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Dance Dance Revolution

Dance Dance Revolution (ダンスダンスレボリューション) (DDR) is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the pioneering series of the rhythm and dance genre in video games. Players stand on a "dance platform" or stage and hit colored arrows laid out in a cross with their feet to musical and visual cues. Players are judged by how well they time their dance to the patterns presented to them and are allowed to choose more music to play to if they receive a passing score.

Dance Dance Revolution has been met with critical acclaim for its originality and stamina in the video game market, as well as popularizing the use of videogames as a medium for fitness and exercise. There have been dozens of arcade-based releases across several countries and hundreds of home video game console releases, promoting a music library of original songs produced by Konami's in-house artists and an eclectic set of licensed music from many different genres. The game is also known for its passionate fanbase, as well as its growing competitive tournament scene. The DDR series has also inspired similar games such as Pump it Up by Andamiro and In the Groove by Roxor Games.

The series' current arcade version is Dance Dance Revolution World, released on June 12, 2024.

Gameplay
The core game involves the player stepping their feet to correspond with the arrows that appear on the screen and the beat of the song playing. During normal gameplay, arrows scroll upwards from the bottom of the screen and pass over a set of stationary arrows near the top (referred to as the "guide arrows" or "receptors", officially known as the Step Zone). When the scrolling arrows overlap the stationary ones, the player must step on the corresponding arrows on the dance platform, and the player has been given a judgment for their accuracy of every streaked note (From highest to lowest: Marvelous, Perfect, Great, Good, Almost, Miss).

Additional arrow types were added in later mixes. Freeze Arrows, introduced in MAX, are long green arrows that must be held down until they completely travel through the Step Zone. Each of these arrows awards an "O.K.!" if successfully pressed or an "N.G." when the arrow is released too quickly. An "N.G." decreases the life bar and, starting with X, also breaks any existing combo. X also introduced Shock Arrows, walls of arrows with lightning effects that must be avoided, which will award an "O.K.!" if successfully avoided or an "N.G." if any of the dancer's panels are stepped on. An "N.G." for shock arrows has the same consequences found with freeze arrows, but hitting a shock arrow additionally hides future steps for a short period.

Successfully hitting the arrows in time with the music fills the "Dance Gauge", or life bar, while failure to do so drains it. If the Dance Gauge is fully exhausted during gameplay, the player will fail the song, and the game will be over. Otherwise, the player is taken to the Results Screen, which rates the player's performance with a letter grade and a numerical score, among other statistics. The player may then be given a chance to play again, depending on the settings of the particular machine. The default limit is three songs, though operators can set the limit between one and five.

Aside from play style Single, Dance Dance Revolution provides two other play styles: Versus, where two players can play Single simultaneously, and Double, where one player uses all eight panels. Before the 2013 release of Dance Dance Revolution, some games offer additional modes, such as Course mode (players must play a set of songs back-to-back) and Battle mode (two players compete with a tug-of-war life bar by sending distracting modifiers to each other). Earlier versions also have Couple/Unison Mode, where two players must cooperate to play the song. Course Mode was reintroduced to the series starting with A20.

Difficulty
Depending on the edition of the game, dance steps are broken into various levels of difficulty, often by color. The difficulty is separated into two to five categories, depending on the game:

The first release of Dance Dance Revolution established two difficulties: Basic for Single and Double modes, and Another for Single mode only. Each chart is rated with a level from 1 to 7, and every release through 3rdMix Plus also attributed a title to each level number. The Internet Ranking Version added Another for Double mode, and a new higher difficulty of Maniac for Single mode only, along with several level 8 charts, titled Exorbitant. 2ndMix Club Version 2 introduced several level 9 charts, titled Catastrophic until 3rdMix Plus and Evolutionary in X3 vs. 2ndMix. The Maniac difficulty was renamed SSR and expanded to Double mode for new songs in 3rdMix, with the name reverting to Maniac in 3rdMix Plus. Beginning with 4thMix, all songs featured the Maniac difficulty in Single and Double mode. Also, Another was renamed to Trick. 4thMix Plus introduced new Maniac charts for 16 songs, while the original Maniac charts were labelled Maniac-S and Maniac-D in this game, with only the new charts remaining in 5thMix.

DDRMAX introduced the "Groove Radar", showing how difficult a particular sequence was in various categories, such as the maximum density of steps. This release removed the level numbers, and among the 42 songs, two ("Flash in the Night" and "Follow Me") have never received any level numbers due to being DDRMAX exclusives. Additionally, DDRMAX changed the difficulty names to Light, Standard, and Heavy. Beginning with DDRMAX2, level numbers were reintroduced, along with a level 10 for "MAX 300" and "MAXX Unlimited". Level 10 was titled Revolutionary in X3 vs. 2ndMix. DDRMAX2 also introduced the Challenge difficulty with "Kakumei" ("革命") on One More Extra Stage, and in Nonstop Challenge Mode songs. Extreme introduced the Beginner difficulty, which premiered in Dancing Stage EuroMix, as the game's easiest difficulty. It is only available in Single mode, except in the DDR Universe series for the Xbox 360, which offers Beginner difficulty in Single and Double modes. Extreme features a total of 37 songs with the Challenge difficulty. Exclusive to Extreme were "flashing 10s" that seemingly hint to go beyond a regular 10.

SuperNOVA standardizes the naming of difficulty to the Beginner, Basic, Difficult, Expert, and Challenge respectively.

Due to the old system not going past level 10 and other outdated reasonings, X overhauls the numbering system, now extending the scale of 1–20. All songs from previous versions were re-rated on the new scale, roughly multiplying the old number to 1.4x (i.e. 9 now being 12 or 13). Even though the rating can go up to 20, no song has reached that level. The highest rated song on X is 18. X2 introduced the first 19: "Valkyrie dimension" Challenge. Although the new rating system is an improvement from the old system, it is common for each sequel to re-rate charts to reflect the proper difficulty, such as "POSSESSION" Double Challenge being re-rated from 18 to 19 on both DDR II (Wii) and X3 vs. 2ndMix.

