I remember my first night playing Dance Dance Revolution, in the back room, on a 13in TV I had the PS2 hooked up to. 
The mats were the ones it came with, laid out on a tile floor. Some weird cover of Ordinary World giving me a run for my money even on the Beginner Mode. Lots of hopping around, slip-ups, sweating, and a very low score. But it was fun and I played for quite a while.
As stated in my bio, this was my replacement for World of Warcraft after I deciced I had to quit. A healthy step toward getting in shape, along with putting away all the sodas and pretzels I had been devouring while in Azeroth.
The next morning…my body was a road map of pain. My back was all messed up, knees hurt, feet hurt, everything…hurt. I guess playing on a tile floor with socks on was not a good idea. I then put some exercise mats under them to help out. Which it did, but not by much. After that it was an upgrade to mats that had thick foam in them, like really thick. Much better, but still could use a bit more.
Eventually I got some more hard core platforms to dance on. Nice metal and plexiglass ones (see pic) that could withstand quite a beating and, since they are metal and I had to wear shoes on them, they helped immensely. Nice back support and ankle support as well (for those slip-ups when trying to pull off a finesse move).
Being that I was working up a sweat, I decided to try to find out how many calories I was burning. The game can track calories burned, but the number didn’t seem possible.
I got a heart rate monitor watch and chest strap. Luckily these days they are much cheaper than when I got mine and many don’t need the strap anymore, found some good ones at Online Fitness and may actually upgrade soon.
I took it with me to the gym and took readings on the elliptical and treadmill. The machines were pretty close to the monitor I had, within 50 calories per 30 minutes of exercise.
So that night I hooked everything up and settled in for a nice 30 minute workout. Burned about the same I would have on the elliptical machine. Nice to know a number to put with it and all. I would play for 15, 30, 45 minutes at a time. Once I played for about 90 minutes, just seeing how long I could go.
Of course the better I knew some of the songs the less stress it was to get through them, so I would have to up the skill level in order to get my heart rate up. Still, it was much more fun than a treadmill and I think it played a large role in my weight loss.
Admittedly it has been several months, possibly even a year, since I busted a move or two. But I have been thinking of getting back into it. I will have to see if I can get converter boxes for my trusty metal pads for the PS3, XBox 360, and Wii since there are new versions for those platforms worth checking out.
Luckily DDR Game has TONS of DDR stuff there to choose from. Converter boxes, newer versions of the games, and the same exact metal pads I have, as well as some newer models should I need a replacement or feel like an upgrade. Some good package deals too.
Not only that, but I can hop on the GameFly subscription again and rent some of the newer versions to test for lameness regarding new songs and all.
It should be interesting, reentering the DDR world. Will I be messing up a lot, take a spill, and have to start over on my skill level? Or will I have some sort of muscle memory in my legs and be able to jump right in (no pun intended)? Will I get Tetris Effect and start seeing arrows everywhere? Either way I know I will never beat this kid, but perhaps I will burn some calories.
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I love me some DDR. I have CobaltFlux platforms and most of the PS2 games. I found that I typically burn roughly 500-600 calories per hour when I’m challenging myself moderately, so I usually play for about an hour in non-exercise modes. I’ve been known to do up to 2 hours at once, even. I love the mental challenge of trying to better my scores each day, but only DDR Extreme will track calories and grades at the same time. On the newer games (Supernova, Supernova 2, X), endless mode is a big boon because otherwise the game seems to take forever between songs, which is no good for keeping a heart rate up.
Whoaaaa…whoa whoa whoa….What the hell version of DDR has a song with Zim and Gir in the background???
Got me. I have seen some strange screens out there, as well as videos. I think some have the option to make your own songs using programs on the PC. But i have been out of DDR since Supernova.
I’ve never tried DDR, but the wife and I have always wanted to. Are the regular pads worth getting or do you really need to jump up to the $300 ones?
Regular pads are worth getting (they’re cheap) to at least find out if you like the game. If you find you like it enough to play casually once in a while, check out the ones with some thicker padding. Both of those you’ll need to play in stocking feet. If you think you could make it a focal point of a regular exercise routine, the expensive pads are really worth it. I got spoiled by my friend’s CobaltFlux platforms when I lived with her a couple of months, and had to get one of my own (and then found a second on eBay for a little less). The responsiveness/sensitivity is much better, it doesn’t move around the floor (much) or wrinkle up, it’s a lot more durable, and you have to wear shoes, so it’s a lot better for your body. I even went shoe shopping specifically with DDR in mind to find something that offers me the lateral support I need when dancing up a storm.
The ones that come with the game in the set, the little thin ones, are good for getting to know the game. But it is easier to not miss and arrow (due to slipping and such), and easier on the back, with better ones.
Although spending $200-$300 on a nice metal set is really great, since you can wear regular running shoes and such, the thick foam ones are an amazing upgrade from the packaged ones themselves.
They have them at DDR Game, I believe they are called “DDR Super Deluxe Pad” and are about $79 for two.