BRACKET 1 - Public Review

[BLueSS]

Rules for Public Reviews:

-Judge all of the files in the bracket.
-If your song is in the pack judging, make up a fake score and treat it like it was any other file. When compiling the score's I'll take it out secretly.

-If you review all the charts (and use the official judging format of Light: /5, Standard: /5, Heavy: /10; and you do a VERY good job, I reserve the right to bump your review into an official judging slot!
Note: This is not guaranteed to get you in, and if this is your first time here, I'm not going to bump your review either.


Scorechart: (This is practically the same as the judges have)
/20 - Chart(s) (If you're new, judging just the heavy chart is allowed)
/5 - Presentation (Remember, this is not "graphics", this is the overall presentation of the file (including work put into extras, if the graphics happen to be sub-par.)
+3 - Tilt: Used for any reason, like extra charts or similar (This can only fill in points that the entrant missed in other areas!)

Total of /25 Possible Points

The public review scores will be averaged together and will count as an additional judge's scores.

DO NOT DISCUSS PUBLIC REVIEWS IN THIS THREAD! THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR REVIEWING!

[Krazy]

I can't believe I'm actually doing reviews...

I think I may tend to be harsh about stupid things like the banner text not matching the song wheel but oh well. To me, it's the little things that make a file professional.

I'll mention if I think something is misrated, but I won't take points off for it unless it's way off because it's just an artificial estimation of a songs difficulty, and everyone finds different things difficult.

Most extra things I gave up to half a point for tilt depending how good they were. Things like video, animated banner, extra charts, etc. Lyrics got .25 unless it was only 1 line or something, then it was less. CD Titles get .05 points, doubles charts get .25 points each if they exist, I don't play doubles so I can't judge them at all.

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DARE TO BE STUPID

Light: 3/5
This plays a lot more like a 6 than a 5. First of all, diagonal jumps are generally not used much in easy charts because newer players can't read them, but you've plastered them all over this chart. Also, a lot of the jumps seemed kind of random, especially in the beginning. The arrow placement kind of seemed random at points as well. You probably would have been better off making this slightly harder and calling it the standard chart.

EDIT: Okay so I was wrong about the diagonal jumps thing... still, I don't really like this chart very much. Most of the jumps still seemed kind of random, where I would have just expected a normal step. *Changed from 2.5 to 3.

Standard: 3.5/5
Hmm, I really liked the patterns at the end. Only problem was they pretty much followed the lyrics exactly. As did much of the song, creating large gaps in your steps when the music was still clearly going. Jump usage still seemed somewhat random at times, but I really liked how you used freeze arrows at some points. Maybe more of an 8 than a 7, I'm not sure. Probably too hard for standard, regardless. Seemed really similar to light, try to diversify your charts more.

Heavy: 6/10
Okay, I liked the guitar breakdown before each verse. Other than that, this is really all over the place. I don't really have much to say, this just seems really disorganized, and is really similar to standard at a lot of parts. Try to diversify your charts more. This is a 9, which is funny because in your readme you kind of hinted that you think poorly of people who like 9's, but you just made one.

Presentation: 4.5/10
Banner looks fine, background is a bit weird but I guess it fits the song. The cut is way to long for a song that is already repetitive to begin with, so I'll have to dock you for that. Sample is fine. Sync is fine.

Tilt: +0.8
//Edit chart, which is almost the same as heavy: +0.1
//Beginner chart, which really has no reason to be a 3: +0.2
//Video: +0.5

TOTAL: 17.8/25

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Dear Jesse Rees Remix

Light: 2/5
This really didn't do anything for me. Felt kind of random at points. Not really much else to say, it was a really bland chart that seems like you made by hitting record in SM. Long periods are spent facing one direction, which is definitely bad. Some better use of jumps and freeze arrows would have helped this out.

Standard: 2.5/5
Slightly better than the light I guess, but I still wasn't really feeling it. A lot of awkward double stepping that really didn't need to be there. Not much to say still, just really bland, and not memorable at all. I guess the long freeze in the middle was kind of boring and you could have done something else during it?

Heavy: 3.5/10
Okay, one thing that's been bothering me in all these charts is, after the intro, the song is quiet, and the beat comes back in, and then you have an arrow on the NEXT step, which feels completely off. I know you're following the lyrics there, but you should still have an arrow on the strong downbeat. Other than that, this chart had loads of awkward double stepping, especially at the very beginning, it was just pointlessly hard. The step-jump section at the end was also completely uncalled for. I also don't like how it ended with a freeze arrow, when the main synth still goes on. Way to similar to standard, feels exactly the same with a few more arrows.

Presentation 0.1/5
No readme, sync is noticeably off, banner is disgusting as fuck, background has horrible horrible jpeg artifacts, cut is a bit too long and feels longer because the song is really repetitive. Sample start seems a bit random. 0.1 points for having a girl who is not wearing much in the background. Also your song is called Dear Jesse Rees Remix, but your folder is called Dear Jesse 2007. Go figure (not that it matters at all...).

Tilt: +0
I got nothin.

TOTAL: 8.1/25

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Edo no Temari Uta II

Light: 4.5/5
I thought this was really good, only thing I have a problem with is I feel like the ending wasn't really thought out too well. Like a said though, pretty good for a light chart. Maybe you could have done something with that long break, or added a couple of freeze arrows?

Standard: 4.5/5
This was very good, only thing I would maybe change is the first piano part was maybe a little too hard and nonsensical compared to the rest. I liked the patterns in this, they seemed well thought out.

Heavy: 7/10
Okay first thing: This song should have absolutely no 32nds, it's all 24ths. This applies to the few spots you used them in standard as well. You could argue you were going for DDR style where 24ths don't exist, but then you went and used them in the piano section. So really all of your 32nd notes occur slightly later than they should. Other than that, this chart was pretty good, some of the crossovers seemed somewhat weird and unnecessary. Also the piano section in the middle was completely out of place and it felt like I was playing IIDX. This probably would have worked out better as a 7 with the piano section taken out. Not too bad though, but completely not what I would have done with the chart.

EDIT: Okay, I looked at this again in a lot of detail. I listened to it with clicks with both 32nds and 24ths, and I think the 24ths sound much more accurate for the majority of the song, except for POSSIBLY during the chorus. I still don't like the piano section at all, you could have used freezes to represent the piano or something more creative instead of just following it exactly like IIDX would.

Presentation: 5/5
Banner looks fine, background looks fine, cut and length is fine, sample start is fine, sync is perfect. My only beef is the banner is in Japanese whereas the song is in English on the songwheel. The banner should match the song wheel, same with the background I guess.

EDIT: Good point about the title translit, so I'll give you full credit here.

Tilt: +1.4
//Lyrics: +0.25
//Video: +0.5
//Animated banner: +0.5
//CD Title: +0.05
//Alternate graphics, even though they suck: +0.1

TOTAL: 22.4/25

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Fourth Joyride (Buckle Up)

Light: 4.25/5
Diagonal jumps really shouldn't be in light. The jumping actually felt a little excessive in general. It was pretty good overall, arrow placement felt slight random at points, I think this would have worked better as a 3 with a few less arrows. Also the freeze section was kind of problematic because it's really easy to do the first up+down freeze and then get forced to face away from the screen, which really shouldn't happen on light.

EDIT: OK the diagonal jumps are fine I guess. I liked the second half of this a lot actually now that I play it again. But still the freeze section was a big problem because you're led up to it facing right, doing the U+D jump, and holding up, and then having to do LDUR which forces you to face backwards unless you knew before hand to double step somewhere measures earlier. *Changed from 3.5 to 4.25.

Standard: 4.75/5
This is pretty excellent, I was going to complain about something in the first half but I don't even remember now. Same beef with the light about the forced crossovers I guess, and slightly feels like light with added arrows at points (freeze section comes to mind, again), but really this is a pretty superior chart.

Heavy: 8/10
Okay, I didn't like the way the first slow section used red arrows. I understand they were following the slow quiet synth, but it doesn't really make sense in the context of what else is going on. The second slow section (after the neat speedup) also kind of felt random stepwise. The ending that followed the main synth almost felt exactly like standard, only with jumps where you could comfortably fit them. I'm just grasping at straws though, this was pretty good overall, although I feel like you didn't have to be very creative to come up with good steps for this song. **After playing your challenge steps, these seem really really bland and generic in comparison.

Presentation: 4.5/5
Banner looks fine, background looks fine, cut length is fine, I actually liked the BPM changes here, sync is fine, sample start is fine, only problem is that the banner is in all caps but the song wheel isn't. This is wrong, they should always match.

Tilt: +1.3
//Video: +0.5
//Challenge steps that are better than heavy and should have been used for that instead: +0.5
//Beginner chart, this chart kind of felt really random and thrown on at the last minute: +0.3

TOTAL: 22.8/25

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Graves of Being [TH 10 - Mountain of Faith] (BM2 cut)

Light: 4.5/5
Wow, there's nothing I can really fault you on here. Normally I would disagree with the use of diagonal jumps but you left so much space around them that it worked out perfectly for a beginner to learn to do them. Only thing maybe I don't agree with in this chart is some of the freeze arrows, and it's probably more of a 2 than a 3 but whatever.

Standard: 4/5
Solid. I liked the way you used most of the freezes in this, but a few seemed out of place. Also there's a large part in the middle where you are facing right the entire time. That's all I can think of, but facing right for a large portion of it is kind of a big deal so 4 instead of 4.5.

Heavy: 7.5/10
I really really liked the main chorus in this (where the snare is hitting every quarter note). A lot of the parts though, it seemed like you were following the main melody too closely, creating large spaces where you're just holding a freeze. This screams ITG to me, not DDR. Also I didn't agree with your use of triplets at that one part. The freeze was really annoying here as well, with the three 16ths right after it. This is good, but unfortunately not as good as your standard or light charts.

Presentation: 3.5/10
Banner is fine, background is okay but the text kind of seems like it's in a weird spot and I've never been a fan of just ANIME backgrounds. Readme is a wall of text holy shit, but whatever that doesn't matter. Sync is fine, Sample start is fine, cut is really long but doesn't feel quite as long when playing it. You have a subtitle on the song wheel but the banner and background don't reflect this.

Tilt: +0.9
//Challenge steps that are fine, just really hard and feel 10 times more like ITG steps than DDR steps: +0.4
//Beginner steps, that are pretty much completely perfect: +0.5

TOTAL: 20.4/25

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HIGH G.K. LOW -ハジケロ-

Light: 4.5/5
I felt like there was a bit too much jumping going on, some freezes were too long, and there are too many diagonal jumps for beginners. Not really bad though, a lot of the patterns were really good, especially during the freeze sections, even if there were too many freezes.

EDIT: Haha did I mention how awesome this song is. Yeah anyway whatever diagonal jumps are fine. *Changed from 4 to 4.5.

Standard: 4.75/5
I thought this was really good. Maybe felt a bit random at points but really not much, very good overall. Maybe a little too many gaps due to following the vocals to closely? I don't know, it was still really good.

Heavy: 7.75/10
Pretty good, I didn't agree with most of the step-jumping but some of it was fine. Same with the gallops, I didn't like the ones at the beginning but I liked the ones in the middle. Some of the jackhammers also seemed annoying though. Solid chart I guess, I can't really think of a lot to comment on, it was slightly forgettable.

Presentation: 4.5/5
Banner is fine, background was fine but the text was maybe slightly jagged, cut was a bit short but I guess it worked, sync was fine, sample start was fine. Song was really cool I thought, though that's kind of irrelevant.

Tilt: +0.5
//Video: +0.5

TOTAL: 22.0/25

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i-revolution

Light: 5/5
I thought this was pretty much perfect, I wouldn't change a thing. Really really felt like an actual DDR light chart.