Starting from A, the difficulty is now displayed during gameplay.

Groove Radar
The foot-rating system was completely removed for the 6th Mix, and replaced by the Groove Radar. The Groove Radar is a graphical representation of the difficulty of a song based in five different areas: Stream, Voltage, Air, Chaos, and Freeze.

 *  Stream – Indicates the overall density of the steps of the song. A high number of steps is a factor too, but not necessary for a high stream measurement.
 *  Voltage – Indicates the peak density of the steps (the highest density of arrows that ever appear on the screen at once). Songs with a high BPM (300 or more) usually have a high voltage measurement, since it allows more steps to appear in increasingly halved beats (8th step in a 300 BPM song equals to 4th beat step in a 150 BPM song, and so on), though songs with lower BPM can have a high voltage, even if the halved beats usually cap at 32nd beat (64th beat steps exist in very few songs).
 *  Chaos – Indicates "off-beat" steps; those that do not occur in 4th or 8th beats.
 *  Air – Indicates the number of double steps (i.e. jumps) and shock arrows within the song.
 *  Freeze – Indicates the number of freeze arrows within the song

Each game usually has a song that maxes out a category within the radar. If a song in a following mix or update has a higher category measurement, then the groove radar is renewed so the new song can max out that category, while all previous songs are re-rated in respect to the new radar.

As of DDR 2014, the groove radar also employs a numerical measurement in addition to a graphical representation. Before the update, the radar did not disclose the number by default, though it could be shown by holding the SELECT button while heading to the song select screen.

The Groove Radar was not very popular among seasoned DDR veterans. The foot-rating system was restored to work with the Groove Radar in the North American home version of the game and the next arcade version, MAX2, and almost all future versions (except for versions based on the North American version of EXTREME, which only used foot ratings). All of the MAX songs on MAX2 received foot-ratings, excluding songs that were removed.

SuperNOVA 2 featured special edits of songs specifically meant to max out specific categories on the radar, culminating with "DEAD END ("GROOVE RADAR" Special)", maxing out all five categories. While not related, SuperNOVA 2 also featured a variation known as "My Groove Radar" as part of e-Amusement, which was also divided into five categories, though it was meant to measure the player's stats on songs rather than showing the song's difficulty.

This feature is now removed in DDR WORLD.

Extra Stage system
The Extra Stage, originally introduced in 1stMIX and reintroduced in MAX, rewards a player for clearing three songs, either with a high enough grade on the final stage or by fulfilling specific play requirements. The player receives the opportunity to play a free extra song, which often defaults to a very difficult song with forced modifiers (such as 1.5x speed and Reverse) and LIFE4 since DDR X2, a life bar identical to the battery bar similar to Challenge mode with 1–4 lives depending on their score in the final stage in SuperNOVA 2 and X, or a non-regaining life bar before SuperNOVA 2. Beginning on SuperNOVA 2, players may be able to access the modifier menu (LIFE GAUGE is disabled) and the forced modifiers (save for battery bar or LIFE4) are no longer used. However, the Replicant-D Action event in X2 and since DDR 2014 did not allow players to select modifiers for its Encore Extra Stage.

Before EXTREME, the Extra Stage song was predetermined. Afterward, any song can be played for the Extra Stage, although there is still a song designated as the Extra Stage (usually marked with red letters on the song wheel, or contained within the EXTRA EXCLUSIVE folder. In all cases (etc. in EXTRA EXCLUSIVE songs), they must be unlocked for regular play). A player who attains a grade of "AA" (or "A" in SuperNOVA or 950.000 Supernova 2 points in A) on the Extra Stage is invited to play an additional stage, "One More Extra Stage" (OMES, or Encore Extra Stage post-SuperNOVA), with another special song option, played in RISKY, in which any combo-breaking step or missed freeze will cause an instant failure. Since X3 VS 2ndMIX, some Encore Extra Stage songs are marked as "ATTACK PERFECT FULL COMBO", where any judgment less than Perfect will cause the player to fail the song. Unlike Extra Stages, the song for Encore Extra Stages remains predetermined, the only exceptions were SuperNOVA 2 and X, which allowed players to play any song for their Encore Extra Stage. Usually, if this final boss is beaten, a special credits sequence is played.

With the implementation of e-Amusement in DDR, mixes after SuperNOVA have contained multiple songs as extra stages, often based on specific conditions, such as playing specific difficulties or songs.

From MAX2 onward, the BPM of Extra Stage songs is displayed as a random, changing number, instead of the song's true BPM to hide it from players, also when KAKUMEI was played as an Encore Extra Stage, its Groove Radar data is hidden by continually animating through random songs' ratings. The random BPM display is replaced with the normal BPM display in the next mix, and as of X, after the said song has been unlocked for normal play.

Hardware
A standard Dance Dance Revolution arcade machine consists of two parts, the cabinet and the dance platform. The cabinet has a wide bottom section, which houses large floor speakers and glowing neon lamps (led on X cabinets and hide lights on white cabinets). Above this sits a narrower section that contains the monitor, and on top is a lighted marquee graphic, with two small speakers and flashing lights on either side. Below the monitor are two sets of buttons (one for each player), each consisting of two triangular selection buttons (four on X and white cabinets) and a center rectangular button, used mainly to confirm a selection or start the game. The dance stage is a raised metal platform divided into two sides. Each side houses a set of four acrylic glass pads arranged and pointing in the orthogonal directions (left, up, down and right), separated by metal squares. Each pad sits atop four pressure activated switches, one at each edge of each pad, and a software-controlled cold cathode lamp illuminating the translucent pad, not available on the white cabinet. A metal safety bar in the shape of an upside-down "U" is mounted to the dance stage behind each player. Some players make use of this safety bar to help maintain proper balance, and to relieve weight from the legs so that arrows can be pressed with greater speed and accuracy.

