Step Aerobics for Nerds = DDR; DDR Extreme & How to Set It Up So It Is Easier to Workout Using PS2

I bought a used game a month ago, so I could feed my obsession for DDR and try out other DDR games.  I already had DDR Extreme 2 and DDR Supernova, which are excellent games.  I had the two previous games for so long that I had forgotten how they were set up originally for the optimum game use convenience.

As such, I found the consistent "Game Over" messages and having to watch the game use instructions and DDR ads over and over again after playing 3 songs rather tedious.  Thus, I fiddled with the settings and figured out how to set it up so it was MUCH MORE CONVENIENT to workout, pick the songs I wanted, and do cardiovascular aerobic exercise consistently instead of having to deal with the aforementioned breaks.

Step One: Change the game settings for maximum number of songs: 5

Here's the game main menu:

You want to go to the Options Menu.  This menu is below the Records Menu and above the Credits Menu.

Change the Max Stage from the default setting of 3 to 5 on the second row (the row under the Game Level row).

Step 2: Change the Game Over setting to End of Music setting.

Since I want to use this game mostly for aerobic exercise, I want to be able to play entire songs even if I misstep.  The original setting is for the game to grade your performance and fail you if you are playing really bad.  Since my Dance Controller pad is old and sometimes I misstep out of faulty equipment, the original game setting hinders my game experience.  Thus, the best thing to do in my case is to change the Game Over setting.

Thus, change the Game Over setting on the 3rd row (the row below the Max Stage) to "End of Music".  This allows the user to play the entire length of songs (even if their dance controller pad is faulty or they lack flawless coordination).

Step 3: Change Event Mode to ON, so the game will go back to the song wheel after 5 songs.  

Since I want to exercise for about 15 songs in a row, the best way to achieve that is to set the Event Mode to ON.  This can be changed using the row below the Game Over row and using the side-to-side arrows.  This will mean that after 5 songs in each game, the game goes back to the song wheel.  This measure allows me to pick whatever songs I want to play in whatever order I want and not have to wait through tedious ads and for the game to restart.  This is great for a fickle individual who doesn't want to go through the trouble of setting up courses for workouts instead as well (aka: me).

Step 4: Default Difficulty Setting changes (optional)

Now, I like playing most DDR games on Basic or Light modes.  Hence, I didn't change the Default Difficulty setting from Light to any other setting.  However, if you are new at DDR and want to start off on Beginner setting and not have to change it all the time, you could change the Default Difficulty setting to Beginner in this menu to avoid the hassle.  On the flipside, if you are an amazing DDR player and want to play the Standard setting or any other setting more difficult than that, you can also toggle up to and change this Default Difficulty setting to one of the harder settings to eliminate the hassle of changing it all the time while playing.

Step 5: Turn Workout Mode ON in the workout menu

Since I want to monitor how many calories I burn while I workout, setting this mode to ON means that the number of kilocalories I burn shows up in the bottom left corner of any song results screen I see while playing in Game Mode.  Hence, I set Workout Mode to ON as shown in the image below.

Make sure you save all these changes on your memory card in your PS2, so playing the game for workout purposes can be more convenient.

Review: I really like this game: DDR Extreme.  It works great.  There are some awesome 80's songs in it as well, which is the era of music I like best for dancing.  Plus, now that I have figured out how to set it up for workout mode, it makes it almost as convenient to use as the other DDR games that I own.

I hope other DDR enthusiasts find this blog helpful so they can enjoy other DDR games!!

I was bummed out that the other used DDR game that I bought a month ago couldn't be read by my PS2.  As such, I cannot review it for you.  It is called Dance Dance Revolution X.

Disclaimer: The screenshot images were taken by me using my digital camera, but the menus displayed on the television in the images are the property of Konami, Bemani, PS2, and the whole DDR franchise.  I do not own the menus.