Standard: 4.5/5
This was very good, only thing I don't agree with is the beginning with the 3 repeated arrows that requires double stepping. Not that I hate double stepping, but it felt weird there. And the one freeze arrow that started on a blue arrow seemed odd to me. You obviously know what you are doing, though.

Heavy: 9.5/10
I was expecting a lot from this, and it definitely delivered. The only things I don't agree with are the jump freezes in the beginning, and the one part at the end that was kind of like Xenon. I like how standard was a 6, this was a 7, but they were still very different charts. Really nice use of gallops, the step placement may have felt a bit random at times but I feel like it worked and felt like a real DDR chart.

Presentation: 4.5/5
Banner is fine, background is fine, cut is a bit long but doesn't really feel too long, sync was fine, Sample start was fine. I am really expecting this song to be in DDRX. Readme was pretty awesome.

Tilt: +0.55
//Beginner, not anything amazing but it works out well I guess: +0.5
//CD Title: +0.05 (yes blank ones count, it shows the author cared enough to do something!)

TOTAL: 24.05/25

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MAX DON'T HAVE SEX WITH YOUR EX (Grandale Mix)

Light: 2/5
MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX
MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX
MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX
MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX
(It's sad, this is better than the light charts for some of the non-joke files.)

Standard: 1/5
MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX
MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX
MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX
MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX
(okay, that's more like it)

Heavy: 1.5/10
MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX
MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX
MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX
MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX
(I can't wait to play this on an r21 machine!)

Presentation: 3/5
Banner is fine, background is fine, cut is FUCKING AMAZING, sync is fine, sample start really exemplifies the best part of the song. No readme.

Tilt: +0.55
//Video: +0.5
//CD Title: +0.05

TOTAL: MAX/25

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nrrrd grrrl

Light: 3.75/5
I have no strong opinion either way on this. It was really forgettable. The diagonal jump probably
shouldn't have been there for a 2 but there was only 1 so whatever. I also don't agree with the eighth
note stream right before the freeze section. I didn't like the freeze section because if you start on the
wrong foot (which is possible since it starts on up or something) you are forced to face backwards which isn't good for a 2 footer.

EDIT: Still don't like this chart, but after playing it again the diagonal jump is fine and so is the eighth note, really. *Changed from 3.5 to 3.75.

Standard: 4/5
This is a little better but I still find it kind of random and uninspired. You could have thought about
the location of the steps a little, probably. Maybe it was just me, but it seemed like there was an awful lot of double stepping.

Heavy: 6.5/10
Way too much karaoke syndrome during the chorus. Be more original. The stops were pretty annoying in this chart. Some other parts weren't bad, I liked how the freezes were used here. This is probably pretty fun on a pad, though the steps aren't anything special. I don't think the song choice helps. Really though, I feel like you need to be more original with your steps and not follow the most obvious things so much.

Presentation: 2.5/5
I absolutely hate this song, although that's irrelevant. I think it's offsync after the last stop. Banner
was kind of ugly, background was really ugly. Sample start is fine. Technically the song is an okay
length but it's pretty repetitive and boring so it seems a lot longer than it actually is, and should be
shorter. It also really would have been nice to include lyrics for a song like this, but I can't really
fault you for that.

Tilt: +0.55
//CD Title (it's really ugly though): +0.05
//Beginner chart, it's fine I guess: +0.5

TOTAL: 17.3/25

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Number One

Light: 4.25/5
I (somewhat surprisingly) thought this was pretty good. Although it's definitely a 2 (maybe 3) and not a 1, the patterns are thought out really well. Not much else to say, this song is absolute garbage but I think you did about the best you could with the steps for it.

Standard: 4.75/5
I can't believe such a bad song can have such a good chart. I can tell you spent a good deal of time on this. I really liked how you used some of the freezes, and the patterns were fun and somewhat inventive.

Heavy: 7/10
If only this was as good as your other 2 charts. I didn't like how you followed the synth so closely in the beginning, I didn't like a lot of the freezes and thought most were too long. Some of the patterns were still pretty good though, but really the only way I can think to describe this is extremely forgettable, due to the extremely boring song.

Presentation: 2.5/5
Banner is slightly ugly, background is slightly ugly, song is way too quiet compared to everything else (big problem), this is a really horrible song to step considering how unbelievably boring it is. Sync was fine, sample start was fine I guess. It's only 1:53 but it feels too long due to how boring the song is.

Tilt: +0.51
//Challenge, what the fuck is this, thanks for wasting my time: +0.01
//Beginner chart, this is actually not bad at all: +0.5

TOTAL: 19.26/25

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Poison

Light: 4.5/5
Wow, this was unexpectedly good. Only thing I don't agree with is during the beginning and ending when you only used left and right, it was kind of lame. Maybe a bit random at times but I felt it really worked.

Standard: 3/5
I don't like how the ending is an exact copy of the beginning. Also you followed the lyrics WAY too closely in this causing huge gaps in your steps. The freeze section in the middle was nice though. Not much else to say...

Heavy: 6/10
The same problems I had with standard, I have here. I think this type of song would have made a much better 6 than and 8, since a lot of the gallops really don't feel natural at all. I can't think of a lot to say, this kind of seemed like an amateurish chart although I think you may have some potential. Pretty forgettable.

Presentation: 1.5/5
Banner is ugly as fuck, background is ugly as fuck, song is a bit too quiet compared to everything else, sync is fine, sample start is fine, cut was a decent length. Your artist name in your banner is in all caps but isn't on the song wheel, and the title is barely even readable, but I think it's in all caps and it shouldn't be.

Tilt: +1.75
//4 doubles charts, didn't even play them because I don't play doubles: +1
//Challenge steps, these are a 9 not a 10, but regardless they're pretty bad: +0.25
//Beginner chart: +0.5

TOTAL: 16.75/25

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Propane Nightmares

Light: 4.5/5
This wasn't bad at all, but it did start to drag in the middle and HOLY SHIT did he just rip that guys head off? The freezes at the end were really nice. Patterns were pretty decent but definitely dragged in the middle like I said.

Standard: 4/5
Pretty good too, some of your freezes definitely lasted half a beat too long though. Kind of feels like you copied and pasted some steps in some parts but you probably didn't, it's just similar in parts. Some parts in the first half that bothered me were when there was kind of big gaps in the notes because you were following the lyrics with a jump freeze even though the back beat that you follow for the rest of the song was still going on, it just felt weird to me.

Heavy: 8/10
I can imagine this being really fun on a pad. Solid chart, I still feel like some of your freezes lasted too long like on standard, but it seemed like a bigger issue here because I wasn't sure if I should be double stepping into the next freeze or using my other foot. Maybe slightly more like a 9 that an 8 but that doesn't matter. Some parts felt like standard with a few more arrows added in which is lazy. Still, this is a good fun chart.

Presentation: 3.4/5
Banner looks nice but the text is in all caps where the title and artist on the song wheel aren't. Background is a little bit ugly and jaggedy but only slightly so I'll only take off like 0.1 for that, and it only shows for half a second before the video. Cut is extremely long and the song seems like it keeps repeating itself over and over so it should have been easy to shorten more. Sync was fine, sample start fine I guess. The song may be normalized very slightly too loud, or maybe not, it may just be because both songs right before this are really quiet. No readme?

Tilt: +1
//Beginner steps, these are fine: +0.5
//Video, which is very very awesome: +0.5

TOTAL: 20.9/25

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Punk Rock Princess

Light: 3/5
This was all over the place. You didn't exactly follow the lyrics, but it seems like they were the main thing you took into account when making the steps so you had sections of high voltage followed by empty sections for no good reason. The slow freeze section can force you to face the wrong direction if you start with the wrong foot on the up arrow, and you have no hint of what foot to use because it's right after a LR jump and the freeze is long so you can't see what is coming up. I'm not entirely against using 8ths in light but it seemed difficult for a 3 and a bit overdone.

Standard: 3/5
Way too much karaoke syndrome. Patterns didn't seem thought out at all. Huge spaces in your steps for no reason other than you were following the vocals too closely. The space before the speedup was just plain weird because the song keeps getting more intense and the arrows just stop. If there was one thing I liked it was probably the ending, kind of.

Heavy: 7/10
This was your best chart. I liked the use of gallops. I didn't like the entire ending. Most of the 16th streams worked well but I didn't like some of the longer ones. The slowdown really seemed unnecessary here.

Presentation: 0.5/5
Seeing “PLEASE F6 FOR AUTO SYNC” first thing in your readme is not a good sign... it seemed pretty good but I didn't think it was exactly perfect. Your big problem is blue arrow syndrome which turns into yellow arrow syndrome in the (really unnecessary) slowdown and then somehow fixes itself in the end. That is not supposed to happen. Banner and background were both really disgusting, artist name in the banner is unreadable. Sample start is in a really bad place. Cut was a bit long.

Tilt: +0.35
//Edit doubles chart: +0.25
//”Making of” video, somewhat pointless: +0.1

TOTAL: 13.85/25

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Romance in the Club

Light: 4.25/5
Quite good, I think it could have been a little bit better thought out but it was very solid. It seems like for a large part of it you're facing left. It also seemed like there was somewhat of a pattern but I didn't feel it entirely, I actually played this twice to try to figure out what you were trying to do with some of the patterns but I couldn't really.

Standard: 3.75/5
You are facing left for the majority of this. I didn't really like it too much, not much to say I think I'll play it again though... okay. Some patterns seemed well thought out while others seemed a bit random. I liked your arrow placement, but there didn't really seem to be any “theme” to this. I really wanted to like this more.

Heavy: 9.25/10
Really really good. I love your use of 16ths in this, and your use of jackhammers is pretty much perfect. The jumps seem good too. All I would say to improve is to maybe think about patterns slightly better, but even that was pretty good here.

Presentation: 4.3/5
Banner is fine, background is pretty grainy but it only shows for a second so I'll only take off like .2 points for it. Sample start was fine, cut was a perfect length. It seemed like the sync may have been slightly late, I got 7 greats which is more than almost every other song I've played so far. I think it may have been normalized slightly too loud, it kind of hurts my ears to listen to but that just might be the type of music it is.

Tilt: +0.8
//Video, though the original lags my SM like crazy: +0.5
//Lyrics: +0.25
//CD Title (it's kind of ugly though): +0.05

TOTAL: 22.35/25
(honestly I thought this would come out higher, I may have to look at this again)

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SO HOT

Light: 3.75/5
Forced spins are kind of hard for a 4 footer I think. I liked the freeze stops in the beginning but I'm expecting that to be annoying on heavy. This wasn't too bad, seemed a little random at times. Maybe a few too many jumps. Didn't really do anything for me.

Standard: 3.5/5
meh, I don't really have an opinion on this either. Really generic I guess, the stops are starting to get annoying. Forgettable is the only way I can describe this. There was nothing really wrong with it, it just feels like some of these steps could be copied and pasted onto any song and work.

Heavy: 7/10
Read what I said for standard. Exact same thing applies here, but the stops are even more annoying. I find it funny that in standard and light you had the forced freeze spin which is harder than what you have here (just jumps). I think this had a few too many double steps, especially in the beginning. Maybe a little too much karaoke syndrome but it wasn't that bad.

Presentation: 2.5/5
Banner is fine but the title isn't capitalized whereas the song wheel is (artist is fine). Background is horrible and is probably one reason I couldn't get into any of your charts, there's just no theme at all. Sync is fine, Stops were annoying, Sample start was fine. Cut seemed a bit long.

Tilt: +0
I got nothin.

TOTAL: 16.75/25

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taboo tears you up 2008

Light: 4.25/5
I feel like not all the patterns were thought out quite as well as they could have been, but this was fun nonetheless. The part after the first chorus kind of seemed a bit uninspired. I really liked the patterns during the second chorus though. Pretty solid. I liked your use of corner jumps here.

