BRACKET 1 - Public Review

[MixMasterLar]

Yeah ideally every chart should default to a 5 and then be adjusted from there but that's really not how people take it. I defaulted to 7 just to start somewhere.

I probably should have used half points in my scores so I wouldn't have so many repeating 7s and 8s when I personally don't think they are all exactly the same grade but meh, it's cool. Still round 1 and for gleaming the top half I think we all figured it out haha.

As an aside I did consider adjusting my Booty Me Down score because the 10 was a spur of the moment, I'm-really-feelin'-it score that should of been a 9 or 8 but since everyone keeps dunking on it I decided I'm ride or die with this file now lol

[Lisek]

Tested on keyboard with legs under desk simulating play.

Approval Votes:
OOPS! I DID IT AGAIN
QUAKE
それは花火のような恋

[Foxytail]

Apologies for the long wait for my review, but I wanted to make sure that I gave each entry as much of a fair analysis as I could. Anyway, here are my usual standards for judgment.

Expert & Secondary Steps:
10 - Top quality
9 - High quality with few flaws
8 or lower - Standard quality with few more flaws

Presentation:
5 - Graphics fit and video is included (with exceptions when listed)
4 - Graphics fit without video (with exceptions when listed)
3 or lower - Graphics are lacking in some capacity

BAAM!

Expert Steps: 10/10
Somehow I can sense quality when I ghost step between the arrow gaps simply because chart is that impressive! There's plenty going on with this chart while not being overbearing with the arrows, which is where this chart fits as a solid level 8. Everything fits from the jumps on the BAAM parts to the repeated arrows on the chorus. Incredibly satisfying to play!

Difficult Steps: 10/10
First sentence for the Expert steps still applies here. The 4th-8th-4th note combinations worked really well being saved for crucial parts of the song, where others were saved for jump arrows.
A lot of quality was shown for this level 6 chart, because it's tricky for a Difficult chart but still fair in its execution.

Presentation: 5/5
Going full-on with the comic book SFX theme really adds to the visual creativity. Even despite the visuals appearing originally in the music video (kudos for that as well), the graphics expand on that theme as if coming straight from a comic book. I see absolutely zero flaws with the graphics, as they manage to exceed expectations from this song alone!

Total: 25/25

Be With You

Expert Steps: 7/10
I feel like I really wanted to enjoy this chart like other songs of a similar genre, but something just seemed quite off. I believe it's because I wanted the chart to keep me interested throughout and it didn't quite work. The creative use of the hold arrows was the best part of this chart, though it didn't appear to carry the song well enough. An effort was made and I do commend that, but the chart needed more energy to it so that it didn't feel like I was waiting for the song to end.
By the way, I don't ding this chart for being off-sync. Trust me, I've seen Chris4Life re-sync chart while playing them for the ECFM competition a lot and usually that's just a minute or two of fixing. Audio sync varies sometimes, but Stepmania is usually great in correcting that, so yeah. No worries!

Difficult Charts: 9/10
Seems like this chart has a lot more going in great ways. One pattern that you will see in my judgment of Difficult charts is how symmetrical the arrow placements are. They don't always bring causes to score 10 out of 10, but a lot more enjoyability comes in noticing that which really helps, such as in this chart.
The chart was still kind of a struggle for getting me interested, yet the chart felt arranged well that I still did want to continue playing. This isn't a perfect chart, but it still has nice execution going on!

Presentation: 4/5
This is probably more like what my presentation should have looked like (Mirror Prism), because there is a lot of color variety as well as good use of font design. The jacket does deviate from the background and the banner, though most would expect that in order to reference what album the song came from. I also enjoy how the "BE WITH YOU" text uses a different color from the banner to the background, where the background's text has a little sparkle to add to the variety.
The design is simplistic, but has plenty of color to keep a visual appeal.

Total: 20/25

Booty Me Down

Expert Steps: 10/10
Wow does this chart really deliver here! All the arrows go perfectly with each segment of the song while you're constantly kept focused on reading the chart. The arrow patterns repeat enough that you know where you're at in the song, but it's also not overly repetitive. This chart felt way more fun and satisfying than it had the place to be, because it had as much passion going with it as the rapper's rave about them booties.

