BEST-mix.net - DDR Simfile Tournament

Same rules as Bracket 1 Public Review.

I'll also start reviewing in reverse alphabetical order here

Umineko no Naku Koro ni

Light 2.5/5

I don't know, The steps were very repetitive for me. It felt like most of the song had steps in the same rhythm. The song itself is part of why the steps are so repetitive as well, which is causing me to have a hard time choosing a right grade for this and the other stepcharts.

Standard 3/5

These steps were much better. However, this stepchart would be more fitting as a heavy stepchart.

Heavy 6/10

There sure were alot of freezes, that were 8th notes in length, in this stepchart. I believe that those parts should not be freezes at all if the length of the freezes are that small. That 64th note in the beginning should have been changed to a 32nd note.

Presentation 4/5
I actually liked the banner and background personally. I didn't really like the way the song faded out though. I do like that you added beginner steps

Overall 15.5/25


The "Sugar Before Bedtime" Polka

Light 4/5

These steps were pretty good. There could have been some more steps added in the second half of the song, especially near the end. I did not like that you made the first step the first beat of the song, perhaps change it so that the first step starts a few seconds after the first beat of the song.

Standard 4.5/5

Great steps here as well. The beginning has the same problem as in light mode.

Heavy 8.5/10

The steps were also great here. Same problem in the beginning here as well. I really wish you would have spent more time with the second half of the song. There were also parts where you could have implemented more crazy stops, because I really enjoyed all the confusion in the first half with all the stops and changes.

Presentation 5/5
Great background and banner. Great, and slightly confusing, use of stops and changes. The animations made me laugh as well.

Overall 22/25


SONIC SPEED RIDERS

Light 3.5/5

Pretty solid. I liked your use of freezes throughout the simfile, but there was nothing else that stood out to me.

Standard 4/5

Pretty Good. This stepchart had some really fun patterns.

Heavy 7.5/10

Not too bad. The patterns were good here, but they felt a little too similar to the standard patterns. I would have loved for this song to have more a DXY! style feel with 8th notes streams with jumps placed every other 4th note.

Presentation 5/5

I liked the bg alot, but I loved the banner. I liked that you added a video and beginner steps.

Overall 20/25


Revolution

Light 3.5/5

Good steps here. You could have had some more varied step patterns in the first half of the song. The second half of the song was a lot better though.

Standard 4/5
The main problem in light mode was fixed in this chart. There were some great steps here, but I wish that during the part when the vocalists say "live" and "love" that you would have had 8th note streams instead of just 4th note streams.

Heavy 8.5/10

The 1st half of the songs steps were really well made. The rest of the steps were also really good.

Presentation 4/5

The background and banner were pretty good. I'm also glad that you added beginner steps.

Overall 20/25


Negai

Light 5/5

The steps were well suited for a slow 1 footer. It was really well made.

Standard 5/5

Another great stepchart as well. I can't tell if this stepchart should be a 3 or a 4 footer though.

Heavy 9.5/10

Another great stepfile. I liked how your use of streams and that you did not add any jumps to a song as slow as this. I would have liked to see the stepchart build up to the point that it uses a small amount of 16th notes though.

Presenation 4/5

Great banner, and the background is good as well. I liked that you added beginner steps, even though it seems a little wierd that there are two 1 footers for the song, but I am not counting off points for that.

Overall 23.5/25


Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight

Light 4/5

These steps are actually really good! My only problem here is that I would have liked to see some larger 4th note streams during the chorus of the song.

Standard 2.5/5

The steps were not as great as the light steps. Some jumps such as the ones in bars 16 and 17 did not feel as if they were placed well, seeing that there was not really a strong enough beat for a jump. There was also long freezes that could have been replaced with more steps.

Heavy 5.5/10

These were definitely not as great as the light steps. A lot of the step patterns did not seem to go well with the rhythm of the song.

Presentation 3/5

Banner and Background were good, but perhaps a spongebob banner and background would have been more fitting. The bpm was very unstable throughout the entire song as well. It is good that you added beginner and challenge steps.

Overall 15/25


Konamized

Light 3.5/5

The steps were solid throughout, but there was not anything I could find that was great about the steps. I would have liked to see a few more jumps.

Standard 3/5

A slightly above average stepchart. There could have been more steps, such as more 8th notes, near the end. Once again, no patterns stood out to me at all in this stepchart.

Heavy 6.5/10

These steps were also slightly above average. You seemed to follow the lead synths throughout most of the song, causing there to be some patterns to be lacking in activity.

Presentation 1.5/5

I did not like the banner, and I disliked the background even more. At least you added some beginner steps and some ddr style videos.

Overall 14.5/25


Gee

Light 5/5

These steps were amazing. The patterns seemed to fit the song well in almost every way.

Standard 5/5

Another awesome chart. Great use of freezes throughout the entire song.

Heavy 10/10

From beginning to end, I would not change a single thing in this stepchart.

Presentation 4.5/5

I am not sure if I like the banner and background alot, but they seem fitting enough. Good job adding the video and beginner's steps.

Overall 24.5/25


Fly Me To The Moon (VC2's Club Mix)

Light 4.5/5

The steps were really good. My only gripe is that at the end. I found the the jumps you placed, during the really strange synth part at the end, slightly awkward.

Standard 4/5

Great steps here as well. I liked the use of 16th notes near the end of the stepchart, but I am not sure if it is such a good idea to start a standard chart off with 16th notes.

Heavy 9.5/10

Amazing steps here as well. Great use of 16th notes, but I'm not sure if I agree with the 16th note used in bar 37.

Presentation 4.5/5

Well made background and banner, but there are no extras that I could find.

Edit: Sorry CoreyBlaze, I did not notice the lyrics until now

Overall 22.5/25


Discotheque

Light 4.5/5

Great steps here. I'm not sure if I agree with the long freeze in bar 20 though.

Standard 5/5

The standard steps were really well made.

Heavy 9/10

Great steps as well. I would have loved to see more patterns going on in the 4th note stream. I also did not agree with the 4th note jump stream during the chorus as much.

Presentation 4.5/5

Great banner and background. I'm glad that you added a video and beginner steps.

Overall 23/25


Colorful Cookie

Light 5/5

A fitting stream chart. I could not really find anything too wrong here.

Standard 5/5

Another fitting stepchart as well.

Heavy 9.5/10

Great use of freezes and streams. This seems a little on the hard side for an 8 footer though.

Presentation 4.5/5

The graphics seem fitting enough for a DDR song. The addition of beginner steps and DDR style videos also helps as well.

Overall 24/25


Cold Noodles (NAENGMYUN)

Light 0/5

At least add some step patterns to this chart.

Standard 0/5

......

Heavy 0/10

.....

Presentation 2.5/5

.....

Overall 2.5/25


China Discotica

Light 3/5

The steps were alright for me. During the instrumental part with all those jumps, there could have been some more diverse patterns added in order to keep things interesting.

Standard 2.5/5

Minus the 8th note jackhammers, this chart is more fitting for light mode. It seems very boring for a standard chart.

Heavy 7.5/10

The steps were not too bad here. I would have liked the stepchart to be just a little harder though.

Presentation 4/5

I did not really like the banner and background that much. At least you add the video to the simfile.

Overall 16.5/25


Birthday

Light 3.5/5

The steps were good, but not great. I'm not if I agree with some of the freezes though.

Standard 4/5

Not bad. I would have liked to see more jumps throughout the song though.

Heavy 9/10

Great Chart for me. I think the chart should be a 9 footer though, because of all the 16th notes in the beginning and in other parts as well.

