DDR Bracket 01 - Public Review

[PlatinumHawke]

Stepping in for BlueSS and Neko...

Originally Posted by BLueSS

THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR PUBLIC REVIEW!
..no matter how many times it's stated... :sigh:

All General Chat/Comments go in the other thread.

Please try and review as many files as you can. The more complete, the chances are your PR will be accepted.

This is how the public review works: *Changed a bit from last time*
Total Points Per Song /10
-Steps /6 - This is the same number the judges work with. Please try to play more than one chart if you can.
-Everything Else /4

The public reviews for each song will be averaged, and then multiplied by 4 to create the /40 of the /100 total points for each song in this round.

Any review can be thrown out by staff if deemed inadequate, irrational, or disrespectful. (Look at the KB ones for an example).

[jesterline]

I'm only going to review heavy steps because I can't find a way to review all 4 or 5 charts with only 6 points... Sorry if I seem strict, don't take it personally. I thought it was pretty hard to judge with so little points. I'm not complaining at all, it's a fine system, it's just that with more points there would be a smaller difference of scores, if you know what I'm saying...

If I made any mistakes, just PM me or say so in the discussion thread.

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Jem - 24

Steps: 4.5/6
Some eighth note streams seemed a little weird. They didn't really fit. It wasn't anything big, and this is still a pretty good chart.

Everything Else: 3.5/4
The graphics were a little weird, but good enough. Interesting song choice, too. I didn't really like the song but I thought it was a neat choice for DDR so I had no problem.

TOTAL: 8/10

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Sonic Mayhem - Action Radius

Steps: 1.5/6
These are kind of dumbly hard. Some rhythms seemed off too. I didn't really enjoy these.

Everything Else: 2.5/4
I didn't really like the graphics, they were pretty boring. I didn't really like the song either, it isn't really something to dance to or anything.

TOTAL: 4/10

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Bakatono-Sama to Minimoni-hime - Ai~n! Dance no Uta

Steps: 5/6
I really liked this! I felt the end was a little over the top, though. I loved everything else about this, though. Good job!

Everything Else: 4/4
Nice video! I thought it was very funny. The graphics look a little stretched, and a little dirty if you understand what I mean, but they were good otherwise!

TOTAL: 9/10

I absolutely loved it!

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Breaking Benjamin - Blow Me Away
Steps: 2/6
Some parts were too hard and some parts were a little weird. Creative though.

Everything Else: 1/4
Those graphics are really ugly. I think the BPM should be half of what you had it, too. It also went on for too long.

TOTAL: 3/10

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Asletics - Disco Dog

Steps: 3/6
These honestly were really too hard. I felt the song good use something just more laid back and "groovy" if that makes any sense. It just seemed to follow most of the noises you heard when you had the change to be quite creative.

Everything Else: 2/4
The graphics are a little dumb. Well, a lot dumb. It's all on sync and otherwise it's all good.

TOTAL: 5/10

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Alvin - Domino

Steps: 3/6
The BPM gimmicks really ruined this, but I'm going to take those points off from everything else. This was kind of generic and you could have done much more with it, in my opinion.

Everything Else: 2/4
The BPM gimmicks were AWFUL. Keep it the same, the BPM doesn't change at all! I did like the BG animations, though. They fit the song really well! The graphics weren't bad either.

TOTAL: 5/10

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O-Zone - Dragostea Din Tei

Steps: 1.5/6
I'm sorry, but these are so boring. It's not because they're easy, though. It seems like you followed the vocals (and kind of weirdly, at that) and added some random jumps.

Everything Else:2/4
I absolutely hated the graphics. Please keep that kid out of your graphics.

TOTAL: 3.5/10

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Alvin - Dream Of You

Steps: 2/6
I was really disappointed with this. After the intro there is only one quarter note that isn't included in a stream that isn't a jump. The steps during the synth were stupidly hard. I had no clue what it was following, really. The whole chart on the whole seemed pretty uncreative, too.

Everything Else: 3/4
The banner was good, but I didn't like the background at all. The lyric file was a nice touch.

TOTAL: 5/10

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Hinoi - Emoticons

Steps: 5/6
I really liked these! There were some weird spins but I didn't think they did any bad, to be honest. This is just very fun!

Everything Else: 4/4
Nice graphics, nice everything! Very good file.

TOTAL: 9/10

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Orkybash - Geno's Woods

Steps: 1.5/6
How boring... it just followed obvious rhythms the whole time, mainly.

Everything Else: 2/4
Well it's on sync and has good enough graphics... but how am I supposed to dance to this song?

TOTAL: 3.5/10

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Scott Brown - Go Berzerk

Steps: 3/6
I think it was pretty repetitive, and the jumps were a bit ridiculous.

Everything Else: 1/4
It was on sync... but those graphics and that mp3 quality...

TOTAL: 4/10

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Gunther - Golddiggers

Steps: 4.5/6
Some streams were a little weird, but not bad. I don't understand that one sixteenth note during the "la la la" part, either. And the end could have been just slightly easier, in my opinion. Still a very nice chart!

Everything Else: 4/4
Nothing wrong here!

TOTAL: 8.5/10

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Yui Horie - Hikari Inukama

Steps: 2.5/6
I didn't like the sixteenth notes for the most part... The streams were weird. This file was kind of weird. It just seemed rather "messy".

Everything Else: 2/4
The graphics weren't good, on sync and everything though. You should have at least put a samplestart.

TOTAL: 4.5/10

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LRXE - Kagekiha

Steps: 2/6
Some weird parts where I wasn't sure what it was supposed to be following. Awful double stepping too.

Everything Else: 4/4
Off sync, but it was a gap issue and I don't think it's your fault. I really liked the video, and it's a nice song choice. It sounds like those Re-Venge songs.

TOTAL: 6/10

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Key - Last Regrets (Xmas Dance Mix)

Steps: 3/6
Some weird parts, I didn't like that long freeze. I don't really know what to say, it was kind of generic and strange.

Everything Else: 3/4
I didn't really like the background at all. The text didn't look very nice.

TOTAL: 6/10

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Prezioso feat. Martin - Let Me Stay

Steps: 3.5/6
Some streams seemed weird, I guess. There were a lot of different things you could have done that would have made more sense but it was still good.

Everything Else: 3.5/4
I didn't like the background but it looked okay enough.

TOTAL: 7/10

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Celine Dion - One Heart

Steps: 5/6
These were very nice! I just wish sometimes that it would follow the vocals less, but it wasn't a big deal in this case. Good job!

Everything Else: 3/4
The graphics seemed just a little rough, and the song seemed a little long. No big deal, not very extreme is both cases.

TOTAL: 8/10

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Terra Underground - Parasite World

Steps: 0/6
Ummm... you forgot to finish them...

Everything Else: 1/4
Awful graphics... you deserve another point off for not finishing your file.

TOTAL: 1/10

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DJ Miko - Radio Star

I made this!

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S.S.H. - Ragnarok Online Temp It Up

Steps: 2/6
Sometimes dumbly hard, some weird freeze problems, overall not very good. Sorry.

Everything Else: 1/4
The graphics aren't good to be honest. The graphics don't match the name of the song on the songwheel, which I thought was weird.

TOTAL: 3/10

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Diclonius Kid - Rock Steady

Steps: 4.5/6
These were a little repetitive. They were enjoyable enough, but nothing really stood out about them to be honest. I think the song choice really limited how enjoyable these steps are.

Everything Else: 3/4
I'm not liking the BPM gimmicks at all. Nice graphics and everything, though. Also, the challenge chart is dumbly hard, this isn't ITG. (This didn't really effect your grade, though, because I'm not judging challenge charts...)