Difficult Steps: 9/10
This is so close to another 10 out of 10, but it seems to have a little less energy than the Expert steps. With that said, I was very glad to see the arrow waver left and right on...certain lyrics regarding cheeks, just for honesty sake. I feel like when a song specifically mentions a direction, it's almost criminal when the arrows don't waver that direction. A lot of arrow patterns like the Expert chart with an added bit of symmetry in them.
Very close to perfection as this chart is still quite fun to play.

Presentation: 4/5
For a disclaimer, I'm not as much judging on the basis of lewdness. Even if the intentions were clear, the graphics do not deteriorate from the quality.
With that being said, I think the presentation is about as good as I'd expect for such a song. The graphics cross the line for being too lewd, but also wavers near that line to show some element of restraint. Despite that, the colors and fonts still work to provide the right amount of quality.
I still am dinging this 1 point for the awkward scenario the visuals present, but honestly I can't say graphics are great but video would be nice...we know what can of worms I'd open if I'd suggest that.

Total: 23/25

Count What You Have Now

Expert Steps: 10/10
Another entirely satisfying chart. The arrows are placed really well in the specific parts of the song that I jived just as well as I should have with the song itself. The hold arrows were uniquely placed too, as some where longer than usual to enforce crossing over to stay facing forward afterwards. This song had a very joyful feel to it and this chart successfully captured that completely.

Difficult Steps: 10/10
A 10 out of 10 emerges here as well! The arrow symmetry works very well and every part of this song is represented perfectly in this chart. I can see where this would be a level 5 just to keep the gap from the Expert chart, but for some reason this chart still feels like a 6 to me. Either that or this could just be considered a hard level 5 instead, which I think can work as well.
This chart captures the mood very much akin to the Expert steps, which is a huge plus in my book!

Presentation: 4/5
As consistent and standard as it gets. The already made jacket was intentionally basic, and the background and banner both complement that all the same. Not much creativity was used to diversify the graphics, but the presentation still works as well as one would expect.

Total: 24/25

Fly on the Wings of Love

Expert Steps: 8/10
Something about this chart seemed off from my playthrough. There's a certain feeling from charts like this that even DDR had where it felt like I was fighting to see the patterns realizing there weren't many at all. It works in a similar way to charts in DDR and perhaps this usually nets a 10 out of 10 for other people, but I'm willing to vouch that some others don't enjoy it too well either.
8 out of 10 works here, because the vision is still there and the chart still makes sense in its own way.

Challenge Steps: 10/10
So I think I realized something from this chart that a much better impression for me than the Expert steps. It feels very honest about the complexity of its chart with the song. Expert just felt like it wanted to be both simple and complex back and forth and I think that was what the struggle was.
In contrast to this however, I almost could've went to the argument that this could've fit as a song for In the Groove. *gasp* The horror in mentioning that blasphemy! But here's where this fit here too...this is a similar step chart style to what was used for Challenge charts for DDR Ultramix and Universe.
With that all said, I REALLY enjoyed this chart as it is enjoyably tricky and not hard at all to read. Quite frankly I think we need to ask such questions as "Why aren't there more charts like this in the DDR arcades?" because this chart proves how much of that is a lost art that deserves far greater attention in DDR!

Presentation: 3/5
This one was kind of hard to judge because I kind of understood its intent. I am aware that some step chart creators use images from already established characters for unrelated songs. I understand that for some people that's the style they choose, but I still struggle to find that working for a contest that aims for some level of authenticity.
The other downside is linked to the font colors not blending well with the background. Last but not least (but could be my version of Stepmania), the text was covered when the background was displayed...but again that could just be on my end.
Now to the brighter news, I actually can see the graphics working for this song, as a character (Winona from Pokemon in this case) posing in conjunction with the wind. If this song was presented with that as the general aesthetic, I do think this could be at least be a 4. Just the font and character used (not licensed) would bump that up here.

