XP). bag got a new Challenge chart on X2 which is exactly the same as the Expert chart but with the [[AscendedGlitch purposely broken timing]].
392** ''Dance Dance Revolution Extreme'' for the [=PS2=] had an especially bad bug: omitting the "Dance Mode" option, which would turn off the non-directional buttons on the controller that would be located in the corners of a dance mat. Since these buttons were also mapped to directions on the dance pad, playing any song on a mat became prohibitively difficult if not impossible, as the player would constantly trigger inadvertent steps by touching the corner buttons during a song. The worst thing about this one is that the option is in the game, and works fine if turned on, there's just no way to turn it on without hacking the save file. Oops.
393** DDR Universe games can be affected not only by AV lag, but its engine is notorious for frame rate issues when characters and videos are turned on. How is that even ''possible'' on an Xbox 360?
394** The quality of the pads on a particular machine can vary depending on their condition, how often its repaired/cleaned out, etc. Poorly maintained cabinets can turn even the easiest song into a major struggle to get a decent score at all. Since [=SuperNOVA=] (and ''especially'' X), DDR cabinets outside of Japan have awful pads as a standard feature: someone will probably get a Perfect Full Combo on [[HarderThanHard Valkyrie dimension Oni]] before someone ever makes a Raw Thrills DDR X cabinet play just as good as a Japanese model. Things go FromBadToWorse if you're playing on a "battery" meter, which only takes four combo breaks at most to kill you.
395** And speaking of DDR X, the new Betson North American version initially came with monitors with notorious lag to the point where the notes were off by as much as half a second. It took a free monitor replacement to get the machines working properly.
396** DDR 2013 has been plagued by bug after bug. First, there were the performance issues between different cabinet types (particularly those which were upgraded), and then ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ncrDmGjv_H0 this]]'' (which was temporarily fixed by disabling the stages with FMV backdrops entirely)
397** CUTIE CHASER's 6-panel Maniac chart has a jump right before the point where the player can start hitting notes, and as such it's impossible to get a Perfect on it. Even if you play the chart perfectly, you'll still get one Great no matter what. The two console versions that feature this chart attempt to fix it in their own ways: ''KONAMIX'' shifts all notes an eighth-beat ahead (thus creating [[FakeDifficulty another, bigger problem]]), while the PC ''DDR'' game simply removes the first three notes.
398** ''[=SuperNOVA=]'' had timing issues on many songs when it came out. A patch disc had to be applied to fix them.
399* GameWithinAGame:
400** The ''DDR Tokimeki Mix'' in ''[[VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial Tokimeki Memorial 2 Substories : Dancing Summer Vacation]]''. This fictional DDR game, containing remix of classic songs from ''Tokimeki Memorial 1'' and ''2'' such as "Motto! MOTTO! Tokimeki" or "Yuuki no Kami-sama", is the center of ''Dancing Summer Vacation'' 's storyline, where the characters train themselves on it for the upcoming National DDR Tournament, and is the game's main mini-game.
401** The credit sequences of the ''Ultramix'' games (barring the first one) featured minigames you could play as the credits rolled on. In the case of ''Ultramix 2'' and ''3'', certain unlockable songs were tied to these.
402* GoldColoredSuperiority: ''A20'' was initially exclusive to new "20th anniversary model" cabinets -- which are gold-colored and feature exclusive in-game features and songs over cabinets upgraded to A20 (which also use a sapphire and cyan-colored iteration of the interface rather than gold).
403* GrandFinale:
404** DDR Extreme was speculated to be this by fans (especially with the "WE'RE STARTING OVER" tagline on the cabinet artwork, all the revivals, and a certain song on the console version), but that ended up not being the case. It did, however, mark a major hiatus in the arcade series, plus the end of the System 573 era.
405** When it was revealed that ''2013'' would rely extensively on online updates, it was believed by some that this would effectively be the final arcade version, and that all future updates to the franchise would just be patches for ''2013''. In reality, all other Bemani franchises also began transitioning to deploying new versions via online updates around the same time, and ''DDR A'' would roll out in 2016 as its successor. ''2013'' did have a longer content lifecycle than previous releases before it, and the first arcade appearance of the aforementioned "certain song on the console version [of Extreme]".
406* GratuitousEnglish: Despite being developed in Japan, most of the songs across the ''DDR'' series which have lyrics have them in English. Nearly all of it is transcribed well enough to be understood perfectly by an anglophone, to the point that the few songs which have {{Engrish}} or nonsensical lyrics stand out more.
407* GratuitousFrench: "L'amour et la liberté" and "Irrésistiblement" debuted in ''DDR Extreme''. The former became a mainstay in ''Dance Dance Revolution'', even receiving a remix by Darwin and DJ Silver in ''[=SuperNOVA=] 2'' that also became a mainstay.
408** Also, Orange Lounge made its ''Dance Dance Revolution'' premiere in ''DDR Extreme'' with "Mobo★Moga", which returned in the ''DDR [=SuperNOVA=]'' series. ''[=SuperNOVA=]'' also introduced "Love is Orange" and "Mondo Street" to the series, though only "Love is Orange" was kept as a mainstay in future games. Several other Orange Lounge songs are console exclusives.
409* GratuitousJapanese:
410** No, the announcer isn't being gibberish when you choose "Heavy" in the difficulty selection of DDRMAX-EXTREME. He says "geki", which is Japanese for "intense" (and the romanization of the kanji used to symbolize "Heavy": 激).
411** The current {{announcer|Chatter}} seems to be fond of exclaiming "Saikou da!" (lit. "highest" / "supreme").
412* GuideDangIt:
413** Finishing every mission in ''Extreme 2'''s Dance Master Mode. Out of all the 150-plus missions in the game, at least 40 have secret objectives that unlock missions you couldn't otherwise get to (like secret exits in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''). To unlock "THE LAST", you need to beat ''every last mission in the game'', and you also need to do the secret objectives. The last bit of missions are also pretty damn hard, and one of them requires you to get your score into a [[DoWellButNotPerfect ridiculously narrow margin]]. There's also a bit of a side quest involving finding hidden arrows which is not hard but somewhat tedious: you pay points, the game tells you where the arrow is, you play the song again and hit it. Fortunately there aren't a ridiculous number of these.
414** The song "Memories" from DDR Extreme US also deserves special mention due to how much work was done by the community to try and find an unlock method for it. There's no Extra Stage mode that usually unlocks songs, and it doesn't appear through the usual unlock channels either. But its existence could be confirmed in a variety of ways, such as the in-game congratulatory message for unlocking all songs in the game, which won't appear without Memories unlocked, or encountering edit data for it (which proves it that its data definitely exists on the game disk, but doesn't actually unlock it). People were actually examining the disc with hex editors to try and figure it out. Ultimately, the unlock method was released...as a password revealed through a ''Burger King'' promotion of all things, over 2 years after the game's release.
415** Recent games feature special Extra Stages that would require you to do some kind of requirements at first. It began with the "X-Specials" in DDR X, former boss songs with new Boss charts requiring you to do something that has something to do with that mix; for example, doing the SSR Code ''on the select button below the screen'' to access [=PARANOiA=] Rebirth (X-Special). [=DDRX2=] takes this up a notch in unlocking some songs [[spoiler:(particularly remixes of select older Konami Originals and licenses)]]; one of the hidden requirements surely won't be discovered had someone wasn't nerd enough to open an old folder and play a certain song that everyone would have already forgotten by now[[note]]It's KISS KISS KISS[[/note]].
416* GuiltBasedGaming: PlayedForLaughs in ''X'' until DDR 2014; if you stall at the song selection and/or results screen, the announcer will make snarky comments nagging you to advance to the next stage.
417-->''"Dance, please! Daaaaaance!"'' \
418''"All this waiting around! What is this, a golf tournament? Foooooooore!"''
419* HarderThanHard:
420** Challenge/Oni courses, in which you need to get through a course of songs with a limited number of lives which are lost whenever you get a bad enough judgment.
421** There are also Challenge/Oni charts on some songs, which are sometimes made for ChallengeOni courses, and sometimes are just there as HarderThanHard charts.
422** Any 19 chart in the game. There's a reason Konami chooses songs for them so carefully (7 as of November 2020, about half being the TrueFinalBoss of their games). Only the absolute best of players have any hope of clearing them.
423* HaveANiceDeath: The announcer will typically comment on you if you fail the song. [=2ndMIX=]'s announcer is particularly harsh; on Normal mode, failing a song will just yield the usual words of comfort, but on Hard and All Music, he'll bluntly tell you to "get out of here" or "go back home, you can't handle this!"
424* IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels
425** Basic, Another, and Maniac in the earlier games; Light, Standard, and Heavy between DDRMAX and DDR Extreme; Basic, Difficult, and Expert in the most recent installments since [=SuperNOVA=].
426** The early games also gave each foot rating a one-word description. Originally, there were just seven, as the highest difficulty is rated 7. In increasing order, they are: Simple, Average, Novice, Expert, Professional, Genuine, and Hero. The Internet Ranking version mostly changed them (now they are Simple, Moderate, Ordinary, Superior, Marvelous, Genuine, and Paramount, with a title for 8-foot song added: Exorbitant). 3rdMIX added 9-footers and gave them the name Catastrophic, hence the fan term "cata" to refer to the hardest song charts in the game. The interface was dropped before charts with 10-footer difficulties appeared, but the DDR Universe series later established the name "Apocalyptic" for them. X3 vs. [=2ndMIX=] did a retcon and gave the names "Evolutionary" for 9-footers and "Revolutionary" for 10-footers.
427* IHaveManyNames: Several musical contributors are credited under multiple aliases (sometimes associated with different types of songs), but Naoki Maeda uses the most. [[https://remywiki.com/Naoki_Maeda#Aliases Here's a list of his 60+ aliases.]]
428* TheImmodestOrgasm: A few songs, such as "Oh Nick Please Not So Quick", "Sexy Planet", and "[=INSERTiON=]", have sounds you would not expect from a dancing game...