TOTAL: 7.5/10

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DM Ashura - 7

Steps: 2/6
They're extremely double steppy, and that sixteenth note orgy was really weird, and included double steps.

Everything Else: 2/4
I don't like the graphics. Why don't the graphics match the text on the song wheel? I don't think this was really changed at all for OSC, either...

TOTAL: 4/10

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Good-Cool - Shake It Down

Steps: 5/6
The verses could have had something more creative... but it really didn't matter that much. This is very enjoyable and I really like it!

Everything Else: 4/4
I really like the BG videos! They fit nicely. Great song, the graphics are nice, just an overall very enjoyable file!

TOTAL: 9/10

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Jun Ishikawa/Dan Miyakawa - The Great Blue Sky and the Stars Above

Steps: 2/6
They really just followed the obvious rhythm the whole time, absolutely no creativity.

Everything Else: 1/4
The graphics are kind of ugly... the song does not fit at all...

TOTAL: 3/10

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Benjamin Diamond - These Emotions

Steps: 2.5/6
There were some awkward rhythms... I think the part at the slowdown was pretty bad, you could have cut that part out easily because you can't really dance to it...

Everything Else: 2/4
The graphics aren't good, they feel pretty cheap. It also seemed to go on for quite a long time.

TOTAL: 4.5/10

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Lia - Tori No Uta

Steps: 3.5/6
I felt it was a tad uncreative, and I didn't understand some sixteenths, but it was still quite solid!

Everything Else: 4/4
I don't see any problems! Nice graphics, nice song, nice video, whatever.

7.5/10

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A Teens - Under The Sea

Steps: 1.5/6
It follows the vocals mainly the whole time, and you messed up the rhythms a bit. It was weird with double stepping...

Everything Else: 3/4
I don't really like the banner, the BG is good.

TOTAL: 4.5/10

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Deja Vu feat. Tasmin - You Raise Me Up

Steps: 5/6
Some parts could have been more creative, but I felt these steps were really simple and just really nice. Very good!

Everything Else: 4/4
Nothing wrong. The graphics are AMAZING, the best of the bracket I'd say. I loved your song choice.

TOTAL: 9/10

[Xythar]

Okay, here we go. Steps is my rating for heavy only (sorry).

I wonder if my scores are going to have to be normalised down. I handed out a lot of 9+s but then I felt there were a lot of good files in this pack and I don't believe in taking points off for steps that have nothing wrong with them, so...

(watch as I go and put myself at a disadvantage by giving high ratings to my competitors, heh)

24

Steps: 5/6 I can see why the 32nds are used and what they match, but I'm not positive they fit too well in the context of a 7 foot song. Other than that, no problems.

Everything Else: 3.5/4 I suppose the song sort of works, but it's awfully gloomy >_> And the graphics seem to suggest that it has something to do with the TV show, when it doesn't really. They're fine, tho.

8.5/10 Decent entry, good way to start!

ACTION RADIUS

Steps: 4/6 It's kind of just the same rhythm over and over again, but I'd be a hypocrite if I complained too much about that. You probably still could have mixed things up slightly more, tho, especially in this song's case. Steps are also a bit double-steppy and have a couple of short freezes.

Everything Else: 2.5/4 Not really what I'd expect to see in a DDR song, but it's okay. Graphics are also fairly standard. This definitely should not be rated 10, it's a 9 at best.

6.5/10 It's alright.

AI~N! DANCE NO UTA

Steps: 5.75/6 Yikes, that really throws you right into it. The start caught me off guard the first time There's also this part later on where the arrows start on the right when I don't expect them to, which is a bit confusing, but overall, this is pretty awesome!

Everything Else: 4/4 Hello! Project, the full array of extras, detailed readme, how can I refuse?

9.75/10 Yeah I kind of saw this coming. Now to try and FC it

BLOW ME AWAY

Steps: 3.5/6 Needs more freeze arrows and 16ths at nearly 200 bpm! I mean less. >_> Really, I think this is much more deserving of a 10 than Action Radius is thanks to those 16ths. The early few aren't as bad but the crossover ones are pretty ridiculous. Also, these were very double steppy for me, particularly early on, although to a certain point that's just forced by the freeze arrows anyway. Also, 8ths during a freeze arrow at this speed are not cool, even if (or especially if!) they're on the same arrow. There are also a few short freezes.

Everything Else: 3/4 The graphics could be better, I think. The text is a bit small and distorted and it's kind of fuzzy on the background. Props for the slowdown effect during the song, tho, that was well done.

6.5/10 Needs a little more work, particularly in knowing what is and isn't reasonable at nearly 200 bpm. Crossover 16th stream really isn't, especially for a 9.

DISCO DOG

Steps: 5.5/6 Pretty good, although I couldn't work out what a lot of the 16ths were going to. Personally I think this would be better served by being easier, but that's mostly a matter of taste I guess. Still, like I said, some of the 16th usage did confuse me because while I could hear some in the song, the steps seemed to use more than I could hear. Eh, no big deal. I liked the use of steps and then later jumps on the same arrow, that fit well with the music.

Everything Else: 3/4 Haha, I got a kick out of this background because the background photo is the exact same one I used for my first simfile XD Replace the cartoon nun with some guy in a dog suit and change the text and you have this BG. So yeah, the song choice was good, graphics were okay.

edit: I noticed on going back to play the files again that you wrote "Aseletics" in the artist field of the SM file... eh, no big deal really.

8.5/10 A pretty good file, as I'd expect.

DOMINO

Steps: 5/6 OK, well this part is supposed to just be about steps, so I am not going to comment on your BPM stunt quite yet. The steps were pretty standard, I thought - I didn't really like how you used 16ths at a quiet bit at the start and then barely any after that, tho. It just doesn't keep the difficulty consistent with the rest of the song or how it sounds, basically. And note that I am not saying you should have used more 16ths later on, the 8ths were fine thanks >_> Anyway, I can't work out if this file has any double stepping or if it's just spins, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Didn't like the 8ths during a freeze, tho.

Everything Else: 1/4 Yeah, so the first time I played I assumed the max BPM was just due to speeding up on a freeze or something and that you didn't know how to use the #DISPLAYBPM tag, so I played on 3x. Whoops! Um... In short, don't do that. There was no reason to double the BPM in that part and even if there was you shouldn't have done it because while it's generally not too hard to read a half BPM section at a standard speed mod, reading a double BPM section is practically impossible without reducing your speed mod and having to read the REST of the file at a lower-than-optimal speed. That's the problem with BPM doubling and why you should never do it ever barring certain extremely special circumstances. The song choice, graphics and videos were all good but I am heavily penalising your score here because I hate BPM doubling so much.

6/10 Please don't ever double the BPM like that again.

DRAGOSTEA DIN TEI

Steps: 5.5/6 Heh, 20 perfects AAA on a sightread... If anything however I think these were *too* easy. I feel like the steps had too many gaps in them, especially early on which mostly just served to harm the flow a bit. I think there were a few doublesteps too, but at this speed I didn't mind as much.

Everything Else: 2.5/4 Okay graphics, and while this song works pretty well in DDR, that's what everyone else thinks too :P It's a little overplayed by this point, I think, and you could have come up with something more original IMO.

8/10 Decent enough steps I guess, but I'm kind of sick of hearing this song now >_>

DREAM OF YOU

Steps: 6/6 Now here is how you step eurobeat! 16ths during the main hook, 8th runs and 4th jumps elsewhere. No double steps that I could see, no flow problems, awesome steps all round!

Everything Else: 4/4 Good choice of song, good graphics, lyrics file, decent readme, it's all here.

10/10 This also fails to surprise me :P

EMOTICONS

Steps: 5.75/6 Wow, two great Eurobeat files in a row! I thought the split up crossovers felt a little awkward at times (although I think I've been guilty of the same in the past, heh), but there are no major problems with this. Nice work!