Total: 21/25

Hallucination XXX

Expert Steps: 8/10
This chart is a harder sell for me than usual, even though it fills a similar purpose to that of songs like Arrabiatta. Usually the interpretation of this song was as a boss song that uses a 110-220-440bpm formula, in which that would fit more as something from DDR X and beyond. Since this chart fits for BEFORE then, of course a solid level 9 or 10 works better, except the song also doesn't feel like something before DDR X. I think what happens is this song has a more awkward placement in this interpretation than usual.
With that all said, I do believe the chart itself is still great (with much kudos to the AFRONOVA jumps displayed here). This is probably the best way someone would make this song work in a pre-DDR X environment and that works well enough.

Difficult Steps: 9/10
I felt more sold on this chart simply because the chart felt so much like a Difficult chart for a boss song, which can include the pseudo-boss songs like Arrabiatta. It recognizes its purpose as pushing for stamina but only saves the most notable jumps for the AFRONOVA jumps that remained here. Arrow symmetry was also applied in quite a few segments of this chart, which is always nice as well.
I could definitely see this a good paveway for people to embrace trickier charts, because there's a lot of complexity going on, but it's easy to read as well.

Presentation: 4/5
In the same vein as Count What You Have Now, the banner and jacket complement each other as consistent with each other (as the jacket originating from CrossXBeats). The background...is tolerable, but does ruin the consistency the other two graphics bring. Usually different graphics work somehow, but the album cover reference completely contradicts the aesthetic used from the jacket. I'd almost ding this down to a 3, but the background doesn't exactly hurt the presentation as much as it just doesn't work.
Regardless, the presentation is still quite solid overall.

Total: 21/25

Itsuko

Expert Steps: 10/10
This chart has a lot going where it feels as if the arrow stepping is louder than the song itself, yet somehow it's incredibly satisfying in that regard. There is a lot of variety going on with this song and it feels perfect for something you'd see in a DDR Ultramix & Universe chart.
An extremely high quality level 9 and easy to understand as well.

Difficult Steps: 9/10
I feel like the first sentence for the Expert steps also applies in this chart. There is a lot of reason to keep playing for having some high stamina qualities, but in a slower tempo. Practically the only down side of this chart comes with its lack of patterns, where it comes close to being hard to focus playing. However, because this is a Difficult level chart, players of that level will need to focus a lot more to keep up.
There's still a lot to enjoy with these steps and like similar entries in this event, this is a good bridge to getting players into harder charts.

Presentation: 5/5
The very second I saw the graphics I knew exactly the theme going on. For those that don't know, the abstract style and extremely basic font as an aesthetic that was common in the DDR Ultramix & Universe games. While that graphical style hasn't exactly won awards for "Top Best Banner and Backgrounds", it was quietly embraced as an ongoing theme for a certain divison of Konami.
Of course hearing this song by a DDR Ultramix composer, in tandem with the graphics mimicking the aesthetic used for this composer's songs, earned this entry a 5 in presentation. In this case, the nostalgia was not the only primary reason, The colors and font styles also work together to give this entry a satisfactory visual appeal.

Total: 24/25

OOPS! I DID IT AGAIN (Rise Team Eurobeat Bootleg)

Heavy Steps: 9/10
This chart scores very well in mimicking the Pre-DDR SuperNOVA era of Eurobeat music, where a lot of different patterns were being presented in a very brief period of the song. Sometimes fast parts would be at the beginning and end of the song, but the chart would aim to lay some jackhammers at some point. The minor downside is that there could be a slight more variety in arrow placement. Regardless, this entry is authentic in its intended aesthetic and about as close to perfection as one would expect.

Difficult Steps: 10/10
I was pulled between making this a 9 or a 10, but the latter was chosen due to how well structured the arrows were placed, even despite the song's semi-sporadic nature. Even with the consecutive jumps, it fit as a separate part of the song, so somebody could pick that part up quickly should they struggle with it more than usual.
This chart feels genuinely interesting and worth playing quite a number of times.

