Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2

Dance Dance Revolution has been with us for quite some time now. Despite the [temporary?] hold on new versions of the arcade, the home consoles are still getting sequels. SuperNOVA 2, the current series made exclusively for PlayStation 2, is not going to blow the minds of anyone. It doesn’t step out of bounds, toss in a surprising gameplay mechanic, or do anything extravagant that hasn’t been done before. It is, as the world can flawlessly predict, another song and mode upgrade. Can you dig it?

You’ve seen gameplay like this before. But if you’re still a DDR fan, it’s impossible to resist.

Getting Hyper

SuperNOVA 2’s newest feature is Hyper Master. It sounds extreme, but there’s no reason to be frightened – or overly excited if you’re one of those ridiculously fast players that never miss a step. (We know who you are, and one of these days we’re going to track you down and clone your feet.) Hyper Master is not that different from the rest of the game. Rather than take on any song individually to make progress, this mode provides a tier of tracks to conquer.

But you don’t win by merely completing the song – you succeed by meeting the listed requirements. These challenges are somewhat varied and range from keeping the dance meter at or above 80% to scoring combos of 65 or more made of Marvelous, Perfect, or Great ratings. There are other variations, such as, “score 80 combos from the top within 60 seconds.”

Defeat the base songs (you’ll get anywhere from four to eight of them) and the boss battle will reveal itself. Bosses aren’t anything out of the ordinary, just a more intense version of the stages you’ve already faced. The songs are different, which means the pace, number of beats (arrows), and visuals will change. DDR experts are going to blow through the first half no problem – after that, only those with the fastest feet will survive through the end.

Hyper Master is a decent mode, but there’s only one thing that sets it apart from the rest of the game: modules. By completing each stage, players unlock items in the DDR shop. Those items can’t be purchased until you start earning points, which also come from the completion of Hyper Master stages. New music tracks (such as Crash!, a fan favorite in the arcade), courses, and other treats may be acquired – but only modules have the power to drastically change the game’s performance. Modules can slow down or speed up the rise and fall of the dance meter, among other enhancements.

Dance, Dance

SuperNOVA 2’s song lineup is pop-based as usual, and there are many local hits to keep the teeny-boppers bopping. “He Said She Said” by Ashley Tisdale – you can’t get more High School Musical than that without actually making an HSR edition of the game. Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” is on board, as are “Suddenly I See” by KT Tunstall and “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. Having Britney Spears’ “And Then We Kiss” makes sense, but “Faster Kill Pussycat” by Paul Oakenfold and Brittany Murphy came out of nowhere. I mean, who knew she could sing? I thought the only words she could recite were, “I’ll never tell.”

“Rockafeller Skank” (Fatboy Slim), “Temperature” (Sean Paul), “Unbelievable” (EMF), and “Wind it Up” (Gwen Stefani) are other tracks you’ll recognize when you hear them if not by their name alone. A-Ha’s “Take on Me” has weaseled its way into SingStar and other games, so it’s only natural that you’d find it in a DDR.

Other than that, the game is mostly made up of the same style of J-pop tunes that were found in the past DDR games. Many sound like they were ripped from an Adult Swim series, which is a good thing considering how much DDR players enjoy anime music. The scary thing – and this happens with every DDR game – is how catchy these songs become in this game environment. It could even be a song you would normally despise. But when the game goes on, you wind up on the dance floor, shaking your body like you just don’t care.

No Longer a Revolution…

…But still hours of fun. Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2 is not a step above the rest, even with its four-player online mode – which is great, but nothing beats face-to-face dancing. The game offers that too (for two players), as well as the same single and duo dance modes where one player can dance across two dance mats. EyeToy camera visuals let you examine your greatest or most horrific moves. It is a lot of the same, but the series prevails for its core audience. Though this should go without saying for most everyone it applies to, SuperNOVA 2 is a great game for anyone who can’t get enough DDR action.

Gameplay: 7.8
DDR SuperNOVA 1 with new songs and a Hyper Master mode.

Graphics: 6.5
Not too spectacular. EyeToy support is welcomed but the other graphics are a little too old-school for their own good.

Sound: 7.8
A solid lineup of J-pop and American pop.

Difficulty: Medium
DDR has been one of the more challenging music game series, and though SuperNOVA 2 doesn’t increase that difficulty, it does not enter “easy” territory. There are dummied down difficulty settings for beginners (you’ll need ‘em!), but after that the game is not forgiving.

Concept: 5.0
New songs and adjusted modes don’t make for the best game concept. DDR is still DDR.

Multiplayer: 7.5
Still a great party game, with online multiplayer extending competitions to four simultaneous players.

Overall: 7.8
SuperNOVA 2 won’t engross those who have yet to be turned on by DDR’s catchy, rhythm-based gameplay. But if you’ve enjoyed the series and still want more, you can’t go wrong with this sequel.