429* InNameOnly:
430** ''DDRMAX'' for the Platform/PlayStation2 in North America (NA) has little in common with its Japanese counterparts regarding its song list. Of the 42 songs shared between the Japanese arcade and [=PS2=] versions, only 11 (10 Konami originals, plus the "Ordinary World" license) made it in the NA release for [=PS2=]. Nevertheless, the NA release did include the two bonus Konami originals from the Japanese [=PS2=] release: "Kind Lady" and "So In Love". The NA game includes 71 songs in all, meaning that most (58) did not originate from ''DDRMAX'' in Japan. These 58 songs are from older releases, newer releases, future releases or even exclusives. %% ''DDRMAX2'': 53 new songs (JP) but only 15 (12 KO and three licenses) in NA; however, eight 'DDRMAX'' (JP) songs (five licenses and three Konami originals) are in NA ''DDRMAX2''.
431** There's very few similarities between the Japanese and American console releases of ''DDR Extreme''. The former is essentially a port of the arcade version. The U.S. version is practically an entirely different game, with a different soundtrack and brand new interface. The Japanese ''DDR Festival'' is basically a re-skin of it with further changes, including new J-pop licenses and songs previously seen on the Xbox versions elsewhere.
432** Likewise, the [=PS2=] version of ''DDR X2'' ended up going down a completely different road from the eventual arcade version. The former is essentially the content from ''Hottest Party 3'' latched onto an iteration of the ''DDR X'' interface. ''X2'' AC on the other hand is a full new entry to the arcade series, with a completely different tracklist. Meanwhile, its song selection interface is reminiscent of Universe 3.
433* InconsistentSpelling: Satomi Takasugi is spelled as Sotomi Takasugi in US/EU DDR X2 AC.
434* InterfaceScrew:
435** The speed, boost, visibility (Hidden, Sudden, and Stealth), and other modifiers.
436** Inverted in DDR X with the new "Screen Filter" option. The player is able to have his or her side of the field darkened to see the arrows better.
437** Mixed up with the Gimmick settings. Sudden Arrows, Foot Confusers, and Minimizers/Normalizers come to mind...
438** Hitting a Shock Arrow causes, among other things, the chart to turn invisible momentarily.
439* InterfaceSpoiler: In games that give you an indicator the moment you get a Full Combo, one way to tell that [[KaizoTrap what appears to be the end of the song isn't]] is if you get there with an ongoing Full Combo and you haven't gotten the FC notice yet. Of course, this requires building up the combo in the first place, and assumes that the song doesn't end on a Freeze Arrow, as you need to complete the Freeze Arrow to finish the Full Combo.
440* KonamiCode:
441** Fittingly, the up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right part has appeared in several songs, including "Twinbee ~Generation X~", "30 Lives", and "Make a Jam!" The latter gets bonus points for also being a remix of the jingle from Konami's old "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOOxsZIkQkI walking logo]]" intro, while "30 Lives" is literally a pop song referencing the ''{{VideoGame/Contra}}'' cheat its most famously associated with (the code itself gets chanted in a refrain). Fittingly, [[ShownTheirWork this is where the aforementioned step sequence is located in the chart]]).
442** The first two ''Ultramix'' games were the only games in the entire series to feature it as a cheat, where inputting it in the credits with a controller inserted on the Xbox's fourth port would unlock all the songs, with ''Ultramix 2'' requiring you to input it twice. Coincidentally, one of the songs featured on said game was the aforementioned "Make A Jam!", with a remix of it being one of the unlockables (though said remix's charts didn't reference the Code like the original did).
443* KyuAndDanRanks: ''[=A20=]'' introduced Dan Courses, which work similarly to those in VideoGame/{{Beatmania}} IIDX.
444* LargeHamAnnouncer:
445** All of the announcers tend to be like this. They gotta keep you motivated, after all!
446** The announcer from ''DDRMAX'' to ''[=SuperNOVA=] 2'' is infamous for shouting [[BigNo "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"]] if your LifeMeter hits Danger levels.
447** The DDR X announcer is probably the most hammiest of all, thanks to being a JiveTurkey. It may have fit well on ''X'' due to its urban theme, but it sticks out like a sore thumb on ''X2'' onward, which don't share the same theme.
448* LastNoteNightmare: Most boss songs are designed to have the ending significantly harder than the beginning, but a few seem particularly designed to give that OhCrap feeling when it happens:
449** MAX. (period) suddenly doubles its speed from 300 to 600 BPM, a record that would not be surpassed for almost five years. The streams turn to quarter notes, so it doesn't increase the actual note-hitting speed, but it's sudden, and it's basically impossible to use speed mods unless you memorize the ending. Oh, and it's the very last song in the Legend Road nonstop challenge course as well. For [=DDR 2014=]'s Replicant D-Ignition mode, have fun with this as the Extra Stage or Encore Extra Stage.
450** CHAOS's Challenge chart has the usual odd pattern of stops throughout the beginning like its Expert chart, but the ending suddenly abandons the stops in favor of a very convoluted and tricky crossover pattern that even includes a random 16th rest which is very easy to mistime. It's the last song in Boss Rush episode II.
451** Healing-D-Vision is rated an 18 on Challenge, tied for the highest rating of any song at the time. Yet the first 90% of the song looks rather simple (almost extremely simple when compared to the other insanely hard 18's). Then the ending abruptly throws out the arguably hardest possible crossover step pattern in the game (LURU LDRD LURU LDRD etc.) at a blinding 12 steps per second. Not fun when it's the very last song in Boss Rush episode IV.
452** Trim Expert is very deceptive in its difficulty. The game tells you that it is rated 16 (or 10 in the old scale), but it seems like a joke throughout the first 3/4 of the song, with simple patterns not out of place with 11-footers. [[SchmuckBait Don't fall to the trap]]; they are there to distract you before you reach the speed-up portion of the song. Afterward, it goes completely nuts as it throws you with rows upon rows of streams, gallops, and even doublesteps at the staggering pace of 340 BPM.
453** A low-key version of Trim is Under the Sky Expert. It is not a boss song or extremely difficult. Even the old scale's classification of it as a 6 is (initially) looked upon as a laughable attempt at overrating: the song seems to be entirely filled with 4th notes and freezes. Until it hits the chorus, where it proceeds to throw you an actual, continuous 8th death stream straight out of a 9 that doesn't stop until near the end. It can throw new players advancing fresh from Basic charts off-guard real fast. The new scale rated it as an 11, which is the equivalent of a medium 8 in the old scale.
454** Pluto Relinquish ends with a long terrifying 400 BPM 8th note stream on both Expert and Challenge difficulties, which make them a 17 and an 18 despite both playing like they're at most two levels lower until then. And don't forget about the crossovers thrown in everywhere when playing on Challenge. It's the last song in the Boss Rush ([=Ver.SN2=]) course.
455** Most of Valkyrie dimension runs at a standard 186 BPM. Just before the end, it suddenly falls to 46 BPM (1/4 speed) as the melody drops out for one measure of [[NothingIsScarier complete silence]], then the speed suddenly jumps to 372 BPM (double speed) and it blasts out four measures of percussion resembling machine-gun fire. It gets worse in the Challenge chart, which has a jump in the middle of it. Despite that, this trope's arguably averted on Challenge thanks to the 480 BPM stream near the beginning.
456** 888's ending on Challenge. Its 444 BPM 8th note stream (nearly 15 steps per second) in the last 10 seconds of the song was the fastest sustained stream of any song in the series until Valkyrie Dimension Challenge dethroned it 3 years later with the aforementioned 480 BPM 8th note fest (16 steps per second) that single-handedly earned it its record-breaking 19 foot rating.
457** Tohoku EVOLVED might be the ultimate example of this, as the "nightmare" is truly on just the ''last'' note. Most of the song runs at 340 BPM, then the final chord comes and the music fades out...and then a full five seconds later, the song's speed ''triples'' to 1020 BPM and there's '''one more jump''' that comes out of absolutely nowhere, which ''changes every time it's played''. This was particularly nasty when the song was only unlockable as an OptionalBoss (aka Encore Extra Stage).
458** [=PARANOiA=] Revolution's Expert chart plays tribute to a few of the above songs, as it is composed of pieces of charts from other boss songs. Toward the ending, the steps match the ending death stream of Pluto Relinquish Challenge, then the "final" chord comes and the announcer says "Thank you very much for your best dance!"...then suddenly, Valkyrie dimension Expert's machine-gun ending stream finishes the song.
459*** This becomes stronger if played with the background video on, as most songs with a background video will fade it out when the song is over. [=PARANOiA=] Revolution's background video fades out on the "final" chord after the Pluto Relinquish Challenge stream, but then it suddenly ''fades back in'' right on time for the Valkyrie dimension Expert stream before fading out a second time for real.
460*** Becomes even stronger when played on 2ndMIX mode, which it was originally exclusive to when unlocked. Not only is the background video forced on, but all freeze arrows are removed to avoid anachronisms, including the one that would normally be held down during the announcer's shout-out (which would hint that the song isn't over yet).
461** Over the "Period" is a critical example of this. After the BPM spike to 420, you deal with a gradual 105, 210, back to 420, and the killer 840 BPM quarter note stream.
462** From A20, Avenger performs a double subversion. Rated level 17, but plays like a 16 for most of the song. Near the end, a voice says "Let battle commence." The song doesn't speed up or get harder. A few seconds later, the same voice goes "FASTER". Cue a speedup to 400BPM and an ending fit for a level 17...
463* LateArrivalSpoiler: Hope you've played the "No Mercy" route of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' in its near-entirety as of the May 19, 2022 update of ''A3'', as that update introduces "MEGALOVANIA" and a background video that features the [[spoiler:Sans boss fight]] that the theme comes from (albeit the Japanese localization).
464* LaterInstallmentWeirdness: ''DDR'' (2013) breaks the longstanding tradition of Goods breaking combo and damaging "battery" lifebars.
465* [[LethalJokeCharacter Lethal Joke Song]]: The "[insert name here] Radar Special" songs are these. Their charts are made to max out a certain aspect of the Groove Radar, whether that makes sense with the song or not. Yet many of them are hard precisely ''because'' of this mentality. Worse, they're only playable on Challenge, so you have to play the full difficulty. The ultimate example of a Lethal Joke Song is the sixth Radar Special, DEAD END (Groove Radar Special), whose chart is made to max out every single aspect, giving [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umwrzdFEdUw this kind of chart]] for everyone to see. It's telling that it took over ten years for anyone to get a Perfect Full Combo on it, longer than any other 18-footer.