Presentation: 5/5
This presentation practically took the graphics of the DDR classic to a whole new level. The red color scheme adds to the panic in believing someone's more than just a friend, almost like you're going to get hunted down for it Metal Gear style!
The video clips also help capture the aesthetic of the song being carried over for DDR MAX through EXTREME. The graphics do best in capturing nostalgia and simplicity while describing the song so visually well.

Total: 24/25

QUAKE

Expert Steps: 9/10
This feels like a solid 9 in well...both this score and in level. I have talked about how "Hallucination XXX" fits more as a post-DDR SuperNOVA 2 song, while this does just as well. But to be consistent here, this song and chart feels fitting in BOTH the pre-era and the post-era. The seemingly confusing variety of 4th, 8th, and 16th notes in the middle of the song certainly seems like something classic Konami would do to trip players up a bit. Meanwhile, the speed-up and all-around design of the chart feels genuinely like a new entry in DDR A20+.
This chart is ambitious, but also feels at home with DDR players alike.

Difficult Steps: 9/10
This chart was a mixed bag for me. There wasn't much of an arrow pattern going on and I was also pleasantly surprised by the 16th notes being included here in a similar vein to the Expert chart. Somehow it just felt overly tricky, not excluding the single arrows leading to a jump. Despite that, this also felt so much like what Konami would do to make this chart much harder to perfect than others of the same level.
This felt like an 8 out of 10, and yet still works well as a trickier Difficult level chart.

Presentation: 5/5
Oddly enough, the graphics used for this entry actually made this song feel like a song from a new composer in the making, at least at first glance. What I did not realize until I researched the song was that it had its own jacket for Sound Voltex.
The font for the song name does appear overly busy, but there still is an execution to the design that makes it fit very well. It was good to add a different color to behind the text for the banner just for adding variety to the presentation.
Lastly, the music video is perfect for this song, keeping the same greenish color scheme in the beginning so it transitions to the background well. The fact that this presentation goes its separate way from Sound Voltex and accomplishes it so well gives this a 5 out of 5!

Total: 23/25

Sore wa hanabi no youna koi (それは花火のような恋)

Expert Steps: 9/10
This chart feels close to an 8 out of 10 only because there doesn't appear to be much creativity going on. However, this also felt like just the right kind of chart for the song. A lot of attention is needed to play as the chart is more stamina-inducing for a level 8, and I feel it stands to reason that this chart needed to be safer with its lesser variety.
Obviously this entire entry feels like something out of DDR A20+, but it also felt like a standard BEMANI crossover, such as Raspberry♡Heart from SuperNOVA 2. Still a pretty solid chart!

Challenge Steps: 8/10
This is very much what I would expect if this chart was a cross between a level 9 and 10 (or 14 in the post-SuperNOVA 2 level scale). This chart flows as well as it should for how stamina inducing it is, and that's fine. Unlike the Expert steps, I would not expect this as a pre-DDR X chart, but it still works very well.

Presentation: 5/5
From this presentation, I expected nothing more and nothing less. Graphical consistency remains throughout and the banner works perfectly to add just a little more visual than the jacket and background.
Most people would expect more than just using graphics from an already established source, but everything remains simple and appealing where if this was made to preserve a new entry from DDR A20+, it would exceed even those expectations.
Not every presentation needs to deviate from the original BEMANI source, because this one is absolutely complete with music video and all.

Total: 22/25

Sunshine (Wippenberg Remix)

Expert Steps: 9/10
I'll try not be biased of this entry, because it feels like my favorite jam thus far. I'm rather consistent with rating these the same as their levels, but I think there are legit reasons for this one. The chart straight-up builds up to what a level 9 does, much like So Deep (Perfect Sphere Mix). While not quite in the same caliber of quality, the intentions are there and they work quite well. I really enjoyed where the freezes aligned when "Sunshine" was sung. That was a nice touch that helped keep my interest with the rest of the song.
There were a couple parts where I got confused where to place my feet around the end, but overall a good impression was made here.

