Yeti Yeti Revolution

I wouldn't quite say that I'm addicted yet and I certainly haven't attained the level of Freak, but Dance Dance Revolution has barbed me with its jagged hooks for my gaming time this week. The pad for the home game kind of frustrates me because it seems very picky about foot placement on the down arrow. When I first started to play, the phenomenon was so bad that it seemed as though none of the down arrows were being triggered properly which rendered the game pointless.

However, last night I was able to discern exactly how the dance pad wishes me to move in order to trigger the down arrow. This, in turn, has unlocked more fluid motions that I can perform in order to complete the songs with a better grade, so bonus for me I guess. I can now manage most Light patterns with some modicum of efficiency and some easier Standard patterns now feel as if they are achievable with practice. I no longer feel as though I am stomping my way through a song on Light, lumbering like a Yeti over a tiny barren wasteland of trippy, animated arrows, all of which are rendered as a sparkling blur before my primitive eyes.

I have noticed something about skill grading in DDR. It is, in no uncertain terms, ludicrously difficult. I can hit nearly all of the arrows in a song with either a Perfect or Great rating with only a handful of Boos and Goods and I will still receive a B. Specifically, I have probably played one song at least 40 or 50 times and have only twice received an A. What kind of punishment is this freakishly colored disco trying to extoll on the average user? On top of that, the scale doesn't end at A, oh no. It ends at Triple A. Yes, I am going to play each song 300 times in order to secure the coveted AAA rating on everything. Pshaw. As if. And by the way, talk to the hand.

All things being what they are, I have made a decided effort to remain zen about the grading system although I have only begun to succeed at my efforts after my third major session. I like the challenge of performing better than my previous effort, but with this type of game there are diminishing returns. I find that my skills deteriorate over a single session due to the physical nature of the activity and a "time out" of sorts is required for both my legs and my ego.