Some DDR cabinets are equipped with Sony PlayStation memory card slots, allowing the player to insert a compatible memory card before starting a game and save their high scores to the card. Additionally, the equivalent home versions of DDR allow players to create and save custom step patterns (edits) to their memory card — the player can then play those steps on the arcade machine if the same song exists on that machine. This feature is supported in 2ndMix through Extreme. On the DDR X announce, these slots are replaced by USB slots and the players required create edits from Japanese PlayStation 2's DDR X and transferred onto the DDR X arcades onwards. SuperNova series and white cabinets did not support memory card slots. However, it introduced Konami's internet based link system e-Amusement to the series, which can save stats and unlocks for individual players (but cannot store edits). This functionality however, could only be used in Japan. During the North American release of Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2, an e-Amuse capable machine was made available at a Brunswick Zone Arcade in Naperville, Illinois. This machine was hosted on a different network than the Japanese version, and the only other machine on the network was located in Konami's American branch in El Segundo, California. e-Amusement functionality would later be made available in North America with the release of Dance Dance Revolution A.

The Solo arcade cabinet is smaller and contains only one dance pad, modified to include six arrow panels instead of four (the additional panels are "upper-left" and "upper-right"). These pads generally do not come with a safety bar, but include the option for one to be installed at a later date. The Solo pad also lacks some of the metal plating that the standard pad has, which can make stepping difficult for players who are used to playing on standard machines. An upgrade was available for Solo machines called the "Deluxe pad", which was closer to the standard cabinet's pad. Additionally Solo machines only incorporate two sensors, located horizontally in the center of the arrow, instead of four sensors (one on each edge).

On January 14, 2019, Konami revealed a new "20th Anniversary Model" cabinet redesign, featuring gold-colored plating, a larger screen, and updated dance pad LED lighting.

{| class="wikitable" style="width: 1024px;" ! rowspan="2" style="width: 19%;" | Characteristics !! colspan=5 |

CRT-based arcade cabinets
! style="width: 27%;" | First ! style="width: 27%;" | Solo ! style="width: 27%;" | First (Refresh)
 * Photo
 * DDR Extreme arcade at Cineplex Cinemas Yorkdale 20151202.png
 * Dance Dance Revolution Solo 2000 arcade machine.jpg
 * ddrsn.jpg
 * Year released
 * 1998
 * 1999
 * 2006
 * Thematic color
 * colspan="2" | Black
 * Black (Fusion)
 * Red (SuperNova)
 * Blue (US SuperNova 2 only)
 * Initial system board
 * colspan="2" | System 573
 * Bemani Python (Fusion)
 * Python 2 (SuperNova series)
 * Screen
 * colspan="2" | CRT-based, 29" at 240p or 480i
 * CRT-based, 29" at 480p
 * Lighthing
 * ✅ Front and panel lights
 * ✔ Front lights only
 * ✅ Front and panel lights
 * Card reader
 * ✔ Optional (PS1, e-Amusement and USB)
 * N/A
 * ✔ Optional (e-Amusement and USB)
 * Panel colors
 * Pink (vertical)
 * Baby blue (horizontal)
 * Black background
 * White text and arrow borders
 * Pink (vertical)
 * Baby Blue (horizontal)
 * Lime (Diagonal)
 * Black Background
 * White text and arrow Borders
 * Pink (vertical)
 * Baby Blue (horizontal)
 * Black Background
 * White text and arrow Borders
 * Handle bar colors
 * Red
 * Purple (optional)
 * Red
 * First game included
 * Dance Dance Revolution (1998)
 * DDR Solo Bass Mix
 * Dancing Stage Fusion (Europe) DDR SuperNova (elsewhere)
 * Final game included
 * Dance Dance Revolution Extreme
 * DDR Solo 4thMix Plus
 * Dancing Stage SuperNova (Europe) DDR SuperNova 2 (elsewhere)
 * Highest supported upgrade
 * Dance Dance Revolution A3
 * DDR Solo 4thMix Plus
 * Dance Dance Revolution A3
 * }
 * Red
 * First game included
 * Dance Dance Revolution (1998)
 * DDR Solo Bass Mix
 * Dancing Stage Fusion (Europe) DDR SuperNova (elsewhere)
 * Final game included
 * Dance Dance Revolution Extreme
 * DDR Solo 4thMix Plus
 * Dancing Stage SuperNova (Europe) DDR SuperNova 2 (elsewhere)
 * Highest supported upgrade
 * Dance Dance Revolution A3
 * DDR Solo 4thMix Plus
 * Dance Dance Revolution A3
 * }
 * DDR Solo 4thMix Plus
 * Dance Dance Revolution A3
 * }

{| class="wikitable" style="width: 1024px;" ! rowspan="2" style="width: 19%;" | Characteristics !! colspan=5 |