Standard: 5/5
Wow, excellent chart. Probably the best standard chart I've played so far. I loved the spins after the first chorus, freezes were used really well, everything seemed to fit together perfectly. I don't think there's much I would change, maybe just the LR jumps in the chorus seem a bit weird but whatever. It's probably more of a 7 than a 6 but that's not really a big issue. I got 6 perfects on it first try :O

Heavy: 8.75/10
Very fun. I didn't like the intro to much, but then there's that awesome freeze crossover that just feels so right. Kind of generic, but I guess it's exactly the kind of chart I'd expect this kind of song to get. Most of the streams felt well done as opposed to just randomly thrown down. The “don't just stand” part kind of got boring towards the end though, because you kept using the same pattern for it every time. This wasn't the most amazing chart ever, but it really felt dead on.

Presentation: 4.5/5
Banner and background are fine, sync is very good, sample start was fine. I liked the BPM gimmick here. Cut was good, maybe a tiny bit too long, it didn't feel quite so long while playing it though. The sound quality on this is weird, it's not really bad but I kind of think the bass is too loud or something so it sounds sort of muddy. I think that's probably just the way the song is though, or my speakers suck.

Tilt: +1.31
//CD Title (blank): +0.05
//Challenge steps, these are quite good but maybe a bit too hard for a 9: +0.5
//Beginner steps, thought they were good: +0.5
//Lyrics, I can't believe you actually did lyrics for a song like this: +0.25
//SANBAI ICE CREAM!!!: +0.01

TOTAL: 23.81/25

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The Gambler

Light: 4.75/5
This is a really nice chart, you have a lot of good patterns going on. I think the song itself is too long though so this kind of drags on for too long. Overall I really liked it though, I'll fault you for song length in presentation, not here. Maybe facing left a tad bit too often, but I'm not sure.

Standard: 4.5/5
I really liked your use of patterns. I really have nothing to complain about here, this is really good and very well thought out. Actually wait I just remembered there is one thing: the slowdown was horrible. That's about it though.

Heavy: 7.75/10
I still don't like the slowdown. I don't really mind the 16ths in this, but I feel that it's more streamy than it should be. I think the double steps sort of work, but a lot of the stream I just don't agree with. Not too bad though, I think it's harder than it should have been due to the stream that I don't think fits the song. The whole section with the jackhammers felt completely wrong.

Presentation: 3/5
Banner seems off to me for some reason, background is fine, sync is fine, sample start is very slightly off. The slowdown was extremely annoying and you really could have done without it. Cut was a bit long, and this song is really really repetitive so it made it seem even longer.

Tilt: +1.25
//3 doubles charts: +0.75
//Beginner chart, maybe a little hard but it was fine: +0.5

TOTAL: 21.25/25
(I think this is slightly higher than what this deserves, may have to rethink it, I was expecting it to come out right around 20)

_________________________________

Turd Surfers

Light: 3.75/5
This is a 5, not a 4. Regardless, one thing that felt off to me was the quarter notes during the long freezes, I wasn't sure what it was supposed to be following and even though it was just a straight rhythm, it felt weird. I also didn't like how you had random gaps in your arrows and then HIGH VOLTAGE and then more space and etc. Also didn't like the miniature quick jackhammers into freeze arrows, it just wasn't fun. The patterns were nice though.

Standard: 4.25/5
This was good, you probably followed the synth too closely at times but with a song like this I'm not sure there's much else you could have done. Good patterns, decent chart, maybe drags a tiny tiny bit. **After playing heavy this really just seems like a watered down version of the heavy chart so I'm kind of guessing you got lazy here or something.

Heavy: 8.25/10
Good high energy fun chart. Not a whole lot a would change about it, I maybe thought you followed the synth a little too closely at times causing karaoke syndrome with the synths. Energetic, a bit bland, though the gallop section definitely helps solve that. The runs maybe felt a bit random at times?

Presentation: 4/5
Banner title is in all caps but song wheel isn't, but it looks fine otherwise. Background looks fine also but has the same issue with the title (Actually maybe the font you used doesn't have lowercase?). Sample start is good but seems really long? Sync seems perfect, the speed changes aren't very annoying. Cut was a tiny bit too long, I wouldn't have minded if you had removed the ending. I kind of feel like this song isn't really the best choice for DDR but whatever that's irrelevant.

Tilt: +0.8
//3 doubles charts: +0.75
//CD Title: +0.05

TOTAL: 21.05/25

_________________________________

Weapon of Choice

Light: 3.25/5
Some of your freeze arrows lasted too long, almost onto the next note. This felt really uninspired, the patterns weren't exactly horrible but they were really plain and it seems like you copied and pasted stuff a bit. I didn't like the large spaces between a lot of your arrows where the music is going just as strongly, you were following the really subtle vocals at when point which didn't make much sense at all. This seems like it was done hastily.

Standard: 3/5
Seems like you're facing left for a large portion of this. I didn't like how you used a lot of the freeze arrows. A lot of the rhythms seemed the same as light, you just changed some arrows around. Some of the patterns weren't horrible, but it still felt really plain and uninspired. I really did not like the part that followed the vocals exactly.

Heavy: 5.5/10
This was in Tournamix 5 or something and it was better there, even though it wasn't that good. In this you face the same direction for extremely long periods of time, you're following the vocals way too often, a lot of your rhythms and freezes are exactly the same as your standard and light charts except with a few more arrows thrown in. You could have been more original by trying to make each chart more unique and not copying the same patterns between them. Most of what I said about light and standard applies here too because all the charts are really similar. Chart is not interesting at all.

Presentation: 3.5/5
Banner is pretty plain but not horrible, the background is pretty bad though. Sync seems perfect, cut is long and repetitive, sample start is in a sort of weird place but I guess it works.

Tilt: +0.8
//Challenge steps, these are like twice as good as your heavy steps, but it's still not that great and the freezes are really annoying: +0.4
//Beginner steps, even for beginner steps these are noticeably repetitive: +0.4

TOTAL: 16.05/25

_________________________________

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A GIRL

Light: 4.5/5
This was very good, I felt the step place was a little bit random in the second half. It was pretty good though, I would have tried to keep the steps more organized at the end. 3 perfects first try :O

Standard: 4.75/5
Same thoughts on this as I had on light, it's really good. Feels like an official DDR chart, maybe a bit hard for a 5 though. I kind of felt like I would be facing left too often, but that just may be me, and because of that long freeze section that is entirely left. Some really nice simple patterns here though.

Heavy: 8.5/10
I like how this was completely unique from the other 2 charts. There were a few too many jackhammers for my taste, and I don't really agree with the 16ths you used at the end. It was a solid chart, don't get me wrong. Kind of generic, but I think it worked well with this kind of song, and it wasn't so long that I got bored of how generic it was.

Presentation: 4.5/5
Banner and background look extremely official, sync was perfect, I think the sample start was slightly off (I hear “oo you know” instead of “Do you know”), and I think it was normalized slightly too loudly compared to everything else. I'm glad this wasn't longer, because it would have gotten boring if it went on much longer. No readme?

Tilt: +0.05
//CD Title: +0.05

TOTAL: 22.3/25
(some extras really could have boosted this up)

_________________________________

Xaioyu

Light: 4.5/5
Solid chart, I kind of felt like there were too many arrows in the quiet part compared to the rest of the chart, the song intensity should sort of match the arrow density I guess. It wasn't really that much of a problem though. Good chart.

Standard: 4.5/5
I thought this was pretty much perfect, except for the quiet section again. It almost worked but I think maybe it was a little bit strange. I could imagine it being in an actual DDR chart but I still didn't like it. Pretty good patterns, regardless. More of a 5 than a 4, yes I am arguing with you. It doesn't really change what score I'm giving you but yeah this should probably be a 5, just because there's a 5 on heavy that's harder doesn't mean this isn't a 5 also. Here, I'll use the same argument you used in your readme: Dynamite Rave light is a 5 but it has no eighth notes! This has a lot of eighth notes so it's a 6! See, argument doesn't work (I wouldn't have gone of on this tangent if you didn't say “don't argue with me” in your readme).

Heavy: 9.5/10
Amazing use of gallops here. I really have no problems with this chart, maybe just that damned quiet section again that I always seem to mention.

Presentation: 1/5
Haha oh wow, you didn't even get the song name right on the song wheel. That just reeks unprofessionalism. Besides that, your banner was a little grainy, and your background was just plain ugly, but my biggest beef with this song is the volume. I think it's louder than every other song in this bracket. If I didn't have to review this, I would have just scrolled right past it after listening for half a second because it's way too loud. Not only does it hurt my ears, but it's actually clipping a little and distorting the sound quality. Please normalize your song next time and you may have a shot at winning, your charts are extremely good but I'll probably never play them because this is too loud. Sync was fine, cut was good but maybe a bit short like you said. Sample start was fine.

Tilt: +0.3
//Beginner steps, these seemed really random and thrown on at the last second, not thought out at all: +0.3

TOTAL: 19.8/25
(this could have been so much higher if you had just paid more attention to detail)

_________________________________

DONE!

Final summary:

i-revolution 24.05
taboo tears you up 2008 23.81
Fourth Joyride (Buckle Up) 22.8
Edo no Temari Uta II 22.4
Romance in the Club 22.35
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A GIRL 22.3
HIGH G.K. LOW -ハジケロ- 22.0
The Gambler 21.25
Turd Surfers 21.05
Propane Nightmares 20.9
Graves of Being [TH 10 - Mountain of Faith] (BM2 cut) 20.4
Xaioyu 19.8
Number One 19.26
DARE TO BE STUPID 17.8
nrrrd grrrl 17.3
SO HOT 16.75
Poison 16.75
Weapon of Choice 16.05
Punk Rock Princess 13.85
Dear Jesse Rees Remix 8.1
MAX DON'T HAVE SEX WITH YOUR EX (Grandale Mix) 8.05

Anything over 22 is what I would consider good. That's not to say anything under 22 is bad, most of the stuff here is at least average, however I feel they don't quite show the level of quality in the 22+ group.

Wow, this took 16 pages in word.

[Kamek]

I'm new to BEST-mix, and I've been out of the simfile loop for a long time, so I'm just going to judge the heavy charts.

Note that when I say "would install on our arcade machine", that means I would if I had permission. I'll wait until after the contest, and then ask permission from the simfile authors. This doesn't mean your stuff's going up on our machine without asking you first. I usually like to get clearance on that kinda stuff first.

Anyway, here's my review of Bracket 1.

Code: Select all

Tilt points given (baseline):
   Video = +0.5
   Beginner chart = +0.5
   Challenge chart = +0.5
   Doubles charts = +0.5 (+1.0 for full Light/Standard/Heavy)
   CDtitle = +0.1
   Lyrics = +0.1

DARE TO BE STUPID / "WEIRD AL" YANKOVIC
=======================================
HEAVY: 11/20
Seems rather repetitive and unimaginative. It also seemed rather jump-heavy, almost every quarter note in there was a jump. I would have bumped it up to a 9 and added some more twists and turns to make it more fun.

PRESENTATION: 4/5
Banner and BG are okay. The cut... not so good, it seems too long.

TILT: +1.1
Beginner chart (+0.5), edit steps (+0.1, copy/paste job), video (+0.5).

TOTAL: 16.1/25
Better than Mungyodance, but not by much.

Dear Jesse Rees Remix / Rollergirl feat Sonic Alive
===================================================
HEAVY: 8/20
Eww. First, we have a bunch of double steps that don't make any sense whatsoever. And before I go any further, let me make it clear that I'm NOT one of those "zomg double steps should never be in any file ever!!111" kind of people. "Double steps" are fine when used in moderation and for adding difficulty to a chart, or when they go well with the music, but it's just not working for me here. Anyway, after that, we have a point in measure 18 when the music picks up after a lull, but the steps continue one beat AFTER the downbeat, making me scratch my head in confusion. After that, we have some... random jumps, some gallops that just don't feel like they belong, and then ... nearly 30 measures of KARAOKE STEP HELL. To the author's credit, the steps are varied a bit, but they follow the same basic pattern of quarter, quarter, eighth-eighth-eighth-eighth.

