[jultz]

24
Heavy: These steps were fun. Double stepping wasn’t bad in this one – followed the guitar well. However, it seems like there were more interesting things you could’ve done with the rhythms at points. 1.5/2
Standard: I liked a lot of the rhythms towards the end – especially when it followed the singer and drums. There were some static parts such as the middle freeze section I didn’t like so much. 1.5/2
Light: Steps were ok, but it dragged on. The freezes were repetitive. Also, my friends who would play light would have a tough time with the <v and ^> jumps. 1/2
Tilt: I liked the graphics with the numbers. I like the song choice, but it did present a challenge to make interesting steps which you did in parts, but not all. I am a fan of Jem and was glad there was a Jem song in here. Thanks. 3.5/4
Total: 7/10

Action Radius
Heavy: I liked the rhythm pattern with the drums and jumping on the accent, but it got out of control with the double stepping and jumping. It was not fun at all. The steps during the buildup from the quiet part were a bit weird as well. The void in the middle killed the momentum. That isolated step in the middle felt like I was sending a torpedo out into space via the dance pad somehow. Not that it is a bad thing, it’s just…. aw never mind. .5/2
Standard: This seemed like heavy with a few arrows removed and a strange freeze pattern at the end. Same issues though. .5/2
Light: I liked this a lot better but it still suffered from the same issues as above. 1/2
Tilt: Can’t complain about graphics. I don’t know if better steps would help this song out so much. Parts of it are fun but most of it isn’t really suited for DDR due to the large void in the middle and large portions without anything going on. 1.5/4
Total: 3.5/10

Ai~n! Dance no Uta
Heavy: I liked almost all of it. I see why you would double step the notes that are exactly the same notes in a row, but at this speed it isn’t fun. And there were a lot. 1/2
Standard: I really liked this one. The streams and jumps went with the song well. The trick is not to get freaked out by the scary white make-up guy jumping all over the place. 2/2
Light: I can see why you said these were hard to make. Regardless they were fun for being easy. Well done. 2/2
Tilt: Nice video and lyrics. That must have taken a long time to put together. I don’t really “get” the song – it sounds like they are trying to annoy you. It’s like a song you would sing in the back of the car simply to get on people’s nerves. I’ll try singing what the scary white make-up guy sings in the beginning sometime and see how quickly I get punched in the face. 3.5/4
Total: 8.5/10

Blow Me Away
Heavy: I loved the freeze arrow section at the beginning. In fact, all the freezes were a lot of fun. I don’t understand why people didn’t like them. To me they flowed well. However, it lost me in pretty much everything else though. I just don’t like stomping around on the same arrows in a row that fast. The rapid section towards the end didn’t make much sense. It also repeated a lot. 1/2
Standard: Steps were better but it did repeat a lot again. 1/2
Light: Same. 1/2
Tilt: I liked BPM change. Graphics surprised me. Didn’t expect to see that background at all. I can’t stand this type of music but I’m trying hard not to be biased! 2/4
Total: 5/10

Disco Dog
Heavy: I liked the fast rhythms in here as well as the jumps. I wish it wasn’t so constant though. The double steps didn’t kill it like other files but they weren’t that fun. 1/2
Standard: These were a lot of fun. The jumps and rhythm went with the music well. 2/2
Light: Well done again. 2/2 (as well as beginner too)
Tilt: At first I was surprised someone would go near a song that has appeared on lists for the most annoying songs ever. But it isn’t anything near the Baha Men version so it is ok. I just couldn’t get the image out of my head that it is a song that would play over the stadium sound system at a Cleveland Browns football game in the year 2080 when all the players have been replaced by robots. Does that mean I’m crazy? Graphics: How in the world do you judge a picture like that??? Overall file was fun though. Aaaand I must say Chloe is the coolest name in the world. Let me know when you meet this Chloe. 3/4
Total: 8/10