Everything Else: 3.75/4 Good song choice (one of the better Hinoi Team songs I've heard, probably because that Korikki guy is nowhere near it), good graphics, but it lacked in extras (no lyric file, video or doubles steps) - if it had one of those I'd give it the full 4. But still quite a nice file!

9.5/10 Another quality Eurobeat entry.

GENO'S WOODS

Steps: 4/6 Not too bad. I liked the start in particular, then it sort of alternated between freezes that were too slow for my liking and 16th streams that were too long for my liking. The stream in the middle didn't feel very imaginative since you just repeated the same sequence over and over a few times and it was a bit too right-facing as well. The step placement also felt a bit awkward near the end. But it was decent.

Everything Else: 3/4 Nice graphics with the watercolour painting effect and excellent font usage. The song brings back memories of TM4 for me, but I don't really think it's suited to DDR. Calming, but not much of a beat or variation to it really.

7/10 Fairly good steps somewhat hampered by repetition and song choice.

GO BERZERK

Steps: 5/6 I guess I should commend you for not going 16th crazy with these :P I probably would have. There's a few too many jackhammers or whatever they're called in DDR for my liking, one of the stepjumps (the first, I think) is inconsistent in difficulty with the rest because it doesn't share an arrow with the preceding step and a few of the steps feel a little awkward but this is pretty good.

Everything Else: 3.5/4 Decent enough song choice and alright graphics (although they're a bit weird). Song drags on a little long for DDR, especially when it's nearly all stream like that.

8.5/10 A pretty good effort.

GOLDDIGGERS

Steps: 6/6 18 perfects I have no problem with these, good use of stream and 16ths. Well made all round!

Everything Else: 3.75/4 Heh, when I saw the BG I thought "Hm, random wine glass... this reminds me of Want To Do Tonight from TM6" and then I checked the readme and you did that song XD
I think it fits the song pretty well, however, especially with the gold tint and the filter you used. Excellent song choice but again, no extras (e.g. lyrics file)...

9.75/10 You've really improved lately, keep it up!

HIKARI

Man, it's like Wish at 1.5x music. It even does that "foot descends, toes touch water and then foot rises again" thing that Wish did in the video. Anime is getting unoriginal, or something. >_>

Steps: 3.75/6 Unnecessarily full of 16ths, I think. If you must have bursts of 4-5 16ths you should put them in simpler patterns rather than full-on LDUR because otherwise they just don't fit with the rest of the song. It's also either full of double steps or way too heavy on the spins (I suspect both) and just generally feels too difficult and awkward.

Everything Else: 2/4 Graphics are alright, but they're JPGs when the rules state they should be PNGs. Song choice is okay, provided video was nice. However, the anime the song is from should be in your CD title, not in your banner & subtitle. It makes it a bit confusing to work out what the name of the song is meant to be, otherwise.

5.75/10 It feels too much like a novice file all round, with the overuse of 16ths, awkward steps and lack of adherence to standards in terms of the presentation. I'm sure you'll get better, tho.

[Xythar]

20K POST SIZE LIMIT

KAGEKIHA

Steps: 5/6 You made me go load up Tsugaru to see if it actually uses 32nds as well so thanks a lot >_> And it does, so I can't complain too much about them here, but they feel kind of pointless because you can just hit them as a jump and get perfects. You wouldn't think you'd be able to copy a DDR song's step style pretty closely and yet be really weird and unconventional, and yet you managed to :P Also, I don't know how PH managed to not double step during this, I'm having a hell of a hard time with that.

Everything Else: 3.75/4 I didn't know lrxevan made music! This is pretty cool, and the graphics are great as well. The artist name is a little tricky to make out but I understand the effect you were going for. Nice videos too, although the one from Horizon looks a little out of place with the rest. That one stop really pisses me off, tho.

8.25/10 I sort of get the feeling this whole file is too complex for my puny brain to handle.

UPDATE! I increased the step score by 0.25 points because PH posted a large and detailed image. Fine, so there's less double stepping than I thought, but I still don't personally enjoy the level of turning you have to do in order to not double step on this chart, hence the score not being higher than that.

LAST REGRETS (XMAS DANCE MIX)

Steps: 5.5/6 Pretty good! A bit heavier on the freezes that I'd like, but they flow pretty well. I especially liked the bit near the end with the jumps. There were a few parts where it looked like you would have wanted to use ITG rolls but since this is the DDR division you just used freezes instead, heh.

Everything Else: 3.25/4 Fairly good graphics and decent song choice. A little light on the extras and readme, tho. Also, steps during the fadeout are probably best avoided.

8.75/10 Pretty solid and fun, if not the best of the best.

LET ME STAY

Steps: 5.5/6 I still think you could have followed the synth a little closer at the start and end, but I liked the placement of the jumps. Just not the long stream towards the end of the intro. The middle was fine, no problems with it, although the step-jumps are pretty hard in the context of a 7. Nonetheless, it's quite good, and I felt the outro worked better than the intro in terms of steps.

Everything Else: 3.75/4 Good song choice, pretty good graphics (as I've said, I like how the text looks) although the BN is practically the same exact image as the BG, heh. Could use a lyrics file or something, tho >_> Also, BGsux.jpg needs that speech bubble! XD

9.25/10 Fun stuff!

ONE HEART

Steps: 5.25/6 These steps walk the line between too karaoke and not, but I think in this case they work pretty well, although I didn't really understand why the song got harder at the quiet bit. I like how you weren't afraid to make this easy, although with some of the long streams (particularly during the aforementioned quiet bit) and forced freeze spins it's debatable as to whether this is really a 6 or more like a 7 (although I admit to also doing the latter in a 6 - SPARK!, specifically)

Everything Else: 3.75/4 This song actually almost works for DDR, since it has a beat to it. Decent graphics too, and lyrics file!

9/10 I like this a lot better than your ITG entry. Well done!

PARASITE WORLD

Steps: 3/6 I liked some of the 16th usage but not other parts - mostly the bit earlier on where it was a paired gallop back and forth that matched the music. The other gallops (that went around the pad) felt a bit arbitrary by comparison. Good jump use, tho. Um, it's a shame you didn't finish the last third or so of your steps, however, so I can only rate what you've done out of 4.

Everything Else: 2/4 I suppose the song choice works well enough, but the graphics are a bit lacking, and much like the guy who made Xepher in OSC4 you need to learn how to compress a video so you can include it as opposed to just saying "download this video from the media shop and drop it in the folder, thanks". Also, it's usually customary to finish your heavy steps >_>

5/10 This probably would've been good if it hadn't been regrettably torpedoed by an acute case of Over Drive Standard Syndrome. But how do you not notice that when it's on heavy?

RADIO STAR

Steps: 6/6 I love these steps - they're simple but they work so well. The right amount of stream, good use of 16th arrows to match the melody, fun crossovers, etc.

Everything Else: 3.75/4 Great song choice, nice graphics, and lyric file! It seems to be missing a line or two, tho...

9.75/10 This has to be the best first file ever.

RAGNAROK ONLINE TEMP IT UP

Steps: 4.75/6 It might be the song's fault, but these were pretty repetitive and uninteresting for me. Technically sound, but on my first play I was wondering just how much longer it was until it was over. Also, I think freeze arrows were a little overused, but at least you didn't try and put 8ths during them or something.

Everything Else: 2.75/4 Decent graphics except your song name as specified in the SM doesn't seem to match the song name in the graphics. The song isn't that great for DDR I don't think as it's so repetitive, and your cut was a little long especially given that.

7.5/10 I wouldn't say there are any major problems with the steps, but at the same time I wouldn't really play this again.