Difficult Steps: 10/10
I was pleasantly surprised with this chart. Everything just felt so right between how the arrows were laid out and the symmetry involved a large part of the way. It's too hard to ignore any form of arrow symmetry and this was practically perfect in that regard. The arrows worked really well when "Sunshine" was sung here too, taking a different approach than usual.
Incredibly enjoyable chart all the way!

Presentation: 4/5
This presentation seemed like a mixed bag to me where it felt like it could have either been a 3 or 4 here. It seemed like there was something about the designs that seemed overly basic and expected. It's hard to know how to describe it, other than it seems like it lacks complexity of sorts, perhaps with the text.
On the flip side, the silhouette of the "hands up" works absolutely as it should, given that is the literal genre that this song represents. The general idea of people jumping in the air to this song being played at a crucial time where the sun shines, definitely captures the feel of the song in this presentation.
The graphics do fit as 4 out of 5 quality just barely, which is still a good thing for giving the right feel to such an upbeat song.

Total: 23/25

Umbrella Beach

Expert Steps: 9/10
This chart does an excellent job capturing both the calm and energetic portions of this song. This feels so much like a licensed song on DDR done right, there's a certain nostalgia that sets this off all the same. The long hold arrows flow really well once the song calms, but not too long before getting back to the upbeat rhythm.
Another nearly perfect entry for this joyful track!

Difficult Steps: 9/10
A lighter version of the Expert chart, but the theme is still carried in this chart. The only thing that surprised me was the expectation to cross your legs over with some hold arrows, because usually that is not expected even for a level 5. In a bit of my defense, this could be a good introduction for people to learn to do that for harder charts down the road.
Still a very solid chart overall!

Presentation: 5/5
The graphics look gorgeous in this presentation! The song title feels like something that the DDR team would make, but on a more direct note, the green, blue and yellow work very well in capturing the beautiful colors of the beach. The bird's eye view of the umbrellas add a nice touch as well, keeping the visuals just busy enough.
The video clips used are also amazing, bringing a sense of peace that flows with the song really well. The "underwater Ferris wheel" that shows up right at the moment those lyrics are sung, feels great to see every time I play this entry.
This presentation just seems perfect, as expectations where certainly shattered here. Despite not being the most upbeat tune, there is enough going on visually to continue to guage interest.

Total: 23/25

UP N DOWN

Expert Steps: 9/10
It probably doesn't come as a suprise that I'm constantly checking to see how often this song uses the up and down arrows. Surprisingly it is not too much and yet, those arrows seem to be used for the more crucial parts of the chart, which is even better. Most arrows used are just for standard tricky level 9 shenanigans, and then the hold arrows come in and really add to the feeling of the song.
A very impressive level 9 that exceeded a bit more than expected.

Difficult Steps: 9/10
The up and down arrow shenanigans continue, albeit in a slightly bit tamer fashion. There wasn't as much carrying the chart where there would instead be complex note patterns in the Expert chart, but it makes sense as by Difficult chart standards it's tricky with its many 8th note patterns.
Still a fun chart worth sticking to the beat on.

Presentation: 4/5
There is a lot going on visually with this entry, and yet it still looks very appealing. The shades of purple feel quite nice, you see little bubbles in the background, the song title's font is abstract yet easy to read, and the up and down arrows complement the song title well fulfilling the same purpose are in opposing sides of the image.
The artist logo does break away from the aesthetic with its more potent purple outline, but the shapes replacing some parts of the text are a nice touch.
It's quite evident that a lot of effort was put in this presentation, as a lot was shown in the right ways.

Total: 22/25

WHO THE HELL ARE YOU (Original Mix - Edit)

Expert Steps: 10/10
Guess I have to reiterate my stance on my appreciation for having that urge to ghost step between the arrow gaps. I don't expect this to ALWAYS be my take for why every chart is perfect, but exactly like "BAAM!" the way it's executed feels perfect. There are some complex jackhammers in other areas, and those help build this song up to a level 8, so it only seemed fair to leave in those gaps.
Everything just felt so right with this chart and honestly I wished DDR licenses were as enjoyable as this.