Presentation 5/5

The banner and background were pretty good. I'm glad that you added doubles steps along with challenge and beginner singles steps.

Overall 21.5/25


Astrogation

My own simfile.


Addicted to Bass (Apollo 440 Mix)

Light 4/5

Great use of freezes in the stepchart. Besides that, nothing else really stood out to me.

Standard 3.5/5

A solid stepchart as well. I did not agree with some of the freezes this time around, especially the one in bar 34 which seems to not go with anything in the music.

Heavy 8/10

There was alot of variety within the stepchart, which kept things interesting. I did not agree with the jump in bar 13, which went with nothing.

Presentation 5/5

Great banner and background. Beginner steps and the video also make the simfile look like a DDR US licensed song (that is a good thing in this case).

Overall 20.5/25


24-7 (SQUAD-E REMIX)

Light 4/5

Really great steps. I wished you could have used some 4th note streams throughout the chorus of the song.

Standard 5/5

Nothing wrong here.

Heavy 10/10

Well done! I really enjoyed these steps alot

Presentation 5/5

Good banner and background. Good job added heavy doubles steps, beginner singles steps, lyrics, and ddr style videos.

Overall 24/25

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gitWfNY7lA8
24-7 (SQUAD-E REMIX) - will-i-am - 19 / 25
Light - 4 / 5
The 2-4 in the beginning feels a little weird on light. Yeah, it's quarters, and I hear the drums, but it didn't feel right when I was playing it. There was probably something more prominent. Other than that, it was solid but unremarkable.
Standard - 3 / 5
Heavy - 7.5 / 10
Presentation - 4.5 / 5
- Good art, although some jaggies on the banner
- Random AVIs (ugh)
- Lyrics
- Beginner
- 1x doubles (please mention in the readme)

Addicted to Bass (Apollo 440 Mix) - Oni-91 - 19.5 / 25
Light - 4.5 / 5
I thought the end of the song started to drag a bit, but otherwise this was really fun.
Standard - 3 / 5
Heavy - 8 / 10
Presentation - 4 / 5
- Decent graphics; banner's a bit busy
- Music video
- Lyrics
- Beginner

Astrogation - Rob00996 - 21.5 / 25
Light - 5 / 5
My only complaint was the fadeout at the end. Otherwise, this was a fun chart.
Standard - 4 / 5
Heavy - 8.5 / 10
Presentation - 4 / 5
- Decent graphics
- Music video


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-YTyd7jreQ
Birthday - Dark Luke - 22 / 25
(I should have guessed.)
Light - 5 / 5
This was really fun. I'm not sure if it's anything in specific, but I liked it.
Standard - 4.5 / 5
Heavy - 7.5 / 10
Presentation - 5 / 5
- Decent graphics
- Challenge
- 4x Doubles

Cold Noodles (NAENGMYUN) - mintessence - 3 / 25
Light - 0 / 5
Standard - 0 / 5
Heavy - 1 / 10
For giving me my first AAAA.
Presentation - 2 / 5
Ahahahahaha not funny.

Colorful Cookie - Xythar - 20 / 25
Light - 3.5 / 5
I thought the syncopated 8ths didn't quite feel right. Yeah, the sound is there, but without the lead-ins it doesn't feel right on Light. Other than that, it was good.
Standard - 4 / 5
Heavy - 9.5 / 10
Presentation - 4 / 5
- Decent art (the swirl is a bit meh)
- Random AVIs (ugh)
- Beginner


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWD_3Qv2cNc
Discotheque - Ronin - 19.5 / 25
Light - 3.5 / 5
The eighth notes at the end didn't feel right. Again, yeah, there's a sound, but with the other sounds around it it feels odd alone. Other than that, it was solid but okay.
Standard - 5 / 5
Heavy - 7 / 10
Presentation - 4 / 5
- Decent art
- Anime opening
- Beginner

Fly Me To The Moon (VC2's Club Mix) - CoreyBlaze - 22 / 25
Light - 4.5 / 5
Unlike the last two songs, I thought the end here should have used the 8th notes rather than the quarters because it was so prominent. Everything before that was really fun.
Standard - 5 / 5
Heavy - 8.5 / 10
I must have gotten back into the right mood because it felt a lot more "right" the second time.
Presentation - 4 / 5
- OK graphics - BG's good but banner is too busy
- Lyrics
- "Copied From Copied F" for the light chart's description
EDIT: this is just a general note on polish. It's not a big deal, but it's a good idea to add meaningful names (or at least step artist credit) here before putting it out the door. I didn't take any points off for it.

Gee - Chmurek - 17.5 / 25
Light - 3.5 / 5
I liked the long freeze-taps. Other than that, everything else was pretty average, and I couldn't really get into it.
Standard - 3 / 5
Heavy - 7 / 10
Presentation - 4 / 5
- OK graphics
- Music video
- Beginner


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA9KfTUeBts
Konamized - Jezendar - 13 / 25
Light - 3.5 / 5
At these speeds, I think this should be a 5. The use of 8th notes here is very good, but the chart suffers due to the quarter note runs that are smoothed over from eighth note runs. I'd actually rather see more syncopation here - it would feel more natural.
Standard - 1 / 5
Heavy - 5.5 / 10
Presentation - 3 / 5
- Subpar graphics
- Random AVIs (although less seizure-inducing than most on average)
- Beginner

Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight - Kimo - 19 / 25
Light - 5 / 5
Man, I still hate the song, but these were good light steps.
Standard - 4 / 5
Heavy - 6 / 10
Presentation - 4 / 5
- Slapped-on text graphics... banner is hard to read
- Beginner
- Challenge

Revolution - cpubasic13 - 18 / 25
Light - 4.5 / 5
The syncopation was fun, but I feel like it would have been better suited to Standard because the sound is a bit subdued. Either way, I still enjoyed myself.
Standard - 2 / 5
Heavy - 7.5 / 10
Presentation - 4 / 5
- Decent graphics
- Beginner
- No challenge


(Private - PM for access)
SONIC SPEED RIDERS - Kewing - 19 / 25
Light - 3 / 5
For some reason, the freeze runs didn't feel quite right to me. Probably because there were eighth notes in close proximity that overshadowed them. Either way, for the most part this chart was pretty average - nothing overtly wrong but it didn't grab me and make me want to dance.
Standard - 3 / 5
Heavy - 9 / 10
Presentation - 4 / 5
- Good graphics (I can see the work in the title text)
- Game opening?
- Beginner

The "Sugar Before Bedtime" Polka - x0_000 - 17.5 / 25
Light - 4 / 5
With all the gimmicks, I think this should probably be a 6. I think the quarter-note "step-jumps" are what push it over. It got a little bland about halfway through, but I enjoyed the rest.
Standard - 3.5 / 5
This is pretty tough, and probably an 8. A bit airy. Decent, but not great.
Heavy - 6 / 10
Presentation - 4 / 5
- OK graphics
- BG animations

Umineko no Naku Koro ni - NIQ9 - 13.5 / 25
Light - 3 / 5
The rhythms look odd on this one due to the way you set up the speeds, but they really aren't. That's not a problem in and of itself. Overall, I found the chart OK, but bland, so it gets an average score.
Standard - 2 / 5
Heavy - 5 / 10
Responding further to YouTube comments:
Looking at the slowdown, it's correct, but the use of a 2/3 cut is really odd and makes it hard to read. I'm still not sure an actual tempo change occurs, and intensity alone isn't enough to key a slowdown off of. Also, the part where I ended up backwards is clean after all, but I tend to do the lazy shuffle. I stand by the rest of my criticisms, and think there's a good 9 in here when there's nothing left to take away.
ADDED: One more note: After playing Light, I think the whole song should have been done at double the slow speed (146.6) using triplets. It's not wrong per se because it's in 6/8 time (so I am told), but it feels more intuitive to me the other way.
Presentation - 3.5 / 5
- Mediocre graphics
- Beginner