PRESENTATION: 3/5
The banner and BG are kinda ugly. Bad font choice for the artist name, you can't really make it out that well. Music sample seems mistimed a bit, it starts in the middle of a verse. Cut is okay.

TILT: +0
Can't find anything to give you any bonus points for.

TOTAL: 11/25
Forgettable.


Edo no Temari Uta II / C-ute
============================
HEAVY: 14/20
Not bad overall. Difficulty was rather varied, easy at some points, and then... SUDDENLY, TRIPLETS! MILLIONS OF THEM! The chart earns its 9 rating, but I'd prefer a more steady 9 than a random "holy crap hard" part.

PRESENTATION: 5/5
Beautiful banner and BG. Great music sample, great cut.

TILT: +0.7
Video (+0.5), CD Title (+0.1), lyrics (+0.1).

TOTAL: 19.7/25
Not bad overall. Would probably play this on an R21 machine a few times.


FOURTH JOYRIDE (Buckle Up) / Dave Joy
=====================================
HEAVY: 17/20
Very nice. Steps flow well with the music, jumps in the right places, not too repetitive, and matches the given difficulty.

PRESENTATION: 5/5
Nice banner and BG. Great sample, great cut. Tempo changes are well-placed and don't feel gimmicky at all.

TILT: +1.5
Badass DDR Extreme-style BGscript (+0.5), beginner chart (+0.5), challenge chart (+0.5).

TOTAL: 23.5/25
Great file. Would probably install this on our local arcade machine.


Graves of Being (TH 10 - Mountain of Faith) (BM2 cut) / dBu Music
=================================================================
HEAVY: 14/20
Not bad overall. The long freezes felt very karaoke-ish, and they were repeated quite a few times throughout the song. You probably could have thrown in some extra steps, at least on the later ones, so the player can keep moving.

PRESENTATION: 5/5
Banner and BG fit the bill. Good sample and cut. The stop tripped me up every time, but it's well-placed.

TILT: +1.0
Beginner chart (+0.5), challenge chart (+0.5, fun on keyboard, and an 11 that I might actually be able to pass on pad).

TOTAL: 20/25
Not bad overall. I've got to try that challenge chart out in the arcade when we finally get our machine upgraded.


HIGH G.K. LOW -hajikero- / GReeeeN
==================================
HEAVY: 15/20
Interesting chart. Way too hard for a 7 IMO, should at least be an 8. There's a lot of nasty stuff like jump-step-jump-step, but they go well with the music.

PRESENTATION: 5/5
Good banner and BG, good sample and cut.

TILT: +0.5
Video (+0.5), and that's all I could find.

TOTAL: 20.5/25
Fun song, would probably try it out at the arcade.


i-revolution / SySF.
====================
HEAVY: 18/20
I love the steps! They have this "official" feel to them, as if they were actual steps that Konami would make for this song. You varied it up with the step patterns, but they still felt like they went with the music.

PRESENTATION: 5/5
Banner and BG fit the song well. Good sample, good cut. Tempo changes are well implemented.

TILT: +0.6
Beginner steps (+0.5), blank CDtitle (+0.1)

TOTAL: 23.6/25
Great sim! Would definitely install this on our arcade machine.


MAX DON'T HAVE SEX WITH YOUR EX (Grandale Mix) / E-ROTIC
========================================================
HEAVY: pi^e/20
One time, okay, see one time Randy Beaman's mom had a dream that she ate a big marshmallow and it was really good, and she, and when she woke up, her pillow was gone cuz she ate it. K, bye.

PRESENTATION: qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq/5
Dear Strong Bad: How do you StepMania with boxing gloves on?

TILT: -c
Huh huh, you said "sex". That was cool.

TOTAL: Zeeky Boogy Doog/25
Wait, that's not a score! It's that stupid bomb!


nrrrd grrrl / mc chris
======================
HEAVY: 11/20
Uhhh... Not quite there. The beginning is all step-step-jump, quite repetitive. Then there's a sharp jump in difficulty at the chorus, then it varies up a bit after that, but not by much.

PRESENTATION: 2/5
The banner and BG are okay, but could have been better. The stops are completely gimmicky, and the song could have done without them, except for maybe the one at the end. Speaking of the stop at the end... the song goes way off-sync after that stop. It was off-sync to begin with, but if I autosync the rest of the song, the end section turns into a Good attack fest.

TILT: +0.6
Beginner steps (+0.5), CDtitle (+0.1), and that's about it.

TOTAL: 13.6/25
I have no witty comments.


Number One / Traffic In My Head
===============================
HEAVY: 11/20
Rather boring, just like the song. Honestly, I can't think of any good stepchart that would go with this song. You mixed it up a bit, which is good.

PRESENTATION: 3.5/5
Banner and BG are okay. I can't help but rag on your choice of music, this just doesn't feel like DDR material. The sample length is a bit too short for my liking.

TILT: +0.6
Beginner steps (+0.5), challenge steps (+0.1, can we say hard just for the sake of being hard, and why is it rated a 1?)

TOTAL 15.1/25
This could have been a lot worse, but it's not.


Poison / Bell Biv DeVoe
=======================
HEAVY: 10/20
Oh man oh man, you let me down big-time. This could have been a lot better. The steps were bland anywhere that wasn't a chorus. There were big gaps and long freeze arrows where you could have been doing other stuff. About the only interesting parts were the chorus and the parts with the 24th notes.

PRESENTATION: 2/5
The banner is barely legible. Background is butt-ugly. The music is too soft and balanced too far toward the right speaker. Cut and sample are okay though.

TILT: +1.5
Beginner chart (+0.5), challenge chart (+0.5, shoulda been a 9 in my opinion, way better than the heavy steps), full set of doubles charts (+1.0, only played heavy doubles, they're better than the single heavy steps but not by much)

TOTAL: 13.5/25
Forgettable, which is a damn shame because I like this song. I'll probably play the challenge chart on r21 though.


PROPANE NIGHTMARES / PENDULUM
=============================
HEAVY: 17/20
Pretty good overall. I couldn't really find much to nitpick on, except maybe measures 9-14 and 57-62, where it gets just a little repetitive.

PRESENTATION: 4.8/5
Great banner, great BG. Sample music is off by just a tad, and I think it could have used a shorter cut.

TILT: +1.0
Video (+0.5), beginner steps (+0.5)

TOTAL: 22.8/25
Great file, would definitely install this on our arcade machine. I hope the other Pendulum song kicks as much ass as this one does.


Punk Rock Princess / Something Corporate
========================================
HEAVY: 13/20
Not TOO bad. There were some sections in there that felt karaoke-ish and lead to dead time. I liked the use of the gallops.

PRESENTATION: 1/5
BG is okay. The artist name is unreadable on the banner. The banner and BG are... interesting. I don't see why you needed to actually spraypaint the song name and make pictures. Bad music sample, it seems like you just used the StepMania default. The cut is fine. So why are you getting a 1? BLUE ARROW SYNDROME. The entire first part of the song is off by half a beat. StepMania's editor has features for converting pauses to beats and vice/versa, and for adjusting tempos without causing wrong-color arrow syndrome. Put simply, there is no excuse for this. You do fix it up after the tempo change, but in my opinion, that tempo change didn't need to be there to begin with, it feels way too gimmicky.

TILT: +0.5
A "making of" extra (+0.1, still don't see why you had to go to all that work for the BG/banner), doubles edit steps (+0.4, had some really nasty non-DDR-type steps, such as going from an up arrow on the left pad to an up arrow on the right pad)

TOTAL: 14.5/20
Would have been a lot better were it not for BLUE ARROW SYNDROME.


Romance in the Club / OTTO VON SCHIRACH
=======================================
HEAVY: 20/20
Simply amazing. I can't find any reason to not give you the full 20. Doesn't get boring or repetitive. Lots of varied patterns that go very well with the background music.

PRESENTATION: 5/5
Great banner and BG. Great cut, great sample. Synced well, etc. etc.

TILT: +0
The song has a CDtitle, a video (custom-made, too), and lyrics, but I gave perfect scores for the steps and presentation, so I can't give you any tilt points.

TOTAL: 25/25
I didn't think I'd be giving out any perfect scores, but this file is just amazing. Would definitely put this on our arcade machine.


SO HOT / Wonder Girls
=====================
HEAVY: 14/20
Not bad overall. Some ackward steps in the beginning, but not too bad.

PRESENTATION: 3.5/5
Banner is fine... BG is just horrible, you took some fire starters (because they're "SO HOT", lol, and yes I am going to hell) and slapped them on a bland white background. The banner and background are too different from each other, you should have stuck with a theme. I was expecting to see a larger version of the banner as the background. The song itself has a fine cut and sample, but I don't like the stops you threw in there, they're just gimmicky.

TILT: +0
Nothing.

TOTAL: 17.5/25
Not too bad overall.


taboo tears you up 2008 / REDALiCE
==================================
HEAVY: 17/20
Very good steps overall. Fun chart, very solid.

PRESENTATION: 5/5
Good banner, BG, cut, sample, etc.

TILT: +1.2
Lyrics (+0.1), beginner chart (+0.5), challenge chart (+0.5, very nice chart), blank CDtitle (+0.1)

TOTAL: 23.2/25
SANBAI ICE CREAM!!!!!111 Would definitely put this on our arcade machine.


The Gambler / KAVA
==================
HEAVY: 13/20
Meh. Feels like one long 8th note run with some 16ths thrown in just for the sake of making it harder. It's varied here and there, which boosts it a bit.

PRESENTATION: 4/5
Superb BG and banner. Good cut, good sample. The tempo change doesn't seem warranted, though.

TILT: +1.4
Beginner steps (+0.5), full set of doubles steps (+0.9, doubles chart had a LOT of echo steps which just felt random and tacked on)

TOTAL: 18.4/25
Decent.


Turd Surfers / chumble spuzz
============================
HEAVY: 15/20
Pretty good. There were some long freeze arrows where it felt rather karaoke-ish, you could have thrown in some quarter notes to accompany the freeze or something. Overall, a fun chart that I'd like to try in the arcade.

PRESENTATION: 5/5
Love the banner, it captures the Ninja Turtle feel. Background's great too. Good cut and sample.

TILT: +1.0
Full set of doubles steps (+0.9, stretch jumps aren't really DDR style), CD Title (+0.1)

TOTAL: 21/25
Awesome! Radical! Bodacious! Would definitely install this on our arcade machine.


Weapon of Choice / Fatboy Slim
==============================
HEAVY: 12/20
Boring, repetitive. Long freeze arrows that didn't go well with the music. Inconsistent difficulty, didn't feel like an 8 all the way through.

PRESENTATION: 3/5
Banner is okay. Didn't like the BG so much, though. The music sample doesn't really represent the song well, and the song itself seems a bit too soft.

TILT: +0.9
Beginner chart (+0.5), challenge chart (+0.4, repetitive like the heavy steps)

TOTAL: 15.9/25
Meh.


WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A GIRL / WHO'S THAT GIRL!
================================================
HEAVY: 14/20
The steps don't really go with the song too well, at least not in the beginning. It gets better, but not much better. I can't really say I agree with the heavy use of echo steps.

PRESENTATION: 3.5/5
Banner and BG are very nice and "official"-looking. The cut is rather repetitive. Music sample is okay. Something odd about measures 29-32, there's something really weird in the background. Did you take this cut from a nonstop mix or something, because it sounds like a totally different song is trying to poke its head in there.

