OSC BoNG Public Review

[Aeronautical Vigilante]

You all know the basic concept. Now, it's time for you to opinionate on files.

Remember that you're using the same exact format as the judges (though you obviously will not be able to apply certain penalties like foldering or Causing Trouble). This means that the format's larger than before, but not as complex as the judge format used to be by any means. If you wish to use an abridged format, just use the larger categories.

For full information, look at:

http://ddrosc.bemanistyle.com/

You should probably fully read the rules at least once before reviewing to avoid me being annoyed with errors you might otherwise make. In particular, note that you are not required to rate all extras - just remove them from your list entirely if you're not doing so.

Also, if you do a Public Review, you should eye out on the chat thread every so often, in case comments are made about your review.

Please post only reviews here. If possible, please put your entire review in one post or adjacent posts, in A to Z alphabetical order. Don't review your own entry.

[TakeWalker]

Okay, it looks like I get to kick off the VERITABLE FLOOD of impending public reviews. I'll point out two conventions in my review: first, I didn't give a 0 unless the certain thing was missing (or in the readmes, as specified by the rubric), I gave .05s; second, I tried not to give perfect scores to things that weren't perfect, at least as far as the subjective grades go. I still ended up giving good grades to files I didn't like all that much. Also, I added a few things to the rubric.

I hope to snot this thing works okay. And I do apologize for how the review looks; BMS apparently doesn't care to read extra spaces at the beginning of a line.

Bad Boy Bass!! (DJ Remo-Con mix)
Main Total: 4 / 10
Graphics: 1.2 / 2
-Banner: .7 / 1 : Clean and simple, but a little plain.
-Background: .5 / 1 : Again, clean, but the white background just isn't enough.
Music: 1.5 / 2
-Song Selection: .7 / .8 : Not a bad choice, though a bit light on beat in some places.
-File Quality: .15 / .2 : It's a little quiet.
-Edit Quality: .6 / .8 : I think the opening was rather long
-Sample Quality: .1 / .2 : Doesn't show a good portion of the song, there's no beat. I wouldn't want to play this file after listening to it.
Stepcharts: 1.3 / 6
-Heavy: .5 / 3 : Far too reliant on stepping every note. The constant 16th runs, even the triplets, are tiring and unnecessary. The LR 8th jump on the big hits really killed any fun inherent in the streams. And you DO NOT EVER put 16ths directly after a jump. I don't care if they did it in Dynamite Rave, that's why I hate that song, and that's why you're getting a big penalty on this score. Doesn't deserve a 10.
-Standard: .5 / 2 : Absolutely nuts. You're getting closer to having a fun Heavy chart, though. I remain nothing but irritated at the constant blue LR jumps. And, honestly, this is just way too hard for Standard.
-Light: .3 / 1 : Great Standard steps. No, really. All those stepjumps (ARGH THE BLUE JUMPS!) are just too hard for Light. The 16ths I can live with, apart from the triple. But what you've got here is a case of going too hard with your steps. Just move everything up a chart and dump the Oni, or make it an edit. And get rid of those freaking jumps, my God. -.-
Extras: -5
CDTitle: 1 : Serves its purpose.
Extra Charts:
-Beginner Chart: -1 : So I read somewhere the "rules" for Beginner charts, and now I can't look at one without thinking about them. Irregardless, I think this would make good Light steps, but is too hard for Beginner. I don't really care about the freezes, just so you know.
-Challenge Chart: -2 : I somehow passed it. o.O It's so similar to Heavy, it really wasn't worth your creating it.
BPM Hiding/Other Tricks: -3 : I don't think Heavy should be flashing, since Oni is.


Blow Me Away
Main Total: 8.85 / 10
Graphics: 2 / 2
-Banner: 1 / 1 : VERY nice! Too bad you didn't make it. :P
-Background: 1 / 1 : Again, very nice! Related to the banner without it being a copy. Cool, subtle Master Chief.
Music: 1.6 / 2
-Song Selection: .5 / .8 : Despite the fact that I really like this song, it's not DDR material. It's so slow!
-File Quality: .1 / .2 : The high-band sounds sketchy. My copy is better quality.
-Edit Quality: .8 / .8 : Well thought out.
-Sample Quality: .2 / .2 : Serves its purpose well.
Stepcharts: 4.75 / 6
-Heavy: 2.9 / 3 : Well done for what it is. You've kept some enjoyable intensity in a slow file (a la Battle Without Honor or Humanity). I do think the chorus freezes are the weakest point of the file, but the chaos rhythms you chose in the verses really make this one fun.
-Standard: 1 / 2 : They're pretty, well, standard. They do stand apart from Heavy for the most part, but they're not terribly noticeable.
-Light: .85 / 1 : I think you made some gutsy moves. This chart does bring out my hatred for slow songs, but you definitely made some good choices.
Extras: 12
CDTitle: 2 : Very nice!
Animations and/or Movies: 8 : I'm always pleased to see animations. About half the ones you chose go with the song; unfortunately, most stock DDR movies just aren't quite metal enough (well, except the B2U mech. You need more of him).
Extra Charts:
-Beginner Chart: 3 : It's hard to say what makes a good Beginner chart, but I think this qualifies. You followed all the rules, and even picked some unexpected beats to follow. Good job.
-Challenge Chart: -1 : I think it's overdone. Where it isn't, it's really similar to Heavy. You didn't need to make this chart, the file was fine with just the Heavy steps. I do have to admit liking the 16ths guitar runs. ._.


Celebrate Nite (Around the World Arrangement)
Main Total: 2.15 / 10
Graphics: .35 / 2
-Banner: .3 / 1 : Fairly basic. The red text is sort of obscured by the checkerboard background. Doesn't match the artist tag.
-Background: .05 / 1 : The goggles, they do nothing! D:
Music: 1.45 / 2
-Song Selection: .4 / .8 : Well, it works in DDR. The two songs only sort of go together.
-File Quality: .05 / .2 : The two songs are different volumes, I think, both sound tinny and they really don't mesh well. It's not your fault, of course, but you could have chosen a better song.
-Edit Quality: .8 / .8 : The edit is fine, and I actually like the ending.
-Sample Quality: .2 / .2 : Gives a good indication of what the song is like.
Stepcharts: .35 / 6
-Heavy: .2 / 3 : Lots of the same thing over and over again. Watch those hands, there are at least three freezes that end too late. The freezes also don't fit the song very well.
-Standard: .05 / 2 : Mind-numbing, with a few steps that are awkward to dance. This REALLY needs some spicing up, use some other patterns!
-Light: .1 / 1 : Like the rest of the charts, it's the same thing OVER and OVER. There is a saving grace in the speed of the steps, which keeps the energy up for your typical Light player; of course, a couple of pauses in the notes killed that. And what's with that last freeze?
Extras: -2
Incorrect Difficulty: -2 : Light should be a 4.


Doctor Pressure
Main Total: 7.85 / 10
Graphics: 1.5 / 2
-Banner: .7 / 1 : Very clean graphic.
-Background: .8 / 1 : Again, very clean and not bad at all.
Music: 1.85 / 2
-Song Selection: .75 / .8 : I've never liked this mashup, I really prefer Drop the Pressure, Mylo's original song. However, it's a great tune for DDR, either way.
-File Quality: .2 / .2 : Sounds perfect.
-Edit Quality: .6 / .8 : All right.
-Sample Quality: .1 / .2 : Doesn't loop very well.
Stepcharts: 4.5 / 6
-Heavy: 2 / 3 : Fairly low-key, with some interesting rhythms. I do have a definite pet peeve about multiple hits on the same arrow.
-Standard: 1.9 / 2 : They fit the song very well!
-Light: .6 / 1 : Fairly mediocre. I really don't know about those triples.
Extras: 3
CDTitle: 1 : Unusual, almost gets lost against the banner.
Extra Charts:
-Beginner Chart: 2 : I don't know how it's possible to enjoy a Beginner chart, but this just kept getting better as it went.


Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Main Total: 4.05 / 10
Graphics: 1.7 / 2
-Banner: .7 / 1 : Kinda blah, but okay.
-Background: 1 / 1 : REALLY nice.
Music: 1.35 / 2
-Song Selection: .8 / .8 : A good choice, of course.
-File Quality: .2 / .2 : It sounds a little off, but I think the song is supposed to sound like that.
-Edit Quality: .2 / .8 : It really needs more editing. The intro is way too long; hell, the whole song is too long. Did you have to use this much?
-Sample Quality: .15 / .2 : Odd fadeout, but otherwise fine.
Stepcharts: 1 / 6
-Heavy: .3 / 3 : Repetitive to the FAXX. I'm sure many of the myriad HBFS simfiles that I'm sure are out there have steps similar to this. There are some odd spins, and the jumps in the stream add nothing but hassle. If you're going to step a whole song, you've GOT to keep things interesting.
-Standard: .5 / 2 : The final verse sort of picks up the fun level, but this remains mind-numbing like the other charts. Have I used the phrase "mind-numbing" enough yet?
-Light: .2 / 1 : Long chains of the same note... HAVE I USED THE PHRASE MIND-NUMBING ENOUGH YET?
Extras: 1.5
CDTitle: .5 : Big 'n blocky.
Extra Charts:
-Beginner Chart: 1 : 2 feet for the length, right? This is otherwise pretty mind-numbing, but it does follow all the rules.
-Challenge Chart: -3 : The gallops give it some character. Otherwise, it's like Heavy: same patterns, same repetition. I can pretty much say the same things about the two charts, except that you put even more annoying spins into this.
Improper Background Formatting: 0 : If you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have noticed. It's fine to me.


Ichirin no Hana (Huge Hollow mix)
Main Total: 8.05 / 10
Graphics: 1.6 / 2
-Banner: .8 / 1 : Well-made.
-Background: .8 / 1 : Kinda weird, but nicely made.
Music: 1.3 / 2
-Song Selection: .1 / .8 : Can we say "My ears are bleeding"? It's like someone took a perfectly good J-pop song and stabbed it repeatedly with red-hot nails. And raped it when it was a child. And killed its dog. And locked it in an oubliette and left it alone with no sunlight until a tip from a nosy neighbor brought the police to kill its captor right in front of its eyes before saving it from its nightmarish ordeal. Yeah, something like that. The beat's not that great, either.
-File Quality: .2 / .2 : Hard to tell. I guess it's fine.
-Edit Quality: .8 / .8 : Again, it's hard to tell, but it's a good length at least.
-Sample Quality: .2 / .2 : Gets the job done.
Stepcharts: 5.15 / 6
-Heavy: 1.9 / 3 : A big section of just LRLR. It's not quite as ludicrous as Oni, at least. You make good use of certain parts of the song.
-Standard: 1.3 / 2 : Not too bad, though it does suffer from the same LRLR section. Challenging chart!
-Light: 1.95 / 1 : A great example of KISS technology in action.
Extras: -2.5
CDTitle: 2 : Very nice.
Extra Charts:
-Beginner Chart: .5 : From what I've heard, you're not supposed to have two quarter notes one right after the other unless they're on the same arrow. It's a very challenging Beginner chart.
-Challenge Chart: -2 : It wasn't that bad on the whole, but it was fairly sloppy. The 16th triple at 200 BPM was not appreciated. Neither was the... what was that, a 32nd triple? All the 16th triple runs are just ludicrous, honestly.
BPM Hiding/Other Tricks: -3 : Some very dirty tricks pulled with the BPM.


Karma (DJ Remo-Con mix)
Main Total: 9 / 10
Graphics: 1.95 / 2
-Banner: .95 / 1 : Very professional.
-Background: 1 / 1 : Busy, and I really dig it.
Music: 1.95 / 2
-Song Selection: .8 / .8 : This is a mashup? I've never heard either of the original songs, but these were meant to go together. Amazing work, let me tell you!
-File Quality: .2 / .2 : Fine.
-Edit Quality: .8 / .8 : Just fine.
-Sample Quality: .15 / .2 : A little wonky on the fadeout, but otherwise fine.
Stepcharts: 5.1 / 6
-Heavy: 2.4 / 3 : The beginning is a little weak, and I don't think 200 BPM gallops were the best choice. Otherwise, the rest is well balanced, minus a section in the middle with the same pattern repeating a few too many times. This is really a fun chart.
-Standard: 1.8 / 2 : I don't think it's too over the top. You pick some unusual parts of the song to follow near the end, in delicious opposition to the "Heavy with less stuff" opening.
-Light: .9 / 1 : A fairly difficult Light chart; I might have called it a 5. Overall, there's not really anything wrong with it. Good job.
Extras: 10
CDTitle: 2 : Well-made, of course.
Extra Charts:
-Challenge Chart: 8 : Some great patterns, which overshadow the not-so-great ones. This is seriously better than the Heavy steps, despite the double-stepping and the crazy 12th mess at the end.
-Edit Chart: 0 : Per your instructions, not counted.


Kiss Kiss- Akira
Main Total: 8.7 / 10
Graphics: 1.85 / 2
-Banner: .9 / 1 : Looks good!
-Background: .95 / 1 : Rather moving, I daresay.
Music: 1.85 / 2
-Song Selection: .8 / .8 : Good choice. Fits DDR well. What do you call this, unhappy hardcore?
-File Quality: .2 / .2 : Sounds fine.
-Edit Quality: .65 / .8 : I think the final chorus run was a one-too-many. Otherwise, fine.
-Sample Quality: .2 / .2 : Very well thought-out, cycles beautifully, but it's kinda long. Forget that, I could sit here and listen to it all day.
Stepcharts: 5 / 6
-Heavy: 3 / 3 : Wowza. I don't think there's a misplaced step in here.
-Standard: 1.5 / 2 : Feels a lot like Heavy, watered down. The two sets of runs that start with 8ths towards the end really fall flat.
-Light: .5 / 1 : It would have been better without the 8ths, concentrated solely on following the beat.
Extras: 17.5
CDTitle: 1.5 : All right.
Animations and/or Movies: 12 : Great selection! The first one really caught my attention.
Readme Extras: 4 : Duh, wow. o.O Readmes are supposed to be text, but you went the extra lightyear, so I'll overlook it.


Know Your Xenemy
Main Total: 8 / 10
Graphics: 1.8 / 2
-Banner: .9 / 1 : Very nicely done!
-Background: .9 / 1 : Not bad at all, and nicely removed from the banner.
Music: 1.6 / 2
-Song Selection: .4 / .8 : The big problem is Xenon sort of gets swallowed up by the other song. Or maybe it's the other way around. Whatever, the end result is really complex, and hard to dance to. That opening sounds great, and then it kind of goes downhill once the melody hits.
-File Quality: .2 / .2 : Sounds just fine.
-Edit Quality: .8 / .8 : This is probably the whole song, and it works fine.
-Sample Quality: .2 / .2 : Works well.
Stepcharts: 4.6 / 6
-Heavy: 1.8 / 3 : There's not much wrong with this, but it doesn't have a lot of character. c.f.: Song Selection for the rest of the problem. Namely, most of the 16ths just don't feel like they go to anything.
-Standard: 2 / 2 : Good balance, flows well, lots of fun!
-Light: .8 / 1 : Kind of reminds me of Xenon.
Extras: 15.5
CDTitle: 2 : Really cool!
Animations and/or Movies: 5 : A nice addition.
Readme Extras: 1 : Points for extra effort and thoroughness.
Extra Charts:
-Beginner Chart: 1.5 : Well-balanced, and it follows all the rules.
-Challenge Chart: 6 : Actually, this is really good, and covers up some of the problems Heavy faced with the song. Some great patterns, twists, all that sort of thing. The steps keep the energy level going strong, and keep the fun level up.

[TakeWalker]

Now, for part the dos...

Love Tropicana Deluxe
Main Total: 9.15 / 10
Graphics: 1.9 / 2
-Banner: 1 / 1 : Oh shit, I have to give major points for moving banners. Uhh... Whoa, it goes offsync if you watch it for long enough.
-Background: .9 / 1 : Nicely pulled from the video, good job!
Music: 1.9 / 2
-Song Selection: .75 / .8 : Totally wacky, with a strong beat and lots of rhythms to follow.
-File Quality: .2 / .2 : Good.
-Edit Quality: .8 / .8 : It's an op, you can't get much more edited than that.
-Sample Quality: .15 / .2 : The fadeout's just a bit too soon. Or maybe not soon enough, given what the banner does.
Stepcharts: 5.35 / 6
-Heavy: 2.6 / 3 : I totally didn't notice the steps the first time I played this; I was too busy watching the movie! The steps are pretty good; you keep a nice circular flow through all the wacky patterns. I think they fit nicely.
-Standard: 1.8 / 2 : Gives a nice feeling of dancing to the song.
-Light: .95 / 1 : Not bad.
Extras: 9
CDTitle: 2 : Very nice!
Animations and/or Movies: 8 : Dayamn. I have to see this anime sometime.
Extra Charts:
-Beginner Chart: 1 : Follows all the rules.
Improper Banner Formatting: -2 : There's nowhere else to put this; the banner gets offsync.