466* TheLegendOfX: The track "The legend of MAX".
467* LevelAte: DDR X's "candyland" stage; Supernova's hidden "Pizza Box" stage.
468* LevelEditor:
469** Most of the [=PS1=], [=PS2=], and Xbox versions have included "edit mode", a function that allows you to create custom routines. Some DDR machines had [=PS1=] memory card slots on the front that can load edits made in the Japanese [=PS1=]/[=PS2=] versions.
470** Edits on the arcade version were scrapped on [=SuperNOVA=], but returned on [=DDR X=] with support for USB flash drives and integration with the e-Amusement (and the ability for edit charts popular with players to be deployed to other machines). Of course, this required [=DDR X=]'s Japanese [=PS2=] version as a middleman, and even files generated from that wouldn't work on American arcade versions. Konami alleviated this with an [[http://ddredit.konamionline.com/ddrse/ online app]], but it doesn't support all songs.
471** X2 AC onwards posed a slight problem to all regions; since there wasn't a [=PS2=] version that could link with it, it made creating edits for new songs a bit more of a hassle. While some Japanese players found a workaround for making edits for these songs, it seems as if Konami has caught them - a software patch for X3 completely removes the ability to load edits for anything beyond X.
472* LicensedGame: While most of the games have their share of licensed songs, there's also the two Japan-release ''Dancing Stage'' games, each of which has a songlist consisting almost entirely of the artist in question. There were also quite a few Disney versions; most notably ''Disney Mix'', and ''Disney Grooves'' for the Wii. There was also a ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' version which also managed to have a number of new, unexpected (and good) [[VideoGame/{{PopNMusic}} pop'n music]] and [[VideoGame/{{beatmania}} beatmania IIDX]] crossovers as well.
473* LonelyPianoPiece: Particularly the songs used for late-game Extra Stages are this to enhance their ominous and hopeless feelings. The haunting "Pluto" from ''DDR [=SuperNova=] 2'' is a crown example. It's as if you feel the coldness of Pluto itself. "osaka EVOLVED", meanwhile, is also a lonely piece, but actually sounds a bit sad (likely lamenting how industrialization has changed Osaka so much. The song is composed by Naoki, who's a native of Osaka, so this might be a personal rant somewhat).
474* LongRunnerTechMarchesOn: On [[spoiler:MAX. (period)]] on DDR 2014, the Platform/PlayStation2 DDR pad previously depicted in its artwork was replaced by a Platform/{{Wii}} pad.
475* LuckBasedMission:
476** Traditionally, the Shuffle modifier does this. Some shuffled charts are harder than others.
477** The "Evolved" series of boss songs uses this in a way. Each of them is [[ThemeNaming named after a major city]] (it started with cities in Japan, but then went to New York and L.A., returning to Tohoku on the most recent game), and most of them have three variations each, picked at random when the song is selected. All three of them sound exactly alike for about the first 1/3 of the song before diverging (i.e. one version might steadily speed up, one version might go into an intense breakdown, one may just slow down a bit), thus the player usually cannot tell which version has been selected until that point.\
478\ A few subversions: L.A. Evolved, only existing on the console-exclusive Universe series, has no variations whatsoever. Roppongi Evolved has an arcade-exclusive fourth version which is somewhat harder than the other three, and in its debut game it was an Encore Extra Stage to boot. Tohoku Evolved changes nothing but the very last jump; [[DoubleSubversion however]], it comes at a nearly impossible-to-read BPM, thus keeping the mentality of the player not knowing which version it is until the change appears.
479** The console version of [=SuperNOVA=] had some missions that required you to play a certain number of songs in a row using a character of a certain gender. The catch? In mission mode, character selection is locked to "Random".
480** In the US console version, DDR Extreme's Mission 49 requires only that the player get a "Perfect" on a single step. Sound easy? That single step is the final jump-freeze of "The Legend of MAX", the speed is set to x8...and Shuffle is turned on, making the jump random. You thought the end of Tohoku Evolved was bad? This is well over twice that speed, and [[NoFairCheating it's an automatic miss if you hit more than two directions]], unlike with Tohoku. Thus your only option is to blindly pick a direction and hope you get it right. (You do have a 1-in-4 chance of getting it rather than the truly random 1-in-6 due to how the shuffle modifier works - it will always be one of the corner jumps and will never be L+R [original or Mirror] or U+D [Left or Right]).
481** If you want to unlock Moment 40, exotic ethnic (or rather, "[[{{Bowdlerise}} ex. eth.]]"), and Sakura in ''DDR Disney Channel EDITION'', you have to score Marvelous Full Combo on Beginner, Basic, and Difficult, respectively, a feat that's nearly impossible because the game is infamous for its ''[[GameBreakingBug horrible]]'' timing. And besides, it's ''Marvelous'' Full Combo. Who would've put that challenge in a (technically) Disney game? As of 2020, no mainline DDR games have offered that kind of challenge, because to do it you have to be completely perfect, something only the best of the best would even bother to attempt.
482* LuckyCharmsTitle: Numerous song titles. Especially songs by Kosaka Riyu (Love♥Shine, CANDY♥, etc.) and jun (Happy☆Angel, Kimono♥Princess, Sunkiss♥Drop, Sweet Sweet♥Magic etc.)
483* MarketBasedTitle:
484** The title ''Dancing Stage'' was was used for the European releases because [=DDR=] also stands for ''[[UsefulNotes/EastGermany Deutsche Demokratische Republik]]''... at least until around [=DDR X=] when the DDR name was used for the first time in the region on the LicensedGame ''DDR'' ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'', which was released everywhere in Europe, [[OfferVoidInNebraska except for the United Kingdom]] (most likely due to the fact that Winx isn't as big in the U.K. as it is in the rest of Europe, probably because they aired the [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4Kids]] dub there).
485** The fourth "Hottest Party" game on the Platform/{{Wii}} (and the 2010 Platform/XBox360 and Platform/PlayStation3 release) was called just "Dance Dance Revolution" outside of Europe, as it seemed like Konami was trying to relaunch the series. However in Europe, they were re-branded as "DDR Hottest Party 4" and "DDR: New Moves" respectively. The same happened for DDR II, which was renamed "Hottest Party 5"
486* {{Meido}}: A few characters have maid costumes, most notably Yuni and Maid-zukin.
487* MicroTransactions: As of ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=] X2'', you can play Quick Play mode, in which you pay for your game by the song rather than for an entire round. As of the 2014 game, you can pay to access additional options, such as speed modifiers in x0.25 increments.
488* MinisculeRocking: While capping off songs' length to less than 3 minutes is standard Bemani procedure (since a player is allowed to access 3 songs per credit), DDR used to take this a bit further. Until ''X2'', DDR had very few songs that are more than 2 minutes, with the standard rate being 90 seconds. This applied to crossover songs as well, the vast majority of which had to be cut short or edited. This policy seemed to be tied to the game's attempt to appeal to international audiences; by the time of ''X2'', which put more emphasis on Japanese fans and relationship with fellow Bemani series, the series no longer edited crossovers, meaning 2+ minute-long tracks began to get common. Although DDR original songs still mostly follow the rule, there's been an increase of longer songs as time goes on.
489* MirrorMatch:
490** The final mission in [[spoiler:Disco]]'s story on DDR X's Street Master Mode has [[spoiler:Disco playing against himself. Win the mission, and he mentions that he beats himself]].
491** In the 9th mission in [[spoiler:Alice]]'s story in Street master mode has [[spoiler:Alice in a dance contest against herself]].
492* MissionPackSequel: While each game may bring some modifications including gimmicks and other play modes to the table, no one can deny that the the multitude of sequels in the series are basically an excuse to bring out 60-80 new songs for play with the gameplay being exactly the same as it did when the franchise first started back in 1998. Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, though, since reinventing a rhythm game is a ''quite'' difficult task (how can you reinvent [[VideoGame/RockBand playing guitar and hitting drums]], for example?), and this cosmetic and quantitative change are already expected by most rhythm game followers. The new versions sometimes come with hardware changes as well, allowing for improvements to quality-of-life, visuals, audio quality, and quantity of content that aren't possible on older versions.
493* MissingSecret: When ''DDR X'' was released, it came with a new difficulty scale, and a difficulty meter with 10 blocks. Difficulties 1-10 are represented with yellow blocks in the meter, and difficulties 11 and higher have a doubled-up meter with red blocks each representing one level over 10 overlapping the yellow blocks (for example, a level 15 chart would have 5 red blocks followed by 5 yellow blocks). This implies that the then-new scale goes up to level 20; however, at the time, the highest difficulty any chart got was an 18, and the highest difficulty rating given to a song since is 19. Whether there will ever be a chart rated 20 remains to be seen.
494* MoodWhiplash: The earlier Encore Extra Stages, which are easier, evokes this feeling once you pass the NintendoHard Extra Stages. Going from MAX 300 to CANDY, for example, is quite a contrast. DDR X3 brings this aspect with a vengeance. The last Extra Stage song is Tohoku EVOLVED, which is an unusually hard 17-footer with a LastNoteNightmare at the end, while the song itself is a heartful dedication to the recent Japan earthquake and tsunami. What EES song do you get to access after this? LOVE IS THE POWER -Re:born-, a moderately-slow house song rated 10.
495* TheMovie:
496** ''La Maquina De Bailar'' (The Dance Machine) is the unofficial candidate.
497** The BBC's ''Lord Of The Dance Machine'', which followed a UK entrant to an international competition, might count as a DocumentaryEpisode.
498** Then there's ''The FP'', a recent film involving a post-apocalyptic gang war surrounding the game "Beat Beat Revelation".
499** While not a film, Konami did sponsor a DDR-related television series for a CBS weekend morning block with [=DiC=], known as "Dance Revolution". Unfortunately it was an [[InNameOnly In (two thirds of its) Name Only]] children's clone of ''Series/SoYouThinkYouCanDance'' that had little to do with the game itself. The closest their house band, the Slumber Party Girls, ever got into something DDR related, was a medley on the DDR [=SuperNOVA=]/Ultramix 4 limited edition soundtrack album.