ROCK STEADY

Steps: 6/6 There's really nothing wrong with this that I can see. The steps are placed well and match obvious elements in the music, and you were nicely light on the 8th stream.

Everything Else: 3.5/4 Good graphics, but no extras really and the speedup on that last arrow broke my full combo > Given the song and challenge chart I should ask why you didn't switch this with A New Ray of Light but I'm pretty sure you considered this already and everyone else is going to ask the same thing and I'll just save my breath. :P

9.5/10 Another file that basically meets expectations.

SEVEN

So is this meant to be like GO with 7 beats per measure...? Guess not

Steps: 3/6 I wasn't a huge fan of these. The 8th stream at the start seems pretty arbitrarily placed, like Lisek you spin too much, and there's a lot of doublesteps in general. There are a lot of parts which feel copy/pasted due to having the same step pattern over and over and it doesn't do a lot for facing in one direction too much either. And the difficulty was wildly inconsistent - you go from really slow steps following the piano to the OMGWTF GIANT 16TH RUN in the middle and then back to really slow steps again. It's like the file can't decide whether it wants to be a 8, 6 or 10 and it averages out to 9 somehow. Also, that one 16th double-hit on one arrow early on felt sloppy.

Graphics: 2.25/4 The graphics were okay, but not really that pleasing to the eye and I didn't really get what they had to do with anything. The song, despite being by DM Ashura, was a bit subdued and repetitive for me, and the readme was only the absolute bare minimum of content.

5.25/10 This one just feels very amateurish, although the song choice might not help. Don't hesitate to try again after you've had some more experience, tho.

SHAKE IT DOWN

Yeah, this is my file, so no review. :P

THE GREAT BLUE SKY AND THE STARS ABOVE

Steps: 3.5/6 It's well synced, but it's not very fun. There's too much empty space (including time spent holding freezes) that contrasts too heavily with your faster steps, like the 16th gallops and runs. Unless you fill in that space with some more steps, it just kills any flow your simfile might have had. I thought it improved a bit towards the end with the 8th streams but those were a bit double-steppy, too. Try and be a bit more creative next time and fill in the gaps a bit better.

Graphics: 1.75/4 The graphics were basically just images with MS Paint text added, and this song just does not make for good DDR in any way, considering it's just background music. It's also a bit lacking in extras or any kind of detail in the readme.

5.25/10 You can follow the music exactly, but that's not what making good DDR steps is about. Following the music is secondary to making steps that flow well and are fun to play on feet (as opposed to keyboard files that can follow the music exactly because that's what people expect, although I think this song is also too simplistic for a good KB file). Your song choice certainly did you no favours, but you need to work on making interesting steps as well.

THESE EMOTIONS

Steps: 3.25/6 Aurgh, freeze arrow abuse! Way too many freeze arrows here and most of them seem to go to nothing at all, not to mention more short freezes than anything else I've seen so far in this bracket. The steps follow the music too closely to the point of awkwardness and weren't really a lot of fun to play.

Everything Else: 2.25/4 Not the best choice of song in my opinion, but better than some of the others in this bracket. Banner was alright, but the BG looked like you just took the album cover and resized it (possibly adding "These Emotions", I'm not sure, it's not really prominent enough either way). Pretty minimal readme, but at least it includes a lyrics file, I guess. However, it is entirely too long and you should have ended at the L+R freeze instead of having steps during the fadeout.

5.5/10 Another file that suffers from trying to follow the music too closely. I'd say to play more of the official or high-ranking files and see how they handle things instead.

TORI NO UTA

Steps: 5.5/6 Pretty good! I would've started them about a measure later and I wasn't sure what a few of the 16ths were going to, but overall these used jumps and freezes well and had well thought out placement of stream and some fun crossovers. I thought the end was fine too, not too excessive or anything. Well made all round.

Everything Else: 4/4 Nice graphics, and the song choice is technically from a Bemani artist That was a cool trick with the video, I thought for a moment you hadn't included one. Great transition from BG to video, too.

9.5/10 This is how to do an anime file.

UNDER THE SEA

Haha, was there something in particular they made this for? XD

Steps: 5/6 Not bad. There were a few gaps which I thought were overly large due to following the music perhaps a little too closely (which also led to maybe a few too many yellow arrows) but overall, it was pretty fun.

Everything Else: 3.5/4 Great graphics and fun song choice. It could use a lyrics file or more detailed readme, tho.

8.5/10 This is a pretty good entry, I had fun with it.

YOU RAISE ME UP

Steps: 5.5/6 I wasn't that fond of some of the freezes or freeze jumps, but on the whole this was good. 16 perfects makes it the new sync winner or something, I dunno. :P

Everything Else: 3.75/4 Good song choice, great graphics, but it's relatively light on extras (like a lyrics file).

9.25/10 There's nothing much wrong with this entry, although it's not one of my absolute favourites in the bracket. Feels pretty authentic in any case.

[Rob00996]

All the reviews will be based off of Heavy and Challenge steps. I will also review from Z to A. I will bring back a another Extra point if you have a video or a Half of a point if you add lyrics.



YOU RAISE ME UP

Heavy 5/6

I love these steps alot. They were very creative and well synced also. My only problem is the jump freezes (especially the one at the very beginning).

Extra 4/4

Pretty good banner and background. Also, I this is a really good song choice.

Overall 9/10

Really good song for me to start public reviewing. This could possibly be one of my top picks.


UNDER THE SEA

Hard 4/6

These steps are pretty good. It followed the vocals a little too much at certain parts and the last couple of steps could have used a little more variety.

Extra 3.5/4

And I thought the A-teens only remade ABBA songs. I don't really like the song that much. The banner and background are pretty good though.

Overall 7/10

Pretty good simfile. Had some fun steps but it's not one of my favorites.


TORI NO UTA

Heavy 5.5/6

This had some really fun steps. What I didn't like the 16th notes in the middle of the song which you could have left out.

Extra 4/4

I love the song choice. The banner was good and the background was allright. I also like the video.

Overall 9.5/10

This is one of my favorite simfiles so far in bracket 1. I will have lots playing this sim over and over again.


THESE EMOTIONS

Heavy 3/6

These was an excessive amount of freezes in the song. And theres was a little bit of double stepping also. I think this should have been a 8 instead of a 7 footer.

Extra 3/4

The banner was good. The background looks like a cover from the cd. The song choice was good but it was a tad long.

Overall 6/10

This simfile is alright. it could have been a little better


THE GREAT BLUE SKY AND THE STARS ABOVE

Heavy 2.5/6

The steps were starting off really good with some good gallops and then it starts going downhill with some repetitive steps, double stepping, and and an off sync 8th note stream in the middle of the song.

Extra 1.5/4

The background and banner were a little bit on the ugly side, but they do fit the song I guess. The song choice is really good (who doesn't like the music from Kirby?) but the instant cut off at the end was pretty badly made.

Overall 4/10

A dissapointing simfile. It could have been better with a few improvements stepwise and making the banner and background a bit nicer.


SHAKE IT DOWN

Heavy 5.5/6

Really good steps. It had a small part of double stepping but it was really good.

Extra 4/4

The background and banner were pretty good and I liked the fact that you added lyrics to your simfile.

Overall 9.5/10

Another one of my favorites in the bracket. I will be playing this alot also.


SEVEN

Heavy 4/6

I liked the steps in this simfile a little bit. But there were some things you shouldn't have done in the simfile. There was quite a bit of double stepping and the 16th note streams (which also had double stepping) didn't work out very well.

Extra 4/4

Good song choice and a nice looking Background and banner. Nothing I see wrong here.

Overall 8/10

Not a bad simfile, but it could have been a little better.


Rock Steady

Heavy 3/3

These steps are good. I don't really see anything wrong.

