The best Dance Dance game you can get in North America; despite that you need a device like the ARMAX to get everything.
Good: Hands and Feet mode is a real challenge; solid soundtrack; compared to MAX and MAX 2, this is the most comprehensive yet in terms of features.
Bad: No dance play option is a potential killer; need a hacked save to get the full experience; most new Eye Toy games are a novelty to say the least.
Instead of being just another upgrade, DDR Extreme goes above and beyond your standard updates to create a much more fullfilling experience. Though it has the same name as the Japanese version, the NA version of the game is clearly superior thanks to the game's better soundtrack. New to the series is the brand new Eye Toy modes that make the game a little bit more interesting. Most of the Eye Toy games are pretty tame, it's the hands and feet mode that adds a new dimension to the classic gameplay. Other than that, both challenging and nonstop modes are present, you can play an endless set with endless mode, and still use lesson and training modes to help you get better.
The music is superb, it has the right balance of fan favorites such as V, A, B4U, and The Legend of MAX. For fans like myself who are more down to earth and think that 300 BPM or the stereotypical fan's favorite songs are a total turn off, you've got some of DDR's most hidden gems here such as Do Me (H.I.G.E.O. MIX), Don't Clock Me, Never Ending Story, Theme from Enter The Dragon (2001 Revival Mix), and more. It also has its fair share of new songs, most of them I really like such as Kids in America, Somnambulist, Music by Darude, kick ass covers of Waiting for Tonight and Like a Virgin, MAXIMIZER, and more. It has its share of revivals (hey you IIDX fanboys call IIDX CS repeats revivals) with 7 of them being accompanied by Challenge only versions.
There is no dance play option here so accuracy on the pad is greater than ever. A song is also left unplayable which can be fixed if you have a cheat device that can get saved games online. A hack save is available at DDRfreak which adresses both problems.
DDR Extreme is a good package if you consider yourself a fan who thinks that the Japanese version is not all that great. If you're not a part of that stereotypical crowd of nerds, anime freaks, or Japanophiles (case in point most members of bemanistyle, DDRUK, or DDRfreak) and are totally down to earth, this mix is for you.