500* MultiPlatform:
501** Averted in a way in America until the Hottest Party 3 sequel, as each console got its own separate game yearly. [=PlayStation=] versions were aligned with the arcade mixes, the Wii had the party play and gimmick-based Hottest Party series, and the Platform/XBox[=/=]Platform/XBox360 versions (Ultramix and Universe) had a more diverse song selection (which often involved rather interesting and unexpected Bemani crossovers), DownloadableContent and Xbox Live multiplayer, [[FandomNod Fandom Nods]] galore, and more "advanced" play styles (such as the infamous Quad mode). Even the [[Platform/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] got involved with ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolutionMarioMix'' one time.
502** Beginning in 2009, Konami decided to be a bit more consistent; the games -- which were, in fact, originally announced under the title of ''Dance Dance Revolution'' -- would now have a common soundtrack between platforms, but each platform still ended up having different engines, interfaces, and features. The [=PS2=] and Wii versions would be known as ''X2'' and ''Hottest Party 3'' respectively on release.
503* MusicalThemeNaming:
504** All of the Hottest Party characters (save for the Bemani Trio, obviously) are named after something to do with music and rhythm.
505** Train and Bus (the guys from the "Long Train Runnin'" background video, [[AllThereInTheManual you'll have to look pretty deep to find that out]]), Rhythm and Blues (Extreme), and Drum and Bass (Extreme 2).
506* MythologyGag:
507** The song and video for "Dance Dance Revolution" on Extreme is a remix of the opening theme from 1st to 4th Mix, and its Challenge routine is a [[NostalgiaLevel medley of fragments from other classic songs]].
508** Some of the 3D stages on Hottest Party 2, 3, and DDR X have video screens that play the FMV background videos from the DDRMAX to Extreme era. X2 takes it further with a circular stage that uses DDRMAX [=FMVs=] or IIDX videos as their skybox.
509** The old arrow style from 1st to [=5thMIX=] (which basically, looks like the current one, except with a V-shaped slit in them) became an option on X.
510** Both [=MAX. (period)=] and Paranoia Revolution contain a scene in their background videos where the original Paranoia is selected and loaded on an old DDR version (on the first [=PlayStation=] version in the former, and through 2nd Mix Mode on the latter).
511* NintendoHard: One of the biggest hurdles for new players is working on their foot-eye coordination, learning how to move their body in correspondence to notes in each of the four lanes, unlike in many modern rhythm games that use the player's hands and either have comparatively few buttons (''VideoGame/GrooveCoaster'', ''VideoGame/TheatrhythmFinalFantasy'') or have what you need to press be closely tied to the note's placement on the screen (''VideoGame/{{maimai}}'', ''VideoGame/EliteBeatAgents''). There's also the common [[NoobBridge newbie trap]] of putting one's feet back in the center; many players do this not knowing they can safely leave their feet on the arrows and end up using far more dexterity and stamina than they need to. Getting to the point where you can clear charts that are halfway across the rating scale can take a month, maybe two or even three months, depending on how frequently you practice. The highest echelons of chart difficulty often demand twisting one's body to effectively hit steps at a very high speed, coupled with [[ExerGaming the stamina of your average athlete]].
512* NonIndicativeDifficulty:
513** The [=S-MANIAC=] Charts for older licensed songs in 4th Mix make it seem like they are much harder. It was difficult to distinguish which ones were the original charts and which ones were the updated chart. This new difficulty later gave birth to the challenge/oni difficulty (see below).
514** [=DDRMAX=] was notorious for removing the foot rating system that generalizes how hard songs were. Yes, they exchanged it with a groove radar that calculates 5 different sections, but it does not count how hard patterns were or how consistent they are. The foot ratings returned in [=DDRMAX2=].
515** Challenge/Oni, introduced in ([=DDRMAX2=]) is usually indicative of a chart harder than the Expert/Heavy chart, but for some songs it's actually significantly easier.
516*** On the original game where these charts were released, the Heavy charts could be played in normal gameplay, but the Oni charts were exclusive to a special nonstop course in Challenging Mode where the player only had four lives to pass the song or [[OneHitPointWonder Encore Extra Stage]] where the true final song's Challenge chart can only be played in that mode and getting the final unlock for it does not grant access to the chart in regular play. Thus being able to play and pass the Oni chart was effectively harder than doing the same with the Heavy chart. When the songs were ported to newer games this setup effectively got lost.
517*** DDR Extreme wasn't immune to this either. Older songs like Dynamite Rave received a newer Challenge/Oni chart, which is easier to full combo. The Encore Extra Stage song had a [[FinalExamBoss Challenge/Oni chart]] that is easier to pass. Sakura has an easier Oni chart but had an overall harder Heavy chart, presumed to play tricks on how Oni Courses were arranged (i.e. Legend Road only having heavy up until the final song) and forcing players to play the harder Heavy chart on Extra Strage as Extra Stage was limited to only Heavy charts.
518*** When song difficulties were capped at 10, new games introducing boss songs harder than those of the previous game often were stuck simply rating the new boss songs a 10 as well, thus making it impossible to tell which boss songs were easy bosses and which were hard, as they were all 10's. The ordeal got particularly bad starting in DDR [=SuperNOVA=], which included not only Expert charts (rated 10) significantly harder than any 10 in the previous game, but then included Challenge charts (still rated 10) significantly harder than those Expert charts. DDR Supernova 2 tried to 'fix' this in a very bad way, by deflating the difficulties of (only) boss songs so the hardest chart was a 10 and everything else was below it. The most egregious example is arguably [=PARANOiA=] ~HADES~, whose Difficult, Expert, and Challenge charts ought to be the equivalent of a 10, 11, and 12 on the original scale. While DDR Supernova would have labeled all three as 10's, Supernova 2 labeled them an 8, a 9, and a 10, thus creating an "8-footer" song much harder than any non-boss 9-footer in the game. Another notorious example would be Trip Machine Phoenix where both the Expert (a ''9'') is equal in difficulty as the Challenge counterpart.
519*** When X came out, any Shock Arrow charts are always exclusive to the Challenge difficulty, regardless of how hard they are. Some songs have Shock Arrow charts as easy as the Basic difficulty, others have it as hard or harder than Expert, and still others make it a completely new and different chart setup. The majority of the time, these Challenge charts are the same as the other difficulties with adjusted Shock Arrows on certain areas. Like above, some of the Challenge charts can be easier than its Expert or even Difficult counterpart.
520** When X corrected the old ratings with a brand new rating (see below), it addresses the issues with doubles boss charts from 1st and 2nd mix. The most notorious examples were Paranoia and Paranoia Max -Dirty Mix- where the doubles difficult chart were revealed to be harder than the doubles expert charts due to the pattern transitions.
521** X3 Vs. 2nd Mix during 2nd Mix mode came out with a special difficulty for Trip Machine Evolution and Paranoia Revolution with 9 (Evolutionary) and 10 (Revolutionary). Unlike Supernova 2, this was intentional as 2nd Mix never had level 9s nor 10s.
522* NonIndicativeName:
523** "Hyper Eurobeat" is neither hyper (the BPM is 152) nor eurobeat (it's euro''dance'', which is not the same thing). It was probably named as such because it's musically similar to Naoki's previous eurodance songs like "Broken My Heart" and "Still In My Heart", both of which have the IIDX genres "Hyper Euro Beat" (note the spacing).
524** Pre-release material for the DDR X soundtrack and Platform/PlayStation2 version leaked a few songs that hadn't been unlocked for play yet (traditionally, the Japanese CS release was usually released near the end of an arcade version's life, and sometimes had preview songs from the next version on it. This time to facilitate the USB edits feature, it was released sooner, and all of its "new" songs were unlocked later on AC). Fans were quick to speculate that one of these songs, "real-high-SPEED", was going to be the TrueFinalBoss of X. It ended up just being an easy J-pop song -- and not a very fast one either[[note]]131 BPM[[/note]]. On ''X2'', Konami [[AscendedMeme proceeded to place said song at the end of a nonstop course titled "Speed Master"]] (which actually ''was'' full of fast songs, save that one).
525** For most of ''DDR''[='=]s lifespan, the "Good" step judgement has been anything but actually good for you: It breaks your combo, is worth 0 points in almost all games' scoring systems, does not increase the standard LifeMeter (but doesn't decrease it either), lowers the "battery" life meter, and outright kills you on a "sudden death" meter. ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=]'' (2013) finally has Goods count towards combo and not decrease "battery" meters, and ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=] A'' is the first mainline game in which Goods are worth points, if a small amount. Goods are still worth 0 points on the EX Score system (the same as a Miss), however.
526** "Healing-D-Vision" is a completely separate song from "Healing Vision"; it's not even a SequelSong.
527* NonstandardGameOver:
528** Normally in a 2-player game, if one player runs out of LifeMeter, they can at least play out the rest of the chart and go to the next stage so long as the other player survives; both only get the FAILED screen if both players fail out. However, in Challenge courses, Extra Stages in ''X'' onwards, and other situations that impose the "battery" meter, if a player loses all of their lives, they get an immediate GAME OVER even if the other player is still surviving, and the failed player cannot come back for upcoming stages if it was a Challenge course.
529** If you fail "ENDYMION", you'll be taken to the results screen as usual, but instead of the usual scrolling blue sky background, the [[RedSkyTakeWarning red sky]] that's been there since you unlocked the track remains until your credit ends.
530* NoobBridge: A common mistake among beginners is returning their feet to the center of the pad after every step, as [[TutorialFailure this is how the on-screen dancer is depicted]] when playing Beginner mode. This is quite unnecessary; there is no penalty for stepping on panels if there are no notes to hit[[note]]except for the optional "Arrange Mode" in Dance Dance Revolution 1stMIX's PSX port, where stepping where there aren't any arrows costs you a chunk of life[[/note]], although this is not made obvious unless you take the time to go into one of the series' many tutorial modes. Continuing to play like this uselessly doubles the amount of movement the player has to make and will all but ensure stage failure on anything above a level-4 chart. On the other hand, returning your feet to the center is a viable strategy on Shock Arrow charts, where being on any panel when Shock Arrows pass damages your LifeMeter, breaks your combo, causes you to miss out on points, and [[InterfaceScrew briefly conceals the chart]]. The tutorial songs from the Hottest Party games and DDR A onwards are a bit more informative in regards to this.