Mahoro de MAX 300
Main Total: 4.5 / 10
Graphics: 1.3 / 2
-Banner: .7 / 1 : Cute and good quality.
-Background: .6 / 1 : Equally cute, but sort of the same thing.
Music: 1.7 / 2
-Song Selection: .7 / .8 : It's funny how well these go together. What the hell?
-File Quality: .2 / .2 : Sounds just fine.
-Edit Quality: .6 / .8 : DDR length, though I thought it was going a little long at the end, when MAX 300 is going but the other song has run out.
-Sample Quality: .2 / .2 : Works well.
Stepcharts: 1.5 / 6
-Heavy: .1 / 3 : This is one time when I'm going to agree that MAX 300 isn't 300 BPM, and it's specifically because you don't treat this song like it's 300 BPM all the way through. To be sure, I don't appreciate the jumps (or the stops, but that's another story; or the mines, which this song absolutely doesn't need), but a large portion of the steps are just big freezes and other steps that make me feel like I'm moving at 150 BPM. There's nowhere to take off for poor BPM choices, so I'm doing it here. And for those stops, WTF.
-Standard: .9 / 2 : Strangely, a lot of the problems this song has on Heavy aren't as bad on Standard. Of course, Standard has the new problem of the gallops ending in jumps.
-Light: .5 / 1 : Hey look, it's a Light chart for a Max. My personal, and completely non-judged, opinion is you might have overdone it.
Extras: 1.9
CDTitle: 1.9 : Very nice.


Mata Hari (Spy mix)
Main Total: 9.15 / 10
Graphics: 1.95 / 2
-Banner: .95 / 1 : Very nice and professional!
-Background: 1 / 1 : Stunning.
Music: 1.9 / 2
-Song Selection: .8 / .8 : Eurodance works every time. This is a really great song.
-File Quality: .2 / .2 : Just stellar.
-Edit Quality: .8 / .8 : No problems at all.
-Sample Quality: .1 / .2 : The instrumental bit at the end makes it not the best.
Stepcharts: 5.3 / 6
-Heavy: 2.9 / 3 : It didn't need step-jumps or most of the 16th triples. Otherwise, it's perfect.
-Standard: 1.9 / 2 : Most of the blue jumps felt out of place, whether by rhythm or by pattern I can't tell. Otherwise, it's a great chart.
-Light: .5 / 1 : The steps coming out of the freezes in the chorus felt really out of place. I also thought the preponderance of three-note strings made it feel more like a Beginner chart at times. :|
Extras: 2.5
CDTitle: 2 : Nice!
Extra Charts:
-Beginner Chart: .5 : Well designed, but it's not 2 feet.


Metal Queen
Main Total: 4.8 / 10
Graphics: 1.2 / 2
-Banner: .6 / 1 : Fairly basic, but nice.
-Background: .6 / 1 : About the same.
Music: 1.05 / 2
-Song Selection: .4 / .8 : Not a bad song, but while Vanilla Ninja have a song on both DDR and ITG (yes, I know, it's the same song), that doesn't make all their music DDR-worthy. The chorus is just lacking in stuff to dance to.
-File Quality: .2 / .2 : Just fine.
-Edit Quality: .5 / .8 : The song gets fairly repetitive towards the end.
-Sample Quality: .15 / .2 : A little on the short side, it sounds like.
Stepcharts: 2.55 / 6
-Heavy: .9 / 3 : I take umbrage at the stop; it really just should have been a gap in the notes, and I think it's where your sync issues might stem from. It certainly didn't help the sync any. The freezes during the guitar squeals were a pretty nice touch; unfortunately, they're offset by the runs during the chorus, which really don't fit at all.
-Standard: 1.05 / 2 : It's got squeal freezes! But, honestly, it's otherwise a very busy and highly bland Standard chart.
-Light: .6 / 1 : You really played it safe, so this isn't anything spectacular.
Extras: .5
CDTitle: 1 : Stock.
Animations and/or Movies: 3 : Yeah, the video's not that great a quality, but I understand. It's nice to get to see VN in concert, too.
Extra Charts:
-Beginner Chart: -2 : You have four 8th notes! What were you thinking? If I could take off more points for the non-same steps after every freeze, I'd do that, too.
-Challenge Chart: .5 : It's actually not a bad chart. It's danceable save for the double-tap spins near the end. I'm sad you took out the squeal freezes, though.
Bad Synching: -4 : Definitely goes off sync as it progresses.


Namida Girl
Main Total: 4.5 / 10
Graphics: 1.1 / 2
-Banner: .7 / 1 : Nice quality, but not that interesting.
-Background: .4 / 1 : The banner is just a cut of this, and yet the background is somehow blurry.
Music: 1.7 / 2
-Song Selection: .6 / .8 : It's got a good beat, but not quite so much in the way of danceable melodies.
-File Quality: .2 / .2 : Sounds just fine.
-Edit Quality: .7 / .8 : I think I just heard "namida gaaaaa" one too many times.
-Sample Quality: .15 / .2 : The ending is a little iffy.
Stepcharts: 1.7 / 6
-Heavy: 1 / 3 : Very fun and danceable, until you get to the chorus, that is. That's precisely what I was talking about in Song Selection. Those freezes are positively boring. And I wish you'd given at least some acknowledgement to the drum beats after the chorus. I expect to see 12ths in the Oni chart! >:|
-Standard: .6 / 2 : A lot of places just feel like Heavy with less stuff. And it still has wuss freezes. And it's otherwise by no means outstanding.
-Light: .1 / 1 : Another safe and totally boring Light chart. At least mix up your arrows some next time.
Extras: 1.5
CDTitle: 1.5 : Not bad.
Extra Charts:
-Challenge Chart: 2 : I really loved the bounces in the verse, though in the final run they don't feel like they're going to anything. I also appreciate the way you dealt with the chorus, though I missed a LOT of the freezes. And of course, I don't appreciate the mines. Really, it just felt like you were stretching the steps to get that elusive 10-foot (wait, I'm sorry, it's an 11) rating, which this song doesn't need. If you ask me, I think that Heavy would have been better off as a happy medium between what it is currently and this chart. Add the bounces, put the 8ths in the chorus, but keep the rest of it danceable. At least you had the 12ths I wanted.
Incorrect Difficulty: -2 : Despite the wussy freezes, even Stepmania thinks Heavy should be an 8.


Paranoia Disconnected Max (Hyper Dirty mix)
Main Total: 3.9 / 10
Graphics: .6 / 2
-Banner: .5 / 1 : A fairly basic mash-up. I always feel like a hypocrite marking people down for their graphics, BTW.
-Background: .1 / 1 : It's pretty much just ugh.
Music: 1.55 / 2
-Song Selection: .5 / .8 : Surprisingly, these two songs go together well, which just points out the ripoffitude of Disconnected. Strong beat, good for DDR. Gets kind of ugly towards the end.
-File Quality: .1 / .2 : It sounded pretty bad, honestly.
-Edit Quality: .8 / .8 : Full points for a good length edit.
-Sample Quality: .15 / .2 : Not a good cut.
Stepcharts: 1.75 / 6
-Heavy: .05 / 3 : I don't think there was a single well-placed jump in this song. But forget that: those slowdowns absolutely blow. How many notes can we fit into 40 BPM, no matter whether they go with the song or not? The opening minefield is stupid, BTW.
-Standard: 1.2 / 2 : You still insist on the mines? WTF? It's the DDR equivalent of peeing your name in the snow, and just as tasteless. We are not amused. Honestly, this is a fairly imaginative chart, in the style of Paranoia. I dig a lot of what went on in this, outside the mines.
-Light: .5 / 1 : Not very Paranoia-y, and often repetitive.
Extras: 1.5
CDTitle: .5 : I can't quite read the whole thing.
Readme Extras: 0 : You know what's funny? I have no idea who you are. Not once do you mention your name.
Extra Charts:
-Beginner Chart: 1 : Pretty standard, doesn't do anything wonky.


Paranoia Survivor Min
Main Total: 3.45 / 10
Graphics: 1.4 / 2
-Banner: .9 / 1 : A horrid mashup of... stuff. But it thankfully looks clean.
-Background: .5 / 1 : Oh, it makes my head hurt. >.< The text is nice, at least.
Music: 1.45 / 2
-Song Selection: .4 / .8 : AUGH WHY? The big problem with this song is it's too much Destiny's Child and not enough Paranoia. The Paranoia seems to just be thrown in as an afterthought.
-File Quality: .15 / .2 : Not the best.
-Edit Quality: .7 / .8 : The ending is definitely too drawn out, without any beat to back it up.
-Sample Quality: .2 / .2 : Well placed.
Stepcharts: .6 / 6
-Heavy: .05 / 3 : These steps feel very random, and they have little in the way of character or originality. Hell, everything about this file is random! Needless to say, I didn't enjoy them at all. And the ending REALLY sucks. Not to mention, the BPM should be half of what it is.
-Standard: .05 / 2 : See above.
-Light: .5 / 1 : Hey, this actually has some character.
Extras: .5
CDTitle: 1.5 : Nice and clear.
Readme Extras: 1 : A lot of info.
Bad Synching: -2 : Yeah, it gets offsync.


