Even though the revamped “story” mode is kind of cool, the best facet of DDR X has to be the song selection. There are more than 70 songs on the disc, including some fan favorites, and some new additions. Among the DDR standards in DDR X are “Dub-I-Dub” by Me and My, and, my personal favorite, “Butterfly” by smile.dk.

The new songs feature a mix between pop tunes like “Here it Goes Again” by OK-GO and “Sound of Freedom” by Bob Sinclair to new techno tunes from the likes of Darwin, Harmony Machine, and Junk Circuit. The music here is quite well balanced and, no matter what beats you find yourself attracted to, you’ll find something to appreciate in DDR X. Heck, they even have “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer. If that song isn’t a party starter, then I don’t know what is!

Graphically, this title looks very good despite being on the aging PlayStation 2, and it competes well with its next-gen counterparts on the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. Dancing characters look great on-screen, and the different environments look smooth and crisp. The character designs in the main Street Masters mode also bear mentioning, as they are quite good and feature everything from a funky bottle toting baby to a silver-haired bishonen with a long purple coat.

I have to say that playing DDR X felt a little bittersweet. DDR X is poised to be the last DDR game to grace the PlayStation 2, and although the Dance Dance Revolution series began in the arcade, the PlayStation 2 is where it really became a staple of modern gaming. Whether you were there at the beginning with 2002’s DDRMAX or as late as last year’s DDR SuperNova 2, chances are good you’ve had a good experience with this franchise on the PS2. While many look forward to the series branching out to the new generation of consoles, we must appreciate what the PS2 has done for the franchise. For me, the DDR series has always felt like it belonged on the PlayStation 2, and the series really had a great run on the console. As it moves to finding a home on the Wii and Xbox 360 (and hopefully the PS3 soon enough), I can only hope the series keeps us dancing for many years to come!

By Amanda L. Kondolojy
CCC Staff Contributor