531* NostalgiaLevel: Some charts act like this for those familiar with the series.
532** From Extreme, Dance Dance Revolution's Oni/Challenge steps (both single and double) feature bits and pieces of some of the more popular song's steps sprinkled throughout (and is even a remix of the old opening videos used until 5th Mix).
533** [=PARANOiA=] MAX (dirty mix) will play the stepchart for the original [=PARANOiA=] when selected through Roulette in most AC/CS titles, with EXTREME (CS NA) being a notable exception. In DDR X AC, the same rule applies when the X-Special chart is selected in roulette, only working for Single play however.
534** From DDR X3, [=PARANOiA=] Revolution's Expert chart uses patterns from many of the fast boss songs on a song that usually stays on 360 BPM. When played in 2nd Mix Mode, it also forced on 1x speed and Flat arrow colors, just like the good old days.
535** The Hottest Party series, starting with the third, had remixes of songs in the previous games, this continued in the [=DanceDanceRevolution=] Wii games.
536** To mark the beginning of the franchise's 20th anniversary year, a ''DDR A'' update added a curated set of songs from previous versions in a "DDR Selection" folder. When played via the folder, the game's UI changes to a recreation of a game from the era the song represents (similar to the "2nd Mix Mode" from X3), ranging from the original UI (for songs from the original through 5th Mix), to ''Extreme'' (for ''DDRMAX'' through ''Extreme''), ''[=SuperNOVA 2=]'' (for ''[=SuperNOVA=]''), ''X2'' (for ''X'' to ''X3''), and ''2013''.
537* NumberOfTheBeast:
538** "The legend of MAX" briefly reaches 666 BPM during the speed-up portion midway through, right before the slowdown.
539** Nageki no Ki's Single Expert and Double Challenge stepcharts both have 666 combos. The song doesn't actually have anything to do with the Devil, though it is a very dark-sounding song.
540[[/folder]]
541
542[[folder:O - Z]]
543* OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo:
544** The titling of the arcade series tends to change every few games released. The first five main titles have normal numbered titles, then it's followed by ''DDRMAX 6thMix'', ''[=DDRMAX2 7thMix=]'', ''DDR Extreme'', ''[=DDR SuperNova=]'', ''[=DDR SuperNova 2=]'', ''X'', ''X2'', ''X3 vs 2ndMix'', ''2013'', ''2014'', ''A'', and ''A20''.
545** After three ''Hottest Party'' games on the Wii, the next release on the system and the [=PS3=] was just called ''Dance Dance Revolution'' in America. However, the ''Hottest Party'' name was kept in Europe (creating ''[=HP4=]'' and ''[=HP5=]''), and the [=PS3=] version was renamed "Dance Dance Revolution: New Moves".
546* Music/OdeToJoy: "End of the Century" from [=3rdMix=] is a vocal remix of this.
547* OldSaveBonus: Japanese [=PlayStation=] ports, as well as the Wii's Hottest Party 2 through 5, allow players to automatically unlock everything in the previous game (having a 5th Mix save file unlocks 4th Mix and Extra Mix's unlockables, having [=DDRMAX2=]'s file unlocks DDRMAX's unlockables, having Festival's unlocks Party Collection's, having Hottest Party 2 unlocks Hottest Party 1, etc).
548* OldShame[[invoked]]:
549** Naoki Maeda really regrets 'LET THEM MOVE' (a song from 2nd Mix). The song has since become unavailable in Arcade and Console versions for years. Unfortunately for Naoki, although the song disappeared from the main game modes, home version developers had a habit of using it as a tutorial song. It kept appearing in Lesson Mode well into the [=PS2=] era.
550** Naoki has also commented on one of his songs that he thinks of the revised version ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbT3UG7Hcbg CELEBRATE NIGHT]]) as the original version rather than the older version ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML_IGlmtVMM CELEBRATE NITE]]).
551* OneGameForThePriceOfTwo:
552** The Japanese home release of ''Extreme'' and ''Party Collection'' are supposed to be two sides of the same game. The latter includes revivals that appear in the arcade release of ''Extreme'' but don't make it to the console. It can be easily told since, unlike overseas releases, Japan usually doesn't hand out console games quickly (''PC'' is released mere two months after ''Extreme'') and content-less (''PC'' has 47 songs, while ''Extreme'' has over 100).
553*** ''[=4thMix=]'' and ''Extra Mix'' could be argued to be this, as they were released less than three months apart, and feature basically the same engine but with different song lists. This is somewhat more forgivable though, given the limited storage capacities of [=PS1=] discs.
554** Beginning with ''A'', Western markets began to receive localized versions of the arcade games again, but because of licensing issues many of the Eastern licenses didn't make the cut. However, they are not encumbered by Paseli paywalls for certain features such as extra stages (with the main Paseli paywall, PREMIUM PLAY mode, being accessible using coins as in other markets where Paseli is not avaliable, and [[AntiFrustrationFeature often set to the same price as a "normal" credit]]).
555** Furthermore, there are two versions of ''[=A20=]'': one in a brand new, gold-colored cabinet dubbed the "20th anniversary model", and one that was an online update for existing ''A'' cabinets. Over a dozen songs (including the Golden League unlock system) and the Dan courses are exclusive to the latter version. ''[=A20=]'' was also a timed exclusive to the new cabinets. Their user interfaces also have different color schemes to differentiate them, with upgrades using a blue-colored version, and the gold cabinets being, well, [[CityOfGold gold]].
556** The Western ''[=A20=]'' builds did get more of the Japanese licenses that were excluded on ''A'', and still have the same lack of Paseli paywalls. However, gold cabinets in the U.S. are [=Round1=] exclusives and run the Japanese region builds instead, meaning they don't have removed songs. The Paseli issue remained until ''[=A3=]'', when Konami enabled the ability for the Japanese builds to offer PREMIUM PLAY with coin credits if Paseli is not avaliable (as with international builds since ''A'').
557* OptionalBoss: The Encore/One More Extra Stage. On the newer versions, throughout the "life" of a mix, new bosses are cycled in as the extra and encore.
558** X2 featured ''Replicant D-Action'', an extra stage system inspired by ''[[VideoGame/{{beatmania}} beatmania IIDX]]'''s "Cardinal Gate". Certain songs were unlocked by meeting particular conditions in-game. Completing all six songs unlocked the TrueFinalBoss for the Encore Extra Stage, and wiped out your progress on the previous 6. This was a very tedious ordeal, for obvious reasons.
559** DDR 2014 featured the Replicant D-Action's sequel, ''Replicant D-Ignition'', which uses the same principle as above, but instead of featuring six Extra Stages+one Encore Extra Stage, you need to clear five Extra Stages, then one Extra Stage, ''then'' the Encore Extra Stage. And there are two phases, with one Encore song each.
560** DDR A features ''EXTRA EXCLUSIVE'', 10 songs over the game's lifetime that are, well, exclusive to Extra Stage. The Rinon's Adventure mini-game permanently unlocks them over time. After all ten are unlocked and you have a full Heat Level, you unlock a brand-new Extra Stage. Attempting it completely drains your Heat Level, meaning you can only try it once every seven credits. Clearing this with a AA+ or better unlocks the Encore Extra Stage.
561* PacManFever:
562** DDR has appeared constantly in shows and movies, expy or not.
563** Averted in the film ''Yes Man'', where a scene features Jim Carrey's character playing "Flowers" on [=SuperNOVA=], and actually playing it well (crossovers and all). He was apparently trained by an expert player, and it showed.
564* PerfectRunFinalBoss:
565** One More Extra Stage (OMES), since renamed to Encore Extra Stage (EES). Basically, if you ever break your combo even once, by getting anything below a "Great" judgement ("Good" on 2013) or failing to hold a freeze arrow down for its entire length ("N.G."), you lose instantly. Some songs are only playable and/or unlockable through this method.
566** "Love Is The Power -Re:born-", when exclusive to Encore Extra Stage on X3 vs. 2nd Mix, was a very literal example, triggering an automatic fail for even "Great" judgments (thus all judgments had to be "Perfect" or better). To make up for this, the chart was significantly easier than other EES-exclusive songs.
567** Over The "Period" on [=DDR 2014=]. Same as above with Perfect Full Combo, except that it has a lot more requirements to get to it. It is also the first song for EES to be played at Difficult as a maximum level because Expert and Challenge were unavailable at the time. Not that it matters as this is still considered the hardest EES song of all time that players had to wait for the final unlock to play the chart and attempt the EES to pass it.
568*** The game also displays a unique "Attack!! Perfect Full Combo!" message in golden text in the background at the beginning of the song.
569*** The fact that judgments that can continue a player's combo can also fail the song can lead to hilarious results, such as the game awarding a failing grade yet simultaneously displaying a full combo ring with its congratulatory message.
570** Ditto with "Ace for Aces" in ''A'', though the Difficult stepchart is comparatively easier than the above (13, as opposed to OTP's 15).
571* PimpedOutDress: Some of the outfits the dancers wear.
572* PinballScoring: {{Inverted|Trope}} as the series progressed, with the maximum possible per-song score generally decreasing up through [=SuperNOVA2=], where scores are capped at 1 million points. However, in select home versions, Endless Mode uses a separate scoring system similar to the first two games, where each note's value is multiplied by both the combo and the current stage. In most games the score counter goes up to 32 digits, but in [=3rdMIX=], [[ExaggeratedTrope it can go all the way up to 72 digits]]!
573* PostFinalBoss: Some Encore Extra Stages are engineered to be this; they're far easier than the Extra Stage songs preceding them, though the player also have to deal with some very annoying gimmicks (such as the universal OneHitPointWonder). CANDY, Kakumei, Dance Dance Revolution, on the bounce, and LOVE IS THE POWER -Re:born- are all examples.
574* PrettyInMink: Some outfits have fur trim, such as Harmony's fur-trimmed hoodie and boots.
575* PressStartToGameOver: In the original game's [=PS1=] port, Arrange Mode penalizes extraneous steps with an "OUCH!!" rating and a severe drop in your lifebar. It is entirely possible to fail ''before the first arrow'' simply by mashing the panels/buttons.