TILT: +0.1
CD title (+0.1), and that's about it.

TOTAL: 17.6/25
Not too bad overall. The boring steps and boring cut really hurt.


Xiaoyu / Keiichi Okabe
======================
HEAVY: 17/20
Nice steps overall. Great use of gallops. I don't like the long freeze in measure 30, but aside from that, pretty solid.

PRESENTATION: 4.5/5
Banner and BG are just a bit tacky, but they work. It's really hard to make out the "Tekken Tag Tournament Stage Theme", especially on the banner. Good cut, good sample.

TILT: +0.5
Beginner steps (+0.5).

TOTAL: 22/25
Pretty kickin'. Would definitely play this a few times in the arcade.

EDIT: If you need an actual numeric score for Max Don't Have Sex With Your Ex, then I give it an "e" for effort... and by that, I mean 2.718281828.../25.

[kynayo]

I'm new to BEST-mix, and I've been out of the simfile loop for a long time, so I'm just going to judge the heavy charts.

Note that when I say "would install on our arcade machine", that means I would if I had permission. I'll wait until after the contest, and then ask permission from the simfile authors. This doesn't mean your stuff's going up on our machine without asking you first. I usually like to get clearance on that kinda stuff first.

Anyway, here's my review of Bracket 1.

[Insert Kamek's Review here]

You have to rate the Light and Standard difficulties too. Heavy's supposed to be out of 10, light and standard out of 5 each.

[Kamek]

/20 - Chart(s) (If you're new, judging just the heavy chart is allowed)

I would judge the whole thing anyway, but

a) I'm lazy
b) I was never good with light/standard charts anyway
c) Why bother when our reviews count for so little anyway

[kynayo]

Oh... whoops. ;P

[0rion]

(EXTREMELY LONG POST!)
Well, after more than 8 hours of research, several playthroughs of many charts, and using up a quarter of a notebook in notes, I think I'm ready to review Bracket 1.

Generally speaking, I keep graphics in perspective with the importance of the chart, so I'll probably be the nicest graphics reviewer. As long as it didn't look thrown together in 3 minutes on MSPaint, it's generally all good by me.

For me, stepcharts that make sense, go to something in the music, are accurately rated in terms of difficulty, and are creative without alienating people of that chart's skill level are the most important things. I abhor double-steps, for instance, unless they have some coherent reason to them.

DARE TO BE STUPID

Heavy (6.5/10): This chart was reasonably fun, and had no rhythms that seem out of place. However, the LRLR-style streams became redundant after awhile, and the jackhammer-jumps weren't a good way to go for an 8. More variety would have been called for if you were going to go this route.

Standard (3/5): This actually could have been the Heavy chart, as the Heavy didn't add much to this formula. Still a bit repetitive with a couple of questionable step patterns here and there, decent.

Light (2.5/5): Definitely should have been about a 6 in difficulty. Had some strange turns here and there. Not terrible, but some extra thought should have been put into these steps.

Presentation (4/5): Nice banner, loved the video.

Tilt (+.5): Bonus for readme with a cute name.

OVERALL (16.5/25): Not bad, but the charts fell into something of a rut, and more thought should have been put into the Heavy and Light charts, as well as foot placement in a couple of places.

DEAR JESSE 2007

Heavy (5.5/10): One of the problems with ALL of these charts is that they should have begun on a downbeat. The steps never seemed to get redundant, though, which is good. The main problem is that there were a lot of places where it SEEMED like a spin was called for, but the steps didn't follow through with that pattern, making the beats awkward. I won't dock much for this given that this is a slow song, however.

Standard (3/5): I could see this working as a decent freestyle chart. Good spins at the beginning with a couple of odd changes toward the middle. I'd watch for those.

Light (2/5): There were a lot of pauses in this chart, which wasn't TOO disruptive, but still noticeable. Creative at the beginning, fell of toward the end. The author seemed to phone it in by the time he got to this point.

Presentation (3.5/5): The banner and BG look fine.

Tilt (0): No extra work was put into this chart.

OVERALL (14/25): With a few extras here and there and some sense of involvement, this could be fantastic.

EDO NO TAMARI UTA

Heavy (7/10): Very creative steps! The 32nd notes are somewhat questionable in lieu of 24ths, but an assist-tick comparison yielded inconclusive results. As such, I'm going to side with the step author and not deduct points. However, the purple stream in the middle went on a little too long for a 9.
Standard (3/5): No question about it that this was very underrated in terms of difficulty. Should have been a 6 at least. Enjoyable, creative, and intuitive all the way through, though.

Light (4.5/5): Just about perfect. Could almost have been a 3, but works as a 2!

Presentation (4.5/5): Had just about everything! The video banner was nice, and the background video looked fantastic. I loved the logo, and the "extra" graphics.

Tilt (+2): Lyrics file, a logo, a very humorous "survey" readme (which I intend to fill out). Would have gotten a full score if time would have been taken on a doubles chart.

OVERALL (21/25): An extremely quirky and well-made simfile. I had fun playing it.

FOURTH JOYRIDE (BUCKLE UP)

Heavy (6/10): An extremely fun chart. The slowdown gimmick during the freeze was somewhat disruptive to the flow of the song, and there were a couple of strange step patterns afterward. My only other complaint was it was a bit hard to catch the first beat of the song.

Standard (4.5/5): Great fun, and perfectly rated as a 6. I could easily see this as a DDR chart.

Light (4.5/5): All three charts' difficulty levels were rated just right. The slowdowns here were easy to catch. Good job.

Presentation (4/5): Video, banner, and BG all looked fine.

Tilt (+.5): Had a readme.

OVERALL (19.5/25): With extras and a tiny bit more flow on the chart, this could have been just about perfect. Good job.

GRAVES OF BEING

Heavy (8/10): Basically, a very good chart. One suggestion would have been to make jumps out of the red, pause, blue, pause, red parts. It would have added a little more activity to the chart. If I had to nitpick, I'd also have thought more about the 16ths after the pause in the song, but it worked fine, so I won't dock you for it. Kudos for avoiding gimmicks that could have ruined your chart!

Standard (3/5): Could have used some jumps to mix things up a little bit, but pretty creative.

Light (2/5): Sadly, it looks like you ended up getting bored by this time, and this chart didn't receive the attention you gave the other two. This could easily have been a 2, and possibly a 1.

Presentation (3.5/5): Banner and BG looked fine.

Tilt (+.5): The readme was something of a text brick because it represented the "enter" key as a character, but I won't deduct you for that.

OVERALL (17.5/20): I was pleasantly surprised by this chart all around. You resisted the temptation to do something stupid with the steps (as is common with songs of this nature), and they turned out playable and fun. Extras would have helped, but I liked it a lot.

HIGH G.K. LOW

Heavy (6/10): There were a couple of bad turns here and there, and the jackhammers seemed to indicate a lack of creativity (not to mention that extended jackhammers get tedious very quickly). I liked the jump-step patterns and the pause at the beginning, though. Could have been an 8, but decent as a 7.

Standard (1/5): Sorry, but this is WAY too complex for a 5. The step-step-jump patterns and similar tricks weren't appropriate here.

Light (3/5): Decent, if unimaginative.

Presentation (4/5): Banner, BG, and video all looked fine.

Tilt (+.5): Had a readme.

OVERALL (14.5/25): I applaud the song choice and laughed at the video (especially the little girl lip-syncing to the bizarre vocals), but some parts seemed extremely rushed, and the charts could have used refinement.

I-REVOLUTION

Heavy (6/10): The beginning is very similar to actual SySF charts on DDR, and I mean that in a good way. I have to say, though, that the slowdown was VERY disruptive to the song's flow, and should have been edited out. Gallops were questionable, but not terrible. the first half of the song was definitely the more enjoyable part.

Standard (3.5/5): I'd say that this was very correctly rated. This would be a decent chart for a person to learn ghost-stepping on for the first time.

Light (3/5): Also nice. It was a cool tough having the full-stop come AFTER the freeze arrow is held here. Good rhythm all around.

Presentation (3.5/5): Banner and BG looked fine.

Tilt (.5) Readme didn't have much info, but it was a nice thought. As was the (blank) logo.

OVERALL (16.5/25): Fun, but became something of a trainwreck after the full-stop.

MAX DON'T HAVE SEX ETC.

Heavy (0.5/10): Yeah, it's a joke chart. I get it. But like the knock-knock joke I've heard 100 times already, I wasn't laughing. It was a terrible, terrible chart counting on a "funny" gimmick to save it.

Standard (1/5): I'll give it a full point only because I AAAd it on my first try.

Light (1/5): The "least bad" of the charts. Actually had some point to it.

Presentation (3/5): Obviously where most of the points were expected to go. Unfortunately, all of the funny BG stuff you came up with froze my computer repeatedly, and I had no choice but to remove them from the .sm file. In retrospect, I guess my computer was trying to warn me.

Tilt (+.5): Had a logo.

OVERALL (6/25): Yeah, it's funny. I get it. Ha ha. Now, let's move on.

NRRRD GRRRL

Heavy (5/10): Not a bad chart. I liked the step-step-jump motif at the beginning, but it ended up trying too hard once the song got to the chorus and beyond. Extra care should have been given to the 16th streams. The song also seemed to get off-sync toward the end, but I'll only dock you one point for that.

Standard (3/5): Should have been a 6. Had some bad step patterns here and there. It was decent, but not fantastic.

Light (5/5): VERY COOL CHART! Given the nature of the song and the steps, this could easily be an old-school freestyle chart!

Presentation (3.5/5): BG and Banner looked fine.

Tilt (+1): Informative readme and beginner steps.

OVERALL (17.5/25): Ironically, it was the easier charts that ended up salvaging this simfile. You do your best work when you're not trying to make your charts harder than they are.

NUMBER ONE

Heavy (7/10): This chart also seemed to slowly get more and more off-sync as the song went on. The steps kept the rhythm well for such an ambient song, though, and the fact that it never seemed repetitive offsets some questionable 16th rhythms.

Standard (4/5): Pretty decent. I liked the step-freeze-step patterns, too.

Light (1.5/5): VERY badly rated. this chart should have been a 3, not a 1 by any stretch of the imagination.

Presentation (3.5/5): Banner and BG looked fine.

Tilt (+.5): Readme file.

OVERALL (16.5/25): The Heavy chart was the most creative part about this file. Kudos for keeping it interesting the whole way through. The rest of it is just good old TLC.

POISON

Heavy (5.5/10): You really should have avoided the temptation to use those purples. Yes, they went along with things, but those parts could have been better stepped. There were some cool things here, don't get me wrong, but it needed a motif. They were decent steps that just took a few too many liberties.

Standard (1.5/5): First of all, DON'T EVER DO THE FIRST STEP AT THE START OF THE SONG! A lot of players are audio-oriented, and this is VERY difficult to catch onto. Also, as a rule of thumb, I would avoid having 4 or more jackhammer steps until the song is a 7 or higher. Otherwise, this chart had a nice flow to it.

Light (3/5): Probably the best chart of the three. Nice steps, good flow, accurately rated. A very pleasant package overall.

Presentation (3.5/5): The banner and BG looked fine.

Tilt (+2): Featured a readme. And it had doubles charts!

OVERALL (15.5/25): This is an example of what a little extra thought can do to help your score.

PROPANE

Heavy (9/10): VERY INTUITIVE! Kept the beat perfectly and matched the song just right. There were one or two questionable turns, but I'd say that this chart was pretty much right on the money!

Standard (5/5): Nicely rated, very accurate rhythm that went with the music. The steps didn't seem forced, and carried on with their own momentum.

Light (4/5): VERY fun! Most people tend to get bored (and sloppy) by the time they start making their Light steps, but this chart showed every bit as much creativity and refinement as the others. Be careful about those step-jumps being a little fast, though.