Domino
Heavy: Once I get past the BPM changes I really like the steps. Well, except for the super ultra mind-bending light-speed part. The steps seem random there. Double steps fit the song and aren’t overdone. Goes with the music well. 1/2
Standard: Steps were ok here. Seems like there could be more fun to be had here. 1.5/2
Light: These steps were ok as well. Same. 1.5/2 (side note – I would not put a jump in the light-speed part for beginner).
Tilt: The speed changes in the video added a nice touch and the videos overall were spectacularly well done. I really like the song choice too - it suited DDR well. However, I did not like the BPM changes for the steps! They felt random and there didn’t seem to be any reason in the music to do them. Now the slower BPM I can see you did because the drums stop for a few seconds there but it still is forced. Did you accidentally drink 24 Mountain Dews when making the middle part? 2/4
Total: 6/10

Dragostea Din Tei
Heavy: Well there’s nothing really wrong with it I suppose. It gets by. It is quite similar to standard though. It really needed more variation. 1/2
Standard: It gets by. It’s like heavy but a little more jumping here and there… a little less stepping now and then… 1.5/2
Light: I know you want to go with easy steps here but this was downright weird. Constant quarter steps regardless of what the music is doing. And sure you had the jumps on the down beat but that’s not what the music does so it just feels random. It was like being in a marching band with hiccups. .5/2
Tilt: Extra points for NOT including the video. I liked the background and I really laughed at the cartoon guy – the expression on his face. Overall the file was fine. Just… fine. 3/4
Total: 6/10

Dream of You
Heavy: Rhythms were a lot of fun and varied well throughout the song. I noticed more of the music when playing these steps – you’ve got a good ear. 2/2
Standard: Hey! That was a lot of fun! Well thought out steps and jumps and followed the music beautifully! 2/2
Light: Wow. These steps were also a lot of fun. Specifically I liked how you did the freeze arrows with quarter steps with the vocals. Jumps were a lot of fun and the quarter rhythms were all well done. 2/2
Tilt: Like the song, graphics were great, lyrics. What more can be said? 4/4
Total: 10/10

Emoticons
Heavy: Really liked the rhythms. Everything went to the music well. I got a little tired of it towards the end though. Seemed like the same sort of thing. 1.5/2
Standard: These were a lot of fun. I liked how you mixed in a few vocal accent steps within the beat. That really added a good feel to the steps. 2/2
Light: Well these steps were fine. A lot of freezes. 2/2
Tilt: Graphics were great! Interesting to look at. The background matches the mood of the song well. The song, while a very good song, didn’t lend itself to much variation throughout the entire file. Overall very fun! 3.5/4
Total: 9/10

Geno’s Woods
Heavy: I like how you transition to the dulcimer to break it up. I also liked the beginning, even if it is not very DDR like. However, towards the middle it turns into an exercise in various step patterns. While interesting, I wouldn’t exactly call it fun. 1/2
Standard: Similar to heavy and similar in the exercise way. It had the feel of a walking goomba. 1/2
Light: I like the steps that go with the triangle, but I wish you wouldn’t have made it feel like rocking from one side to the other like that. I’m glad you kept in the dulcimer freezes. However, the long string of uninterrupted quarters weren’t fun. 1/2
Tilt: That background looks really cool. Now if someone had a real painted version of that I’d hang it on MY wall. I love Mario RPG and I love the song. Thanks for doing it. 3/4
Total 6/10

Go Beserk
Heavy: Well the some parts were fun for a while but then you get all this fast double stepping and some during freezes that are not fun at all. And some of the repetition got old as well. .5/2
Standard: Some of it was a lot of fun. I liked the offbeat half steps and the rhythms you chose to follow in the music. It got repetitive and boring though. 1/2
Light: I liked the quarter note pattern towards the middle with the occasional jump thrown in there. That was a lot of fun. The freezes at the beginning were almost meaningless they were so short. Otherwise it was ok. 1/2
Tilt: Actually this song has good sound quality – if it were played from my watch. Seriously though, if I read correctly that is related to why you never caught it. Laptops aren’t exactly known to be the pinnacle of internal speaker quality. Sound quality aside, the song got old really fast. 1/4
Total 3.5/10