Challenge 1.5/3

The steps are too hard than DDR standards. The steps themselves were quite fun and had some good steps. These should have been placed in Edit instead of Challenge mode.

Extra 3.5/4

The background and banner is quite nice. The song is a bit on the annoying side though. I do love the bpm changes at the beginning and the end of the song.

Overall 8/10

Really good steps, challenge mode ruined it for you. I still enjoy this simfile and I will play it quite a bit.


RAGNAROK ONLINE TEMP IT UP

Hard 3/6

I didn't really enjoy these steps alot. There was some double stepping freezes and a bunch of other normal double stepping.

Extra 3.5/4

Good background and banner, but the song felt like it dragged on for far too long. I didn't really like the song that much either.

Overall 6.5/10

It is better than some of the other simfiles. But I don't like this simfile alot.


RADIO STAR

Heavy 6/6

My favorite steps so far in the bracket. It was simple, but it was just so much fun.
I see nothing wrong with this simfile.

Extra 4/4

Good background and banner. Good song choice. The whole thing feels like a DDR song.

Overall 10/10

My favorite simfile in the bracket so far.


PARASITE WORLD

Heavy 1.5/6

The steps were a little fun. There were a few off beat steps but it could have been worse. I have to take off 3 points for not finishing your file though.

Extra 1/4

The background and banner were really ugly. You could have made the song a little louder also.

Overall 2.5/10

This could have been a 5.5 (maybe even higher if you finished your steps to this.) I won't be playing this again.


ONE HEART

Heavy 4/6

The steps were kind of fun. You could have done much more in the chorus of the song instead of the turning freezes. During the slow guitar part, the 8th note stream that you put didn't really go well since that was the 2nd hardest part of the song.

Extra 4/4

Nice background and banner. The song choice is a good one as well. Nothing wrong here.

Overall 8/10

A pretty solid simfile. I really enjoy this simfile alot.


LET ME STAY

Heavy 5.5/6

I loved these step. Nothing wrong that I can see except for some step jumping that insn't really apropriate for a 7 footer.

Extra 4/4

Good background and banner. I like the song choice also.

Overall 9.5/10

Another one of my favorite simfiles in the bracket.


KAGEHIKA

Heavy 3/6

The steps kind of remind me of Tsugaru, but it's not as good as Tsugaru. I didn't really like the steps, which had some 32nd notes which could have been changed to 16th notes or jumps and some double stepping.

Extra 4/4

Nicely made background and banner. I like the videos you put in the file.

Overall 7/10

This could have been alot worse, but it's not really a simfile I'll be playing very often.


HIKARI

Heavy 2.5/6

I don't like these steps. There was an excesive amount of double stepping. The 16th notes at certain parts weren't really apropriate either.

Extra 4/4

The background and banner were okay. The fact that you added a video saved you from getting a 3 out of 4.

Overall 6.5/10

This feels more like one of those generic anime simfiles you find in the database of bemanistyle than a song fit for DDR.


GOLDDIGGERS

Heavy 6/6

Nothing wrong here.

Extra 3/4

Whats with the wine glass in the background and banner? It doesn't fit the song. I don't really like the song choice either.

Overall 9/10

A great simfile with flawless steps as well.


GO BERSERK

Heavy 1.5/3

There steps were allright. The parts with the 8th note jump step jump part seems quite painful for a song with this fast a bpm and long.

Challenge 1.5/3

This is about the same as the heavy mode steps, except they're harder (obviously). These steps are pretty average, but these are the best 10 footer steps I have played in OSC in my opinion.

Extra 2/4

The background and banner are okay. I hate the song choice though.

Overall 5/10

Definitely not one of my favorite simfiles in the DDR division.


GENO'S WOODS

Heavy 2.5/6

First of all, this should be a 9 footer. The steps were really repetitive and had some freeze parts that could have been substituted for more unique steps.

Extra 4/4

Background and banner look quite nice. I love this song choice also, but I would have preferred the original Super Mario RPG version instead.

Overall 6.5/10

Well, it could have been worse. Not one of my favorite sims either.


EMOTICONS

Heavy 5.5/6

I enjoyed these steps alot. The only problem was the double stepping near the end of the first chorus.

Extra 4/4

Really Nice Artwork in the background and banner. Pretty good song choice also.

Overall 9.5/10

This is probably another one of my favorite simfiles in the bracket.


DREAM OF YOU

Heavy 5.5/6

Really good steps. The 16th notes near the end were a bit harsh though.

Extra 4/4

Nothing wrong here. Good song choice, banner, and background.

Overall 9.5/10

Another one of my favorites in the bracket.


DRAGOSTEA DIN TEI

Heavy 3.5/6

The steps were kind of repetitive. It was follwing the vocals most of the time and following the beat of the music rather awkwardly.

Extra 2/4

The banner is awesome. The background is okay though. This is a pretty unoriginal song choice (what with so many people already making steps to this song). One thing that bothers me is that you have an edit chart with no steps. You could have at least deleted that if you weren't going to put anything in it.

Overall 5.5/10

This isn't the worst Dragostea Din Tei simfile I have played, but it's definitely not the best one I've played.


DOMINO

Heavy 5/6

The steps were good in certain spots. There was a bit of double stepping throughout the song though. I did like the six 16th notes you used at the end of the song which fit very well.

Extra 2.5/4

The background and banner were quite nice. The song choice was good. But the BPM changes were unnecessary throughout the song. The videos you edited were pretty good. This would have been a 2 out of 4 if it weren't for the video editing.

Overall 7.5/10

These steps would have turned out pretty good if you only got rid of the BPM gimmick.


DISCO DOG

Heavy 6/6

These are my favorite steps in heavy. Good Job!

Extra 4/4

Good song choice. I love the background and the banner was pretty good.

Overall 10/10

Forget Radio Star, this is my favorite simfile in the bracket.


BLOW ME AWAY

Heavy 1/6

I don't like these steps at all. There was some unnecessary jumps and freezes throughout the song. The 16th notes were harsh in certain parts. Pretty repetitive and boring.

Extra 0/4

What does Halo have to do with Breaking Benjamin? The banner and background were ugly and inapproprite. The song choice was pretty bad also.

Overall 1/10

My least favorite simfile in the bracket without a doubt.


AI~N! DANCE NO UTA

Heavy 6/6

Nothing wrong here either. Another one of favorites.

Extra 4/4

Perfect presentation. The video is rather strange (in a funny way).

Overall 10/10

It's hard to decide between this simfile and Disco Dog which is my favorite simfile. Hmmmm, I guess I'll say both are my favorite for now.
EDIT: I made up my mind now. I'll choose this as my favorite since you had a video.


ACTION RADIUS

Heavy 2/6

I don't like these steps very much. It felt like a really repetitive version of Night In Motion. The double freezes at the end were unnecessary and really boring and there was alot of double stepping.

Extra .5/4

The background was ugly and I disliked the song choice. The only reason your getting a .5 is because the banner was okay.

Overall 2.5/10

I've always wondered why 10 footers sucked these past few OSC's, I hope in the future there will be a good 10 footer. Oh well, maybe next OSC perhaps?


24

Heavy 4/6

The steps were allright, but the one thing that bothered me the most was the use of 32nd notes where there could have been 16th notes, even 24th notes (maybe)

Extra 4/4

The background and banner is really good. The song choice is really good also.

Overall 8/10

A pretty good simfile. It could have been alot better.


My Top 3

1st. Ai~n Dance No Uta

2nd. Disco Dog

3rd. Radio Star

[discovolante]

24-
Steps: Not bad, but a little boring. Could've been made a bit harder, with a few more steps. 4/6
Other: I like the art a lot. 4/4
Overall: 8/10 Not too bad.