Presentation (4/5): Video, banner, and BG all looked fine.

Tilt (0): No extras...

OVERALL (22/25): I actually only just recently heard about Pendulum, and I'll be honest that my first impressions weren't good. You REALLY turned my opinion around on them, though! A+!

PUNK ROCK PRINCESS

Heavy (7/10): Creativity was the name of the game and the saving grace of this chart. The 16th/32nd drills were somewhat iffy and hurt the flow a little bit, but it had a great rhythm overall. I had some issues with the syncing, however.

Standard (3/5): It's hard to say. On the one hand, it's definitely underrated in terms of difficulty because of the crossovers and relatively complex rhythms. This chart defies a lot of conventions in favor of a unique beat. This could alienate some players at that level of development, but I'll give credit where it's due for defying the norm. Good beats and steps overall.

[b]Light (2.5/5): DEFINITELY underrated. As a general rule, serious consideration should be given to any blue notes put into a three. Otherwise a decent chart.

Presentation (3.5/5): BG and banner looked fine. a little MSPaint appearance on the artist title, but I won't dock you for that because it fit the "home-made" look.

Tilt (+1.5): Had a readme and a doubles chart. Extra point given for the hilarious "making of" video!

OVERALL (17.5/25): True genius is never recognized in its time. This chart represents the battle between creativity and marketability.

ROMANCE IN THE CLUB

Heavy (8.5/10) A very fun chart overall. There were a couple of questionable turns here and there, but fortunately the speed just alright for it. It's always very nice to play a chart that doesn't rely on unnecessary gimmicks. These steps are very appropriate to the music.

Standard (3.5/5): More creativity coould have been shown with the LRLR runs and the L&R/U&D jump combinations, but again it was a nice change of pace because it didn't always seem like the author had something to show off.

Light (3.5/5): Both Light and Standard almost seem to begin one beat before they should. This wasn't too much of a distraction, but it was noticeable. I won't downgrade for that, however, as I don't want to assume that this was unintentional or a mistake. I would consider using something like RLR instead of RRR for the "Drop drop drop" segment, as that became somewhat tedious. Otherwise, a very nice job all-around. All of the difficulty levels were pretty accurately rated overall.

Presentation (4/5): Nice video. All of the visuals looked fine.

Tilt (+1.5): Had a logo, readme, and lyrics.

OVERALL (21/25): Stick with your strengths, I say! I'm not impressed with a gimmicky chart unless it's fun to play. You eschewed all of the stupid "Hey look at my chart!" crap and made something fun instead. Well done.

SO HOT

Heavy (3.5/10): I liked the pause gimmick a lot on this chart. It was very appropriate and fun to catch onto. However, there were a LOT of bad step patterns here. Rhythmically, the chart made sense, but there wasn't much thought put into foot placement. This gave me the impression of a really, really easy keyboard chart.

Standard (2.5/5): I liked how the freeze arrows indicated where the pauses would be. This probably could have been the Heavy chart. Once again, though, bad turns and foot placement plagued this chart. Could have been a 6. Spins shouldn't be forced through use of freeze arrows, in my opinion, but I won't give you too much crap about it... here.

Light (1.5/5): HERE is where I'll give you crap for it. Just how many advanced techniques to you expect a person that's on 4's and 5's to be able to do? The spins here are absolutely out of the question for a player at this level. Foot placement, again, was an issue. It was otherwise ok.

Presentation (2.5/5): I HATE doing this, because the BG wasn't "bad," (from my standpoint, which is generally VERY easy-going) and I saw where you were going with it, but it wasn't set up very well. Had it been a simple C/P job, I could have let it slide, but it was dark and grainy on top of it. Sorry.

Tilt (0): The readme wasn't informative, and there was NO .SM FILE.

OVERALL (10/25): I'm sorry to be so harsh on this chart. There WERE things I liked about it, but it seemed poorly planned-out, and it had a LOT of flaws. That said, I wouldn't mind playing a more intuitive "fixed" version of this same chart.

TABOO TEARS YOU UP 2008

Heavy (7/10): Vice nice - if redundant - streams. The first few freeze arrow combinations were a weakness of the chart. Overall, this was a very nice chart, given the very odd rhythm of the song, just work on those freeze combos.

Standard (2/5): DEFINITELY misrated. I liked the freeze stream in the middle, but there were some more bad combinations of freezes and steps here and there.

Light (5/5): Not bad. I liked the timing of the freeze arrow release in the middle of the song.

Presentation (3.5/5): The BG and banner look fine. (Are you catching onto my pattern yet?)

Tilt (+2): Lyrics, readme, (blank) logo, Beginner and Challenge steps.

OVERALL (19.5): A couple of problems here and there, but otherwise a fun chart. Nice job.

THE GAMBLER

Heavy (6.5/10): The 16th-note candle-steps are EXTREMELY questionable, but I can let them slide since you could have been going for something a la Colors for Extreme. The chart seems more like an ITG chart than a DDR, chart, though. I won't dock you for that, BUT the slowdown was extremely gimmicky and VERY unnecessary. The chart would have been better without it. You did handle the shifts in rhythm quite nicely, however.

Standard (3/5): There are creative parallels between this and other 7s, which is a good thing. Avoid the two-step jackhammers going at 150 BPM, though.

Light (2/5): From the looks of things, I would say that creative ideas were exhausted by this point on the Heavy and Standard charts. Remember that even easy charts should be memorable on their own merits.

Presentation (3.5/5): The BG and banner look fine.

Tilt (+1.5): Readme, Beginner, and Doubles charts all featured.

OVERALL (16/25): Another chart saved simply for the extra thought put into bonus stuff.

TURD SURFERS

Heavy (8.5/10): Very nicely done! The streams and gallops all made sense, and the slowdown at the beginning was also very cool. A couple of the jumps seemed oddly placed, but for the most part, the placement seemed just right.

Standard (4/5): Some of the rhythms were a little complex and/or a bit too fast for a 7. Still very creative.

Light (1.5/5): This was WAY, WAAAAY too complex for a 4. This should easily have been a 6. A general rule of thumb when judging Light and Standard charts is to always assume it's harder than you think it is. Those two-step jackhammers at 205bpm are an absolute no-no.

Presentation (3.5/5): BG and banner were fine.

Tilt (+1): Had a readme, a logo, and doubles charts!

OVERALL (18.5): When in doubt, ALWAYS overrate your Light/Standard chart difficulty levels. Remember that players around that level are often baffled by patterns that are a cynch to us.

WEAPON OF CHOICE

Heavy (8/10): Ok, I totally groaned when I heard the song's sample. I was thinking "Here we go, this guy is going to get cute and try to step everything in it." MAJOR props to you for resisting the urge to do so! The flow of the song was kept intact by opting for a freeze arrow pattern instead of a step pattern there. Some crossovers might be a little hard for an 8, but otherwise, very good job!

Standard (1.5/5): Had you added more to this, it could have been a very fun 5 or 6. Some of the parts got a little too complex for a 4, especially at nearly 200bpm. The gallops are an absolute no-no. This chart really didn't get the love and attention the Heavy chart did.

Light (1/5): I've said it before and I'll say it again - use blue notes SPARINGLY if the chart is below a 5 in difficulty. This rhythm is simply too complex for a beginner. Remember not to alienate players! Light and Standard charts are just as important to some players as the Heavy ones.

Presentation (3.5/5): BG and banner were fine.

Tilt (+1): Readme, Beginner and Challenge steps.

OVERALL (15/25): The problem is that you had SO MANY good ideas for the Heavy chart that you seemed to not give much attention to the Standard and Light ones. Sure, you stepped them, and the steps made sense, but you didn't stop to think about the people that would be playing them. Check out some DDR (or even ITG) 3's and 4's, and compare them to yours. I think you'll notice just what a huge difference there is.

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A GIRL

Heavy (5.5/10): First of all, it is quite difficult for audio-style players to catch the first beat on this chart. I would have changed the baginning. The fade-out sounds nice, but it's not good for PA. More importantly, THOSE CANDLE-STEP 16THS HAVE NO PLACE THERE. They were questionable on The Gambler (which could be a hard 9), but this chart is definitely an 8 outside of those, and they were completely disruptive. The step-jumps and jackhammers were also... iffy... and some of the streams started at some weird times.

Standard (2.5/5): Definitely a 6. Those stream jumps, for instance, are simply WAY too complicated for a 5. Keep a more careful eye on that.

Light (3.5/5): Also misrated, if less so. Easy to follow along, but step positioning might be hard for a beginner.

Presentation (3.5/5): BG and banner looked fine.

Tilt (0): Had a logo, but no readme or .sm file (which are more important).

OVERALL (13/25): Remember that accurately representing your chart to the audience is just as important as making it creative and intuitive.

XIAOYU

Heavy (7.5/10): A fun chart that didn't try to be unnecessarily hard. Some of the gallops were questionable, but I suppose a precedent was set with songs like Long Train Running.

[b]Standard (3.5/5): would have made a perfect 5, in my opinion. There was just a little bit too much reliance on blue arrows to warrant it being a 4. The 2-step jackhammers are debatable at that speed.

Light (3.5/5): Like I said, when in doubt, bump up the difficulty of your Light/Standard charts. This was definitely a 4, but the steps at least made sense.

Presentation (3.5/5): Banner and BG looked fine.

Tilt (+.5): Had a Beginner chart and readme file.

OVERALL (18.5/25): An interesting song choice for the contest. Aside from some minor quirks and a relative lack of extras, you pulled it off well.

*Long, drawn-out sigh*

Alright, I'm FINALLY finished. A rundown of the total scores will come subsequently.

(Edit: Fixed BB Tags.)

[0rion]

Overall ratings:

Propane: 22
Edo No Tamari Uta: 21
Romance in the Club: 21
Taboo Tears You Up 2008: 19.5
Fourth Joyride: 19.5
Turd Surfers: 18.5
Xiaoyu: 18.5
Graves of Being: 17.5
Punk Rock Princess: 17.5
Nrrrd Grrrl: 17.5
Dare to be Stupid: 16.5
I-Revolution: 16.5
Number One: 16.5
The Gambler: 16
Poison: 15.5
Weapon of Choice: 15
High G.K. Low: 14.5
Dear Jesse: 14
What it Feels Like for a Girl: 13
SO HOT: 10
MAX DON'T HAVE SEX WITH YOUR EX: 6

[creativename]

Here’s my review of the heavy charts. I’m going to add additional comments/observations as they popped into my head while playin the song, but they didn’t impact the step score. Basically, I thought all the files were fine, but I wanted to rank them somehow relative to each other as how I enjoyed them.
I may have used freeze when I meant pause and vice versa. I think I caught them all. O.o?
I’m new at this, so I can’t be as articulate as everyone else.

Dare To Be Stupid - Weird Al Yankovic [6/10]
I actually liked the MGD steps There were some steps that I didn’t agree with and steps that I felt like they were missing. I guess I had different streams in my head.
I liked the readme explanation and simpsons reference, even tho’ it’s from a south park episode
Presentation: 4/5

Dear Jesse (Rees Remix) - Rollergirl [6/10]
Starting the steps on the downbeat would have made more sense. Not too sure if the gallops fit either. Seems forced, but at least it’s not repetitive.
As a side note, the face on the bg image is completely obscured by the up arrow. Seems kinda inappropriate.
Presentation: 3.5/5

Edo no Temari Uta II - C-ute [6/10]
I was not a fan of how there was vast openness in some part and then fast streams in others. That’s quite a contrast within a chart. It makes sense with the music, but I don’t know if it would go over well as a stepfile. When I play a dancing game, I expect to dance. Chaos was nice, but a bear to follow.
Seems like there was some planning involved, with the video, readme, etc. I’m also a fan of the video banner. It’s my understanding that this topic is under debate? This one worked quite well. I LoL’d at the alternate graphics. I usually like slow quirky songs. I don’t know what happened.
Presentation: 5/5 Seems like this author has been in competitions before.