LCD-based arcade cabinets
! style="width: 27%;" | X ! style="width: 27%;" | White ! style="width: 27%;" | 20th Anniversary
 * Photo
 * DDR X2.png
 * DanceDanceRevolution White Machine with DDR A installed.png
 * DDR 20th.jpg
 * Year released
 * 2008
 * 2013
 * 2019
 * Thematic color
 * Black
 * White (plus blue for intl. DDR A)
 * Gold
 * Initial system board
 * Bemani PC type 4
 * Bemani PC type 4 (ADE-704A for DDR A)
 * Bemani PC ADE-6291 (ADE-704A for beta version of DDR A)
 * Screen
 * LCD-based, 37" operating at 720p
 * LCD-based, 42" operating at 720p
 * LCD-based, 55" operating at 720p
 * Lighting
 * ✅ Front and panel lights
 * ✔ Front lights only
 * ✅ Front and panel lights
 * Card reader
 * ✅ e-Amusement and USB
 * colspan="2" ✅ e-Amusement
 * Panel colors
 * Pink (vertical)
 * Baby blue (horizontal)
 * Black background and arrow borders
 * White arrows
 * Pink (vertical)
 * Baby Blue (horizontal)
 * White background and arrows
 * Pink (vertical leds)
 * Baby blue (horizontal leds)
 * Gold background and text
 * White arrow borders
 * Transparent arrows
 * Handle bar colors
 * Black
 * Baby blue and pink
 * Gold
 * First game included
 * Dance Dance Revolution X
 * Dance Dance Revolution (2013)
 * Dance Dance Revolution A20
 * Final game included
 * Dance Dance Revolution X3
 * Currently produced
 * Currently produced
 * Highest supported upgrade
 * Dance Dance Revolution World
 * Dance Dance Revolution World
 * Dance Dance Revolution World
 * }
 * First game included
 * Dance Dance Revolution X
 * Dance Dance Revolution (2013)
 * Dance Dance Revolution A20
 * Final game included
 * Dance Dance Revolution X3
 * Currently produced
 * Currently produced
 * Highest supported upgrade
 * Dance Dance Revolution World
 * Dance Dance Revolution World
 * Dance Dance Revolution World
 * }
 * Dance Dance Revolution World
 * }

 * Dance Dance Revolution normally runs at 240p, up to and including Extreme. 4thMix to Extreme use 480i when displaying menus.
 * On CRT-based cabinets, card readers are optional. PlayStation memory cards are supported in Asia from 2ndMix Link Edition to Extreme. PlayStation 2 card support for SuperNova worldwide was announced, but cancelled. SuperNova and newer support e-Amusement instead. DDR X and its sequel also support USB drives.
 * Support for Dance Dance Revolution A3 on CRT-based cabinets was discontinued on April 28, 2024. An offline version of A3, with fewer features than the online version, was sold for these cabinets on April 30, 2024 in Asia. Outside of Asia, sales of upgrade kits were limited to Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova and SuperNova 2.
 * Unofficially, this cabinet can be upgraded to support newer mixes, such as DDR Extreme and SuperNova 2.
 * This cabinet was first demonstrated at a private JAEPO 2019 conference. It displayed a 20th anniversary title screen, and gameplay was not allowed. During the 8th Konami Arcade Championship (KAC), the DDR finalists played on a gold cabinet running Dance Dance Revolution A.

Dance Dance Revolution 2ndMix was updated after its initial release with a few new songs and the ability to connect to and play alongside Konami's DJ simulator games, Beatmania IIDX. While the official name of that version of DDR when alone was Dance Dance Revolution 2ndMix Link Version, when connected to the two Beatmania IIDX cabinets it was compatible with it was referred to by two other unique names.

System boards
The first Dance Dance Revolution as well as its followup DDR 2ndMix uses Bemani System 573 Analog as its hardware. DDR 3rdMix replaces this with a Bemani System 573 Digital board, which would be used up to DDR Extreme. Both of these are based on the PlayStation.

Beginning with Dancing Stage Fusion in 2005, the hardware is replaced by Bemani Python, a PlayStation 2-based hardware. DDR SuperNova, released in 2006, utilised a Bemani Python 2 board, originally found in GuitarFreaks V and Drummania V''. Bemani Python 2 would also be used in the followup DDR SuperNova 2.

Along with the cabinet change, DDR X also changes its hardware to the PC-based Bemani PC Type 4. This more powerful hardware allows for high definition graphics and enhanced features. With DDR A, Bemani PC Type 4 is replaced by ADE-704A (ADE-6291 for 20th Anniversary cabinets only), that is still used to this day.

Music
The music of Dance Dance Revolution consists of a large catalogue of songs, with most of them consisting of Konami Originals that are produced in-house by the Bemani Sound Team and other Konami teams. Additionally, DDR features many licensed songs from various record labels. The latest game release, Dance Dance Revolution A3, features 1,195 songs, of which 101 are licensed songs.

From the first DDR game in 1998 to the initial release of Dance Dance Revolution A in 2016, the series has licensed hundreds of songs from the Dancemania album series in Japan. The partnership ended on May 30, 2016, when an update to DDR A removed the last remaining Dancemania licenses. Konami Original remixes featured in Dancemania were unaffected.

Some of the most popular Dancemania licensed songs in Dance Dance Revolution include "Butterfly" by Smile.dk and "Captain Jack (Grandale Remix)" by Captain Jack. Both songs are featured in multiple DDR releases, while many other songs from these artists also appeared in the series. In 2008, "A Geisha's Dream" by Naoki featuring Smile.dk premiered in Dance Dance Revolution X, where it was available as the final song in a ranking course of five Smile.dk songs. With a game update in 2009, and in every subsequent arcade release, this Konami Original song is available for regular play.

Releases
Dance Dance Revolution has been released in many different countries on many different platforms. Originally released in Japan as an arcade game and then a PlayStation game, which was a bestseller. DDR was later released in North American, Europe, Korea, the whole of Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South America and Mexico on multiple platforms including the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Wii, and many others. Due to demand, Japanese versions of the game, which are usually different from the games released in other countries, are often imported or bootlegged. DDR fansites make an attempt to keep track of the locations of arcade machines throughout the major regions.