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoXyQ-G_nD8
China Discotica - sanchny - 20 / 25
Light - 4.5 / 5
This is pretty fun, for a 2. Very easy, but that's the right way to go here.
Standard - 4 / 5
Heavy - 7.5 / 10
Presentation - 4 / 5
- OK graphics
- Video

Negai - Juub005 - 19.5 / 25
Light - 5 / 5
Man, this chart was boring. But you know what? It was a great 1, and I'd have any beginner learn on it.
Standard - 4 / 5
Heavy - 6.5 / 10
This is the best rating I can give a file that I won't really play voluntarily. It's technically fine, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't boring.
Presentation - 4 / 5
- OK graphics
- Beginner

Ignoring Cold Noodles:
Average: 18.78
Standard deviation: 2.556

jammitch wrote:- "Copied From Copied F" for the light chart's description

I rarely do Basic and Difficult for my simfiles. When I do, I always make Difficult a copy of Expert and then I work from there, same thing ocurrs with
Basic, I work on that copying from Difficult. But I definitely WORK on making it different, I never, let's say, "take all the 8ths from the Difficult chart and call that Basic". So in this case, the light chart's full description should read "copied from copied from expert", but that's not truth.

Rob00996 wrote:Well made background and banner, but there are no extras that I could find.

Lyrics somewhat count as extras But I hope I wasn't penalized for NOT including videos, like stock ones from Extreme.

24-7 (SQUAD-E REMIX)
====================
Light - 4/5
- There was a freeze arrow before the last chorus kicked off that felt a little out of place.

Standard - 3.5/5
+ Well done.
- The part where the background changes along with the 16ths beat seem disconnected towards the other steps.
- The gaps in the beginning just didn't felt right.

Heavy - 9/10
+ Very well-balanced simfile. The jumps and freezes went to its place in a strong matter, while everything keeps up in momentum.
- Close to perfection, but I felt as if the chorus line at the end felt a bit short to be really honest. I would've love to see more dynamics to that part, since it is the kick off part to end the song. Though its not bad really, you've had the momemtum going all along so I wouldn't worry about it. I just needed more, that's all.

Presentation - 4.75/5
+ The graphics are great. However, it seems like the 'Squad-E Remix' font looks a bit fuzzy and could be a bit more furnished.
+ CD-Title
+ Read Me
+ Alternative Random BGs.
+ Heavy Double.

OVERALL TOTAL = 21.25/25 = 85%

Addicted to Bass (Apollo 440 Mix)
=================================
Light - 5/5
+ Excellent.

Standard - 5/5
+ Everything just seemed to fit perfectly. The streams were magnificently fun, while you had some other cool tricks up your sleeve to balance the whole chart out.

Heavy - 9/10
- Most likely an 8 (if you think about comparing this and Rockafeller)
+ I love the stream patterns, like how it filled across from left to right.
+ The 16th patterns seem to fit well. Love the gallops especially.

Presentation - 4/5
- Mp3 needs to be more louder.
+ Clear BG.
- I'm not a big fan of how it seem like you inner glowed "Addicted To Bass". As well, I would've liked if you chose a better font for "Puretone" since I've seen you've been using that font in several occasions by now.
+ Lyrics.
+ Read Me.
+ CD-TItlte
+ Music Video

OVERALL TOTAL = 23/25 = 92%

Astrogation
===========
Light - 5/5
+ Uplifting.

Standard - 3.5/5
+ Very fun.
- But nothing as a concept stood out for me.

Heavy - 8/10
+ Very DDR authentic.
- The ending of the intro with the 24ths seemed a bit weird.
+/- The steps were quality, although they just needed better placing then it would've become more memorable.

Presentation - 4/5
- Graphics are a bit too cliche.
-/+ Offsync, but has adjustment.
+ Music Video. (Utada with an Ayumi voice. What a perfect speciwoman.)
+ Read-Me.
+ CD-Title.

OVERALL TOTAL = 20.5/25 = 82%

Birthday
========
Light - 4/5
+ Good.

Standard - 3/5
+ You've got a concept, I can give you that.
- However, again, the steps felt bland and somewhat needs a bit more tweaking.

Heavy - 6.5/10
- Everything from beginning to end just felt so forced and contrived, it seemed like you were trying too hard to make that spark appear.
- Those 16ths began to grow inconsistently throughout the song. At first, the 16th patterns were fine, but I felt as if you were overdoing them later on.
+ Good concept, but needs better execution.

Presentation - 2/5
+ Doubles.
- OK graphics.

OVERALL TOTAL = 15.5/25 = 62%

CHINA DISCOTICA
===============
Light - 4/5
+ Jump steps are always fun to jump.

Standard - 4.25/5
+ Very exciting chart. I love the part where you triple tap along the course of the song. It just felt good.
- I didn't like the fact when you kept on doing those weird, turning moving positions.

Heavy - 8/10
- Okay, it wasn't as amazing as I thought it was the first time I tried it.
+ But I understood why I thought it was amazing before because the musicality suited greatly to these steps, while those double-step patterns just make you feel like you really want to dance.

Presentation - 4/5
+ I like how the font matches along with the pv.
+ Unique looking graphics, very retro.

OVERALL TOTAL = 20.25/25 = 81%

Cold Noodles
============
Light - 0/5

Standard - 0/5

Heavy - 0/10
- After finding out what I have seen, this isn't worth to be judged.

Presentation - 1/5
- FAIL.

OVERALL TOTAL = 1/25 = 4%

Note: Thanks for wasting my time.

Colorful Cookie
===============
Light - 4.75/5
+ Loved everything else except for that random 8th jump near the end.

Standard - 3.5/5
+ This chart reminds me of Rainbow, Rainbow because of those long freeze arrows.
- It gets a bit dull and unexciting sometimes, but at least you've got the pace.

Heavy - 7/10
- It just felt too safe and very predictable. Don't get me wrong, your transitions, positioning, and placement on all the arrows are flawless, but I would've liked to see some more action instead of some streams from here to there. I guess it's the song you have chosen, but I can't blame you. I look forward to charts that have that overall unique style to them, and overall a theme that well shapes the simfile (which gives you a point because you do have it I believe).
+ I give you major points for leading every step of the way on point.

Presentation - 4/5
+ Random BGs.
+ The graphics has it's theme point to it.
- However, I would've like to see a more nicer looking font for 'Lucky Vacuum', as well, the title should stand a lot more.

OVERALL TOTAL = 19.25/25 = 77%

Discotheque
===========
Light - 3/5
+ Some great moments here and there.
- There were some awkward places found. Ex, those freezes in the beginning seem out of place while the beat is still moving.

Standard - 5/5
+ Marvellous!!!

Heavy - 6.5/10
+ I loved those drills in the beginning.
- From bars 22 to 30, you should've done something more appropriate to fully sculpture an 8-foot, rather than keeping it safe with turning single notes.
- From bars 40 to 42, I did not like how that was presented. Again, take risks then I would give you a higher mark.
- The ending should've been better. Those freezes seem to be sloppy, and they were not really needed.
+ Nice concept, but isn't much of a WOW factor.

Presentation - 4.5/5
+ Beauty graphics.
+ Music Video.