September
Main Total: 7.75/ 10
Graphics: 1.5 / 2
-Banner: .8 / 1 : Very nice.
-Background: .7 / 1 : Not bad.
Music: 1.35 / 2
-Song Selection: .75 / .8 : Songs like this have lots of DDR potential.
-File Quality: .15 / .2 : Doesn't sound 100%.
-Edit Quality: .3 / .8 : I really think this could have been edited better. The intro is too long, and I'd have rather had two chorus phrases than most of the opening (you could have just left it at the end of the song as it is).
-Sample Quality: .15 / .2 : The ending isn't the best. It's also fairly misleading, given what's in the song itself.
Stepcharts: 4.9 / 6
-Heavy: 2.8 / 3 : The steps are, on the whole, pretty fun, and live up to the song's potential. I'd comment on the freeze spins, but they're honestly fairly easy to do. There are some pretty wacky patterns in this, too, and I was able to pull them all off, so kudos for making something this unique. I don't think the gallops were the best idea, though.
-Standard: 2 / 2 : This might just be the best Standard chart in the tournament.
-Light: .6 / 1 : You used a little too much blue, and the progression isn't the best.
Extras: 1
CDTitle: 1 : Stock.


V35
Main Total: 6.05 / 10
Graphics: 1.2 / 2
-Banner: .6 / 1 : Fairly basic.
-Background: .6 / 1 : Also fairly basic, but related to the banner without being a copy.
Music: 1.85 / 2
-Song Selection: .7 / .8 : A Beatmania song with a strong beat and good melodies to follow.
-File Quality: .15 / .2 : Sounds all right.
-Edit Quality: .8 / .8 : Songs like this come pre-edited of course.
-Sample Quality: .2 / .2 : Not bad.
Stepcharts: 3 / 6
-Heavy: 1.5 / 3 : The steps don't grab me at all. They're fairly basic, thankfully nice and clean, and they just go with the song. They get better as the song progresses, but still don't stand out that much. I didn't like the opening, by the way, because nothing before that first freeze suggests how the 16ths and 8ths are going to sound.
-Standard: 1 / 2 : Not much in the way of character, but they get the job done.
-Light: .5 / 1 : Not really anything special. How did this merit a 4?
Extras: 2.5
CDTitle: .5 : A big block of stock graphics.
Extra Charts:
-Beginner Chart: 2 : Nicely done.


Votum Stellarum
Main Total: 5.7 / 10
Graphics: .9 / 2
-Banner: .3 / 1 : Really dark, I can't tell what it is, and the text doesn't match the artist tag (despite the banner being right, I have to take off points somewhere).
-Background: .6 / 1 : Average.
Music: 1.35 / 2
-Song Selection: .4 / .8 : It's really light on beat in a number of places.
-File Quality: .2 / .2 : Sounds fine.
-Edit Quality: .7 / .8 : Not bad.
-Sample Quality: .5 / .2 : Neither begins nor ends well.
Stepcharts: 3.45 / 6
-Heavy: 1.7 / 3 : Lots of good patterns, but the notes tend to just follow the music. I really liked the part where you start adding 16th triplets... But otherwise, the rest is just sort of good.
-Standard: 1 / 2 : Pretty much average.
-Light: .75 / 1 : They fit the song rather well.
Extras: -.5
CDTitle: 1 : Stock.
Extra Charts:
-Beginner Chart: .5 : Pretty basic, why is it a 2?
Bad Synching: -2 : It does feel offsync in two places.

[Jezendar]

OMG! It's another review!

Random note: I must say, I was surprised by the sheer quantity of Light stepcharts in this pack that contained 8th notes; people don't seem to make these old-school style charts very often. I was also quite pleased by the fact that most of these charts still felt like Light charts and not misplaced Standards.

But enough of that. On to the review:

Bad Boy Bass!! (dj REMO-CON mix) - Y&Co
- created by Uiru

Graphics: 1.25 / 2
- Banner: .55 / 1
A bit bland, and pretty hazy. The 'dj REMO-CON mix' segment is hard to make out.
- Background: .70 / 1
Still a bit bland and hazy, but overall an improvement over the banner.
Music: 1.80 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: 1.00 / 1
This song is certainly steppable, and I have no complaints about its quality.
- Edit Quality: .80 / 1
The file feels a bit too long. It drags a bit, particularly at both the start and the end.
Stepcharts: 1.70 / 6
In the interest of not mentioning this in every chart review, I will mention here that the first arrow consistently corresponds to the first note of the music. This is bad because the player has no chance to pick up the song's rhythm before hitting the first arrow, and also because DWI, unlike SM, does not correct for this. Thus a DWI player would need to hit the first arrow the instant the file started.
- Light/Easy: .20 / 1
This feels much more like a Standard chart than a Light one. While 8th arrows can work in Light, the 8th streams present here go beyond even the 8th's present in the early DDR Light charts. The 16th's, on the other hand, really don't belong in this difficulty at all. The 8th note jumps that constantly appeared with that particular sound weren't very entertaining. For Light they shouldn't have been present at all; for Standard the simpler ones might work, or a single arrow stream or jackhammer could have been used.
- Standard/Normal: .50 / 2
Continuing this file's apparent theme, this chart feels more like a Heavy chart than a Standard. The jumps on that particular sound have returned, quite often buried in the middle of long streams. Sometimes they work, such as the stream near the end that only used LR doubles, but often they were just onerous. Although this jump idea could easily be present in Heavy, it's too difficult for Standard. As for the 16th's, the ones that are separate from nearby arrows (effectively a '3/16th' stream) are easily doable in Standard, but the full 16th streams should be reserved for Heavy/Challenge.
- Heavy/Hard: 1.00 / 3
You really like putting jumps to that sound, don't you? As mentioned above, those jumps are appropriate for Heavy, but they're still not overly fun; the jump-containing stream mentioned above is still the only one of these patterns that I've really found enjoyable. On several occasions, these jumps are immediately followed by a 16th, because you tried to follow both that sound and the lyrics. This should have been avoided, as the result is effectively a 16th jackhammer, which is particularly onerous at any difficulty. The 16th streams during the quiet part near the beginning don't really fit; I can see what they connect to, but this lull in the music should have contained a similar lull in the chart.

Main Total: 4.75 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.00 / (-1 to 2)
An okay looking step artist icon. It's a bit on the big side, but I don't think it's quite big enough to be penalized.
Readme Extras: 2.50 / (-5 to 4)
All required info, and a good deal of info on the stepcharts. By the way, you spelt your name 'uitu' at the bottom.
Extra Charts:
- Beginner Chart: -1.95 / (-2 to 3)
Quite simply this is not a Beginner chart; not by a long shot. A Beginner chart should be mostly, if not entirely, half-note arrows or larger. Adjacent quarter note arrows, when present, should use one button only, and should rarely go beyond three consecutive arrows. This chart is primarily a single quarter note stream that constantly shifts between all four buttons; I would rate this as a 4 to 5 foot Light chart, or a 4 foot Standard chart. In all honesty, the only reason I did not give this the full -2 penalty is because you at least did not use 8th or smaller arrows.
- Challenge Chart: -3.00 / (-5 to 15)
The first 75% of the chart feels pretty much the same as the Heavy chart, and exhibits all of the same problems. As for the final quarter, the 11 arrow 16th streams work pretty well, but the massive 16th run at the end is just over the top. The two 16th jackhammers contained within that stream, and the 16th's-into-doubles pattern that followed it just don't work.

Total from Extras/Penalties: -0.95


Blow Me Away - Breaking Benjamin
- created by SpyHunter89

Graphics: 2.00 / 2
- Banner: 1.00 / 1
Very nice looking, and easy to read.
- Background: 1.00 / 1
Follows the same nice theme as the banner, but obviously not the same image.
Music: 2.00 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: 1.00 / 1
I see no problems here. The song sounds good and has a number of rhythms to step.
- Edit Quality: 1.00 / 1
And I see none here, either. No cut errors, and it's just the right length.
Stepcharts: 5.55 / 6
- Light/Easy: .90 / 1
It feels a bit underrated, but my only real problem with it is the 8th crossover about half way through, as that is a bit too difficult for Light mode. Other than that, I liked this chart. It reminds me of the Light chart for Radical Faith, which is the chart I used to learn how to time 8th's.
- Standard/Normal: 1.85 / 2
This one also feels a bit underrated, due to the presence of the long 8th stream, the many crossovers, and the spin near the beginning. That seems to be the only issue, however.
- Heavy/Hard: 2.80 / 3
Well connected to the music, with a nice mix of karaoke and non-karaoke steps. The only issue is at Measure 37. The pattern leading up to this puts the player's left foot on the up arrow, resulting in the player needing to put es right foot on the 16th left arrow just after the double. The pattern, however, is clearly not intended to be a crossover, resulting in a bit on awkwardness at this part. One way to fix this problem would be to simply reverse the two arrows before the double (D-U, instead of U-D); this small change would put the player's right foot on the up arrow, instead of es left.