Home releases

DDR games have been released on various video game consoles, including the PlayStation, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, GameCube, Wii, Xbox and Xbox 360, and even PCs. Home versions often contain new songs, songs from the arcade version, and additional features that take advantage of the capabilities of the console (e.g.; Xbox 360 versions such as the Dance Dance Revolution Universe series include support for online multiplayer and downloadable songs over Xbox Live, and high definition graphics). DDR has even reached Nintendo's Game Boy Color, with five versions of Dance Dance Revolution GB released in Japan; these included a series of three mainstream DDR games, a Disney Mix, and an Oha Star. The games come with a small thumb pad that fits over the Game Boy Color's controls to simulate the dance pad.

Home versions are commonly bundled with soft plastic dance pads that are similar in appearance and function to the Nintendo Power Pad. Some third-party manufacturers produce hard metal pads at a higher price.

Three versions of DDR were also produced for the PC, and the 1st was released in North America. It uses the interface of Dance Dance Revolution 4thMix, and contains around 40 songs from the first six mainstream arcade releases. It has not been as well received as the console versions.

A last PC version of DDR, called Dance Dance Revolution Grand Prix, was also produced in Japan. It uses the interface of Dance Dance Revolution A20 PLUS, and contains 6 licences, 9 revival licences, and over 800 songs from all mainstream arcade releases.

DDR has also seen a number of mobile game releases on Apple iOS and Android platforms, including Dance Dance Revolution S. It was announced alongside several other adaptations of Konami franchises to the iOS platform in January 2009. A free preview version was also released, Dance Dance Revolution S Lite, which features one song and served as a preview for the final version and as a demo. The final version was released in the Japanese App Store on February 27, 2009. Dance Dance Revolution S+, a sequel with in-app song purchasing, was released the same year. In 2019, three mobile games were announced by Konami during the Japan Amusement Expo, representing three Bemani series: Beatmania IIDX, Dance Dance Revolution, and Sound Voltex. Only Beatmania IIDX Ultimate Mobile was released to the public, with Sound Voltex and Dance Dance Revolution Ultimate Mobile being cancelled shortly after location tests.

Dedicated console manufacturer Zuiki announced a compact device called DanceDanceRevolution Classic Mini to be crowdfunded in 2023. The device includes songs from the original DDR to DDR 3rd Mix.

Similar games

Due to the success of the Dance Dance Revolution franchise, many other games with similar or identical gameplay have been created.

Commercial competitors of DDR include the Korean series Pump It Up and the American series In the Groove by Roxor Games, as well as TechnoMotion by F2 Systems, EZ2Dancer by Amuseworld, and MC Groovz Dance Craze by Mad Catz.

In the Groove was met with legal action by Konami and resulted in Konami's acquisition of the game's intellectual property.

A Christian version of DDR, named Dance Praise, has been made by Digital Praise. Ubisoft produced a dance game based on Disney's The Jungle Book titled The Jungle Book Groove Party.

Fan-made versions of DDR have also been created, many freely available to the public under open source licenses. The most popular of these is StepMania, upon which the game In the Groove is based. These simulators allow for players to create and play their own songs to their own programmed steps. As a result, many DDR fans have held contests and released "mixes" of custom songs and steps for these simulators. Notably the Japanese Foonmix series and the DDR East Invasion Tournamix competitions. Other simulators include Dance with Intensity and pyDance for Windows, both of which are no longer developed, and Feet of Fury, a homebrew game for the Sega Dreamcast.

Besides direct clones, many other games have been released that center around rhythm and dance due to DDR's popularity. ''Dance! Online'' released by Acclaim combines dance pad play with an MMO element. ABC's Dancing With the Stars and Codemasters' Dance Factory are more recent examples of games that pay homage to DDR and the genre it created. Konami uses music from its other rhythm game series such as Beatmania and Beatmania IIDX, Drummania, GuitarFreaks, and Pop'n Music, as well as making references to DDR in its other games and vice versa.

Dance Dance Revolution today
Tournaments are held worldwide, with participants usually competing for higher scores or number of Perfect/Marvelous steps (referred to previously as "Perfect Attack" tournaments, now more commonly known as "Marvelous Attack" or "MA tournaments"). Less common are "freestyle" tournaments, where players develop actual dance routines to perform while following the steps in the game.

Playing styles
Many DDR players, in order to get better scores by focusing on timing and pattern reading, will minimize any extraneous body movement during gameplay. These players are commonly referred to as "technical", "tech" or "perfect attack" (PA) players. These technical players usually play the most difficult songs on the highest difficulty levels in an attempt to perfect their scores, and the most elite players are able to get perfect or near perfect scores on all of the hardest songs in the game. The more "technical" a song gets the more the player must use minimalistic movements in order to hit all the arrows with perfection. These players perfect using their heels as well and often hold on to the bar to take weight off their feet enabling them to move faster and tire more slowly. This style of play is the focus of most competitions.

Other DDR players choose to incorporate complex or flashy techniques into their play movements, and some of these "freestyle" players develop intricate dance routines to perform during a song. Freestyle players tend to choose songs on lower difficulty levels, so that the player is not restricted in their movements by large quantities of required steps. Some players can even dance facing away from the screen.

A freestyling act can also involve performing other stunts while playing. On an episode of ABC's short-lived series Master of Champions, Billy Matsumoto won the episode when he played 5th Mix's "Can't Stop Fallin' In Love (Speed Mix)" on Heavy mode while juggling three lit torches.

As an esport
In 2004, Dance Dance Revolution became an official sporting event in Norway. The first official club, DDR Oslo, was founded in 2004. The tournaments in Norway were divided into two parts. First there was a group play where the two or three best players from each group went to the final rounds. Elimination of the player with the lowest game score was used for each round in the finals. The scoring system used was based on people dancing to two or three songs. Some of the songs were selected randomly and had to be played by everyone. The others were player-chosen, which introduced some strategy into the game, as some songs had higher possible scoring than others. Dancing Stage EuroMix 2 was used for the Norwegian tournaments.