576* ProductPlacement:
577** Until Extreme, DDR was the main vehicle used by record label Toshiba EMI to promote its dance music compilations ''Dancemania''; the label had made a deal with Konami to advertise the albums in-game (typically in attract mode), in exchange for letting them use songs from them as the bulk of their soundtrack (in fact, ''Solo Bass Mix'' was sourced almost exclusively from "Dancemania Bass", as in Miami Bass). Additionally, the partnership also allowed the label to distribute the official DDR soundtrack albums, which as a result could contain both the "licensed" music and the original songs, unlike many modern BEMANI soundtracks that have only original songs and not licensed ones.
578** The EMI partnership was dissolved for [=SuperNOVA=], as Konami instead decided to pursue deals with different sources of music for later games that did not involve deals that weren't valid outside of Japan (which led to; more anime music, more recent J-pop hits, more mainstream American music, etc.)
579** The release of X3 vs. 2nd Mix brought the return of [=Dancemania=] in a way; the game partially tied in with the 15th anniversary of the series. The "Dancemania Sparkle" album released in 2011 (as the celebratory album) contained several songs made popular by DDR, and announced a re-release of the 2nd Mix soundtrack.
580* PublicDomainSoundtrack: The classical songs, "La Cucaracha", as well as "La Bamba", which actually has both an instrumental and a vocal versions hovering around in the latest arcade release. Its public domain status is probably the reason why the vocal version hasn't been removed yet (like other songs of the same artist, all of which are covers of licensed songs).
581* {{Pun}}: In the Japanese arcade release of X, there is a ranking course consisting of the songs "1998", "Dance Dance Revolution", "Will", and "Flourish" in that order.
582* RankInflation:
583** The current grading system has grades E, D, C, B, A, AA, and AAA. DDR A later adds "+" and "-" marks on the grades AA to D depending on the score.
584** "Perfect" steps can be topped by "Marvelous" steps in some games. First in Nonstop modes only, then full-time beginning on [=SuperNOVA 2=]. Justified in that the first DDR arcade machines ran at 30 fps and Perfect steps resulted from triggering the arrow within 1 frame (literally the best timing the machine could pick up). When machines were upgraded to 60 fps, the Perfect window had to be scaled to 2 frames to keep player's grades the same. Only then did they add Marvelous timing for the new 1 frame window.
585* ReadingsAreOffTheScale: Nearly all boss songs since ''[=MAX2=]'' break the BPM indicator if played in Extra Stage; the numbers shuffle from 000 to 999 like crazy. The only exceptions to this rule are the Extra Savior songs from ''A'', which are not really boss songs, and the Replicant songs from ''X2'' (the Extra Exclusive songs from ''A'', in contrast, adhere to this rule). Additionally, from ''[=MAX2=]'' to ''[=SuperNova 2=]'', the BPM indicator still refuses to give you the correct BPM even after the songs are unlocked.
586* RealIsBrown: DDR X. With its gritty, urban look (especially with a copper yellow lifebar frame too), players joked that Konami had done this so DDR would finally [[FollowTheLeader look like every other popular American game]]. Of course, they then proceeded to add disco and [[LevelAte Candyland]] stages to the game too, creating visual MoodWhiplash.
587* RealLifeWritesThePlot:
588** "Tohoku EVOLVED" (the DarkerAndEdgier remix of "London EVOLVED"), refers to 2011's devastating earthquake and tsunami which caused severe damage in the Tohoku region. When beaten, the screen normally reading "Cleared" instead reads "Pray for All".
589** DDR 2010 features a song titled "On the Night of a Still Wind", which some have interpreted as a tribute to Michael Stillwind Borenstein; whose credits to the series included his work with Konami's Hawaii studio (who was responsible for the Ultramix and Universe games), and getting DM Ashura to become the first ever American artist to ever be on IIDX.
590* RearrangeTheSong: Happens a few times in DDR X2:
591** In "Gold Rush", which is largely a salute to then-contemporary ''[[VideoGame/{{Beatmania}} beatmania IIDX 14 GOLD]]'', there are three different roll calls:
592*** The main one, which goes through the various versions of beatmania IIDX to Gold.
593*** A DDR version, which goes through the DDR arcade versions to DDR X2.
594*** A second DDR version which goes through the Japanese home versions, to DDR Music Fit.
595** A few new songs like "Ballad the Feathers" and "Going Up" have Japanese and Chinese versions. The Chinese versions play when you play the Challenge charts on these songs.
596** Additionally, in DDR [=SuperNOVA 2=], "[=SUNKiSS♥DROP=]" has Japanese and English versions. In the North American version of [=SN2=], you'll occasionally get the Japanese version at random.
597* RecycledTitle: Twice. The 2010 home release for Platform/{{Wii}}, Platform/PlayStation3, and Platform/XBox360 as well the 2013 arcade release are simply called ''Dance Dance Revolution''.
598* RedSkyTakeWarning:
599** The Replicant D-Action and Replicant D-Ignition events color the usual interface (light green in ''X2'' and blue and pink in ''2014'') purple. An ominous-sounding BGM is heard while you're inside the mode, too.
600** An example truer to the trope name, having "Endymion" selectable as Extra Stage in ''A'' changes the sky blue background with poofy white clouds to blood red sky alongside a jitter effect as the screen goes through the clouds faster than usual, just to tell you loud and clear that THE SONG MEANS BUSINESS. [[NonStandardGameOver If you fail the song, the red sky background will remain until your credit ends.]]
601* RegionalBonus:
602** South Korea received two versions of ''[=3rdMIX=]'' with songs exclusive to those versions. The first of those two versions adds seven Korean licensed songs, with the second one adding nine more. The songs that debuted in the former would go on to appear in the Japan-exclusive ''[=3rdMIX=] PLUS'', as well as all arcade versions of ''[=4thMIX=]''.
603** Many North American and European console versions have licensed songs not available in the Japanese versions. It helps, because not only does it help appeal to players in those regions who would otherwise not pick up a ''DDR'' game, it makes up for Dancemania songs that couldn't be licensed for use in non-Japanese ''DDR'' games.
604** The North American version of ''A'' has PREMIUM PLAY much like other regions' versions, but it is usable with coin credits (unlike Japan, where it requires Paseli), but it is usually set to the same price as a normal credit. This is likely as an AntiFrustrationFeature necessary due to Dave & Buster's and Round 1 USA using cards for credits where one swipe adds one credit (thus, making premium cost extra would result in a credit costing ''at least'' 2 USD before discounts) and PASELI [[NoExportForYou being Japan-only]].
605** A more cosmetic example for ''A'': only the North American version gets an actual ''DDR A'' marquee, while Asian regions have to make do with the same marquee that's been used since the 2013 ''DDR'' game.
606* RepurposedPopSong: In the name of the RuleOfFun. ''Moonlight Shadow'', though? Hello MoodWhiplash!
607* RequiredSpinoffCrossover: "[[VideoGame/{{Jubeat}} FLO]][[VideoGame/{{ReflecBeat}} WER]]", which was added to [=X3 vs. 2ndMIX=] during the [=APPEND TRAVEL=] event.
608* ReReleaseSoundtrack: "Petit Love" by Smile.dk from ''4th MIX PLUS'' should have appeared on ''[=DanceDanceRevolution=] EXTRA MIX'', which includes all other songs that aren't Nonstop Megamixes from ''4th PLUS'' and the "Solo" sub-series of ''DDR'' games, but never made it.
609* {{Retraux}}: A good deal of the songs in X channel genres from TheSeventies ("Dance Floor"), TheEighties ("We Come Alive", "We've Got To Make It Tonight", and some of the US exclusives), and TheNineties ("Till The Lonely's Gone").
610** "Din Don Dan", a new song added in DDR 2014, is a throwback to late 1990's Eurodance--a common sight in the early days of DDR.
611* RevenueEnhancingDevices: There doesn't seem to be a technical reason why ''A20'' has features and tracks exclusive to the new golden cabinet. They're mainly there to get people to buy those new cabs.
612* RhythmGame: One of several Japanese games of this type to really take off overseas (Beatmania ''did'' get a few U.S. arcade versions, but they flopped)
613* RockMeAmadeus:
614** "Speed Over Beethoven" from ''Extreme'' samples Music/LudwigVanBeethoven's Für Elise.
615** "End of the Century" samples Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
616** "Kakumei" is a dance remix of Chopin's Etude #12, also known as the Revolutionary Etude. Hence the name, which is Japanese for "revolution".
617** "Jupiter (Bringer of Jollity)" is a rendition of Gustav Holst's "Jupiter", a part of The Planets.
618** ''Universe 3'' features Walter Murphy and The Big Apple Band's funky rendition of "A Fifth of Beethoven".
619* ScareChord: The sound of losing a life when you have a "battery" lifebar. It can very well cause one to lose their composure and lose even more life. Toned down since X; it's barely audible now, you can only hear it if you listen ''really'' close.
620* SchizophrenicDifficulty: The more recent boss songs ([=SuperNOVA=] onward). MAX 300, [=MAXX=] Unlimited, and The Legend of MAX followed a hard/easy/harder format, but Fascination [=MAXX=]'s difficulty is all over the place. There's a reason the Naoki alias used is 100-200-400; it's constantly going between those speeds.
621* ScoringPoints: Most of the earlier mixes had a scoring system, but it was often ignored in favor of "how many perfects did you get?"
622** From ''DDRMAX'' onwards, your grade is determined by a hidden "dance point" system, which came to set the standard for evaluating accuracy. And from ''DDR [=SuperNOVA=]'' onwards, the on-screen score is essentially the percentage of your dance points vs. maximum dance points mulitplied by some power of ten. With [=SuperNOVA=] onwards, Almosts and Boos don't hurt your score NEARLY as much as in Extreme and earlier (they get zero points instead of -4 and -8) although they still take away health.
623** 1st, 2nd, and 4th mix had scoring systems based on the length of the combo (1st and 2nd had each note value proportional to the ''square'' of the combo length, meanwhile 4th just went up linearly). All other pre-[=SuperNOVA=] mixes had some variant of the maximum potential base score being a round number[[note]]5th and MAX had bonuses though[[/note]], with steps getting more valuable as the song went on[[note]]Step ''n'' being worth ''n'' times as much as step 1, with the last step absorbing the rounding errors[[/note]]. A Perfect is worth full points on a step, a Great is worth half points, and everything else is worth no points.