Main Total: 9.55 / 10
To quote your readme: "Here's hoping that this entry finally hits the sweet spot." It certainly did in my case.

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.50 / (-1 to 2)
Very nice looking step artist icon.
Animations and/or Movies: 8.00 / (-5 to 15)
Generic, but decent quality, DDR animations that fit reasonably well with the song.
Readme Extras: 2.50 / (-5 to 4)
Some info about the charts, and a wealth of info about other things.
Extra Charts:
- Beginner Chart: 2.50 / (-2 to 3)
Good chart with decent connection to the music.
- Challenge Chart: 14.50 / (-5 to 15)
I'll admit that I wasn't sure if this song could actually support a 9 foot chart, but this chart showed me very clearly that it can. Nicely patterned, and well connected to the music.
Incorrect Difficulty: 0 / (0 or -2 per chart)
Although I did mention that Light and Standard felt underrated, the differance is not large enough to warrant any penalties.

Total from Extras/Penalties: 29.00


Celebrate Nite (Around The World Arrangement) - N.M.R feat. ATC
- created by Sakura_Guy

Graphics: .40 / 2
- Banner: .25 / 1
Not very nice looking, and the words are a bit hard to make out.
- Background: .15 / 1
Even less nice looking. It looks like you took a smaller checkerboard image and just randomly pasted it onto the background until the canvas was covered, rather than trying to keep the pattern consistent. Using such a pattern in the first place wasn't a wise idea anyways, as staring at this screen can literally make your eyes hurt. And it's kinda hard to watch the arrows if your not staring at the screen...
Music: 1.75 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: .75 / 1
Of the two songs used in the mash-up, one would easily work in DDR and the other is in DDR. So, not surprisingly, the mash-up is easily steppable. The mash-up itself, however, doesn't sound entirely clean, and some of the lyrics are difficult to hear.
- Edit Quality: 1.00 / 1
I located and listened to the full version of this song to see how this edit compates to the original. As I'm sure you're expecting to hear, I quickly discovered that this 'edit' is the full song. So I can't blame you for the starting fade in, which makes it sound like we're joining a simfile already in progress.
Stepcharts: 2.05 / 6
- Light/Easy: .25 / 1
This is much harder than a 2; its easily a 4, possibly a 5. This chart is highly repetitive; about two-thirds of it is just one long spinning stream. I'd expect some spins in a song whose title includes the words "Around the World", but this is severely overkill.
- Standard/Normal: .65 / 2
The repetitive feeling is still present, with large portions of the chart following the same basic rhythm over and over again. There's also very little connection between the steps and the music.
- Heavy/Hard: 1.15 / 3
This isn't as repetitive as the other two charts, but there is still some repetition in here, particularly during the beginning. The lack of connection between the steps and the music is still present, with the chart seeming to shift between 8th stream and 4th freeze stream seemingly at random. Finally the hand that occurs about halfway through feels more like an error than an intentional hand.

Main Total: 4.20 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
Readme Extras: 0.00 / (-5 to 4)
It has a little bit of info beyond the required stuff, but it also has a number of spelling errors, and very little capitalization.
Low Quality Music or Music outside of length restrictions: -4.00 / (0 to -8)
Bit rate is 112kbps.
Incorrect Difficulty: -2.00 / (0 or -2 per chart)
Problem Chart(s) - Light (2 vs. 4/5)

Total from Extras/Penalties: -6.00


Doctor Pressure - Mylo vs. Miami Sound Machine
- created by Jesterline

Graphics: 2.00 / 2
- Banner: 1.00 / 1
Simple, yet distinctive. Very nice looking as well.
- Background: 1.00 / 1
Ditto.
Music: 1.80 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: 1.00 / 1
Easily steppable, and no quality issues.
- Edit Quality: .80 / 1
I would have used the fadeout of the lyrics as the end of the file; you can't really tell that the instrumentation doesn't actually fade out there until after the lyrics are gone.
Stepcharts: 5.65 / 6
- Light/Easy: .90 / 1
Another Radical Faith-esque chart, although this one is definately easier than Radical Faith. I found the jump stream in the middle to be a bit dull, but overall this was a nice enjoyable chart.
- Standard/Normal: 1.90 / 2
Well patterned, and well connected to the music.
- Heavy/Hard: 2.85 / 3
See above.

Main Total: 9.45 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.50 / (-1 to 2)
Having the song name for a cd title is a bit odd. But your readme states that the song was released as a single, and cd singles are typically named after the songs they contain, so it all makes sense.
Readme Extras: 2.75 / (-5 to 4)
Good amount of info beyond the required material.
Extra Charts:
- Beginner Chart: 2.50 / (-2 to 3)
Nicely connected to the music. Placing that double on the singer's squeal was a bit odd, but it's not a significant problem.

Total from Extras/Penalties: 6.75


Harder Better Faster Stronger - Daft Punk
- created by Ben Speirs

Graphics: 1.55 / 2
- Banner: .75 / 1
It's okay looking, but part of the title gets clipped by Stepmania's default theme, due to the image's incorrect size ratio.
- Background: .80 / 1
The color used for the title doesn't stand out very well, and actually blends into the background image in some places. Thankfully, it doesn't blend in enough to become difficult to read.
Music: 1.65 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: 1.00 / 1
The song sounds fine, and is quite steppable.
- Edit Quality: .65 / 1
The edit is much too long. The song is repetitive overall, and the length of the edit makes this repetitiveness a real problem.
Stepcharts: 3.05 / 6
- Light/Easy: .50 / 1
The long one button streams appear too frequently; they worked at first, but got boring after a while. The freeze pattern was nice.
- Standard/Normal: 1.15 / 2
Some interesting patterns are used here, but much like the one button streams in Light, the go on for too long and get boring. There's also a bit of double-tapping during the second half.
- Heavy/Hard: 1.40 / 3
Patterns as a whole are not as interesting as they were in Standard, and, as before, they get less entertaining as they repeat. The 16th's don't seem to connect to anything, or to serve any real purpose other than having 16th's in the chart.

Main Total: 6.25 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: .50 / (-1 to 2)
Decent looking, but just a bit too big.
Lyrics: 3.25 / (-2 to 5)
There are a few errors in the timing. As a side note, I think this song's simplistic and repetitive lyrics don't really need a lyrics file anyways.
Readme Extras: 2.25 / (-5 to 4)
Good amount of extra info, but the long lines of spaces in the middle of many sentences are really strange looking.
Extra Charts:
- Beginner Chart: .50 / (-2 to 3)
Most of it is just a half note stream. It's a bit boring and doesn't connect to the music very well overall.
- Challenge Chart: -2.75 / (-5 to 15)
The first two 8th streams were fun, and the gallops were okay. But other than that, I didn't find much enjoyment in this chart. I don't hear any 16th notes in the music, so I don't understand why the chart has so many 16th arrows in it. It also has a number of double-taps.
Improper Banner Formatting: -2.00 / (0, -2, -4, or -6)
Improper proportions.
Improper Background Formatting: -2.00 / (0, -2, -4, or -6)
Improper proportions again.

Total from Extras/Penalties: -0.25


Ichirin no Hana ~Huge Hollow Mix~ - High and Mighty Color
- created by Zeh

Graphics: 1.85 / 2
- Banner: .90 / 1
Although they're placed on the flower, the white letters aren't very noticable due to the image's white backdrop.
- Background: .95 / 1
The flower's odd combination of natural and mechanical parts seems to fit very well with this song's overall oddity. However, the flower's backdrop overlaps the edge of the title.
Music: 1.90 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: .90 / 1
What a strange song. I like it, actually, but some parts of it would be difficult to step, because it is difficult (for me, at least) to keep time during these parts due to the lack of a strong beat. The part used for the select screen sample would be an example of this.
- Edit Quality: 1.00 / 1
The BPM gimmicks are in full force in this simfile, but they work pretty well, overall.
Stepcharts: 5.10 / 6
In the interest of not mentioning this in every chart review, I feel that the last freeze on Light would make a comfortable end point for this song, but the charts consistantly have arrows beyond this point.
- Light/Easy: .85 / 1
Only two issues; the 8th note step-step-jump pattern is a bit too much for Light mode, and I didn't overly enjoy the jump-only pattern near the end.
- Standard/Normal: 1.55 / 2
Some parts don't connect very well to the music, such as the two arrow 8th streams near the beginning. Also, as with Light, I didn't enjoy the jump-only pattern near the end.
- Heavy/Hard: 2.70 / 3
Some parts ar a bit awkward, but this is pretty good, overall.