OVERALL TOTAL = 19/25 = 76%

Fly Me To The Moon (Remix)
==========================
Light - 2/5
+/- I'd love to love this chart, but I just can't..
- You've basically done the same as you just did on standard, which was how you kept on altering steady flow with following the vocals.
- The ending went really great, until it started to get offbeat with those last two bars of jumps.

Standard - 4/5
- At times, you tend to switch parts of the chart. At one point, you go steady along the pace of the song by using quarter notes, the next you follow Utada's voice and the percussion constantly.
+ Although, your transistions quite execute this chart pretty well.

Heavy - 7.5/10
+ Very risk taking (because you've made some crazy patterns, and others that may not please me), which in some parts paid off. For instance, starting from bar 42 when you included those hidden freeze arrows, they really complemented the musicality of the song.
- In other words, this file is just a pile of sloppy joe. There were so many concepts, I just figured you could've just kept it 'So Deep' style with those 16th gallops and freezes.

Presntation - 5/5
+ Stellar Graphics. The best I've seen in this pack.

Note: Wow, I've seen quite a bit of Utada in this competition.

OVERALL TOTAL = 18.5/25 = 74%

Gee
===
Light - 5/5
+ I really like this one. The repetitive steps was just a bundle of joy.

Standard - 3.5/5
+ Again, there were a few moments where it felt like 'DDR,' the jump parts and freezes really reminded me of 'Dance, Dance'.
+ I love the 'Gee Gee' part where the steps are repeated in the beginning.
- It's good and all, but it kind of felt short for my liking.

Heavy - 9/10
+ There were some parts that stood out, which normally is a good thing because I can give you a great mark for that. Ex, from Bar 33 til then those repeated crossovers stood out considering also its a fast song you can see clearly with a stack of single steps.
- I didn't liked the pattern in the beginning where you had to double-tap the 16th note, it just looks uncomfortable to do.

Presentation - 3.5/5
- The banner seem a bit gloomy and fizzled. By gloomy, I meant the text. They need to stand out a lot more (than the girl...)
+ HQ BG.
+ Music Video.

Note: Gah, this song drives me crazy.. It's like a disease; once it hits you, you're destined to like it. And I think I have that disease.. But only just this once!! -_-

OVERALL TOTAL = 21/25 = 84%

Konamized
=========
Light - 3/5
+ Step, step, tempo, tempo - very good.
- Read Heavy comment.

Standard - 3/5
+ Good. The steps are very simplistic (voltage much?). Very 'The Cube'/'Hysteria' like.
- Not as thrilling as much.

Heavy - 5/10
- VERY karaoke.
- Dull steps, spice it up more c'mon!

Presentation - 3/5
+ Random BGs,
+ You have a read-me, sorry :S
+ Smart thinking with the text.
- The airbrushed background along with the green carpet on the banner aren't quite as exciting to look at.

OVERALL TOTAL = 14/25 = 56%

Livin' in The Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight
========================================
Light - 2/5
- Average.

Standard - 4/5
+ Very light, bouncy, happy-go-lucky steps.
- Though, it rather much dies out near the ending with those quarter stream notes.

Heavy - 5.5/10
- Stepping songs like these don't really seem to grasp the fact that I would would want to love the file.
- Plain ideas, just very mediocre.

Presenation - 2/5
+ The text matches the effect of the background.
+ CD-Title.
- The banners needs better placing, I don't really like how it's fomatted that way.
- The text needs more 'light' and 'happiness' in them so it really portrays the value of the song.

OVERALL TOTAL = 13.5/25 = 54%

Negai
=====
Light - 4/5
+ Relaxing.

Standard - 3/5
+ Good alternation of steps.
- I pretty much didn't remember what happened as I played through this whole chart.

Heavy - 7.5/10
+ Very light, well-bounced steps.
- It's not amazing compared to some sims found here, but additionally it's a great set to this pack.

Presenation - 3/5
+ Very simple.
+ Matches the effect of the song.

OVERALL TOTAL = 17.5/25 = 70%

Revolution
===========
Light - 2/5
- Beh.

Standard - 3/5
+ This chart is structured real smoothly.
- I need a dazzle momement here. Now wait... Nope, nothing there.

Heavy - 7.5/10
- It reminds me of those DDR Universe 3 steps. If you have the game, you'll notice the same technique of steps, crossovers and ranges that follow the beat to the steps. The point is, the chart just seem too generic (and so were the steps that were utilized in that game sadly).
+ The musicality of this chart was great. I was hoping you didn't kept on going karaoke at it, but overall the steps were fine.

Presentation - 4/5
+ Nice graphics.

OVERALL TOTAL = 16.5/25 = 66%

SONIC SPEED RACERS
==================
Light - 5/5
+ Rad.

Standard - 4.5/5
- I didn't quite liked this one as much as the expert chart.
+ But it still has that great quality that would want me (even on this chart) to play again.

Heavy - 9.5/10
+ I really liked this chart a lot. There was some versatile patterns on the streams, you didn't kept it ordinary, and I epescially love the part where those 8th-4th-8th patterns kept on going because it really well matched with the song. Great job.
- Nothing to complain, except maybe some more tightening on some parts.

Presenation - 4.5/5
+ Well matched graphics.
+ Video.
- Clear mp3 please.

OVERALL TOTAL = 23.5/25 = 94%

The Sugar Before Bed Time Polka
===============================
Light - 4.5/5
+ Very fun.

Standard - 3/5
+ Again, stong placement; directive movements.
- The steps were pretty much simplistic in terms of patterns, while it should've been a bit more raw and edgier for a wild song like this one.

Heavy - 7/10
+ The allignment of the steps greatly match the song, specifically the streams were spot on.
- The only problem was that I knew the differentiation of the steps were coming, so I thought it was rather unsurprising and uninspiring at the same time.

Presentation - 3.25/5
+ The crazy background effects, chizzled graphics are cool.
- The videos however, are a bit distubing...
- The gimmick BPM's are a bit too much for me.
+ I'll give you another .25 for slotting the "appropriate" videos to the different effects of the song.

OVERALL TOTAL = 17.75/25 = 71%

When The Seaguls Cry/mineko no Naku Koro Ni
===========================================
Light - 3/5
+ Steady rhythm.
- This chart didn't psyched me as much.

Standard - 4/5
+ A LOT more smoother than the expert chart. I would've liked if this one was the expert chart, and the other as an edit chart or something.
+ I commend you for stepping a chart that has such weird countings.

Heavy - 3/10
- Man, you need to stop abusing those freezes, they're just so irritating!
- I really felt like quitting before half of the song ended, everything just felt to dragged and there was just nothing to really like about.

Presentation - 2/5
- Needs more work.

OVERALL TOTAL = 12/25 = 48%

Might as well sort these out to make it easier for the judges.

[TOP]
SONIC SPEED RACERS = 23.5/25 = 94%
Addicted to Bass (Apollo 440 Mix) = 23/25 = 92%
24-7 (SQUAD-E REMIX) = 21.25/25 = 85%
Gee = 21/25 = 84%
Astrogation = 20.5/25 = 82%
CHINA DISCOTICA = 20.25/25 = 81%
Colorful Cookie = 19.25/25 = 77%
Discotheque = 19/25 = 76%
Fly Me To The Moon (Remix) = 18.5/25 = 74%
The Sugar Before Bed Time Polka = 17.75/25 = 71%
Negai = 17.5/25 = 70%
Revolution = 16.5/25 = 66%
Birthday = 15.5/25 = 62%
Konamized = 14/25 = 56%
Livin' in The Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight = 13.5/25 = 54%
When The Seaguls Cry = 12/25 = 48%
Cold Noodles = 1/25 = 4%
[BOTTOM]

Jammitch wrote:/watch?v=e-YTyd7jreQ

This video is not available in your country due to copyright restrictions.

