Finally Played DDR

I just played DDR for the first time last Saturday at Dave and Busters. I gotta say I didn't love it. I guess I really didn't understand how to play.

So, basically, could someone give a crash course on how the game is played so next time I play I won't embaress myself? :D

It couldn't be simpler. The arrows scroll up the screen (left, right, up or down). When the scrolling arrow lines up with the row of stationary arrows at the top of the screen, you step on the corresponding arrow on the pad.

But once you get into the music and learn how to read the arrows efficiently, you forget all that.

Go to the arcade when there's no one there, so you won't feel self-conscious, and play until you understand it. If you have some background in music (marching band, piano player), you'll probably do better. Good luck!

I thought none of the D&B's had DDR?

I also just started playing it as my sister got a game and dance pad pack for Christmas. It's a pretty cool game, but I personally can't see myself playing it all day like RCT.

I thought the same too, Jeff. The Metro Detroit D&B has Pump It Up, the DDR knockoff which uses diagonal arrows as opposed to the normal L-R-U-D. Never played it... TTD, did you play DDR or PIU?

It was DDR Max, but I was in Miami. The only time I went to D&B in Detroit was before I knew what DDR was.

Welcome to the dark side TTD. :-) You are now hooked for life.

-Tina

What was D&B's lame excuse for nixing the DDR machines? Wasn't it that domestic replacement parts were impossible to come by?

Lame.

I know the D&B is Pittsburgh has DDR. I think its a 3rd mix, but I'm not sure. That's where I first played.

The D&B in Columbus has Pump It Up. That's why I never go there, despite the fact that it's much nicer and more "adult" than GameWorks. Also, it's in the middle of BFE.

---

Michael Darling said:
What was D&B's lame excuse for nixing the DDR machines? Wasn't it that domestic replacement parts were impossible to come by?

Lame.

---

Yeah... Steph wrote them mostly as a joke to ask about it, and that was the official reason they gave.

Well domestic parts for DDR machines ARE hard to come by, depending on the type of machine they have. With no Konami coin-op presence in the US anymore, all parts for any foreign DDRs are still going to cost a pretty penny, depending on where you get them from.

The main reason D&Bs have Pump is due to a deal they cut with Andamiro USA. D&Bs got them as a nice bulk package for all of their stores at a better rate than DDR (since you pretty much have to get foreign DDR machines now, or try to wrangle enough domestics to cover all stores).

This is also the reason Andamiro USA flinched when they released Pump Premier 3 to D&B, and then recalled all discs to remove the 'profane' songs. D&Bs has a lot of pull with Andamiro right now.

And yes, some D&Bs do have DDR, just not too many (and they're mostly crappy 3rd, or worse: USA mixes - I believe some Texas locations have DDR, and some in Florida as mentioned above).

I really don't mind. I play most all dancing games equally (even our faulty EZ2Dancer in Dayton)and they're all about the same to me anymore. I just have another week before my PREX 3 home version arrives. :)

-Chris