Main Total: 8.85 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.50 / (-1 to 2)
Cute looking step artist logo.
Lyrics: 4.50 / (-2 to 5)
Doesn't cover the full set of lyrics, but (so far as I can tell) the parts that aren't covered are just gibberish anyways.
Readme Extras: .50 / (-5 to 4)
A tiny bit of extra information.
Extra Charts:
- Beginner Chart: -.90 / (-2 to 3)
There are several quarter note streams that involve more than one button.
- Challenge Chart: -2.00 / (-5 to 15)
Not nearly as much fun as Heavy was. The 16th jackhammer near the beginning and the three arrow 32nd pattern near the end (both at 200BPM) were bad ideas, as were the arrows during the shifts between 100 and 400 BPM and during the later slowdown. The many 200BPM 16th streams were unnecessary, as the music wasn't going fast enough to support such a pattern.
- Other Extra Charts: / (-3 to 10 per chart)
Though I do play it on occasion, I don't know nearly enough about Pump It Up to try and judge Pump charts.
BPM Hiding/ Other Tricks: -3.00 / (-3 per trick)
Edit's BPM range is 100-400, not 100-200. I must admit, though, that I would have ignored that if you had avoided putting anything other than a freeze during the section that shifts between 100 and 400.

Total from Extras/Penalties: .60

[Jezendar]

Jezendar's review, part 2 of 3 (yes, it's that big).


Karma (dj REMO-CON mix) - TaQ
- created by jammitch!

Graphics: 1.85 / 2
- Banner: .95 / 1
The edges of "(dj REMO-CON mix)" are somewhat pixelated; perhaps using a font called "Rough Draft" wasn't such a wise idea. On the other hand, the slight transparancy of the word "Karma" is an interesting effect that does not hamper the word's readability despite the chaos behind it.
- Background: .90 / 1
The chaos doesn't work quite as well on the larger background as it does on the smaller banner. But other than that, see above.
Music: 2.00 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: 1.00 / 1
Nice sounding mash-up which is easily steppable.
- Edit Quality: 1.00 / 1
No problems here.
Stepcharts: 5.80 / 6
- Light/Easy: .95 / 1
Nice patterns with good connection to the music. The only thing I can suggest is to place an 8th note in Measure 24, similar to the one at Measure 20, as both measures have similar notes. And I suggest that only because I keep trying to hit that "8th arrow" despite knowing it's not there ...
- Standard/Normal: 1.95 / 2
Again, nice patterns with good connection to the music.
- Heavy/Hard: 2.90 / 3
See above.

Main Total: 9.65 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.75 / (-1 to 2)
Very nice looking step artist icon.
Readme Extras: 1.75 / (-5 to 4)
Some information on the stepcharts and other things.
Extra Charts:
- Challenge Chart: 12.25 / (-5 to 15)
Just two problems here. Problem number one: the first arrow of the 8th note stream at Measure 26. If the player does not double-tap onto this arrow, e will either need to double-tap during the 8th note stream, or will end up doing a spin. I do not believe this spin is intentional, as the pattern following it is much more awkward if the player spins than it is if e double-taps. Problem number two: the freeze patterns starting at Measure 41, or more accurately, the 8th note double-taps associated with these freezes. Double-tapping at effectively 400BPM just isn't much fun. With the exception of these two problems, however, this chart was quite good. The complex crossovers and the final 12th note run should provide a good workout for those who can play this on a pad.
- Edit Chart: / (-5 to 15)
As requested in your readme, I will not try to judge this chart. I wouldn't know how to judge a keyboard chart anyways.

Total from Extras/Penalties: 15.75


Kiss Kiss - Hanna
- created by Akira

Graphics: 1.10 / 2
- Banner: .75 / 1
Decent looking, but a bit hazy. The artist name should be capitalized.
- Background: .35 / 1
Not nearly as nice looking as the banner. The overlay made the hearts look like a bunch of worms crawling all over the kissers' faces.
Music: 1.30 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: .60 / 1
The second half of the song, starting at the bridge, sounds like it has quality issues. I'm not sure if there is a quality issue, or if this version of the song is supposed to sound like that, but it doesn't sound very nice either way.
- Edit Quality: .70 / 1
The end drags on for too long.
Stepcharts: 5.40 / 6
- Light/Easy: .70 / 1
This feels like a Standard chart instead of a Light one. The 8th note crossovers, and the one crossover during the freeze, shouldn't be in Light.
- Standard/Normal: 1.85 / 2
Reasonably interesting, but not quite hard enough for an 8 foot rating.
- Heavy/Hard: 2.85 / 3
Strong connection to the music, with some interesting patterns. The mix of complex crossovers and 4th note double-taps gives this an old-school feel, but without the awkwardness that plagues many of the older 9 foot DDR charts.

Main Total: 7.80 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.25 / (-1 to 2)
Nice looking CD icon. The words above the word "Speed" aren't legible, but making this big enough to read those words would make the icon far too big for a cdtitle.
Lyrics: 4.00 / (-2 to 5)
The first line of lyrics during the bridge should have been broken up into two lines, as it disappears before that segment of the song is done. This also applies to the repetition of this line later in the bridge.
Animations and/or Movies: 7.50 / (-5 to 15)
Generic DDR animations that work pretty well with the song. The first and last ones, though, have a low framerate problem.
Readme Extras: .50 / (-5 to 4)
Yes I get it, but I do believe that joke's been done before. There's a tiny bit of info here beyond the required stuff.

Total from Extras/Penalties: 13.25


Know Your Xenemy - Mr. T and Hybrid
- created by #Infinity

Graphics: 2.00 / 2
- Banner: 1.00 / 1
Very nice looking.
- Background: 1.00 / 1
Also nice.
Music: 2.00 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: 1.00 / 1
A nice sounding mashup of DDR- and ITG-based music. As such, it is not surprisingly quite steppable. In fact, I dare say that it's more steppable than Know Your Enemy sounds...
- Edit Quality: 1.00 / 1
No problems here.
Stepcharts: 5.60 / 6
- Light/Easy: .95 / 1
Well connected to the music.
- Standard/Normal: 1.90 / 2
Despite your readme's comment that this is "very difficult for Standard", this feels like a pretty normal 6 foot Standard chart. And it's a very good one, too.
- Heavy/Hard: 2.75 / 3
The two 16th arrows near the end of the chart felt out of place. I can tell how they're connected to the music, but I think they would work better if more of that section's 16th notes had corresponding 16th arrows.

Main Total: 9.60 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.85 / (-1 to 2)
Very nice looking, and fits the banner's color scheme.
Animations and/or Movies: 8.50 / (-5 to 15)
Although all of these are DDR animations, several of them resemble the animations used in ITG, which creates a nice looking overall video for a mash-up of DDR and ITG music.
Readme Extras: 3.00 / (-5 to 4)
Good amount of info on the stepcharts, and lots of info on other things.
Extra Charts:
- Beginner Chart: 2.90 / (-2 to 3)
Interesting patterns, and strong connection to the music.
- Challenge Chart: 13.25 / (-5 to 15)
The only problem is with the first arrow of Measure 6. The stream that starts with this arrow becomes awkward if the player does not double-tap onto this first arrow. It doesn't seem like this was done intentionally, as this type of double-tap doesn't occur anywhere else in the chart.

Total from Extras/Penalties: 21.00


Love Tropicana Deluxe - Sister Mayo
- created by Xythar

Graphics: 2.00 / 2
- Banner: 1.00 / 1
A nice animated background that gives you at least a bit of a warning of the chaotic video to come. As an added bonus, a non-animated banner is included for those who have a Stepmania version that can't run the animated banner.
- Background: 1.00 / 1
Not one, but two nice looking backgrounds here; one corresponding to the video start, and one to the end.
Music: 2.00 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: 1.00 / 1
Very amusing and easily steppable song.
- Edit Quality: 1.00 / 1
No issues here.
Stepcharts: 5.60 / 6
- Light/Easy: .95 / 1
Interesting patterns, with a strong connection to the music.
- Standard/Normal: 1.80 / 2
There's a double-tap in Measure 16's first 8th stream; look at how the double right before it moves into that stream. Also, some of the crossovers are a bit too complex for a Standard chart.
- Heavy/Hard: 2.85 / 3
As your readme states, there are indeed a large number of yellow arrows here that do indeed make sense for the song. And thank you for not using a 16th stream during that particularly rapid section of lyrics; those yellow arrows wouldn't have worked at all.