Should have known...

24-7 (SQUAD-E REMIX)

Heavy- 7.5/10 = 15/20

This was a decent chart. It was fun, but it needed a little more spice in the
patterning and maybe some longer 8ths runs. It reminded me of something from the Supernova/DDR X era.

Presentation- 5/5
The graphics look lovely and I like your use of bg videos. The slow down didn't seem all that neccesary, but it didn't bug me or take anything away from the file and your steps fit it nicely.

Total- 20/25


Addicted to Bass

Heavy- 9.5/10 = 19/20
This was a really fun chart! I love how it felt like it moved you all over the pad. It was kind of easy for a 9, but so were Paranoia KCET and Hypnotic Crisis.

Presentation- 4/5
I love your graphics with the sine wave in the bg and the video is cool, too.
However, I must dock a point for the low audio.

Total- 23/25

Astrogation

Heavy 9.5/10 = 19/20
This was an awesome chart. Your rhythms were spot-on and the patterning was excellent. I would play this again and again and again. For having made this file in one day, you certainly caught lighning in a bottle.

Presentation -5/5
The graphics are nice

Total- 24/25

Birthday

Heavy- 7/10 = 14/20
This was fun, for the most part, but it was hard to hear just what your 16th bursts were following and that gave them a sporatic feel. I think the chart would be much better without them. The gallops and 16th triplets worked fine and flowed with where you placed them.

Presentation- 5/5
I like your graphics and including doubles is always cool. The challenge chart was a bit crazy for my tastes.

Total- 19/25

China Discotica

Heavy- 7.5/10 = 15/20
This was an kind of an interesting chart. I liked how you built it up from being easy to adding the 8th action in little by little. It reminded me of a hybrid between My Generation with the gallops and Moonlight Shadow with the cross-overs. It wasn't all that exciting, but it was efficient, enjoyable, and fit the song well enough.

Presentation- 5/5
Nice graphics and bg video. The video is pretty interesting. She never shows her eyes.

Total - 20/25

Cold Noodles

Heavy- .5/10 = 1/20
One step for one point.

Presentation- 1/5
2006 called. They want thier Rick Roll back.

Total- 2/25

Colorful Cookie

Heavy- 8.5/10 = 17/20
This was a fun chart loaded with intensity. It reminded me of fun hi-speed songs from DDR Extreme like 321 Stars! or Mahou No Tobira. It even reminded me a bit of Candy from DDR Max. Good stuff!

Graphics- 5/5
Nice bg and banner and your video sequence fit the song really nicely. Very DDR-Authentic!

Total- 22/25

Discotheque

Heavy- 8.5/10 = 17/20
This was a pretty fun chart. I liked your jumps and your cross-overs. They really added some spice to the chart.

Presentation- 4/5
The video is nice, but the text in the graphics is a bit grainy.

Total- 21/25

Fly Me To The Moon

Heavy- 8.5/10 = 17/20
I really liked the way you stepped the intro and outro. It was a lovely mixture of So Deep, Ghosts, and possibly Twilight Zone, which is a nice trip back to the good ol' days. The "ever changing rhythms" in the middle got a bit chaotic for my tastes, but this is still a great chart, overall. It's fun and creative.

Presnentation- 5/5
The graphics are lovely. Including lyrics is nice, too.

Total- 22/25

Gee

Heavy- 9.5/10 = 19/20
This was a really really fun chart! It fit the song very nicely and was a whole lot of fun to play! The wow factor was definitely here.

Presentation -5/5
The graphics are nice and so is the video. Are some of those girls from Kara?

Total- 24/25

Konamized
Heavy- 7/10 = 14/20
These weren't bad, but they weren't really exciting, either. You usually
seem to have a good feel for patterning and that didn't show up here.
The rhythms were okay, albiet a bit karaoke at some points.

Presentation- 4/5
The graphics weren't all that exciting, but I liked your choices for
the bg video script, especially the ones from twinbee.

Total- 18/25

Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight
Heavy- 6.5/10 = 13/20
These weren't terrible, but they weren't really exciting either and some
of your rhythms didn't go with the song all that well.

Presentation- 3/5
The graphics were okay. The banner was a bit yucky, tho.
The bpm didn't feel like it needed to be doubled and challenge
felt overstepped in some parts.

Total- 16/25

Negai

Heavy- 8/10 = 16/20
These were fun and they fit the song nicely. Personally, I would have added some spins to increase the fun factor.

Presentation- 4/5
Your graphics are pretty nice. I like the text for the song title, in particular and the images are fitting, regarding the title. You get cool points for stepping a b-side, but they won't factor into the score.

Total- 20/25

revolution
Heavy- 7.5/10 = 15/20
I liked some of your patterning and rhythms, but some of this was
kind of bland. I thought that long run during a quieter part of the
song towards the end felt a bit out of place.

Presentation- 3.5/5
The graphics are okay. The title text is kind of cool, but I'm not
diggin' the artist text.

Total- 18.5/25

SONIC SPEED RIDERS
Heavy- 9/10 = 18/20
This was a really fun chart. The patterns were fun throughout and I
like the simple rhythms that went with the song really well.

Presentation- 5/5
The graphics weren't bad and I liked the bg video.

Total- 23/25

The Sugar Before Bed Time Polka
Heavy- 8.5/10 = 17/20
This would be a fun and tricky 9 with or without the gimmicks because
of the patterning, which I enjoyed.

Presentation- 5/5
The graphics were okay, but the bg videos were kind of funny.
I didn't care for the bpm and stop gimmicks, but they weren't as
stupid as konami has gotten with them lately and they did kind of
go with the music, so i won't dock any points for them.

Total- 22/25

Umineko no Naku Koro ni
Heavy- 3/10 = 6/20
This was a really sloppy chart with messy freeze arrow usage and
really akward patterning. It also felt really overdone and just wan't
fun to play at all.

Presentation- 2.5/5
The graphics were okay. You should have the same text on the bg as in
the banner instead of making them different from eachother. The whole
overall product here seemed a bit amateurish.

Total- 8.5/25

My top 4:
Gee
Astrogation
Addicted To Bass
Sonic Speed Riders

BLueSS wrote:

Super_Ray wrote:Total - 18/25 (20, -2 for the requited late entry deduction)

I will add the late deduction when I tally the scores at the end. It should not be factored into any judges' or PR scores.

Sorry, didn't catch that part. Anyway, I removed the deductions from my PR scores.

These were really hard to review for various reasons. Some of the song choices were like why?? and some of the files, just, how do I rate them when the file would be overall good or great, but has a severe problem? In the event where I was wavering between two scores with a half-point's difference on presentation or a full-point's difference on heavy, I generally rated down. All this being said, this was better than Bracket 1 overall.

24/7 (Squad-E Remix)
Heavy: This was... okay, but it feels all the same throughout. The eight or so measures following the slowdown are good, but when the vocals return, the steps just don't have a very interesting rhythm and the positioning isn't harder than the previous part, which isn't a good way to end because it feels like you didn't build to anything. At the end you should've gotten more creative with the rhythm and upped the intensity a little to shake things up. 14/20 (7/10)
Presentation: Graphics good, all except for the artist text, which reminds me of Windows 3.1. That's not a bad reminder, but I think the blue inner outline makes the text look odd. 4/5 [As a side note, if your graphics look jaggy resized, it's because your dimensions are too big. A better idea would be to resize to 320 x 100 in your image editor, rather than letting Stepmania do it.]

