Supernova's well-balanced soundtrack as well as its new, more difficult challenges make it a must have for DDR fans.
After playing for a while, you will begin to appreciate the game more. The new stellar mode resembles the challenges in Extreme 2. Players will basically complete several different challenges on certain stars. Completing each of the challenges will enable a more challenging mode, where you will have to complete 4 out of 5 songs. Many of the songs will have handicaps, such as mixed up arrows, slower/faster speeds, and other challenges that make the songs more difficult. For DDR veterans, starting off on the first star is very tedious, since you will play a lot of the easier songs on easier difficulties. Don't be disappointed though. Trust me, they get a lot harder! Unfortunately, playing through the missions is the only way to unlock new songs. Some people do not mind playing through the missions; others complain about them frequently. Fortunately, the missions are a lot more entertaining than the missions in Extreme 2 were. There are some really funny handicaps that you and your friends will get a kick out of. One of my favorite handicaps is where they actually change the positions of the arrow slots. So you see two arrow slots in the normal spots, and the other two slightly lower. Just using that as an example, one can see that the challenges are a bit more tricky this time around. However, you must play difficult songs to unlock those challenges, so in the end it all evens out anyway.
As far as graphics go, SuperNova has improved greatly over its predecessprs. The on-screen dancers look great, and a lot sharper than before. Their dance moves are fluid, and they actually look realistic. In the other games, the dancers would never adapt to the faster songs, and would be dancing so fast that they'd look plain silly. SuperNova greatly improves on that aspect. I only question the girl who dances in her underwear...what a funny site. The backgrounds are alright, but some of them look bland at times. Other backgrounds look great, with "psychedelic" colors and geometirc shapes. There are also music videos to accompany some of the songs. Overall, the graphics have made a turn for the better, and most of the visuals look great.
The sound is what anyone would expect for a DDR game. Great! There is a wide variety of genres to dance to, including rock, alternative, pop, trance, techno, and rap. Whether you are looking for classic tunes, modern tracks, or those good old Japanese vocals, SuperNova will do the trick. One thing that also caught my eye was the fact that they included some of the songs from the Ultramix series. I thought that was cool, because then people who liked it on the Xbox have a reason to play it on the PS2. But I swear, if they don't have the Akumajo Dracula Medley from DDR Ultramix 3, I am going to scream! There are also a lot of tracks from the other PS2 DDR games, including Love-Shine, Dynamite Rave, many others. I haven't unlocked all of the songs, but I sure hope they included Drop the Bomb.
So, are you debating on whether or not you should purchase this game? Here are some of the questions you might be asking yourself:
1. "Are there really enough good songs to make it worth while?
-Yes, there are tons of great songs, new and old.
2. "I am so good at DDR...will SuperNova be too easy?"
-Hey, I can play on challenge, but some of the V.I.P. missions are still pretty hard.
3. "I play the Xbox version, so will I like it on the PS2?"
-You might have trouble adjusting to the timing of the arrows, since it differs between consoles, but there's not reason you shouldn't enjoy it otherwise.
4. "Doesn't dancing ever get boring?"
-To some, maybe, but I have fun unlocking new songs and learning wasy to improve my skills.
5. "Has anything changed that will turn me away from the game?"
-There are two main changes: The first is that in Game Mode, there are stages like in Extreme 1. So after you play 3 songs, you start over. Also, they changed the names of the difficulties. Instead of "Beginner, Light, Standard, Heavy, and Challenge," they incorporated "Beginner, Basic, Difficult, Expert, and Challenge." There are really no major changes though.
The Verdict: Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova is a great DDR game with a lot of cool new features. It might not take the place of the Extreme series or the Max series, but there are still some really awesome songs. The gameplay is solid, the graphics are great, and the timing is on the spot. If you like DDR or are looking for a new DDR to add to your collection, then SuperNova is a great choice! I hardly wanted to take a break from it, but I had to write this review!