Main Total: 9.60 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.25 / (-1 to 2)
This is a cdtitle representing the anime, I do believe. Regardless of whether or not I'm correct, the image is nice looking.
Animations and/or Movies: 14.00 / (-5 to 15)
Very well done; prehaps a bit too well: I had to play Beginner three times before I could properly review it; the video was THAT distracting.
Readme Extras: 3.50 / (-5 to 4)
Incredible amount of info here, if a bit rambling at times.
Extra Charts:
- Beginner Chart: 2.85 / (-2 to 3)
Just some minor nitpicking: The four arrow stream at the end felt odd. It was a change from the overall established pattern, without any change in the music's pattern. It's certainly not a real problem, but I can't help but feel that the fourth arrow was supposed to be on the next beat.

Total from Extras/Penalties: 21.60


Mahoro de MAX 300 - DJ Kaltaro
- created by Trick Master Mint

Graphics: 1.95 / 2
- Banner: .95 / 1
Doesn't seem to be any reason to include the girl in the banner if you're just gonna obscure her face with the title.
- Background: 1.00 / 1
Very nice looking.
Music: 1.90 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: 1.00 / 1
Very nice sounding mashup. Since the mashup involves a DDR song, it's not surprisingly quite steppable.
- Edit Quality: .90 / 1
I'm not sure if the stops are really necessary, but they're not much of a problem because the majority of them are preceeded by a particular sound in the music. This serves as a good warning for anyone who's paying attention to the music.
Stepcharts: 4.70 / 6
- Light/Easy: .85 / 1
Quarter note crossovers in Light are not normally a problem, but they become a problem when the stepchart is travelling at 300BPM.
- Standard/Normal: 1.60 / 2
Only two real problems: The pattern between Measures 17 and 24 is hard to follow, as it doesn't connect to the music, and the two 12th-to-Double segments feel a bit too much for Standard.
- Heavy/Hard: 2.25 / 3
The main problem is the jumps; there's just too many of them. This chart is also a little hard to follow at times. The mines at the end were an interesting touch, but overall this chart wasn't quite as entertaining as the Standard chart.

Main Total: 8.55 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.50 / (-1 to 2)
Nice looking step artist icon.
Readme Extras: .75 / (-5 to 4)
A bit of info on various things.

Total from Extras/Penalties: 2.25


Mata Hari (Spy mix) - Energy-Girls
- created by the_ditz

Graphics: 2.00 / 2
- Banner: 1.00 / 1
This is very nice looking.
- Background: 1.00 / 1
And so is this.
Music: 2.00 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: 1.00 / 1
A good song with good stepping potential.
- Edit Quality: 1.00 / 1
No problems here.
Stepcharts: 5.60 / 6
- Light/Easy: .95 / 1
This works quite well.
- Standard/Normal: 1.85 / 2
No real problems, but the number of 8th note streams makes this feel closer to 7 feet than 6.
- Heavy/Hard: 2.80 / 3
A freeze spin? Normally that would be a bad thing, but this spin is the final bit of the chart, so it's not a problem. The only actual problem I can find is the 16th arrow halfway through the chorus, which doesn't seem to correspond to anything in the music.

Main Total: 9.60 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.90 / (-1 to 2)
Two nice looking cdtitles to choose from, one for the song's label, and one for the step artist.
Lyrics: 5.00 / (-2 to 5)
You state that some inaccuracies are present in the lyrics file, but I can't understand the singer well enough to figure out which lines might be incorrect.
Readme Extras: 3.50 / (-5 to 4)
Very impressive amount of info in here.
Extra Charts:
- Beginner Chart: 2.50 / (-2 to 3)
A good chart. Much too easy for a 2 foot rating, though.

Total from Extras/Penalties: 12.90

[Jezendar]

Jezendar's review, part 3 of 3.


Metal Queen - Vanilla Ninja
- created by Lilina

Graphics: 1.95 / 2
- Banner: 1.00 / 1
This looks nice.
- Background: .95 / 1
This one doesn't work quite as well as the banner. It would look nicer if the title was brighter, as it is in the banner.
Music: 2.00/ 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: 1.00 / 1
This song can easily translate from GF/DM to Stepmania.
- Edit Quality: 1.00 / 1
Hearing the guitar solo is nice. I no longer have the OSC 4 simfile for this, but I don't think it included the solo. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.)
Stepcharts: 5.60 / 6
- Light/Easy: .95 / 1
No issues here.
- Standard/Normal: 1.75 / 2
The beginning is a bit bland for a 6 footer, and some of the 8th arrows feel like they were just randomly thrown in.
- Heavy/Hard: 2.90 / 3
A nice chart, with some very interesting crossover patterns.

Main Total: 9.55 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.00 / (-1 to 2)
Decent looking source game icon.
Lyrics: 4.50 / (-2 to 5)
Only one issue: The line "And you are ready for a thrill" disappears too early.
Animations and/or Movies: 11.75 / (-5 to 15)
A decent quality recording of a Vanilla Ninja concert. It could perhaps look a little better, but according to your readme the first copy looked a lot worse...
Readme Extras: 3.50 / (-5 to 4)
Quote: "one of the only female stepcharts in existence." I assume you mean female steppers, as last time I checked, stepcharts don't have genders. On a more serious note, this readme contains a good amount of stepchart info, and a wealth of information beyond that.
Extra Charts:
- Beginner Chart: 2.45 / (-2 to 3)
The 8th arrows simply don't belong in Beginner, even separated as they are from the other arrows. I would also recommend removing the arrow just after the pause; a new player would have trouble reacting that quickly to the end of the pause.
- Challenge Chart: 12.75 / (-5 to 15)
Not quite as entertaining as the Heavy chart, but still pretty good. The unusual spins (LDRRLDRR and similar) should prove quite interesting to those who enjoy spins in general.
Bad Synching: -2.00 / (0 to -10 or DQ)
The GAP's a bit off; I'm consistently hitting arrows a bit too late.

Total from Extras/Penalties: 33.95


Namida Girl - Miki Fujimoto
- created by Hamm

Graphics: 1.90 / 2
- Banner: 1.00 / 1
This looks nice.
- Background: .90 / 1
Almost the same as the banner. The banner is obviously not just a copy of the background, but a little more variety would be beneficial.
Music: 1.55 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: 1.00 / 1
Decent sounding song that shouldn't be hard to step.
- Edit Quality: .55 / 1
Using the full song wasn't wise; this file is much too long.
Stepcharts: .60 / 6
- Light/Easy: .05 / 1
This chart feels very random and has little connection to the music. Most of it is just a giant half note stream. Large portions of the chart avoid the right button; only 21 out of nearly 200 arrows are right arrows.
- Standard/Normal: .20 / 2
A bit more connection to the music here, but still not well connected and very random feeling. The freeze patterns were a bit boring. The 16ths during the end portion of the chart don't seem to go to anything. I believe the 12th's at the end are not correctly timed to the music, but for the reason given below, I can't test them in Edit mode as I typically would when I'm not sure on such things.
- Heavy/Hard: .35 / 3
The lackluster connection to the music and overall randomized feeling remain. Much of this is just three arrow 8th note streams over and over again. The freeze patterns are still a bit boring, and the 16th's during the final part of the chart still don't seem to connect to anything in the music.

Main Total: 4.05 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.75 / (-1 to 2)
Very nice looking step artist icon.
Readme Extras: .10 / (-5 to 4)
It's got something besides the required info...
Extra Charts:
- Challenge Chart: 12.00 / (-5 to 15)
The problems present throughout the other stepcharts are noticably absent here. This chart connect strongly to the music, the random feeling is quite minimal, and the extra non-freeze arrows during the freeze patterns prevent the player from getting bored by the long freezes. The only problem is the difficulty rating. This feels like a hard 9/easy 10 rather than an 11.
Low Quality Music or Music outside of length restrictions: / (0 to -8)
There's something legitimately wrong with this music file. It's nearly two and a half minutes long, yet Winamp states its only 1:45. Stepmania will not play the song in Edit mode if you select a portion of the chart that starts after the 1:45 mark. I can only suspect that the file's been altered to cheat ITG arcade machines into playing it. Since I'm not sure if this is in fact the case, I'll let NekoIncardine decide whether or not it should be penalized in any way.
Incorrect Difficulty: -2.00 / (0 or -2 per chart)
Problem Chart(s) - Challenge (11 vs. 9/10)

Total from Extras/Penalties: 11.85


Paranoia Disconnected Max (Hyper Dirty Mix) - 190 vs. Inspector K
- created by ????

Graphics: .80 / 2
- Banner: .45 / 1
I can't tell what the object in the banner is, even after your readme identified it as a phone. The title text is hazy and quite plain looking.
- Background: .35 / 1
The Paranoia title is very hard to make out; I see "patahoiB". The rest of the title isn't quite as bad, but it's still hard to make out, and the lowest line is blocked by the bottom bar of Stepmania's default theme.
Music: 1.90 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: .90 / 1
I've always felt that the Disconnected series is the Paranoia series of ITG, so I'm not surprised by how well the songs went together. Some parts of the mash-up do sound grainy, however.
- Edit Quality: 1.00 / 1
No issues with the edit, and the BPM gimmicks work well overall.
Stepcharts: 3.70 / 6
- Light/Easy: .90 / 1
Pretty well connected to the music. Feels a bit randomized at times, but that would be appropriate for a Paranoia-related chart.
- Standard/Normal: 1.45 / 2
So that's why the song hangs a bit before the start of each stepchart; there are mines set to the start of the music here. (What is "FY1" anyways?) The "OSC" mines near the end are amusing, but they don't look very nice because the "C" is one line shorter that the other two letters, and separated a bit from them. It ends up looking like "OS c". The chart overall isn't very interesting, as many of the patterns focus on two arrows at a time. This means the player won't be moving around the pad very much.
- Heavy/Hard: 1.35 / 3
Many problems. Those mines at music start are still present. There are several annoying double-taps during the early part of the chart. The karaoke steps set to the operator's voice are strangely timed and are timed differently on each repetition. It looks like they were placed in Record mode and just left as is. The two arrows in the first slowdown are intriguing, but the rest of the slowdowns just have too many arrows to deal with. The long jump streams simply aren't fun. Finally, the 16th patterns during the end are just onerous.

Main Total: 6.40 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.50 / (-1 to 2)
Decent looking, and amusingly appropriate for this song.
Readme Extras: .50 / (-5 to 4)
It's got a bit of info on the stepcharts, and some info on other things. But the carraige returns are poorly placed; with Word Wrap on, it alternates between full screen lines and quarter-of-the-screen lines. Also, it's missing several required pieces of information, including your name and contact info.
Extra Charts:
- Beginner Chart: 2.25 / (-2 to 3)
The chart is a bit boring at first, but gets much more interesting once it moves beyond the starting whole notes. I'm pleased to see that the arrows were kept away from the various BPM shifts, so new players won't need to worry too much about them.
Improper Background Formatting: -2.00 / (0, -2, -4, or -6)
The banner is only 320x240.

Total from Extras/Penalties: 2.25


Paranoia Survivor Min - DJ Tepples feat. Destiny's Child vs. 180
- created by

Graphics: 1.20 / 2
- Banner: .55 / 1
I don't think you missed a font here. This mess of fonts is just plain messy looking, and the "Paranoia" in particular blends into the background a bit.
- Background: .65 / 1
The Destiny's Child/Paranoia robot mash-up fits well with the song, but doesn't look as nice as it could; this is particularly true of the center head. The title is overly compacted; the words would look better if they were a bit more separated.
Music: 1.15 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: .25 / 1
To put it quite simply, these songs weren't meant to be mashed. There isn't a lot of Paranoia in here, which is probably a good thing as the song sounds the worst during the strong Paranoia parts. In addition, the backbeat (or whatever you'd call it) sounds very grainy.
- Edit Quality: .90 / 1
It's a lot more Survivor than Paranoia, so 80BPM would make a lot more sense than 161BPM does.
Stepcharts: 4.35 / 6
- Light/Easy: .80 / 1
Pretty well connected to the music. However, the long streams of two arrow jackhammers got old pretty quickly.
- Standard/Normal: 1.45 / 2
Less connected to the music than Light was, and much more random feeling. Overrated, as well; this is easily a 5 footer.
- Heavy/Hard: 2.10 / 3
It starts out strongly; the chart is well connected to the music's first verse. But once the verse ends, that connection is lost and the randomness increases. In particular, the first chorus seems to be backwards; 8th's during the first half where 4th's would fit better, and 4th's during the second half where 8th's would fit better.

Main Total: 6.60 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.50 / (-1 to 2)
Nice looking musician icon.
Lyrics: 1.75 / (-2 to 5)
The words in parentheses during the choruses arent' necessary, and just serve to make the lyrics difficult to follow.
Readme Extras: 2.00 / (-5 to 4)
Decent amount of information here, overall. And here I thought DJ Tepples was actually from East Germany.
Bad Synching: -2.00 / (0 to -10 or DQ)
I'm consistently hitting the buttons too late.

Total from Extras/Penalties: 3.25


September - DJ Speedo
- created by DahrkDaiz

Graphics: 1.40 / 2
- Banner: .80 / 1
Overlapping the title on the artist like that is not wise because, not surprisingly, the artist name gets obscured by the title.
- Background: .60 / 1
Pretty simplistic looking, and doesn't really connect to the song in any ways.
Music: 2.00 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: 1.00 / 1
I do believe that Speed Mixes have been part of DDR since its inception, so this Speed Mix is not surprisingly quite steppable.
- Edit Quality: 1.00 / 1
I was surprised when I realized this song is more than two minutes long; it doesn't feel that long at all.
Stepcharts: 5.60 / 6
- Light/Easy: .95 / 1
Strongly connected to the music, with some interesting patterns.
- Standard/Normal: 1.95 / 2
As above, with many interesting patterns.
- Heavy/Hard: 2.70 / 3
Having studied this chart in Edit mode, I can see that it is indeed doable without double-tapping (though I doubt I have the skill to do so myself). Only two real problems: The gallops are a bit difficult to time, as gallops typically have the 16th right before the 4th, instead of right after. And the freeze near-spins are pushing things a bit too far. Using non-freeze arrows for these patterns would make them much more forgivable to an 8 foot player.

Main Total: 9.00 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.25 / (-1 to 2)
Nice looking CD icon.
Readme Extras: 1.75 / (-5 to 4)
Good amount of stepchart info. But the carraige returns are poorly placed; with Word Wrap on, it alternates between full screen lines and quarter-of-the-screen lines.
Improper Background Formatting: -2.00 / (0, -2, -4, or -6)
Its just 320x240.

Total from Extras/Penalties: 1.00


V35 - Tiger Yamato
- created by will-i-am

Graphics: 1.90 / 2
- Banner: .95 / 1
Decent overall, but the color scheme of the image used is a bit odd looking.
- Background: .90 / 1
This is a bit more bland looking than the banner, and has that same odd color scheme.
Music: 1.95 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: 1.00 / 1
Though I haven't played Beatmania myself, I've yet to hear a Beatmania-related song that would not fit in Stepmania.
- Edit Quality: .95 / 1
It feels just a little too long.
Stepcharts: 5.55 / 6
- Light/Easy: .85 / 1
some of the patterns in the chart get repetitve over time.
- Standard/Normal: 1.95 / 2
No real issues here. It feels more like a 6 foot chart to me, but I think that's just a hard 5/easy 6 deal.
- Heavy/Hard: 2.75 / 3
There are a few places where the arrow pattern changes before the music pattern does.

Main Total: 9.35 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.00 / (-1 to 2)
It's a decent looking source game icon, but the generic grey "IIDX" icon I've often seen is much nicer looking.
Readme Extras: 2.50 / (-5 to 4)
Great amount of info on the stepcharts, and some info on other things.
Extra Charts:
- Beginner Chart: 2.85 / (-2 to 3)
This works well.

Total from Extras/Penalties: 6.35


Votum Stellarum - Iconoclasm
- created by Super_Ray

Graphics: 1.90 / 2
- Banner: .95 / 1
Very nice looking, but I'd push the title up a bit so it's not obscuring the people's faces.
- Background: .95 / 1
A bit more bland looking than the banner, but still nice overall.
Music: 1.85 / 2
- Song Selection / File Quality: 1.00 / 1
My comment in V35's review about Beatmania-related songs easily applies to Pop'n-related songs as well.
- Edit Quality: .85 / 1
This edit is too long, and starts to drag on during the last segment of the song.
Stepcharts: 5.75 / 6
- Light/Easy: .95 / 1
This works well.
- Standard/Normal: 1.90 / 2
Good connection to the music, with some interesting variety in the patterns used.
- Heavy/Hard: 2.90 / 3
Good overall, but the freeze patterns near the end are a bit bland relative to the rest of the chart.

Main Total: 9.50 / 10

Extras/Penalties:
CDTitle: 1.50 / (-1 to 2)
Nice looking source game icon.
Readme Extras: 2.25 / (-5 to 4)
A good amount of detail on the stepcharts, and a little bit beyond that.
Extra Charts:
- Beginner Chart: 2.80 / (-2 to 3)
Good overall, but far below a 2 foot rating.

Total from Extras/Penalties: 6.55