624** The scoring system on [=SuperNOVA=] 2 onwards was dramatically overhauled to be more judgement-based; each step has a specific point total (the result of dividing 1,000,000, the maximum score, by the number of steps/freezes in a song). Getting a Marvelous adds this base amount to the score, Perfects and Greats award slightly lesser values divided or subtracted out of it, and Goods and worse are worth nothing. Grades also became score-based as well; [[http://aaronin.jp/ss9.html you only need 990,000 or more to get an AAA]], which means you can now get an AAA ''without'' getting all Perfects as had formerly been the case. To counter-act this side-effect, the game also started to officially recognize full combos on the results screen (i.e. AAA with a "Perfect Full Combo!" badge) and with special animations (similar to IIDX) on the gameplay screen in X onwards.
625** ''DDR A'' changes the scoring ratios a little bit by making Greats worth a little more, and more importantly, now making Goods actually give out points.
626** Modern games additionally have what is known as "EX Score", similar to ''VideoGame/{{beatmania}} IIDX'' and designed to give more weight to a Marvelous: 3 points for a Marvelous or OK, 2 points for a Perfect, 1 point for a Great, and 0 points for anything else.
627* SequelEscalation:
628** Originally, the difficulty ratings went from 1-7 footprints. The 1st Mix Internet Ranking ver. added 8's. Then, 3rd Mix added 9's. DDRMAX added MAX 300, which [=MAX2=] revealed to be the first 10. Then came [=MaxX=] Unlimited, The Legend of MAX and Paranoia Survivor MAX, Fascination MAXX and Fascination -eternal love mix-, Pluto / Pluto Relinquish and Dead End Groove Radar Special... each of which would one-up the hardest songs in the previous installment.
629** The old 10-foot scale rating ended up becoming so obsolete by ''[=X=]'' that Konami decided to dispose of it and created a replacement: a ''20''-foot scale rating. All songs were re-rated, roughly by doubling them by 1.5 (although the new system is remarkably more utilitarian than the first; while Beginner charts were previously rated based on BPM, now they are rated purely by how difficult they are). It turned out that MAX 300 Expert and Fascination MAXX Challenge, both rated 10 in the old system, are actually 15 and 18, respectively. However, Konami left the 19 slot empty for over two years, until Valkyrie dimension 19-foot Challenge was added in 2011. More and more 19 charts were added since and each successively topped out the previous one. [[TemptingFate We are still waiting for 20]].
630** Of course, a lot of 9s proved to be exhaustive as well, with the ending to ''Ska a GO GO'', the streams of ''DEAD END'' and the seemingly endless jumps in ''DROP OUT'' will exhaust you before you get to the Extra Stage... The Legend of MAX, with a No Recover life bar.
631** Even the [[EasierThanEasy Beginner difficulty]] undergoes this trope. Originally, Beginner was strictly meant for beginners, no matter how fast or how hard a song and its Expert difficulty were. MAXX UNLIMITED, regardless of its slow-down speed-up madness and exhausting jump-heavy Basic chart, has a subdued Beginner chart, with no complex pattern and nothing separating it from the likes of HYSTERIA. However, came ''[=SuperNOVA=]'', and the creators decided that [[Literature/AnimalFarm some Beginners are more Beginner than others]]. Fascination (eternal love mix) Beginner, for example, has 4th note streams coupled with jumps that no creator of ''Extreme'' would approve. It all culminated with Valkyrie dimension Beginner (rated 9, and many fans think it should be a 10). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Q9kGV1g2c Here]]. Just ask yourselves: do honest-to-god 8th note streams and ''crossovers'' that crop up multiple times seem welcoming for newbies? Don't think so.
632** The maximum BPM is pushed upward as time goes on. It starts at 180 ("[=PARANOiA=]"), before going to 190 ("[=PARANOiA=] MAX ~DIRTY MIX~"), 200 ("AFRONOVA"), 260 ("DROP OUT"), 300 ("MAX 300"), 320 ("MAXX UNLIMITED"), 666 ("The legend of MAX"), and 800 ("Pluto Relinquish"), culminating with 1020, which "Tohoku EVOLVED" famously reaches in its ending, making it not only the fastest song in DDR, but also the entire Bemani franchise.[[note]]the previous record holder was 876, reached by "Y&Co. is dead or alive" from IIDX 16.[[/note]] However, the series has yet to make you do things more taxing than a single jump for anything beyond 880 BPM.[[note]] "ENDYMION" Expert and Challenge have you do a 4th stream in that BPM, though honestly, it's not that bad.[[/note]] In terms of actual notespeed, the series went to 333 in The legend of MAX, 400 in [=SuperNOVA=] with Fascination MAXX, then it hung out there for a while with a few exceptions before slowly climbing up. 440's the new standard BPM for uber-bosses like the 19-footers, though 888 went to 444 BPM and Valkyrie Dimension Challenge had a stream at 480, both in X2.
633* SexyWhateverOutfit:
634** In the second and third "Hottest Party" games, jun wears a skimpy version of the Japanese folklore goddess dress, while in the fourth and fifth games she wears a sexy angel dress.
635** Also in the fourth HP game, Ceja wears a sexy lady Navy uniform.
636* ShoddyKnockoffProduct:
637** Those plug-and-play DDR-esque games with NES-grade graphics.
638** Extreme AC had two major bootlegs; "Extreme Plus" and "DDR Megamix", Megamix was just Extreme with a different title screen, an awful blue menu background, and a caution screen with AT-ST Walkers for some reason and "DON'T FALL OFF !!" Extreme Plus lets you overclock the machine to make songs (and everything else for that matter) go faster, has ''brown'' menu backgrounds, and replaces most of the menu graphics and the title screen with pictures of scantily clad men and women for no apparent reason.
639* ShortTitleLongElaborateSubtitle: ZETA ~The World of Prime Numbers and the Transcendental Being~ from DDR X2 and DDR II.
640* ShoutOut:
641** In some stages in the ''Hottest Party'' series, you can see clips of videos from past [=DDRs=], a nice nostalgia bonus for older fans. And another one, that's harder to get unless you really suck or you're trying to get it; when you're doing bad, and the announcer starts to shout abuse at you, one thing he'll say is "[[WizardNeedsFoodBadly Dancer needs groove badly]]".
642** In DDR X, the announcer sometimes starts stages by saying "[[VideoGame/FZero Show me...]]" and obviously intends for players who are familiar with the series to finish with "your moves!"
643** Emi's full name, Emi Toshiba, is/was a shout-out to Toshiba-EMI, the label responsible for the Dancemania albums. EMI bought out Toshiba's share in the joint venture in 2007 and re-named it EMI Music Japan.
644** "30 Lives" is all about the KonamiCode.
645** [[http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2EebUbR2wFM/0.jpg The background for the song "Make a Jam!"]] has a cartoony version of the old Konami logo (the one with the swooshes), and the Basic chart had the KonamiCode (without B-A-Start) in the steps five times. The song itself is based on Konami's old "Walking Logo" VanityPlate. Compare: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EebUbR2wFM#t=0m08s the "chorus" of Make a Jam!,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt8fGE_coqY the Walking Logo.]]
646** The title cards for the [=PARANOiA=] songs feature robots similar to Music/{{Kraftwerk}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXa9tXcMhXQ "The Robots"]]. The head of the robots themselves comes from one of the characters from an earlier Konami game, ''Fighting Bujutsu'', which Naoki Maeda also worked on.
647** The background for Miss Papaya's "Hero" is based on ComicStrip/FlashGordon.
648** Several pertaining to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_in_the_Zone NBA In The Zone]], licensed basketball games made by Konami:
649*** "In The Zone" from DDR '10 and X3 is a love note to the entire series, with the song itself being an arranged vocal version of the intro theme to its third installment, ''In The Zone '98''.
650*** Much earlier than that, "After the Game of Love" was essentially the results music from ''In The Zone '98'' but with lyrics. Further referencing it is the artist name for both "After the Game of Love" and "In The Zone", [=NPD3=] (itself an alias for Yuichi "U1" Asami, whose first project at Konami was ''In The Zone '98''), being the initials of the Japanese version's name, ''NBA Power Dunkers 3''.
651** [=PARANOiA=] REVOLUTION's Expert chart is basically a love letter from Bemani. It uses ALL old charts with little new of its own.
652** "Trust" has scenes from ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' playing in it.
653** The song "DDR TAGMIX -LAST [=DanceR=]-" [[https://remywiki.com/DDR_TAGMIX_-LAST_DanceR-#TAG is a reference to]] the R-99 "Last Dancer" fighter from ''VideoGame/RType Final''.
654* SomeDexterityRequired:
655** Since DDR is a game series where you have to use your feet, it naturally requires quite a bit of physical ability just to play, much less achieve any kind of success with. Avid DDR players have even coined terms for some moves that a player needs to be able to do to pass harder step charts, such as crossover (repeatedly rotating or twisting one's body to move their legs) and galloping (rapidly stepping to clear a string of 1/16 notes; named for sounding like the gallop of a horse).
656** Playing with a controller on a home system also plays this straight, since it requires alternating between face buttons and the D-pad at a rapid rate to hit all of the notes.
657* SoundtrackDissonance:
658** While most Extra Stage/boss songs have an ominous feel to them, jun's recent boss songs (such as "KIMONO♥PRINCESS", "UNBELIEVABLE (Sparky remix)", "SILVER☆DREAM") are the exact opposite.
659** Unintentionally invoked by a hilarious DDR 2013 glitch with "RЁVOLUTIΦN" (a rock song with a female vocalist [jun]) on one cabinet, where [[http://youtu.be/Xio_SqN-1X0 the background video randomly changes]] to that of three completely different songs (one of which is a rock song with a ''male'' vocalist!).
660* SpikesOfDoom:
661** Some of the songs before [=SuperNOVA=] had spike balls this in their background movies. Max 300's full video, in fact, entirely consists of nothing but [[ThatCameOutWrong balls]].
662** The Shock arrows that are introduced in most challenge stepcharts in DDR X tend to trip people up.