In recent years, Dance Dance Revolution has been promoted by Konami as an esport, mainly through their own competitive tournament, the Konami Arcade Championship. The tournament allows players in different regions around the world to sign up and play in specific online events to earn a spot in the grand finals, typically held in Tokyo, Japan. The first iterations of the tournament were limited only to competitors in Japan. In subsequent years, players from Korea, Taiwan, and other Asian countries were allowed to enter. The 6th Annual tournament, which concluded on February 11, 2017, was notable for being the first time that competitors from the United States were eligible to enter. The 7th Annual event, which concluded on February 10, 2018, added Indonesia and Canada as eligible competitor regions.

The 9th Annual Konami Arcade Championship added eligibility for players in Australia and New Zealand. The finals took place on February 8, 2020, and resulted in Chris Chike winning the global tournament.

Community-run DDR esports tournaments have gained traction since 2017, and have been growing in popularity and participation every year since, particularly in North America after the release of Dance Dance Revolution A. Recently, DDR has been featured as part of the CEO game tournament event. DDR is also the main event in the annual rhythm game tournament event, The Big Deal, taking place in Dallas, Texas. The 2019 event was historic for being the largest in-person DDR tournament in the game's history. In March 2023, the first ever upbeat tournament was held at Round1 in Denver, Colorado, with a $10,000 prize pool, the largest in any DDR esports competition to date. upbeat also set the record for the largest ever viewing audience on Twitch for any DDR tournament on the streaming platform.

In 2022, Konami announced a big expansion to its official BEMANI esports organization, the BEMANI PRO LEAGUE. It was confirmed that DDR would be included in the future as a tournament league. The league held a pre-season exhibition in February 2023, with announcements of sponsor teams and player drafts to commence in April 2023. Later on, the regular season took place in late Spring and Summer of 2023.

As exercise
Many news outlets have reported how playing DDR can be good aerobic exercise; some regular players have reported weight loss of 10–50 pounds (5–20 kg). In one example, a player found that including DDR in her day-to-day life resulted in a loss of 95 lb. Some other examples would be Matthew Keene's account of losing upwards of 150 lb and Yashar Esfandi's claim of losing 85 lb in four months through incorporation of DDR. Although the quantity of calories burned by playing DDR have not been scientifically measured, the amount of active movement required to play implies that DDR provides at least some degree of healthy exercise, and is an effective part of a balanced workout routine.

Many home versions of the game have a function to estimate calories burned, given a player's weight. Additionally, players can use "workout mode" to make a diary of calories burned playing DDR and any self-reported changes in the player's weight. The latest arcade release, DanceDanceRevolution A3, tracks calories burned per song, as well as the total calories burned by the player for the day. Additionally, the game's interface showcases the equivalent food to the amount of burned calories (such as a banana, a bowl of rice, and spaghetti carbonara).

Use in schools
At the start of 2006, Konami announced that the DDR games would be used as part of a fitness program to be phased into West Virginia's 765 state schools, starting with its 103 middle schools, over the next two years. The program was conceived by a researcher at West Virginia University's Motor Development Center.

California Institute of Technology allows its students to use DDR to fulfill part of its physical education requirement, as students may design their own fitness program.

University of Kansas has a class for Dance Dance Revolution open for students to take as a 1 credit hour course.

Cyber Coach has sold in excess of 600 systems in schools in the UK and features the DDR-inspired game Disco Disco 2.

Awards
The success of the Dance Dance Revolution series has resulted in two Guinness World Records: "Longest Dance Dance Revolution Marathon", which is currently held by Alex Skudlarek at 16 hours, 18 minutes, and nine seconds, and "Most Widely Used Video Game in Schools".

In popular culture
Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant are both seen playing the home version in the 2007 romantic comedy Music and Lyrics. While Barrymore's character seems to do well in front of her niece and nephew, Grant's has a little trouble keeping pace and ends up teaching the kids his old band's trademark dance moves.

The game is seen just inside Litwak's arcade in the 2012 animated film Wreck-It Ralph. Early in the film, game character Yuni Verse watches Mr. Litwak leave for the night, so she alerts all other video game characters that the arcade is closed, and it's time for their after-hours lives.

In the 2006 comedy film, "Grandma's Boy (2006 film)," a modified version of Dance Dance Revolution is prominently featured in a scene where the character Bobby challenges video game tester, J.P., to a dance off. The film humorously exaggerates the gameplay, showcasing the characters' over-the-top dance moves and intense competition, which highlights the cultural impact and recognizability of the game during the 2000s.

Film
On October 2, 2018, Deadline reported that Cara Fano would be supervising the production of a film based on the series. The report states that the film "will explore a world on the brink of destruction where the only hope is to unite through the universal language of dance." Stampede Ventures and Branded Pictures Entertainment have partnered to produce the film. Producers J. Todd Harris and Marc Marcum are also working with Konami on the project.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Dance Dance Revolution


text:
Dual Alliance (1879)

The Dual Alliance (Zweibund, Kettős Szövetség) was a defensive alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary, which was created by treaty on October 7, 1879, as part of Germany's Otto von Bismarck's system of alliances to prevent or limit war. The two powers promised each other support in case of attack by Russia. Also, each state promised benevolent neutrality to the other if one of them was attacked by another European power (generally taken to be France, even more so after the Franco-Russian Alliance of 1894). Bismarck saw the alliance as a way to prevent the isolation of the German Empire, which had just been founded a few years before, and to preserve peace, as Russia would not wage war against both empires.

Formation
When Austria-Hungary and Germany formed an alliance in 1879, it was one of the more surprising alliances of its time. Though both shared the German language and a similar culture, Austria-Hungary and Germany were often driven apart, most notably during the recent Austro-Prussian War. Additionally, the Habsburg rulers believed that the promotion of nationalism, which was favoured by Germany, would destroy their multinational empire. However, their common distrust of Russia brought both empires together for a common cause.