Addicted to Bass (Apollo 440 Mix)
Heavy: Really good before the beat really kicks in. After that, though, the steps don't completely feel like they change as much as they should. Don't know how to explain this clearly, but instead of keeping a pattern where the positioning shifts slowly (a pattern like LDLDUDUR) it would be better to have something like LDURLUDU where you're moving more. Great gallops though, and often the way you follow some of the instrumentals is very interesting. 17/20 (8.5/10)
Presentation: Your background is wonderful. Your banner feels a little weak, probably because of the black shadowing, the white texture on the title drowning out the blue color, and because the font doesn't look as good in smaller size – but mostly the black shadowing. 4/5

Astrogation
Heavy: Wow. NOT expecting this – a chart that reminds me of the Naoki Underground heavy steps and other similar charts (Memories) from DDR. I guess it shouldn't completely, because after awhile you learn the steps and they're not as tricky, but... great rhythms, great variety, great job. 20/20 (10/10)
Presentation: But what happened here? Your cut isn't done cleanly, because the sync goes off later on (halfway through the chorus?), and that's really distracting. Plus your graphics... they're good in terms of font choice, text color choice but where are the effects, especially in the background? 2.5/5

Birthday
That ending comes really suddenly, which I suppose fits with the bizarre nature of the song's lyrics. Jeez...
Heavy: The part where it gets kind of gallopy is quite fun. I have to say I don't enjoy the brief parts where there's a heavy saturation of 16ths, except for within the gallopy part, where I think it fits because you've come to a sort of climax in your chart. Earlier it's a bit too sudden and not too pleasurable to have to complete a part with so many 16ths. Anyway, this is quite fun overall, except having to hear the song, which I can't take off points for. 18/20 (9/10)
Presentation: Decent. The banner is kind of plain, and if you're not paying really close attention you won't notice that those are candles in the background because they're so blurred out. The positioning of the text in the background is awkward, too. 3/5

China Discotica
Heavy: AWESOME. I love it. So much of this is gold; you really did a good job of matching the song you picked with the repetition and the stomps and the jumps. I should also note I love how you leave the chart open for a freestyle ending. 20/20 (10/10)
Presentation: Graphics look really cool. Only fault is that the “discotica” text is a bit too pixelated-looking in the background. 4.5/5

Cold Noodles
Heavy: This chart has very good step. [lim x→0 ((sin(x))/x)]/20
Presentation: Score same as above, except out of 5. Your background makes me too hungry to want to play this file.

Colorful Cookie
Heavy: At first this was decent to good, then really not very interesting. The streams at the end have unexciting positioning, so they aren't really fun to do. You could've at least thrown in a crossover; even just one would've sufficed to throw off the monotony. Or break off the streams more often so that it'd be more rhythmically diverse. 13/20 (6.5/10)
Presentation: The background is quite nice. The banner's text doesn't quite do it for me – the artist text looks quite generic and the title text's rainbow outline feels too small. 3.5/5

Discotheque
Heavy: This is fairly fun, the primary exception being that really long stream of quarters during the verse. Why? Also, there are too many quarter jumps that aren't very fun either (one part in particular has like 10 jumps in a row) and could have more interesting steps in their place. The rest has some pretty cool stuff that I enjoyed a lot, especially the ending's stomps and the 16ths at the beginning. 14/20 (7/10)
Presentation: Decent banner, kind of lacks an interesting backdrop for the text. The title text is way too small in the background, though. I understand that you probably wanted to make it fit in with the text at the top of the image, but the title should be prominent. Because otherwise it feels like you just took an anime wallpaper and put some text on it somewhere, which isn't good for people like me who never watch anime and see many of the anime files as being the same. 2.5/5

Fly Me To The Moon (VC2's Club Mix)
Heavy: I understand what you were going for. The reason you don't quite get there is that you never let this cool down enough. The parts with less 16ths are a pain to do rather than the break they should be; you jump to vocals in places where the music is not very lively and you put in a lot of eighths where there isn't much to go to and you would do better with less steps. I understand you wanted it to be 9 feet, but the tricky parts probably would be enough justification for 9 feet anyway. At least the beginning and ending are very good, and where you try to make it tricky you do a pretty good job. 14/20 (7/10)
Presentation: Very good graphics, except that in the banner the title needs to look bigger than at least the artist text, and the horizontal band of darkness in the background looks rather awkward. 4.5/5

Gee
Heavy: Pretty good. The gee gee gee gee parts are great. Some flaws. In my review for My Boy, I said something about streams of quarter notes that don't do much of anything - those are a bit of a problem here. Also some parts aren't as interesting, and some of your transitions that go from parts with eighths to a quarter stream or vice-versa can be awkward. But overall this is really well done. It's really, really fun at the beginning, better than in the second half, where the steps aren't as interesting. 17/20 (8.5/10)
Presentation: Um, the girl's head being there in the banner is unprofessional and really awkward, but kind of funny. Great effects on the text though. 3.5/5

Konamized
Why this song?
Heavy: These steps are far too intense for this song with its really weak beat. There's not much I can say otherwise, other than that it's really stop-and-go at points. Positioning is okay at least. 10/20 (5/10)
Presentation: Use anti-alias on your jaggy title text. Apart from that the graphics look really plain, and the backdrops don't mesh well at all with the text. 2/5

Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight
Why this song?
Heavy: That BPM change didn't make sense. Yeah, the song gets more active from that point on, but the beat sure doesn't seem to do so audibly. That having been said... your steps are pretty good. Some of the points where you follow the vocals too closely are really awkward, especially in the beginning of the section at doubled tempo. Going with only those vocals so often is pretty awkward in itself. Otherwise I'm very surprised that you managed to pull off a reasonably good chart with this song, and not too happy that I have to rate it higher than other entries that I'd be much more likely to play because of song choice 14/20 (7/10)
Presentation: The graphics make the song into an anachronism. In other words, they don't match with the 60's feel of the song. The text looks pretty awkward itself, with the blue shadow/glow on everything and the orange that I guess you chose for “sunlight” that really doesn't mesh well with the blue. 2/5

Revolution
Not the best song ever, but it was stepped well so this file is probably pretty good for a warmup.
Heavy: A little bit plain overall but still pretty good. In the part in the second half of the song where there are very few steps (well, there's a long stream, but apart from that very few steps), there are jumps there that are kind of awkward (because the beat has dropped out), especially the last one, the LR jump-freeze. Very good early on, and later you didn't try to match the vocals too much when you put in 16ths, though I felt that you could've gone an extra step and add in a few 16ths that didn't completely match the vocals à la Captain Jack, and that would've been interesting. 17/20 (8.5/10)
Presentation: Excellent work on colors and interesting shapes. I suppose the artist text could be a little better but it's fine. The other thing is, the background is a little awkward because the clouds are too visible, and they have the texture of a zoomed-in photo, which doesn't match the artificial graphics on top. Either get rid of the clouds entirely or have the top layers be much more opaque. 4.5/5

Sonic Speed Riders
Heavy: What the hell? That was so good. I have no comments (well, great patterning, great emphasis, matched the song really well yet was really inventive at the same time), and no idea who did this chart. Oh. After having looked at the readme, now it makes sense. 20/20 (10/10)
Presentation: Excellent graphics. The only thing I'd suggest is to make the title text bigger so that it sticks out more in the rather chaotic background. 4.5/5

