I’m considering purchasing some DDR for my domestic entertainment. However, I have no clue as to which game to get or what sort of dance pad to get. Hey, I’ve never even touched a dance pad, so I have no clue what they feel like or anything like that.
I’d really appreciate some advice along the lines of why to buy a particular version or a pad and how to keep it from skidding on my carpet.
Thank you in advance!
They sell bundles with the game and pad. You get the official pad in the bundle, and it is one of the best ones, much better than the 3rd party crappy ones they sell separate from the game.
The 2 mixes for PS2 are ‘DDRMAX’ and ‘DDRMAX2’. If you know the arcade versions well, you will notice that DDRMAX is really “DDR 6th mix”.
For PS2 the best mix (in my opinion), I suggest DDRMAX. DDRMAX2 has a weird selection of songs, and they took out alot of the ‘old favorites’.
Once you have the pad you can play some of the PS versions too. DanceDanceRevolution (thats the whole title) is the best PS version.
EDIT- Woops, i didnt see the carpet thing. If you are playing on carpet with the official pad, there wont be much slipping, if any at all. If you are playing on hard surface like cement, you can run some duct tape along the edges of the mat, and tape it to the floor. Thats what i do with the version in my basement (cement flooring) and it does not slide <i>at all</i>
Ha, thanks for asking Vicki. I was thinking about buying some DDR soon and had no idea what to get as well. 
As for pad, I suggest the DPR2 (Dance pad revolution two) it works better on carpet than any other soft pad I’ve tried. It tends to turn a little bit but not enough to really screw you up. Duct tape can easily fix it too. And it runs anout 20 dollars.
I’ve heard the Red Octane (I think that’s what they’re called <.<) pads are really good. I had the cheapie pads the first time around, and they really didn’t last very long. (circuitry got messed up, one side stopped responding, very easy to rip, that kind of thing) However, I have the thicker pads now, the one with the foam insert, and I like them alot. They feel alot better, and they don’t slip. (the cheap ones DID though… they would slip all over the place 
I think both of them were purchased on ebay; you can get some pretty good deals there.
I like DDRMax and DDRMax2… Both of them have a great mix of songs, and it’s nice that they’re different. More variety = cooler, imo. I wasn’t thrilled about Konamix, but I only played it briefly, so… shrugs
DDRMax 1 and 2 are different, I would suggest you get both because they both have a lot of songs of different styles and both fun to play. If you’ll get cheap stuff, don’t get thin pads, at least get thicker ones. If anything, they’ll slip less. If you want to go quality, go for Red Octane pads. They’re really good, non metal bads. If you want to get top of the line, dunno how much you like it, go metal pads, but those cost an arm and a leg. So I’d advise you stick to thick pads.
My friend has a Red Octane pad, had it for two years. It’s just now giving up on him. They’re top notch ^^
Same as Wal, I and some friends have been thinking of some DDR stuff for some after-drinking laughs on the weekends. ^^;; I tried it once with a pad, but there just wasn’t any point.
DDR and drinks do not mix…
DDR mixes the drinks inside you…
So Pierson, please, don’t do it.
Being stuck with the European counterpart of the DDR series, Dancing Stage, I can’t help much. Three Games, Dancing Stage: Euromix (PS), Fever and Megamix (PS2). I have two mats, both different (Both were bundled with a different game)
Logic 3 Dance Mat:
+: Has all buttons a PS2 controller has
+: Good if you have long feet or have a tendency to out of the mat
+: The material feels greatr under your feet
: It’s BIG. It may cause problems with storing it away/or depending on the size of your gaming environs, actual gaming.
: It slips quite a lot
: The wiring’s very flimsy
Official Konami Dance Mat (Came with Euromix):