Golddiggers
Heavy: The 16ths add a lot of flair to the steps. They were a lot of fun. However, it seemed awkward when it followed the guy vocal because he doesn’t sing/talk exactly to the rhythm of the steps. 1.5/2
Standard: Well there’s certainly nothing wrong here. Lots of fun! 2/2
Light: Well done making simple steps with good rhythm. This was a lot better because when it followed the vocals it was basically just the accents of them so it didn’t matter if the vocals were off the beat that much. 2/2
Tilt: I liked the graphics. Matched the idea of a gold digger quite well. I don’t know why but I do wish it was a little longer. It didn’t seem like there was meat to the file. 3/4
Total: 8.5/10

Hikari
Heavy: Some of the runs are well placed. Follows the music well, but I don’t think that’s a strength here because it follows so closely the steps seem awkward. Especialy the faster ones. 1/2
Standard: Beginning was fun with the jumps and freezes with the music. When it gets to the long up/down and the down/up parts reversed and repeated it becomes more of a chore. 1/2
Light: Jumps and quarters were well done. It was varied enough to keep interest up most of the time. The freeze section got boring and some of the repeated corner steps weren’t that great. 1.5/2
Tilt: The video adds a lot to the music and I’m glad you included it because the music would have a hard time standing up on its own. I don’t think it is the literal quality of the file but rather just how well the song was made that detracts from the sound of it. Overall everything was ok. 2.5/4
Total: 6/10

Kagekiha
Heavy: I really liked when it transitioned into the square sounding lead and subtly back out into the main beat. And there was that one part you accented the tambourine – or something like it... When it came to multiple stepping on the same arrow and some of the runs you lost me. Once I got used to the file the stop wasn’t that annoying but I sure had no idea what was going on the first time around. 1/2
Standard: I really liked the rhythms. Went to the song well. 2/2
Light: The steps hitting all the accents of the drumsticking part were really cool and then using the double steps to initiate the phrasing of the melody added a lot to what would be regular quarters. However, the repeating part at the end made me lose interest. 1.5/2
Tilt: Love the video for this song. The song is a lot of fun as well. I had to fix the gap though. I was so confused the first time around I thought I had some sort of new brain delay disease. It seems like you should know what you’re doing with the gap though because everything else was so well done… 3/4
Total: 7.5/10

Last Regrets
Heavy: The beginning and the end were really fun and followed the musical pattern well. The middle lost it though because all you had to go by was a constant bell jingle and an occasional vocal syncopation. But otherwise it was well done. 1.5/2
Standard: At first I thought you were trying to make it easy by ignoring most of the rhythm in the beginning but then you chose to add it during a freeze arrow right after it ended. There was more you could have done to make interesting steps during the beginning and ending part. It also seemed strange to have a drum roll type sequence exactly one measure before the real drum roll, which was simply a long freeze. The jumps seemed arbitrary at times when compared to what the music is doing. I’m being picky though. 1/2
Light: I liked the jumps at the beginning highlighting the last note of the organ type sound. I liked the freeze arrow holds at the climax of the song. 2/2
Tilt: I really liked the background graphic. I would have enjoyed more in the readme. The song could have used more complexity in the middle but what are ya gonna do? 2.5/4
Total: 7/10

Let Me Stay
Heavy: I liked the very end rhythm and the short part where you follow the vocal off the beat. It seems like these steps would be fun to people if this song was one of their favorites but separate from that there wasn’t much there. It seemed like there was a struggle to make this more complex somehow. A lot of the runs didn’t seem to belong to anything besides the constant bass. 1/2
Standard: When I was playing heavy I had a feeling these steps would be a lot better. Did you do these first? These seem like the heart of the file and capture the song nicely. 2/2
Light: This song suits light steps well and you took advantage of it. Vocals on most of the quarters and eighths added at all the right times. Jumps added at all the right times as well. 2/2
Tilt: I didn’t care for the background… seemed rather dull. Ironic he’s asking to stay because it sure looks like they aren’t going anywhere. More like vegging watching the game. I liked the song, I just wish there was more to it. 2.5/4
Total: 7.5/10

One Heart
Heavy: I did enjoy those freeze spins even thought I was off because I didn’t know the song. I think you made this as about complex as a slow song can get for what you are working with. The runs following an acoustic guitar seemed strange to me, but what else are you going to do there? I was laughing at a picture in my head of my other friends playing this song. They stomp pretty hard and I can just picture this “one” *WHAM* “heart” *WHAM*… *WHAM* WHAM*…*WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* … There’s just something about Celine Dion and stomping in place that seems hilariously odd. I have a soft pad and don’t stomp so it was ok. 1.5/2
Standard: It follows the vocals and that’s good because they have a good rhythm to them. Jumps were well placed and the steps were fun. 2/2
Light: I like how you had all up/down or left/right for the syncopated rhythm parts. For newer players that takes the focus off what arrows to press and more on getting the correct rhythm. Some things repeated a little too much though. Maybe it was from song length I’m not sure. 1.5/2
Tilt: The background and banner look good. I know you are getting a lot of criticism from doing Celine Dion but honestly, outside this little niche of people here this file would probably get the most play if people had to choose. I have dozens of beginner friends that like to come over and play Stepmania and I know they would play this song and like it because the steps are so well done. This is going into my regular group of songs right now. 3/4
Total: 8/10

Parasite World
Heavy: The gallop type steps were fun in the beginning. Most of the rhythms were a lot of fun. The gallops went a bit too much though. And of course the second half of the steps would have been nice. .25/2
Standard: Liked the drums in the beginning and following the guitar later. Sometimes it felt like you were just filling in the void. 1/2
Light: The jumps were fun. Was one of those double jumps too early? At times the quarters seemed to follow the vocals but not really. It was strange. Otherwise they were fun steps. 1.5/2
Tilt: Minus the strange screaming I like the song choice. I don’t like that background at all. It is distracting and not very polished. It looks like a firecracker that had several budget cuts. 2/4
Total: 4.75/10

Radio Star
Heavy: Well polished! The syncopation in the music was a lot of fun. The first few times. Then it got repetitive. It mostly reflects what the song is doing, though. It is much of the same through the whole thing. It seemed like there should be more there… 1.5/2
Standard: These were more fun… the jumps were fun on the off beats as well as the mini runs to the vocals. Again, it got repetitive though. 1.5/2
Light: Quarter grouping was good – much better than how most just have straight quarters all the way through. All the jumps were awkward though. It didn’t match any climaxes in the music – it was just part of a step pattern that seemed to be thrown in to create variety. Triple stepping to “radio” and nothing else around was also strange. 1.5/2
Tilt: Cool… now how often do you get to dance to a radioactive orange slice? Your banner should be more polished though. Otherwise I like the general theme going on there. I really like the song, but it is lacking complexity for well rounded steps throughout all the difficulties. 3/4
Total: 7.5/10

Ragnarok Online
Heavy: Some jumps were fun and some streams fun, but most were not. The fast double steps into jumps and the ones forced by freezes killed. It also seemed to just stream for no apparent reason. .5/2
Standard: It was fun following the guitar like that. You could have mixed it up a bit by following something else. 1.5/2
Light: Jumps were fun – went with the music well. There were a lot of sections without much going on than just stepping quarters with no apparent reason or pattern going on. 1/2
Tilt: That background is confusing. Really confusing. Grinding guitars and pounding drums don’t mix well with such cute images. Song was ok – fun for steps I suppose. 2/4
Total: 5/10

Rock Steady
Heavy: Whoa! Now THAT was fun! Everything flowed really well and the bpm tricks were awesome! Liked the parts with the tire squealing sounds as well. There were a few rhythms that continued in the beginning past where the music stopped playing those rhythms. They eventually came back later. 2/2
Standard: Liked the rhythms here too. Followed the music well. 2/2
Light: Well they were good. However, at first I thought you were trying to keep it easy by sticking to only quarter beats, but then you had the harder jumps and a few freeze technicalities. If you aren’t trying to keep it easy, it could have used a bit more syncopation or off beat steps to make it a little more interesting. Too many sections of straight stepping. 1.5/2
Tilt: Awesome song. Graphics fit the song perfectly. Could have used lyrics though. (j/k) 4/4
Total: 9.5/10