The “Sugar Before Bed Time” Polka
Heavy: These steps could really use a point where they cool down, somewhere. The nonstop nature of this chart, right out of the gate, gets tiresome after awhile. Apart from that it's pretty good, if only I could concentrate on what's there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, you should've let the music introduce itself before the steps came in. 15/20 (7.5/10)
Presentation: You really want to give me a seizure with those obnoxious BPM and background changes, don't you? I understand that the latter are extras so I won't dock for them, but those BPM changes make the file really unenjoyable, which means a significant deduction. Anyway, your main graphics are good. The positioning of the text gives the images a little bit of an unorganized feel, though. 2.5/5

うみねこのなく頃に(Umineko no naku koro ni) / When The Seagulls Cry
Heavy: If you removed all the short freezes that make the chart ridiculously hard to read (the rhythms would make it hard enough to read without the freezes), this would be much more enjoyable. It's not bad as it is, but there are a few places where it's trying a bit too hard to be difficult, especially where you throw those 32nds in – I could not hear what those went to, since I was concentrated on listening for those hopping 16th rhythms you used the whole time. And around measures 27-33 are a little bit harder than seems appropriate there. Take out the freezes and this isn't a 10; actually, probably even with the freezes it's not a 10. This was not bad overall, but it has some significant problems. 12/20 (6/10)
Presentation: I have no idea where you got the characters you used in your background. Oh, I see - you can't just use a Japanese/Chinese font and type the romanized letters of your song title under an English keyboard and expect to get something that makes sense. I've put one correct Japanese version of your title here; this is the one I found on Wikipedia, which talks about the series your song comes from. Aside from that your graphics are decent but a little bit unexciting, because the color scheme is a little plain. The thing with the horizontal lines was a good idea, though. It's a shame those characters take up most of the background. Also, your cut should've ended right before the slowdown; it's too long and feels like it ends kind of randomly. 2/5

the total of Cold Noodles is 2/25

ALL ENTRIES HAVE BEEN REVIEWED.

Due to work issues, I wasn't able to spend as much time on these reviews as I'd like. These probably got in too late to count in the final results, but hopefully people can gain something from my critiques.

Songs reviewed in no particular order.

As always, PM me if you'd like to discuss any of these reviews in greater detail.

---

24/7 (SQUAD-E REMIX)

Light: 4.75/5 - Outside of the long freeze after the slowdown, I thought these were perfect steps.
Standard: 3.50/5 - I wasn't big on the first half of the song, but the steps were great after the slowdown. I'm not sold on those syncopated 16ths, but they do work here.
Heavy: 7.25/10 - The steps were good before and after the slowdown, but I think you could've had more going on during the slowdown itself. It felt like it dropped to a 5 or a 6 during that part, which wouldn't be so bad if the slowdown wasn't so long.
Presentation: 4.50/5 - Points for lyrics and beginner steps, even though those steps feel a touch odd in some places. The song's cut feels a little repetitive, but the steps do a good job of hiding it. I have to boo the mp3's fadeout, but you get points back for handling it well. Partial bonus point for a Konami-like CD title, and more bonus points for the great use of random vids..

Overall: 20.00/25 - This is a very solid stepset. It doesn't stand out, but it does what it does pretty darn well.

---

ADDICTED TO BASS (APOLLO 440 MIX)

Light: 3.75/5 - Wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it did seem kind of generic in a lot of places.
Standard: 3.75/5 - This would make a great heavy stepset. In fact, if you added challenge, I think your file would've been better served had you created a new beginner stepset and bumped everything else up a level.
Heavy: 8.25/10 - This was a good balance of challenge and fun. But the song feels pretty mellow in relation to what you did here. I feel like it deserves an easier step, but that's more personal preference than anything.
Presentation: 4.75/5 - With the exception of the weird text appearing on the video, everything here is perfect.

Overall: 20.50/25 - A great song gets paired with a very, very good step.

---

ASTROGATION

Light: 4.25/5 - I liked the patterns you used here. Well-designed.
Standard: 4.00/5 - I wasn't a big fan of those 16ths, but the worked OK. Steps worked well overall.
Heavy: 8.25/10 - I loved the sorrow-style steps. I really, REALLY liked what you went for here.
Presentation: 3.50/5 - The graphics aren't that bad, but they're not that great. The reason for the deduction is that the BPM is slightly off. Perfects at the beginning of the song become greats and goods by the end. Which sucks, becuase this would've been a top-line file without that problem.

Overall: 20.00/25 - A great stepfile marred by a slight but very noticible BPM issue.

---

BIRTHDAY

Light: 4.75/5 - Phenomenal design here. This is an almost perfect stepset and arguably the best light step in the bracket.
Standard: 4.00/5 - The patterns you use in the beginning feel a little awkward with the song, but it gets much better about 30 seconds in.
Heavy: 6.75/10 - I can see why you went with the frequent 16th runs that you did, but I don't think they worked well with the song. Had you toned it down a bit, I think you would've scored a bit higher.
Presentation: 4.50/5 - I know the banner doesn't look all that impressive, but I absolutely loved the theme and execution of the background enough to ignore the big no-no of putting the artist's name in the BG. A nice beginner step and an insane challenge step round out the package.

Overall: 20.00/25 - This is another song that sneaks up and surprises you with its quality. Some may love the direction heavy went, but I don't.

---

COLD NOODLES

Light: 1/5 - One point for each step in this chart.
Standard: 1/5 - One point for each step in this chart.
Heavy: 1/10 - One point for each step in this chart.
Presentation: 3/5 - Graphics are OK. The sample works well, but had the BG not gone directly to the video before "Here We Go," you would've scored higher.

Overall: 6/25 - The low score isn't because of the Rickroll. It's because the Rickroll has been done much, MUCH better in stepfiles. Why not step it anyways? Why not use a cover version? Or maybe the "Literal Version" of the video? Check out Through the Fire and Flames in "Anything Goes Part Deux." That's a Rickroll done right.

---

COLORFUL COOKIE

Light: 3.75/5 - Light didn't wow me, but I did find it solid. I could've done without the 8ths you used, though. There were good 4th patterns in the song to go with instead.
Standard: 4.50/5 - A great improvement from light. A good balance of appropriate difficulty and fun steps.
Heavy: 9.25/10 - Nice choice and mix of patterns. This is a very nice step.
Presentation: 4.50/5 - The banner and BG aren't anything to write home about, but they get the job done. The random vids are good, but they aren't quite the perfect fit like the vids for Konamized were.

Overall: 21.75/25 - A stronger light step would put you in contention for a top spot. Still, this is a keeper.

---

DISCOTHEQUE

Light: 3.50/5 - Really wasn't feeling the use of 8ths towards the end. Had it just been in the beginning, I would've been fine with it, as they worked very well.
Standard: 3.75/5 - I really, really liked how these steps started. But the rediculously long stream of 4ths during the verse just seemed a little plain. You could've done a lot more with this.
Heavy: 6.75/10 - The 4th stream in heavy is more of a letdown than it is in light. I didn't love the rest of the file, but I did like it. But that boring run overshadows the rest of what you did here.
Presentation: 4.25/5 - Your BG is a personal pet peeve of mine - the Random Anime Cast Shot. A good BG should stand on its own without needing to know the show the song came from. That said, the video is really good and more than cancels that out.

Overall: 17.75/25 - Going with more interesting patterns in the middle of the song would've helped you immensely.