Action Radius-
Steps: Not a 10. At all. This is barely a 9 except for one ITG-style jump. That and there's way too much dead space. I'll give it credit for the fact that it's accurately DDR-like. 2/6
Other: Too plain, too low quality. 2/4
Overall: 4/10 Sorry.

Ai~n! Dance no Uta-
Steps: These are fucking awesome. End of story. 6/6
Other: Only complaint was that the video was too distracting. But not distracting enough to make me give this any less than 4/4
Overall: 10/10 One of the best non-official pad simfiles ever. Seriously.

Blow Me Away-
Steps: Biggest problem here is the 16ths. They don't follow the music properly every time and many of them force the player to crossover, which is way too fast for a song that is otherwise pretty easy. The other problem I had was that during the choruses the majority of the steps were just 8th notes while there was definitely some other rhythm going on. Other than that it was alright. 3/6
Other: Halo? Huh? Not bad quality though. Song doesn't really fit DDR, but whatever. 3/4
Overall: 6/10 Steps could use some work.

Disco Dog-
Steps: Only thing I didn't like was that during the middle interlude some of the sixteenths didn't follow the music correctly. Other than that it was pretty damn fun. 5/6
Other: HAHAHA LOL SONG/ART. I like it. 4/4
Overall: 9/10 Not bad!

Domino-
Steps: VERY DDR-like. Especially when there's this big run of 16ths and the music and it's just straight 8ths that go to nothing. The steps themselves weren't bad, but that's not where I'm subtracting most of points on this... 4/6
Other: Random speed-ups and slow-downs? Worst idea ever. Seriously. The art wasn't bad, but that salvages one point for you, because those really hurt your file. 1/4
Overall: 5/10 You fucked up with the speed changes that go to nothing. It's not bad otherwise though.

Dragostea Din Tei-
Steps: SO BORING. I was falling asleep. Everything did follow the music exactly, but man, with a song this slow and sparse, nothing came out very interesting. 3/6
Other: The cut is way too short, forcing just barely 200 steps. The art is fine, if inconsistent. 2/4
Overall: 5/10 eh.

Dream of You-
Steps: Only part I didn't like was some of the syncopation at the end being off. Very good otherwise. 5/6
Other: No complaints. 4/4
Overall: 9/10 Nice work!

Emoticons-
Steps: AAAA'd this on a sightread. Normally I hate the way most DDR songs try to follow complex synth without following them accurately, but I think you did a pretty good job here. The rest was great. 6/6
Other: Very good artwork. I'd give extra points if I could. Song is cute. ^^ 4/4
Overall: 10/10 Very, very good. I love it!

Geno's Woods-
Steps: A little rhythmically jumpy for my tastes. Pretty good though. 4.5/6
Other: Could've used a livelier remix of this song (I know they're out there) to better suit the style. Background was a little wonky but not bad. 3/4
Overall: 7.5/10 Ahh nostalgia...

Go Berzerk-
Steps: Heavy- Not bad, if repetetive. 2.5/3
Challenge- I don't see what this accomplished that heavy hadn't already. That, and it was a bit too repetetive. 1.5/3
Other: I liked the art. Hated the song, but I assume that's not your fault. 4/4
Overall: 8/10 Challenge seemed unnecessary, the rest was great.

Golddiggers-
Steps: Didn't quite hear the first bit of syncopation in the music. The rest was fine, if a little dry. 4/6
Other: Art was fine if slightly low quality. 3/4
Overall: 7/10 I think it should be pointed out that this song is by Günther AND the Sunshine Girls, not just Günther. That should be fixed before this appears in the pack.

Hikari-
Steps: Didn't like the doublestepping, or rather, I didn't like that the doublestepping was inconsistent. In fact, this entire stepfile is inconsistent. Sometimes it's like it's a 9, sometimes it feels like a 7. Didn't hear where all the 16ths went. 2.5/6
Other: Art was also really inconsistent. BN does not fit with anything at all. BG is bright and happy, BG video is predominantly dark and scary. 2/4
Overall: 4.5/10 Inconsistent.

Kagehika-
Steps: 32nds are incorrect. Aside from that it was fine. 4/6
Other: So out of sync. Not only is there a gap error, but the BPM is just incorrect. While I loved the art, I have to dock points because proper syncing is much much more important. 1/4
Overall: 5/10 Bad syncing, everything else was fine.

Last Regrets-
Steps: There's a gallop that should be in the main melody. I didn't like the stream of 8ths that go to nothing after a long vocal freeze. Ok otherwise I guess. 3/6
Other: I saw that background in a hentai game. A bad hentai game. 3/4
Overall: 6/10 Mediocre

Let Me Stay-
Steps: This song is boring, and I guess you realized that because you just threw in 8th notes that don't follow the main synths to make it more interesting. It backfired, it's still pretty boring. 2/6
Other: Song is fucking obnoxious as hell, but again that's not your fault. BG was kind of boring and obvious. 2/4
Overall: 4/10 Not good.

One Heart-
Steps: Didn't like the "spins" or doublestepping, because they were freezes. Very boring. 2.5/6
Other: Cute background. 4/4
Overall: 6.5/10 Average, good art.

Parasite World-
Steps: AAAA'd these on a sightread too. Then again they're unfinished. Some of the gallops don't fit. Sucks to be you. 0/6
Other: Out of sync. Art was pretty boring too. 0/4
Overall: 0/10 I really wanted to grade something 0/10. Thanks for giving me that opportunity.

Radio Star-
Steps: Another sightread AAAA. I didn't like the verse, other than that it was good. 4/6
Other: Nice art, very DDR-like. Cut was a bit short. 3/4
Overall: 7/10

Temp it Up-
Steps: Kind of boring except for some of the sixteenths which gave the steps character. Hated the doublestepping, especially in the beginning. 3/6
Other: Art was fine. 4/4
Overall: 7/10

Rock Steady-
Steps: Heavy- Good. 3/3
Challenge- An 11? For DDR? That's kind of unorthodox. *plays* Plenty of crap here. Steps during the arbitrary speedup? Bullshit! Sixteenths that don't always go to anything? Bullshit! Inconsistency? Bullshit! If I were judging this as an ITG stepfile, which it basically is, being an 11 and all, I would not like it. It starts of very 11-like then becomes almost exactly like the heavy chart, a 9. The sixteenths are way too fast for DDR, don't need to be there. This is bad. 0/3
Other: Good art. 4/4
Overall: 7/10 Oni sucked, rest was great.

7-
Steps: Not very good. Hated all the doublestepping, especially during that long run (more on that later). Didn't like the inconsistency of the jumps during the piano part (sometimes on the drums, sometimes on arbitrary piano notes). The worst part was the long run, which does not fit with the rest of the stepchart, has doublestepping, and is way too hard for DDR, or for this to be a 9. Pretty bad. 1/6
Other: Nice art. 4/4
Overall: 5/10 Horrible steps.

Shake it Down-
Steps: Crossovers were great. Doublesteps weren't. 3/6
Other: BG was far too plain, could've used more work. 3/4
Overall: 6/10 I <3 good-cool, but not this file.

The Great Blue Sky-
Steps: Same pattern over and over again. No, not the same rhythm, I'm talking about the identical LDURLUDR patterns over and over again. No good. Last set of 12ths should've been 16ths. Fine otherwise. 3/6
Other: BG and BN are inconsistent. Out of sync towards the end. 1.5/4
Overall: 4.5/10 Eh.