663* SpitefulAI: The announcers in the earliest games can be particularly mean if you're not doing well.
664-->'''Male Announcer''' (in DDR 1st Mix): I can't stand watching you! Go back to your mother!\
665'''Female Announcer''' (in DDR Solo): ''Please'', tell me you're not ''really'' trying.
666* StopAndGo: Stops have been supported by the engine for a long time, with no shortage of Konami Original songs taking advantage of the fact, for better or [[FakeDifficulty worse]]: Most songs in the MAX series have a stop in the middle. Then there's Pluto and '''Chaos''', which are littered with stops that don't fit the music.
667* StoppedNumberingSequels: After ''[=DDRMAX2=] -Dance Dance Revolution [=7thMIX=]-'', the series stopped the "''n''th MIX" format. There do exist ''[=SuperNOVA=] 2'', ''DDR X2'', and ''DDR X3'', but the practice of numbering sequels stopped completely after that.
668* SuperMovePortraitAttack: Since [=SuperNOVA2=] AC, reaching various combo levels causes a sort of portrait of the player's character to come up on the opposite side of where the current player is on the screen. Hottest Party 3 takes this further by having the background change to show the character itself doing a victory move at combo milestones (complete with a distracting "REACHED X COMBO!" graphic, ''which blocks your view of the arrows!'').
669** However, this was averted for one particular character, Dark Rinon, when she was PromotedToPlayable in ''2014''. Then the entire feature was removed in the very next release, ''DDR A''.
670* ThankingTheViewer:
671** The announcers tend to thank the player if they achieve excellent scores.
672** Subverted in the boss song "[=PARANOiA=] Revolution", which features clips of the ''[=2ndMIX=]'' announcer; at the end, the announcer can be heard saying "I'm so impressed I could cry! Thank you very much for your best dance!" [[LastNoteNightmare Cue ending stream of notes.]]
673* TitleDrop:
674** ''DDR Extreme''[='=]s [[OneHitPointWonder One More Extra Stage]] song is titled "Dance Dance Revolution"; the Challenge chart is a NostalgiaLevel with samples of patterns from other notable songs in it. Some Konami original songs, such as ''AM-3P'' and "Brilliant 2U" sneak the letters "DDR" into the vocals. [=B4U=] has "D-D-R!" in the chorus outright. "Super Star" even starts out with the lead vocalist singing "DDR Bass!"
675** "GOLD RUSH" already had a blatant title-drop for the [[VideoGame/{{beatmania}} specific version of the IIDX game it came from]], but one of two additional versions of it that randomly show up on X2 change the breakdown in the middle of the song to name off either arcade DDR games or home DDR games in Japan.
676** "[=D2R=]" has a clever way of doing this. The "D2" part is "Dance Dance", the "R" is obviously "Revolution." Therefore, Dance Dance Revolution.
677* TooLongDidntDub: Unlike the international builds of releases such as [=SuperNOVA=] and [=X=], the English-language interfaces of current arcade versions only translate UI instructions, and does not translate or romanize Japanese song titles and artwork.
678* TrialAndErrorGameplay: Any chart that has abrupt pauses or tempo changes, let alone [[FakeDifficulty abuses them]] (see "CHAOS" and its 40+ stops, for example) guarantees that you ''will'' miss notes if you're seeing the chart for the first time. And if it can only be accessed via LIFE-4 (four combo breaks instantly fails you), Sudden Death / Risky ([[OneHitPointWonder one combo break fails you]]), or Attack! Perfect Full Combo (one step below Perfect fails you), you're going to be failing the chart again and again as you gradually learn it, unless you collaborate with other players to study the chart.
679* TropeMaker: Every other rhythm games wherein the player has to step onto directional pads on the floor can be traced to DDR one way or another. Also, the game is one of its kind to truly break through overseas, with game developers existing on both sides of the Pacific, so people from the East and West equally know it. If "arcade dancing rhythm game" is mentioned, then DDR is usually the first people think of (even if they do not remember the title).
680* TruckDriversGearChange:
681** "Can't Stop Fallin' in Love" and its remixes, plus "Flowers" and ''many'' other songs. The boss song "Pluto" also features this.
682** Several songs avert this in-game compared to their original versions. For example, this occurs with "I Do I Do I Do" and "Irrésistiblement" in ''DDR Extreme''. The Nonstop Megamix CD does feature the songs' key changes, however.
683** In the case of "ever snow", this is absent in the original version by Yoma Komatsu in ''[=DDRMAX2=]'' to ''[=DDR SuperNOVA 2=]'', as it uses just one key. However, the cover by TЁЯRA in ''DDR X3'' begins with the same key, only to change to a higher key towards the end. This cover is sung by jun, and in contrast to the original, it appears in every subsequent arcade release.
684* TutorialFailure: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovcj5YEpQhc beginner]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llr1tpcv66Y&list=PLw1LMk7TeUZUUDUx5FQ-Wyctn21R6RXOE helper]] in DDR Extreme, where the dancing character always return their feet to the center panel which any player should ''not'' ever do. The helper was removed from later versions.
685* TutorialLevel: ''Hottest Party'' introduced a tutorial ''song'', "Lesson by DJ". It persisted into later versions of the ''Hottest Party'' games (and got follow-ups focusing on mechanics introduced by the sequels). It crossed to the arcade versions on ''DDR A'', being played on the "How to Play" screen in attract mode, and automatically launched as a tutorial if a player begins a game without logging into e-Amusement. It even calls out the practice of going back to the center panel in its lyrics.
686* UncommonTime: Numerous examples.
687** [=PARANOiA ETERNAL=] is 7/8 for most of the song but 3/4 at the end.
688** [[OneTwoThreeFourGo GO!]] (Mahalo Mix) uses 5/4.
689** There are other songs that are 7/8, 3/4, or some other random uncommon time the whole time.
690* UnlockableContent: Up to ''Extreme'', arcade games used codes inserted by arcade operators to unlock hidden features, including songs, courses, and modes. These codes were handed out from Konami themselves, though periodically so as not to ruin the fun, particularly when Extra Stages were introduced in ''MAX''. ''[=MAX2=]'' also allowed players to cooperatively unlock features using the credit point system. By [=SuperNova=], e-Amusement has taken the job, with unlockables being delivered online. [[NoExportForYou In Asia at least]]; countries without e-Amusement still need codes.
691* VersionExclusiveContent
692** Some licensed songs due to music licensing contracts and issues. Some of the licensed songs exclusive to arcade may carry on to consoles. For arcades, most songs may not be so lucky to carry on.
693** Long songs. While certain installments have the long song feature (5th Mix and X), the next versions do not carry it. Additionally, neither of the songs from 5th Mix carried on to X either, making all of the long songs exclusive only to their versions.
694** Besides the typical regional differences, [=A20=] has exclusive features only available on the new gold-colored cabinets released alongside it.
695* VideoGameDemake: ''Dance Dance Revolution GB'' is basically one of 2nd Mix, featuring chiptune versions of some of its songlist and a low-fidelity version of its interface. ''[=GB2=]'' and ''[=GB3=]'' follow the trend by essentially being demakes of 3rd Mix and 4th Mix, respectively.
696* VideoGameLives
697** Challenge mode. You have four lives and lose one for every Good, Almost, Boo and NG. Encore[=One More=] Extra Stages reduce you to ''[[OneHitPointWonder one]]'' life.
698** [=SuperNOVA=] 2 and later changed the [[OptionalBoss Extra Stage]] life bar mechanics from no recovering on perfect hits to the health bar system on Challenge mode. The amount of misses you can make depends on your score. This means the Extra Stages can now become [[OneHitPointWonder One Hit Point Wonders]] as well. Changed in X, which gave you one more life than [=SuperNOVA=] 2. And changed again in X2. Extra Stage since then always gives you 4 lives.
699** X3 took this up a notch with its final encore song, "LOVE IS THE POWER -Re:born-" -- where you fail instantly on Great judgments as well. Thankfully, their experiment with this was on a relatively easy song (a remix of the credits theme from the home release ''2nd [=ReMix=]''), but it didn't take them long to bring this out on an actual boss song instead ("Over The 'Period'").
700* VideoGameRemake: As indicated by its title, DDR X3 vs. 2nd Mix features "2nd Mix Mode", a re-creation of 2nd Mix with HD graphics and most of the songs intact. This came partly to celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the [=Dancemania=] album series; EMI Japan also put out a re-release of the soundtrack of 2nd Mix as a tie-in.
701** The 20th anniversary update for ''A'' plays with this idea by adding five curated folders of songs from several eras of the game; playing them uses the gameplay interface from the first version, ''Extreme'', ''[=SuperNOVA 2=]'', ''X2'', and 2013 respectively.
702* VirtualPaperDoll: Some characters have alternate costumes for them to wear.
703* WakeUpCallBoss: The [=PARANOiA=] series on Basic difficulty.
704* WhamLine: In ''X3'', a nasty one awaited those who unlocked "LOVE IS THE POWER -Re:born-" for the Encore Extra Stage, back when the track could only be accessed through EES. EES's had previously only required the easier -- ''comparatively speaking'' -- Full Combo status to clear, but this time:
705--> '''ATTACK! [[AllOrNothing PERFECT FULL COMBO!]]'''
706* WhamShot: On the Difficult charts for "ACE FOR ACES", the chart suddenly spiking to 400 BPM ([[TrialAndErrorGameplay and surely killing the player unless they've seen the chart before]]) when the Basic charts do no such thing. For the first time in ''DDR''[='=]s two-decade history, different charts for the same track have different scroll BPM, on a track that can only be played in a situation where anything below Perfect means an instant failure no less!
707* WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing: Done by putting mods in your song:
708** If you play the beginner chart to "CHAOS" with the CUT option set to ON 1[[note]]strips out all steps that don't fall on a quarter beat[[/note]], no steps will show up and you'll clear the song without having to do anything. However, you'll get a D grade due to having 0 points.
709** If you play the Challenge Double chart for ようこそジャパリパークへ and you set it to remove jumps, the song will have no arrows, thus clearing the song without doing anything. Like above, you'll get a D grade due to having 0 points.
710[[/folder]]
711----
712''I'll be waitin' for you to try again!''

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