---

FLY ME TO THE MOON (VC2'S CLUB MIX)

Light: 4.25/5 - A very fitting stepset.
Standard: 4.00/5 - Another good standard set that would make a better heavy. However, there are parts I feel are too Karaoke-ish. It's not so much a problem when she is singing, but it's really noticible in those short stints where she's not. Overall, though, it's very solid.
Heavy: 6.75/10 - I understand what you did with these steps. I'm just not that big a fan of it. WAY too much going on here.
Presentation: 4.50/5 - Gorgeous graphics score you a whole mess of points. The lyrics were nice to have, but some of the line breaks were a bit odd.

Overall: 19.50/25 - Much like Addicted To Bass, you could have easily bumped each step up a level. Unlike Addicted To Bass, not doing so costs you.

---

GEE

Light: 4.50/5 - A really nicely-designed stepset.
Standard: 4.25/5 - Wasn't really feeling the jump-spin at 200 BPM. Otherwise, it's a great step. I really liked the use of the 8th steps.
Heavy: 8.75/10 - There's not a lot I can complain about (maybe the jump series at 200 BPM), but it didn't grab me and wow me like some of the other files in this contest. Still, a very good file. I really liked how you handled the speed changes in all of your difficulties.
Presentation: 4.50/5 - The plain banner image and lack of lyrics or challenge keeps me from giving you a perfect score. But with a video featuring nine sexy women dancing in hot pants, I really want to.

Overall: 22.00/25 - Just a slight step below some of the elite files in this contest, but very good nonetheless.

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KONAMIZED

Light: 3.75/5 - The steps felt good for a boss song, but the song didn't feel too much like a boss song. The steps worked, but I think they were a little too intense for a light.
Standard: 3.25/5 - Lots of empty space which could have been used for more interesting patterns. The pattern you used is good, but it could've been so much better.
Heavy: 6.50/10 - In a lot of spots, these steps feel REALLY karaoke. The problem with karaoke steps isn't where they are, but where they aren't.
Presentation: 4.25/5 - One one hand, the banner and background are not easy on the eyes. On the other hand, your choice of BG vids is PHENOMENAL.

Overall: 17.25/25 - This step is reminiscant of Burning Heat, but doesn't quite pull off what that song does.

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LIVIN' IN THE SUNLIGHT, LOVIN' IN THE MOONLIGHT

Light: 3.75/5 - The patterns worked well with the song, but they felt a bit too streamish for a light step.
Standard: 4.25/5 - I liked these steps more than the light steps, but again, it felt closer to a heavy than a standard.
Heavy: 8.50/10 - It's certainly harder than the 7 you rated it as, but I enjoyed these steps most of all. I liked the intros you used not just in heavy, but in all of your sets. I just think it might have played a little better if you went with a 104-ish BPM the entire song, but that's more personal preference than anything.
Presentation: 4.00/5 - The graphics don't look phenomenal, but they don't look half-bad, and your beginner and challenge steps were quite good. The cut of the song feels juuuuuust a hair longer than it needs to be, but your steps do a good job of keeping things interesting. The sync is OK, but it does fall a bit off in some parts.

Overall: 20.50/25 - Perhaps more difficult than it should be, but a risky song choice pays off in the end.

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REVOLUTION

Light: 4.50/5 - I'm usually a hater when it comes to 8ths in light, but you used them very well. I take issue with the ones you used before/during the breakdown, though.
Standard: 4.75/5 - Sonic Speed Riders had the best standard step in this bracket, but this was a VERY close second. Great work!
Heavy: 9.25/10 - I didn't like the double-step run towards the end, but that's my only complaint on this set. Another well-designed step.
Presentation: 4.25/5 - The song's logo in the banner and BG are great, but the artist text is a little weird. A lack of lyrics or a video really hurt you here.

Overall: 22.75/25 - Easily one of the best stepsets in the bracket.

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SONIC SPEED RIDERS

Light: 4.25/5 - A couple of breaks in the later half would've been appreciated, but still a great step overall. Nice use of the freezes.
Standard: 5.00/5 - I believe this is the first perfect score I've given on any step... and it was well-earned.
Heavy: 9.25/10 - It didn't scream "perfect" like standard did, but still very, VERY good. Great use of turns to keep a relatively easy step interesting.
Presentation: 4.50/5 - The banner's good, but the background... eh. The video, though, really adds to the file, more so than most videos. Beginner was a nice addition as well.

Overall: 23.00/25 - This phenomenal file may arguably be the best thing to come out of Sonic Riders.
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THE "SUGAR BEFORE BED TIME" POLKA
(Full disclosure: Although the background changes and videos are new, the steps themselves are identical to the version that was part of DDREvolved's Anything Goes: Part Deux pack, which I also participated in.)

Light: 3.75/5 - The steps didn't feel too horribly off for a light, but they still felt a little much.
Standard: 4.00/5 - That's a solid 7-footer without the gimmicks. Still, the steps themselves worked.
Heavy: 9.25/10 - Perhaps a little over the top in difficulty, but the gimmicky steps fit perfectly with the manic energy of the song.
Presentation: 4.50/5 - Would've loved higher-quality video, but what was there worked. Graphics aren't spectacular, but they get the job done.

Overall: 21.50/25 - This is a file you will either absolutely love or absolutely hate. I absolutely loved it.

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UMINEKO NO NAKU KORO NI

Light: 2.75/5 - Your beginner steps would've made a great light set. A lot of what's here just didn't feel right in a light.
Standard: 3.00/5 - Your light steps would've made a great standard set. Those 16th triplets (should be 24ths - see presentation) didn't fit here, and neither did the mini-gallops. You had a good design early, though.
Heavy: 4.50/10 - Your standard steps would've mad a great heavy set. I see what you're going for, but it didn't work here. Not enough going on in the song to justify what you have going on in the steps.
Presentation: 3.25/5 - The BPM you had for the slowdown should've been the BPM for the entire song. That's why you have blue notes in beginner. I have no idea what the kanji in the background is, but うみねこのなく頃に is the Japanese writing of the song's title. The graphics look great, otherwise.

Overall: 13.50/25 - Had you bumped everything up a difficulty level, this would've been a whole new ballgame. As is, the direction you went in just didn't work.

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CHINA DISCOTICA
(Full disclosure: This score does not include any late penalty.)

Light: 4.25/5 - Right after the opening chorus, it kind of got boring. But besides that, these steps were very enjoyable.
Standard: 4.50/5 - This set is extremely enjoyable.
Heavy: 9.00/10 - A very well-designed set here. I didn't like the two measure-long gaps, which is why I didn't give you a higher score. But especially for a 6-foot step, this is pretty darn fun.
Presentation: 4.50/5 - The graphics are great, and the video adds a nice touch. The MTV branding, though understandable, does detract from the file.

Overall: 22.25/25 - This is much more fun than it has any right to be.

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NEGAI
(Full disclosure: This score does not include any late penalty.)

Light: 4.50/5 - These steps were interesting and fit the song very well.
Standard: 4.00/5 - A legit 3-footer? Gutsy. It didn't seem to impress me as much as light did, but it's still pretty well done.
Heavy: 7.00/10 - A legit 5-footer? Gutsy. I don't think it's going to pay off for you in this contest, but I tip my proverbial hat to you. That said: there's only so much you can do with a 5-foot heavy. It's very good for what it is, but there wasn't anything to make a player above that level want to play it again.
Presentation: 4.25/5 - Beginner works well. I'm iffy on the background, but I love the banner. The cut of the song works well.

Overall: 19.75/25 - This isn't something I would come back to, but not every file is for me. I can easily see this becoming a favorite of a more inexperienced player.

Akira wrote:

Jammitch wrote:/watch?v=e-YTyd7jreQ

This video is not available in your country due to copyright restrictions.

Should have known...

ahahahaha way to go Philippines!!!!! Really, what on earth?