These Emotions ( )-
Steps: Not very remarkable. Didn't always follow the music. Steps during the fade out. 2/6
Other: BG and BN are not alike at all. 3/4
Overall: 5/10

Tori no Uta-
Steps: Didn't always follow the music, but pretty ok otherwise. 5/6
Other: BG/BN did not match, but the video was great. No artist name in the bg as far as I could tell. LOVED the song, don't like anime much, but what is this from? 3/4
Overall: 8/10 Not bad! Better than like, the last 10. <_<

Under the Sea-
Steps: Frick awesome. Even the one doublestep encouraged alternating. Very good. 6/6
Other: BG was kind of plain but really not bad. 3.5/4
Overall: 9.5/10 Art could've used more work, because the rest was great.

You Raise Me Up-
Steps: With the exception of one part, the most DDR-like entry here. I have to give props for that. Not completely remarkable otherwise. 4.5/6
Other: Nice stuff. 4/4
Overall: 8.5/10 Not bad.

I am going to enter the DDR bracket next time, I was really really pleased with the competition here.

Stop asking about my reviews, this is getting tedious.

[lrxevan]

Rating system is 6 points for steps, 2 for graphics, 2 for technical stuff like BPM and the like. Tilt is not used most of the time, and what it is, is quite simple: say that I gave you a poor score on graphics, which brought your score down. Graphics aren't terribly important so I make up for it in the tilt score for your overall. If you have problems with that, you can just pretend the tilt score is part of the steps score. Enjoy!

EDIT: Changed sachny's score to accurately reflect it's 9/10 rating.


24
Steps: 4/6
Graphics: .5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 6.5/10

This is technically sound, if a little boring. There's nothing here that really grabs you. I would

say my biggest problem with this file is that it's not fun, which is, believe it or not, important.

Sorry, boss.

Action Radius
Steps: 3/6
Graphics: .5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 5.5/10

You definitely get points or originality, here. It's a 10, it's very DDR-like (in the sense that it

makes its own rhythm instead of following every sound made), but like 24, it just doesn't grab me.

Adding another arrow every time a new part in the song comes up doesn't make for a fun simfile, even if

it is a 10. It feels like there are just a million arrows compressed into a small space, just so you

can have your 10 rating.

Ai~n! Dance no Uta
Steps: 5.5/6
Graphics: 1/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: +.5
Overall: 9/10

The steps here are very, very well-done, as are most files done by sanchy. There are a few problems

here, however; I feel you went a little overboard in general, but mostly at the end, where the file

suddenly makes a huge jump in difficulty. This isn't IIDX.

In any event, this is one of the better files in bracket 1. Nice work. I gave you some tilt because

the graphics aren't so hot, but graphics aren't that important and I figured you deserved the point

back... I think that makes sense.

Blow Me Away
Steps: 1/6
Graphics 0/2
Tech: 1/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 2/10

This chart is double-steppy, repetetive, and unoriginal. The BPM is incorrect (Blow me Away is NOT 198

BPM). The sixteenth-notes were excessive and unncessary. Graphics have two properties: they can

either add to a great file, or subtract from a bad one. In this case, it is definitely the latter.

Please rethink your approach to steps in the future! You know how mechanics work, obviously, but there

are many things you could have done to make this simfile work. The BPM gimmick was done correctly and

works pretty well, by the way.

Disco Dog
Steps: 2.5/6
Graphics .5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 5/10

Aside from your background image being the best thing I've ever seen (but not really in a way that gets

you a high score -- it looks like an OWNED! image), this simfile is not notable. It comes from yet

another simfile author who makes primarily keyboard steps, and it shows. A lot of the transitions,

rhtyhms, and patterns prevailant in Disco Dog would not work in a dance-game enviornment. Playing this

on a pad felt uncomfortable and unnatural, which even the hardest 10s in DDR manage not to do.

Domino
Steps: 3.5/6
Graphics: 1/2
Tech: 1.5/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 6/10

Domino has ADD in the worst way. If the BPM ain't broke, don't fix'it, captain.

BPM gimmicks don't make files good. A lot of beginning simfile authors use BPM gimmicks as a way to

make their files interesting and as a way to grab attention, but I'm telling you now, it doesn't work

unless the file is also notable and interesting in other ways, which Domino isn't. The intro should

have been several seconds shorter, and the synth should have started sooner. Please continue to make

steps in the future, as you have potential, but this file just doesn't make the cut.

Dragostea Din Tei
Steps: 3/6
Graphics: .5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 5.5/10

Once a song has been stepped enough times, it's time to retire it. Dragostea Din Tei reached the

breaking point about six months ago, and the only way I would retract that statement is if someone

actually stepped it well, which they haven't yet. (You'll notice there's no space for song selection in

my reviews anywhere, so calm down.)

The steps are too simple, even for a seven-step. I apprecaite the spirit of this file, but it's

boring. You probably play ITG a lot. The vocals are followed ridiculously closely, and the jumps

included are added arbitrarily and without much thought.

Dream of You
Steps: .5/6
Graphics: 1/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 3.5/10

There is no phrasing present in this file. The file has a syndrome I have not named yet (and I hope is

not named; we have enough cute words flying around in the simfile community as-is) where it just kind

of keeps going until it ends. There are no quarter beats that are not jumps. There are no eighth-runs

that aren't bizarre turns. The stepchart is aesthetically displeasing. The synth section is nearly

nonsensical, the song is cut badly, and the graphics make poor use of beveling. There are no notable

sections, because each section is almost the same. the_ditz can do better.

Emoticons
Steps: 4/6
Graphics: 1.5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: +.5
Overall: 8/10

There is a lot to say about Emoticons. It's cute, cheery, and infectious, and I'm not just talking

about the song. There is a lot of style in this file, and it completely overshadows some of the

blemishes the file has, which include some moderately annoying double-stepping and inappropriate freeze

arrows. But it's just so damn fun, anyway.

Geno's Woods
Steps: 1/6
Graphics: 1/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: -.5
Overall: 3.5/10

Geno's Woods is similar to Disco Dog in that it seems to come from someone who does keyboard steps more

than DDR steps. It actually started out kind of okay, and then went down hill about the time the

massive freeze-jumps and sixteenth runs started. This is not an 8 step. As a matter of fact, it would

be nearly impossible to rate on the DDR scale.

This is also a poor choice for a song to step in DDR, and no, it's not because I dislike the song.

Orkybash is actually an old friend of mine, and he's quite musically gifted. This just isn't the song

for this type of medium. I've taken -.5 in tilt for that.

Go Berzerk
Steps: 2.5/6
Graphics: .5/2
Tech: 1.5/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 4.5/10

Bevels ruin good text.

In terms of steps, this starts out okay. At first my only concern was the use of the short

jackhammers, but they were used sparsely enough where it could have been the primary justification for

the song's 9 rating, but then something interesting happens when I see in simfiles a lot. We'll call

it "flailing."

Flailing occurs when a simfile author runs out of ideas and realizes he still has to somehow make the

next half of the song work, and then realizes that the second half of the song is exactly like the

first half.

Golddiggers
Steps: 3/6
Graphics: 1.5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 6.5/10

I don't hate Golddiggers, as it is somewhat obvious that the author was trying to create a good,

wholesome, classic DDR atmosphere here. I'm not sure if he/she succeeded or not. Some of the turns

present here are way too much. A wise man once said, "There is a time and place for everything, and

it's called Paranoia."

Hikari (Inukami)
Steps: 0/6
Graphics: 0/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 2/10

In order for this file to succeed it, it has to rely on a lie; people aren't sick of poorly done anime

files. There is no rhyme or reason to most of the steps here, hold for the almost completely

unnecessary 16th notes. A large percentage of the time, I was trying to find what I was dancing to,

and I couldn't.

Kagekiha
Steps: 2/6
Graphics: 1.5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 5.5/10

I'm willing to bet that this file was created on a very old computer, because I had to resync it myself

before I could start playing it. There will be no tech score penalty because gaps are relative, but

it's just something I should note to ranatalus: try to make your files on newer computers, because

people are going to be asshats about your gap and they shouldn't be.