Alliance against Russia
After the formation of the German Empire in 1871, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck wanted to portray his nation as a peacemaker and preserver of the European status quo, to gain more power for the German Empire and to unify Germany. In 1878, the Russian Empire defeated the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War. The resulting Treaty of San Stefano gave Russia considerable influence in the Balkans, a development that outraged Austria-Hungary, Russia's chief rival in the Balkan region (despite being an ally of the Russians and the Germans in the League of the Three Emperors). Hence, in 1878, Bismarck called an international conference (the Congress of Berlin) to sort out the problem. The Treaty of Berlin that resulted from the conference reversed Russia's gains from the Treaty of San Stefano and provided the Austrians with compensation in the form of Bosnia. Despite Bismarck's attempts to play the role of an "honest broker" at the Congress of Berlin, Russo-German relations deteriorated following the conference. The Three Emperors' League was discontinued, and Germany and Austria-Hungary were free to ally against Russia.

Italy joins alliance
In 1881, Italy lost in the competition with France to establish a colony in Tunis (now Tunisia). To enlist diplomatic support, Italy joined Germany and Austria-Hungary to form the Triple Alliance in 1882, which was the first formal alliance in Europe, the second being the Triple Entente, an informal alliance, formed in 1907.

During World War I, however, Italy did not go to war immediately with its allies but stayed neutral. In 1915, it joined the Entente powers and declared war on Austria-Hungary and, in 1916, against Germany. The Dual Alliance persisted throughout the war, known as the Central Powers, and ended by their defeat in 1918.

title: Dual Alliance (1879)


text:
Talk:Danzig

History of...

 * See Talk:Gdansk for related discussion

Taw would like you to know that: "city existed before 1240 and was Polish-speaking and known as Gdansk for most of its history." All of that is said in the Gdansk article, which is properly cited.

Huh ? I didn't mark it minor edit. And city existed before 1240 and was Polish-speaking. --Taw

It looked like it was marked as a minor edit to me. I'm glad you see you finally decided to talk instead of deleting content. Now, if this page is going to be a tiny stub which merely points at the history of the term Danzig in the main article of Gdansk, what should it say? GregLindahl

I changed this to a disambig page after going through every article (not talk page) linking here and disambiguating appropriately (city or band). As such, no current article links will redirect here. - David Gerard 17:22, Mar 31, 2004 (UTC)

 * stop this now. This has already been discussed ad nauseum. I will continue to revert. Nico 17:34, 31 Mar 2004 (UTC)

 * Not here, it hasn't. Are you stating intent to vandalise? That's how the above reads - David Gerard 17:38, Mar 31, 2004 (UTC)

 * As I said before, this has been discussed ad nauseum at Talk:Gdansk with archives. That obscure band does not justify making so an important city name a disambiguation page. Furthermore, it was the vandal User:Gdansk who changed it to a disambiguation page in the first place.

 * If you like, we can make a link to a Danzig disambiguation page from the main article (Gdansk). Nico 18:00, 31 Mar 2004 (UTC)

 * In every other case of disambiguation, the practice is generally to disambiguate properly. Note that there are now no article links directly to this page (Danzig).

 * Also, I don't see how talk on a completely different article (Gdansk) is somehow binding on this article (Danzig).

 * The band really isn't that obscure - certainly less obscure than many things that elsewhere rate a mention on a disambig page. And Gdansk isn't actually, ah, that important. If someone types in their name looking for them on a search, should they be forced to an article on a city in Poland, or should they instead get a sensible disambig page?

 * While User:Gdansk is indubitably a nutter, that doesn't make a disambig page here somehow intrinsically a bad idea or against common practice - David Gerard 18:06, Mar 31, 2004 (UTC)

 * There are now two disambiguation pages...this one, and Danzig (disambiguation). You should probably stick with one... Adam Bishop 21:20, 4 Apr 2004 (UTC)

 * A link to Danzig (disambiguation) will be inserted in the main article (Gdansk) when it is unprotected. Nico 21:53, 4 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Danzig is hardly an obscure band. Try a Google search on Danzig sometime, you'd be surprised what comes up first. (Hint: it ain't the city.) R ADICAL B ENDER  ★  19:34, 3 Apr 2004 (UTC)

I think it should be handled just like Washington and Washington (disambiguation): mention on the main page, but links leading to the articles, not the disambiguation.Halibutt 21:32, 6 Apr 2004 (UTC)

The problem is that the main article will be a redirect to an article with an entirely different name (Gdansk). Personally, I think a disambiguation page is fine in such circumstances, so long as we are vigilant that all links intended to be about the city be to Gdansk, rather than the disambiguation page. john 23:34, 6 Apr 2004 (UTC)

 * So, how about moving it to Danzig (disambiguation) then? Halibutt 19:36, 14 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Because then we wouldn't have a Danzig page...I'm confused. john 21:12, 14 Apr 2004 (UTC)

 * Why not? Pure Danzig should redirect to Gdansk. I like the way it's done in the temp version of Gdansk.Halibutt 01:37, 15 Apr 2004 (UTC)

But if pure Danzig redirects to Gdansk, you get a situation where you have a disambiguation notice at the top of Gdansk explaining disambiguation for Danzig. Which is weird. john 03:40, 15 Apr 2004 (UTC)

 * Yup, weird and ugly. Mkweise

 * It's not weird as Gdansk/Danzig is the same city, which should be clear from the introduction of the main article. Nico 03:54, 15 Apr 2004 (UTC)

If someone try to reach Gdansk by searching for Danzig, with the "Go" function or via Google, they should go straight to the city. Also, other people in the future may use Danzig instead of Danzig to link to the city in historical references. I also believe making Danzig a redirect to the city will result in better Google hits for the article. Nico 03:51, 15 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * I agree.Halibutt 07:07, 16 Apr 2004 (UTC)

If you look at the top of Derry or County Londonderry you can find a way of handling diambiguation for multi-named places. I would suggest that the Gdansk article should start:
 * For other places, things and people with similar names, see Gdansk (disambiguation) and Danzig (disambiguation).