FOURTH JOYRIDE (Buckle Up) - Dave Joy [8/10]
Good steps that match the music. Nothing that I remember after playing it, except that that freeze took forever. Also, I think the second slow down could have been a pause. I could see this song on DDR tho’
Two-line readme?
Presentation: 4.5/5

Graves of Being - dBu Music [9/10]
I enjoyed the steps for this file. I would like to play this on a pad as well. I was a fan of the freezes.
Bonus for being the extra stage of the pack ; five-line readme?
Presentation: 4/5

High G.K. Low - GReeeeN [8/10]
Good variety of steps. It seemed harder than a 7 to me. Its kind of a slow song and there are streams with jumps in them.
Presentation: 4/5

i-revolution - SySF. [7/10]
I really was sold on this song, up until the slow down. It seemed out of place. And it didn’t sound like some of the freeze arrows started on that honking sound or whatever it was. Is that what you wanted? I thought the song was cool and steps fit the pattern, and I could see it being on a ddr machine. I would have liked to see a harder chart, but that’s me and has no bearing on the chart you made.
Presentation: 4/5

MAX DON'T HAVE SEX WITH YOUR EX (Grandale Mix) - E-ROTIC [abstain/10]
The song crashed my stepmania so oh well. From the file folder, it looks like it would be right up my alley I want to play it! The animated gif that was posted was a winner in my books.

nrrrd grrrl - MC Chris [7/10]
I liked the song choice, but there were some steps that I didn’t think fit. Also, I couldn’t tell if the start of the song was a bad cut or if that’s the way it’s supposed to sound. Never heard the song before. Lastly, in the words of Mitch Hedberg, the pauses didn’t need to exist.
In case you can’t tell by now, I am not a fan of the sidescrolling to infinity txt file. Makes me not want to read it. After seeing so many, I just had to say something
Presentation: 3.5/5

Number One - Traffic In My Head [8/10]
I liked the freezes in the middle on the triplets. I put them in a song once, and they are surprisingly challenging and unnatural. I don’t agree with the placement of some chaos steps. I would have liked to see harder steps, but you made a solid 7.
So does a randomly generated image deserve to get full points?
Presentation: 4/5

Poison - Bell Biv DeVoe [6/10]
The chaos makes it seem like it would be fun on a pad, but there may be too much chaos for my taste. Also, I think the chaos would have been more accurate if done with 16th and 32nd notes, at least at the beginning, which is where I tried it out.
I’m just going to come out and say it. I hate this song LoL. Not the steps. Not the author. The song! XD
Presentation: 3.5/5

Propane Nightmares - Pendulum [9/10]
Good hard steps without be stupid hard
I didn’t think I would like pendulum when I heard it being described as “Drum n Bass”
Presentation: 4/5

Punk Rock Princess - Something Corporate [7/10]
From the preview track, I had a feeling that this song was going to be a disaster. To my surprise, I actually liked the steps sans the slow down, which didn’t belong there in my opinion. Plus, it must have been a pain to step. Don’t make more work for yourself. Is it just me or would the measures make more sense if the offset was changed so that the blue steps became red steps... like a step back? Am I not making any sense?
When I hear or see an alternative rock song being stepped, I usually expect the worst. Oh, a doubles chart. I am officially interested. Kudos for the 1337 MS paint skills. You must be like a kajillion years old
Presentation: 4.5/5

Romance in the Club - Otto von Schirach [10/10]
I couldn’t find anything I didn’t like about the file. About halfway through the song, I found myself thinking I wouldn’t mind playing this on a pad. Plus it’s complete with videos and lyrics. Definitely my pick for the winner of this pack.
One-line readme?
Presentation: 4.5/5

So Hot - Wonder Girls [8/10]
I liked the steps, and I thought the pauses spiced it up nicely. After the first set of pauses, I got the hint. It felt like less than an 8 to me.
I liked the non-sequitur pokemon background. The pun is ALWAYS intended
I got a TOASTY when playing this song
Presentation: 4.5/5

taboo tears you up 2008 - REDALiCE [9/10]
I liked the song choice, seems like it lends itself well to a chart and ddr. I thought the streams were good, but I don’t know about the chaos in the middle. Looks fun... I wouldn’t mind playing this on a pad.
Presentation: 4/5

The Gambler - KAVA [8/10]
I liked the funky ending and fast triplets. Looks like fun to play. The slow down seemed weird to me. Also, why do some freeze arrows overlap while others don’t? Lastly, at some measure in the 30s it sounds weird, like part of the song drops out for a second. Is that also part of the song? It throws me off every time.
Presentation: 4/5

Turd Surfers - chumble spuzz [6/10]
When playing the song, I felt that some steps should have been there that weren’t and steps were there that didn’t need to. I guess I was hearing different stream patterns in my head. The dark purple steps were exciting to play.
Presentation: 3.5/5

Weapon of Choice - Fatboy Slim [6/10]
I didn’t agree with the first freeze. The steps were solid and followed the music, but I felt they were repetitive due to the nature of the song.
Side note, I did get a TOASTY! When playing this, so that would be a bonus from me. Also, why does the bg have such a limited choice of weapons?
3.5/5

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A GIRL - WHO'S THAT GIRL! [9/10]
I liked the steps and the chaos used in the chart. Very solid. I apologize to the stepper that I have nothing else really to say about this
Presentation: 4/5

Xiaoyu - Keiichi Okabe [8/10]
I’m not a fan of Tekken, but I felt the chart was stepped well. It didn’t really jump out at me though. Throughout the song, I kept thinking “I really would like to play Spin the Disc or Let’s Groove, which I guess can be a good thing, since it reminded me of DDR
Presentation: 4/5

No flames plz :-*

Summary - alphabetical by score

Romance in the Club - Otto von Schirach [24.5/25]
Graves of Being - dBu Music [22/25]
Propane Nightmares - Pendulum [22/25]
taboo tears you up 2008 - REDALiCE [22/25]
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A GIRL - WHO'S THAT GIRL! [22/25]
FOURTH JOYRIDE (Buckle Up) - Dave Joy [20.5/25]
So Hot - Wonder Girls [20.5/25]
High G.K. Low - GReeeeN [20/25]
Number One - Traffic In My Head [20/25]
The Gambler - KAVA [20/25]
Xiaoyu - Keiichi Okabe [20/25]
Punk Rock Princess - Something Corporate [18.5/25]
i-revolution - SySF. [18/25]
nrrrd grrrl - MC Chris [17.5/25]
Edo no Temari Uta II - C-ute [17/25]
Dare To Be Stupid - Weird Al Yankovic [16/25]
Dear Jesse (Rees Remix) - Rollergirl [15.5/25]
Poison - Bell Biv DeVoe [15.5/25]
Turd Surfers - chumble spuzz [15.5/25]
Weapon of Choice - Fatboy Slim [15.5/25]

MAX DON'T HAVE SEX WITH YOUR EX (Grandale Mix) - E-ROTIC [abstain/25]


EDIT: OOPS! I didn't realize that there was a public score factor. I thought it was mainly for feedback.
I'll add the presentation scores after I do all packs, and everything will be reflected in the summary for easy viewing. I hope that's not too annoying. I have a system.

[BLueSS]

creativename, (and others who haven't reviewed yet)

If you could add the presentation, so there's at least the score for heavy and presentation, then I can include them in the public review average. If you're reviewing just the heavy chart, go ahead and make it out of /20 points, instead of just 10. (If you do it out of 10, I'll just multiply by 2 later, but it saves me a few steps if you do it out of 20.)

[BLueSS]

CLARIFICATION!
Judging just the heavy chart + presentation is ok for anyone, not just new people. I realize that the way I worded it earlier made it sound like only new people could do that.

Sorry for any confusion!

[THECapedCaper]

My ratings (Score of Heavy Chart [out of 20] + Presentation [out of 5] + Tilt [3 Points Possible] = Total). Ties broken by higher chart score, then by extras.

Fourth Joyride - 19 + 4 + 2 = 25
Edo no Temari Uta II - 17 + 4 + 2.5 (readme was amazing) = 23.5
i-revolution - 18 + 3.5 + 1 = 22.5
The Gambler - 17 + 3.5 + 1 = 21.5
Weapon of Choice - 17 + 2 + 2 = 21
Graves of Being - 16 + 3 + 1 = 20
Propane Nightmares - 15 + 4 + 1 = 20
Turd Surfers = 16 + 3 + 0.5 = 19.5
nrrrd grrrl = 15 + 3 + 1 = 19
Xiaoyu - 16 + 1.5 + 1 = 18.5
What It Feels Like For a Girl - 14 + 4.5 + 0 = 18.5
Taboo Tears You Up 2008 - 12 + 5 + 1 = 18
So Hot = 15 + 2 + 0.5 = 17.5
Dare to Be Stupid - 11 + 4.5 + 2 = 17.5
Punk Rock Princess - 14 + 2.5 + 0.5 = 17
Romance in the Club - 12 + 4 + 0.5 = 16.5
Poison - 13 + 1 + 2 = 16 (I just want to add here that the author missed a super obvious Scrubs reference and I would've given the chart a much higher score for following it. Like 50.)
Number One - 12 + 3 + 1 = 16
High G.K. Low - 12 + 2 + 0.5 = 14.5
Dear Jesse - 12 + 2 + 0 = 14
Max Don't Have Sex With Your Ex (Grandale Mix) = MAX + MAX + MAX = LEGEND OF FASCINATION MAX 300 UNLIMITED ETERNAL LOVE MIX

[kynayo]

Poison - 13 + 1 + 2 = 16 (I just want to add here that the author missed a super obvious Scrubs reference

Too bad he missed it! That would've been awesome... but would he've just had to post the video over and over again or what?

[LK4D4]

Dare to Be Stupid
L(5); 2/5; Really good feel, except for the massive amount of jumps for a 5-footer. Some holds didn't feel like they belong.
S(7); 4/5; I enjoyed playing this. It had a very nice DDR feel, almost like what you would at an arcade. Your work paid off on this chart more than the previous. My only qualm is starting with the 8th note usage for a stream. Or maybe I'm just (dare to be) stupid.
H(8); 9/10; I like. Pretty good jump placement, nice moves. But still not quite there for some reason.
Presentation; 3/5; Nice banner, video (but unsynced to steps), ending picture pops at you (maybe a fade-in would be better?), and steps felt off-sync. The Groove-Radar shows all charts look around the same area.
Tilt; .5/3; Challenge as Edit?! You get a little credit for just doing the extra work.
Score; 18.5

Dear Jesse
L(3); 2/5; That pause midway didn't seem right for the song. And the stepping rhythm also didn't feel proportional to how the song went. But still, kudos for trying.
S(6); 4/5; Wow, awesome job. The earlier triple-beats were nice, yet later on it died in popularity. Also some kinda iffy footwork.
H(8); 8/10; Nice, but way too much DoubleStepping for my taste. And it did seem like starting off early was a bad idea, but okay.
Presentation; 2/5; I would have enjoyed something more than staring at that sexy woman in the background. Banner is so-so.
Tilt; 0/3;
Score; 16

Edo no Temari Uta II
L(2); 4/5; Some jumps didn't make much sense. Nice for a 2-footer.
S(5); 3/5; I would have stayed away from making gallops and those 12th notes when making a 5-footer. Everything else proved okay, including the ending (even if it was a 12th note jump).
H(9); 7.5/10; What lacked was more steps. Otherwise the rhythm was good, just.... yeah; needs more steps.
Presentation; 4/5; Banner is ~pretty~, and so is the video.
Tilt; 0/3;
Score; 18.5

Fourth Joyride
L(4); 4/5; I didn't like some jump placements, and could have a better feel of movement during streams.
S(6); 5/5; Super nice feel. No further comments.
H(7); 9/10; Another super nice chart, but I take a point away for starting the 8th notes during the bpm change and near the beginning.
Presentation; 4/5; All charts filled, NICE! And the funky video to go with it, also NICE! Banner is good.
Tilt; 1/3; All charts filled was all.
Score; 23

Graves of Being
L(3); 2/5; The beat just said "I hate you lower difficulties", and you gave it like it said. I could hardly feel what you were doing, and some patterns felt off from what should have been an okay stepchart.
S(5); 4.5/5; That was better. My only problem was where you did mostly left-right steps for a bit.
H(8); 8.5/10; It was good. Messed up on that pause. :P
Presentation; 2.5/5; Banner is good, background is... Touhou?! I was not expecting that.
Tilt; 0.5/3; Challenge
Score; 18

HIGH G.K. LOW -hajikero-
L(3); 3/5; More like a 4 with the 8th notes. But good none-the-less. Would have liked more feasability with movement for the lower people (a hold on the left and up-up-down-down taps?!)
S(5); 3.5/5; That was good, but didn't feel like it should be a 5; more like a 6. Especially with all the 8th notes, and even the jumps ending a stream.
H(7); 9.5/10; Could be better if you had more of those gallops. Really nice chart. :D
Presentation; 4/5; Video is synced, but has bad resolution. Very nice banner. I don't really like the stop at the beginning, but it fits the beat.
Tilt; 0/3;
Score; 20

i-revolution
L(3); 4.5/5; It feels like a 4-footer. Yet really nice feel. Not really liking the slow part adding holds (much less anything at that low a level).
S(6); 5/5; Totally awesome how you executed this. Kinda wish you did more moves near the beginning, but still really good.
H(7); 9/10; Gallops seem too challenging for the way you made this chart. Otherwise it's a damn fine sim.
Presentation; 2/5; I like the banner.
Tilt; .25/3; Beginner Chart.
Score; 20.75

MAX DON'T HAVE SEX WITH YOUR EX
L(4); 5/5; LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MAX!!!!! (Very straight forward sim level. I look forward to seeing what you did with the rest of the levels)
S(5); 3.5/5; I was expecting something more, but not much has changed, except for the random 8th notes that should be more abundant.
H(8); 8/10; A big fat WTF near the end. I would have done more of a stream at some point, preferably the end. This seems more like a 9-footer.
Presentation; 3.5/5; Fun watching the video, really fun! And very nice looking banner. I thought the preview was interesting where you...*resists spoiling the fun*.
Tilt; 0/3;
Notes; I would have liked to see another chart of this made, going all out with what repitious qualities the song had. But you can only deal so much with what ~THIS~ song has to offer. Nice job though.
Score; 20

nrrrd grrrl
L(2); 1/5; A big fat "NO!" to that 8th note thing you did, and also the use of your holds. Please play some more 2's (lol).
S(5); 2/5; Good ending, but not quite everything before that. I can't describe how much I wanted that song to end based on the steps.
H(8); 6.5/10; That beginning portion was just too repetitious. The ending half made up for it... REALLY made up for it.
Presentation; 2/5; Offsync.... oh yeah. Banner is good, so is background.
Tilt; 0.25/3; Beginner chart.
Score; 11.75

Number One
L(1); 2/5; More like a THREE!... or possibly a 2-footer, but definitely not a 1.
S(5); 2/5; There was a beat. You just didn't follow up with it. Especially when you started inducing 8th notes alone. Everything else was "bleh".
H(7); 4/10; Patterns just hated me. And when I was finally done I said "That off-sync plays in your score".
Presentation; 1/5; At first glace; "uhhhhhh..... a 1 Beginner, 1 Easy, and 1 Challenge?!?! I think you forgot something important." Becomes more offsync near the end. Louder? Banner looks fuzzy.
Tilt; .75/3; Beginner and Challenge. Kudos for trying but not completing all the way.
Score; 9.75

Poison
L(4); 4/5; Fun. Nice use of jumps and the holds.
S(5); 2/5; STARTS TOO EARLY! Some parts were very boring, and not much was done to vary the patterns. Could have been a lot better.
H(8); 7/10; Starts WAY TOO EARLY! Yet much better, but not quite there. There are gaps that should probably be filled. And why the 24th notes on a 7?! More like an 8-footer because of it.
Presentation; 0.5/5; A video-shot background, but not the video? Sim was also not synced properly. Banner is unproportional.
Tilt; 1.25/3; Beginner, Challenge, and Doubles. Kudos for trying.
Score; 14.75

Propane Nighmares
L(4); 5/5; Excellent, just excellent level. Every arrow was where it should be for a great feel.
S(6); 5/5; Yet another awesome chart! I loved the feel of how you presented the 8th notes.
H(8); 9.5/10; Those triple-taps gave me problems. It's a wonderful chart, if I do say so myself.
Presentation; 3.5/5; Nice banner (although maybe a different color based on the video?). And video makes an awesome addition to the song.
Tilt; 0.25/3; Beginner chart.
Score; 23.75

Punk Rock Princess
L(3); 1/5; ewwww... just... ewwww. Why? Just... WHY?!? (more like a 4-footer)
S(5); 3.5/5; Too much into the vocals I would say. Decent for a 5-footer. Good job I would say (except for being off-beat).
H(8); 9.5/10; Nice job executing this chart. I was impressed.
Presentation; 2.5/5; Banner is good. For a second I thought I was looking in my basement when the background showed. I don't know the slightest why you didn't bring the song to 4th notes at the beginning.
Tilt; 0.75/3; Doubles chart Edit only?! Still very fun. Nice rhythm.
Score; 17.25

Romance in the Club
L(3); 3/5; Very nice, but the jumps don't seem to fit where you place them. There was not much variety in patterns (many left-right arrows being used), and I felt that more play with the song on this level for you could have improved the score.
S(6); 3.5/5; A little better. Another jump problem in my opinion. Nice use of steps to make it a DDR-feel.
H(8); 8.5/10; Simple, fun, good, and just.... simple. I feel it was an okay sim.
Presentation; 4/5; Nice video. Banner was really well made and fits with the techno mood.
Tilt; 0/3;
Score; 19

SO HOT
L(4); 1/5; More like a 5. First half was 4-footer-ish. Step-wise it felt okay at the second half. Jumps in some parts were difficult to get to at that level. Still lacking in what it needs to be a good difficulty. Ending on a hold with a note at the end didn't fit because there is no sound when that tap occurs.
S(7); 1/5; Same thing with the tap at the end happened in this, too. Jumps were okay, holds kinda difficult to do (I did quite a few crossovers to get to most), and patterns were very lacking. It felt like an medium 6, possibly an easy 6 if you took out the crossovers and spins/forced-holds-into-spins.
H(8); 7/10; Felt like a 7- or 6-footer. Partially impressed this time around with the stops.
Presentation; 1.5/5; I don't like the background. Does not fit the music theme (being that an anime bg has no correlation to the song whatsoever). As for the stops during the entire song, that was a turn-off. Music was still playing, yet I don't mind the idea of going with the vocals, but if you're not consistent in that same method during the whole time then do something else. Nice banner, but where's the arti... oh there it is. That should be a bit bigger next time, and possibly a more profound appearance than just all-blue.
Tilt; 0/3;
Score; 10.5

taboo tears you up 2008
L(4); 3.5/5; Good, but lacks more steps/rhythm in just a couple areas. Beat was a little lacking at the very beginning (possibly off-sync?), and patterns stayed the same through most of the song.
S(6); 3.5/5; Still okay yet again lacks the umph to be a really good step chart. Good variety of patterns through the song, but I would have enjoyed it more if you stayed, and not broken, with the main beat.
H(9); 8/10; Too streamy and too little change in rhythm. I would have liked to see some 16th notes.
Presentation; 2/5; Banner and BG were nice and "angry". That goes with the song.
Tilt; 0.5/3; Oni is horrible. I could not understand much of it. Perhaps if you labeled it a 10?
Score; 17.5

The Gambler
L(4); 4/5; Very nice. Some movements felt iffy in my sense. Jumps were okay. The half-bpm area may throw some off when they see blue notes, but it's all good.
S(7); 5/5; Awesome! I really enjoyed your patterns. The crossovers were there, but did not interfere very much given the difficulty. Very very nice job.
H(9); 9.5/10; Very fun. Good use of holds. Perhaps an easy 9, but still very fun.
Presentation; 2/5; Banner was different than the background, which is good in this case because it fit the mood (gamble'n).
Tilt; 1.25/3; Doubles chart (Standard) very fun. Beginner chart.
Score; 21.75

Turd Surfers
L(4); 2/5; Did not pad because this song just said "I annoy you". Based on what I saw it's more like a 5- or 6-footer.
S(7); 3/5; So I started with this instead. I actually quit half-way due to being off-sync. It was good until then. >.>
H(9); 9/10; Actually quite fun (I thought I would just mentally add on the off-sync difference). You stayed good with the beat, but it was more like an 8 to me.
Presentation; 0.5/5; Would be better if louder? (I played at the arcade with no modifications to the song volume). Also quite off-sync. I went -.- when I saw the background.
Tilt; 1/3; Doubles chart (9) sorta fun.
Score; 15.5

Weapon of Choice
L(3); 3/5; Beginning was NOT a 3-footer. The rest of the song was pretty good. What was not was some of the patterns, and a couple off-beat arrows.
S(4); 3.5/5; Again, NOT a 4-footer. More like a 5. Patterns were very fun to play with. You did a very nice job with this level. What lacks is.... well not much. It's just not a 4-footer is all.
H(8); 9.5/10; Really enjoyed the steps on this. (no futher comments. I have a time limit at the arcade)
Presentation; 2/5; Would be better if louder? (I played at the arcade with no modifications to the song volume). Background and banner were okay, as in boring.
Tilt; 0/3;
Score; 18

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A GIRL
L(3); 5/5; Just awesome. Stayed with a good beat and the rhythm felt really good. Probably a hard 3-footer.
S(5); 3/5; I personally did not enjoy the rhythm on this level. Not really with the beat, and it strays away from what seemed like good rhythm. And it definitely feels like a 6.
H(8); 8/10; Okay steps. Not much to comment on besides that.
Presentation; 2/5; Sexy DDR-like banner and background.
Tilt; 0/3;
Score; 18

Xaioyu
L(3); 4.75/5; Everything, except those 8th notes at the very beginning, made this sim very enjoyable. Very good use of rhythmic patterns.
S(4); 4.5/5; NICE! What lacked was more steps, because I felt that when you went with the vocals (near the middle) it had a 5-footer rating. Perhaps more holds are needed to compliment the 8th notes.
H(7); 9.5/10; Simple and very enjoyable (for a 7-footer)
Presentation; 2/5; That was a pretty cute girl in the background. Too bad she looks fake. I still like the banner.
Tilt; 0/3;
Score; 20.75


*Scores Rundown in order from Highest then Alphabetical Order*
Propane Nighmares: 23.75
Fourth Joyride: 23
The Gambler: 21.75
i-revolution: 20.75
Xaioyu: 20.75
HIGH G.K. LOW -hajikero-: 20
MAX DON'T HAVE SEX WITH YOUR EX: 20
Romance in the Club: 19
Dare to Be Stupid: 18.5
Edo no Temari Uta II: 18.5
Graves of Being: 18
Weapon of Choice: 18
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A GIRL: 18
taboo tears you up 2008: 17.5
Punk Rock Princess: 17.25
Dear Jesse: 16
Turd Surfers: 15.5
Poison: 14.75
nrrrd grrrl: 11.75
SO HOT: 10.5
Number One: 9.75