What they perhaps SHOULD be asshats about, however, is the completely random nature of this chart. I

am, in case you guys don't know, the song's original author, and even I can't hear what is being

followed most of the time. The song, as I wrote it, relies on the strength of the beat and on the

weaknesses of the offbeats -- which are what they stepchart desperately tries to draw strength from.

This is incompatible in a pretty large way. Couple that with the large amount of

spinning/doublestepping and rather unremarkable implementation of turns, and this file just can't work.

Last Regrets
Steps: 3.5/6
Graphics .5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 6/10

This was a pleasant surprise. It's not often you play a file with a generic anime girl in the banner

that doesn't depress and disappoint you, so take that for what you will.

This file has fun, easy-going steps that aren't bad, and aren't great either. This is a good example

of a file that doesn't do anything amazingly well, and has its (rather serious, even) flaws, but

manages to still be fairly entertaining. A tip: try to avoid large amounts of activity in certain

sections in songs like this one. There is just too much activity in certain places, and some freeze

arrows could use adjustment.


Let Me Stay
Steps: 4.5/6
Graphics: 1.5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 8/10

So even with the high rating I gave this file, I don't like it. Oh, don't get me wrong, it deserves

the score, it just doesn't sit right with me. Step-jumps are a very delicate thing, and you threw them

in without really thinking about why or how many there were going to be in the end. There are several

awkward turns, but what this chart lacks in flow it makes up for in marketability; the look, the feel,

and even the graphics add up to a very professionally marketed simfile that manages to pretty much

destroy my rating system.

One Heart
Steps: 3/6
Graphics: .5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 5.5/10

Average. Goes on too long without really making a statement worth listening to, for the time

investment required.

Parasite World

Unfinished, no score. (0/10)

Radio Star
Steps: 6/6
Graphics: 2/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 10/10

When I do reviews for simfiles, rather than looking for ways to add points, I look for ways to remove

them because I feel like it creates a more honest rating than if you build from the ground up.

With Radio Star, I simply can not find a single place to remove points. Radio Star is fantastic. It

is fun, professional, and aesthetically pleasing. There are no outright problems, and Jesterline has

even gone so far as to include multiple CDTitles for those of you who would rather have a "jesterline

originals" cdtitle.

There aren't many simfile artists who are capable of creating an atmosphere that just feels like

it came from a real Dance Dance Revolution title. Jesterline... are you Konami?

Ragnarok Online TeMP It Up
Steps: 1/6
Graphics: .5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 3.5/10

Too many freezes, too many crossovers, too much double-stepping. This file isn't very fun.

Rock Steady
Steps: 4/6
Graphics: 1.5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 7.5/10

Rock Steady is what would happen if Max 300 and Drop Out proliferated. It represents a love child too

horrifying to speak of, a genetic experiment, a lamentable plight. The steps are actually pretty good,

but they are repetetive and predictiable, much like its "parents'" steps. The graphics are good, but

look a lot like the graphics from most other jammitch! simfiles. The challenge steps, which aren't

rated, are also higher-rated than is possible in DDR. The author has this to say:

Yes, this is harder than my ITG entry. However, in the words of Ken Kutaragi:
"I believe we made the most beautiful thing in the world. Nobody would criticize a renowned architect's

blueprint that the position of a gate is wrong. It's the same as that."
So there. Neener neener.

I read this as "It's an 11-step. So what, I'm jammitch!" DDR doesn't have 11-footers, and last I

checked, this is a DDR competition.

Make no mistake, however; despite my comments that seem contrary, this is a good simfile. It just

happens to be predictable, conventional, and yet at the same time, doesn't fit the DDR profile.

7
Steps: .5/6
Graphics: .5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 3/10

Holi- I mean, 7, suffers from a disease caused by the song it follows. There is nothing worth

following in this song. It is overall, a fairly poor choice as a DDR song. Hol-, I mean 7, which was

written by DM Ashura, is generic trance with a piano in it (big surprise there) and just doesn't have

much rhythmic activity.

It actually does okay, for what little it has to work with.

That is, it WAS doing okay, until that retarded sixteenth run.

Shake It Down
Steps: 5/6
Graphics: 1.5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 8.5/10

This is serious 3rd Mix jutsu, no joke. Xythar, this is probably your best work to date. Please make

more like this. As a side note the, background scripting was pretty bad, IMO. Could have been a

little more varied, but the important stuff was all solid. Nice work.

The Great Blue Sky
Steps: 1/6
Graphics: 0/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 3/10

There is no creativity at all. As such there is very little to actually talk about. Follows the

melody for almost the duration of the song.

These Emotions
Steps: 1.5/6
Graphics: .5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 4/10

Pretty generic. Very little rhythmic activity, and what activity there was, was done somewhat

incorrectly; very awkward rhythms, here. The slowdown was awkward and poor. This goes on for far too

long, as well.

Tora No Uta
Steps: 3.5/6
Graphics: .5/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 6/10

Above average, but nothing special. Sixteenths were a bit out of place. Otherwise, it was fine, if

not a bit boring.

Under the Sea
Steps: 3.5/6
Graphics: 1/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 6.5/10

I enjoyed this more than most files in the bracket. It has some rhythmic problems, but it's definitely

one of the better 'complex karaoke' files I've played. It's still pretty uncreative and unimpressive

overall, though. Great source material. Good simfiles don't come from following vocals 90% of the

time, they come from experimenting with rhythms and finding what works best; karaoke is lazy in files

like this!

You Raise Me Up
Steps: 4/6
Graphics: 2/2
Tech: 2/2
Tilt: 0
Overall: 8/10

This is a great file. Too many freeze arrows in my opinion, but you did well with what you had to work

with. Very solid stuff.

[pokecapn]

back by popular demand it's the reviews you love to love
in reverse order again, heavy only but i guess if you yell at me enough i'll play your standard/challenge steps but if they're just as bad i'll take off more points

you raise me up:
steps: for me, the big dealbreaker was the amount of time i was stepping without a beat, it just doesn't work. -1.5 I also felt that the long freezes were either filler for not knowing what to put down, or simply a natural result of picking the wrong song to step. -1 total: 3.5/6
tilt: i can't really take off points for song choice as it was a fine song, it just effected your steps 4/4
overall: 7.5/10

under the sea:
steps: following the vocals worked really well during the verses, but during the first one and a half choruses it ends up putting way too much dead space in the file -1.5. i also did not enjoy the last part of the last chorus because it was simply too repetitive and too sparse -1. total: 3.5/6
tilt: oh god why would you step a song like this -1 3/4
overall: 6.5/10

tori no uta:
steps: these steps were pretty good, a little bit on the straightforward side aside from the 16ths. -.5 when i played these i ended up having to face the wrong way in order to hit that last note, i'm not sure if that was my own fault, but i usually spin around for the final LR jump of a song so i think it's all right. total: 5.5/6
tilt: pokecap n (23:50:10): should i dock them points for air
removed (23:50:16): well
removed (23:50:18): I wouldn't
removed (23:50:24): given your style, yes
removed (23:50:31): you would loathe air
i won't do that, but i will dock you for using the fansubbed op. i'm here to play a song not watch anime i could care less that shoujofan24324 did the timing -.5 total: 3.5/4
overall: 9/10

these emotions:
steps: lots of doublestepping -1. while the song is indeed mellow, it's probably too freeze heavy -1. the slowdown wasn't really needed and made the file drag on for far too long -1. having to step 4th-8th with one foot while the other is holding a freeze is pretty un ddr like -.5 total: 2.5/6
tilt: bland graphics, boring song 2/4
overall: 4.5/10

the great blue sky: