 ::DDRMAX 2 PS2 Review::
Sequal(?) to DDRMAX... I guess Konami couldn't come up with an original title for the 7th mix so they just left MAX and stuck a 2 next to it.
Anywho, it's better than DDRMAX in my opinion. Another one of my favorite home versions. First thing i should point out, is the new additions of BEGINNER and CHALLENGE difficulty (although called ONI in Japan, people here would confuse ONI with the nonstop 4 lives course from DDRMAX). Beginner is a difficult that SHOULD HAVE BEEN RELEASED WAAAAAAAAAY EARLIER!! Old-skool players like me who've been playing the game since 4th mix (or earlier versions) would have had an EASIER time getting used to the game and leveling up quicker. Challenge kicks things up a notch with harder stepcharts not suitable for Heavy. Some songs come with Challenge only steps... wether or not that was lazyness by Konami we will never know. As far as the songs go... let's just say if you like trance and techno, then you're in for a real treat. The majority of the songlist is nothing but. Specially the licensed songs... A+ Konami for that. We also see Captain Jack getting noticed more in the US... another plus side for Konami.
Song List:
A Little Bit of Ecstasy
AFRONOVA
AM-3P
AM-3P (AM East Mix)
Bad Routine
BRE∀K DOWN!
Burning Heat!
Busy Child
CAN'T STOP FALLIN' IN LOVE
CELEBRATE NITE
CELEBRATE NITE (EURO TRANCE STYLE)
CONGA FEELING
D2R
Days Go By
DESTINY
DIVE (more deep & deeper style)
Do It Right
Do It Right (80's Electro Mix)
Don't Stop! -AMD 2nd MIX-
DREAM A DREAM
DRIFTING AWAY
END OF THE CENTURY
feeling of love
Forever Sunshine
Get Down Tonight
GHOSTS (Vincent De Moor Original Mix)
Groove
Heaven
HYSTERIA
Hysteria 2001
i feel...
I Need You
I Was The One
IN THE NAVY '99 (XXL Disaster Remix)
Jam & Marmalade
Kakumei
Keep On Liftin'
Kind Lady
Kind Lady (interlude)
LET'S GROOVE
LONG TRAIN RUNNIN'
Love at First Sight
LOVIN' YOU (ROB SEARLE CLUB MIX)
MAXX UNLIMITED
more deep (ver.2.1)
PARANOiA (KCET CLEAN MIX)
PUT YOUR FAITH IN ME
Radical Faith
rain of sorrow
Secret Rendez-vous
Silent Hill
SILENT HILL (3rd christmas mix)
SO DEEP (PERFECT SPHERE REMIX)
SP-TRIP MACHINE (JUNGLE MIX)
Spin the Disc
STILL IN MY HEART
SUPER STAR
SUPER STAR (FROM NONSTOP MEGAMIX)
Take Me Away (Into the Night) (radio vocal)
The Shining Polaris
THE WHISTLE SONG (Blow My Whistle Bitch)
think ya better D
Tomorrow Perfume
Try 2 Luv. U
TSUGARU
TWILIGHT ZONE (R-C Extended Club MIX)
VANITY ANGEL
Will I?
Xenon
Unlock system is same as DDRMAX PS2's system except not as long and frustrating.
KONAMI'S MISTAKES:
1) Re-released songs. Some of them shouldn't have been released at the time. Put Your Faith In Me, and Groove should have been re-released in other games... they should have put Groove with Groove 2001 in DDRMAX and close that pair, and waited till SuperNova to re-release Put Your Faith In Me AND it's Jazzy Groove partner so that it could be together with the Saturday Night Mix, resulting in a complete trio. Also they should have stuck Can't Stop Fallin' In Love in Extreme home version with its counterpart Speed Mix. Same with Afronova... stick it with the other two Afronova's in Extreme 2. And last but not least... PARANOiA KCET. As much as I LOVE the remix of PARANOiA, it shouldn't have came back in DDRMAX 2. What SHOULD have appeared was PARANOiA ETERNAL. Speaking of which, and this belongs on the list of "Why the f#@k did Konami do this?", PARANOiA Eternal appeared on 5th mix and had semi-easy and semi-hard steps for it. WHY did they give it a whole new stepchart with freeze arrows? In fact thats not the only song that got redone step-wise. Morning Mix of Cutie Chaser, and i heard R3's DOUBLE stepchart got redone as well.
2) Songs that should NOT have been released AT ALL! Get Down Tonight, Forever Sunshine... GAY! I'm letting In The Navy slide cause its by Captain Jack, and he is cool, so whatever.
3) Another item on the list of "Why the f#@k did Konami do this?"... In Europe's Dancing Stage (I forget which one) AND in the Ultramix 2's Online purchaseable song pack, Kind Lady (Interlude), and Hysteria 2001 have light, standard, and heavy stepcharts. DDRMAX 2 has CHALLENGE ONLY for those songs. Defenitely raises an eyebrow... or two.
INTERESTING FACTS
DDRMAX 2 gave us Vanity Angel and Xenon, which didnt make an arcade apearence till Extreme (8th Mix), just like the other two songs from DDRMAX. At least Konami still gives us goodies. DDRMAX 2 is also the game where MUSIC VIDEOS made their appearence too... a nice break-away from the traditional Konami-made animated backgrounds and videos. And lastly, DARK, a new MOD, is born. Those white judgement arrows dissapear when you select that option. Best used for advance players (like me ^_^) | 