--Henrygb 19:49, 12 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Hmm...I agree with Henry - I think with the new disambiguation notice, having this article redirect to Gdansk is fine. john k 21:55, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

4 meanings of Danzig
Danzig has 4 different meanings, must be a disambig page 23:06, 21 Jul 2004 User:PolishPoliticians

 * Danzig is
 * the German name of the city of Gdańsk, Poland.
 * the name of a rock band formed by Glenn Danzig, its singer. See Danzig (band).
 * Kevin Danzig is an American folk musician.
 * Richard Danzig was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1998 to 2001.
 * See also: Gdansk (disambiguation)
 * See also: Gdansk (disambiguation)

I have signed your message for you, since you didn't. There is no must about it. Gdansk has several meanings, so has a disambiguation page as well as the main article. So does London. Similarly Danzig. People can find the disambiguation pages from the top of the main article of the city. --Henrygb 23:44, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

The primary meaning of Gdansk is the city name nad all other Gdansk articles are city related (like Gdansk Voivodship so there's no need to disambig. On the other hand Danzig is tha band name and an unimportant outdated city name. Why not redirect Danzig to Danzig (band)????? DIsambig is a must here. PolishPoliticians 23:51, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

 * I do not agree with you that Gdansk is or has been an unimportant outdated city, though parts of it have needed to be rebuilt from time to time. And for many of the times when it was important, it was and is called Danzig in English. No doubt Glenn Danzig ultimately took his surname from the city and then passed it to the band.  And people can still find the link.  --Henrygb 12:10, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Gdańsk
Please make this redirect to the correct spelling, Gdańsk. Thanks. — Chameleon 2 July 2005 02:05 (UTC)

move to disambiguation page.
I really don't care if the Gdansk article is called Danzig or Gdansk, that is something I don't know enough about the history to comment on. However, as the article is currently named Gdansk then it does not need/deserve the main use of the name Danzig.

When performing google searches for the name Danzig, the band offers far more hits than the place. That would make it seem as if the band should be the main article, especially as editors have decided that they prefer to use Gdansk, rather than Danzig.

Going to a disambiguation page seems like a nice compromise that will keep all but the most petty editors happy. Sennen Goroshi ! (talk) 18:39, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Page views in the past 90 days: 81090 for Gdańsk, 13969 for Gdansk (total about 95000), 156374 for Danzig (band), 31185 for Danzig (if you add to the two Gdansks, about 126000), 8087 for Danzig (disambiguation). TimBentley (talk) 02:46, 12 March 2012 (UTC)
 * By the way, doing a requested move at Talk:Danzig (disambiguation) would be the proper way to request the change to avoid a malplaced disambiguation page. TimBentley (talk) 02:56, 12 March 2012 (UTC)

 * It's nice of you to start a discussion by announcing in advance that anyone who does not agree with you is among "the most petty editors." Is it possible that you could assume good faith? --R'n'B (call me Russ) 11:59, 12 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Sorry, I guess that came out wrong, for that I apologise. However, assuming good faith is not that easy when you reverted me, asked for other people to get involved, waited for someone else to revert me, and then protected the article. I would suggest that you involved yourself in this discussion/reverts and because of that involvement you should not be protecting the article. Are you using (abusing?) your rights as an admin to back up your position on this article? Sennen Goroshi ! (talk) 14:46, 12 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Accusations of admin-power abuse when you aren't working with WP:CONSENSUS is still failing to assume good faith. See also WP:BRD. -- JHunterJ (talk) 15:32, 12 March 2012 (UTC)

 * You may have a case for changing the primary topic to either no primary topic (by moving the disambiguation page here) or the band (by moving the band article here), based on the stats TimBentley has provided. But the claim that an article named one thing cannot 'need/deserve the main use of" another thing is incorrect, per WP:PRIMARYTOPIC. It is perfectly possible for a topic to be primary for one title (e.g. "USA") but be titled a different thing (e.g., United States). redirect exists for exactly that purpose. -- JHunterJ (talk) 15:32, 12 March 2012 (UTC)
 * We don't have to move the dab page here, we could just point the redirect at it. Josh Parris 18:45, 12 March 2012 (UTC)

 * I agree with the proposition that Danzig should be a disambiguation page; however, I disagree with the haste and combativeness of the proposer. I think this issue can be worked out in a more thoughtful and orderly manner. bd2412  T 17:06, 12 March 2012 (UTC)

 * My read of TimBentley's figures is that 31k visitors used the Danzig redirect, and 8k of them managed to follow the hatnote to the dab page. Based on those figures it is my opinion that the redirect is targeted incorrectly. Josh Parris 18:45, 12 March 2012 (UTC)

 * How does the Gdańsk (Danzig) Vote noted on the top of this talk page affect this discussion? Josh Parris 18:49, 12 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Consensus can change, particularly in light of new information (such as recent usage statistics). Note that the discussion above uses Washington as an example, but that title has since become a disambig page itself. bd2412  T 20:01, 12 March 2012 (UTC)

 * I'm in favor of the status quo. Just take a look at Special:WhatLinksHere/Danzig. How many of these pages are about heavy metal and how many about German or Polish history? — Kpalion(talk) 00:38, 13 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Incoming links are not going to be a reliable guide for a title that has served as a redirect for a long time. If the redirect had pointed to the band, the numbers would be reversed. bd2412  T 00:57, 13 March 2012 (UTC)

title: Talk:Danzig