Difficult Steps: 10/10
I almost liked this chart even more than the Expert steps! Once again, the motivation to ghost step is back and even better is the fact that there are consistent arrow patterns that are so incredibly satisfying to read. This chart just feels so enjoyable and well worth the 10 out of 10 in my book.

Presentation: 5/5
This presentation is very straight-forward in its vision and it shows. The song title being red (and orange) remains the primary hook as you feel like you did something wrong...even though you likely didn't. The background has different colors and shapes and is a nice deviation from the banner and jacket. Even the jacket, despite slightly emulating the banner, has a large blue border to keep it from being precisely the same.
All the colors just work and the outline in all the text does well making everything easy to read.
The music video is a very nice touch and honestly does feel like something from a licensed song in DDR. It really captures that mood, which still carries through in DDR to this day. The video does seem kind of blurry, but that's not a real issue as not everything needs to be "1080p, 60fps" quality.
Everything said, 5 out of 5 fits here as well!

Total: 25/25

World Coming Down

Expert Steps: 8/10
I will be honest with this chart. It feels like a 9 out of 10 on many accounts, but the accounts that matter more are where this is in a similar issue to "Hallucination XXX". This particular take of this song is hard to envision in pre-DDR SuperNOVA 2 and post, except for the off-chance that the Ultramix & Universe team would consider this.
Honestly that is my only criticism here, because this chart also feels like a good level 10. It's chaotic and energetic in a lot of the right ways and best of all, the chart forces you to cross your legs over whenever "all around" is being sung. I sense some heart put into this chart, and that's a pretty darn good thing!

Challenge Steps: 9/10
I feel like I can give chart a bit more leeway, because at this point the chart comes across in a formula that boss songs have had since DDR EXTREME. There are more arrows than usual, but it's very much expected and not even unlikely as something Konami would pull off. People would still play this chart as a nice stamina pusher, for example.
The crossing legs part that I referred to above is still used, which helps. A point is dinged as usually non-licensed songs are the ones that have the role this chart is playing. Still not too bad!

Presentation: 3/5
So after seeing the visuals of this entry, I glanced over for images regarding "Ashbury Heights" and I can see that the visuals do make some effort to capture the abstract nature of this band. The angle of the image is off-balance, the song title literally coming down, both replicating the feel of the world falling apart. As far as that is concerned, I see what is trying to be expressed here.
Where it appears the presentation stumbles is that the text and font used did not capture that same amount of expression. The blue in "World" suddenly having a green for "r" didn't exactly help, but I think a lot more needed to be shown in the font department.
There appear to be different fonts used to represent "Ashbury Heights" so learning to replicate that by getting similar fonts, then adding filters to the text, all can only help this presentation. There is a bunch of good free graphic design software that can also help make that easier.
I don't think too much needs to be criticized in this presentation...at least nothing too overbearing. The graphics here are a good start, but if more time is put on it, this can easily bump up to a 4 or even 5 out of 5. Best of luck!

Total: 20/25

[Pie-kun]

Hey y'all, here is my Public Reviews. I am choosing to do the second method of reviewing the presentation and the Expert chart. All files were played on pad. I gave all files a 5/5 presentation unless otherwise noted

Baam:
Presentation: 5/5
Expert chart: 9/10
This was a cute song and a really good chart to go along with it. I thought the use of crossovers and spins were very nice and there was a nice balance of difficulty throughout the chart. My only critique is that I felt the final chorus and ending were stepped extremely similarly to the intro and first chorus, so that last part of the chart felt a bit repetitive and I felt myself losing a little bit of interest there. But overall, a great file.

Total: 14/15

Booty Me Down
Presentation: 5/5
Expert chart: 7.5/10
I started off not really liking this chart, but as it went on I started to feel the vibe of it a little more and could appreciate it. I liked that there were parts that you could get fancy with the footwork but the chart didn’t necessarily make you have to do it. That said, I wasn’t fan of some of the short freezes and it felt just a little repetitive, but I think that had to do more with the song choice than anything else. It reminded me a bit of some of the 2ndMIX club charts, minus the freezes of course. Something cute to play once in a while, but not something I would play over and over.

Total 12.5/15

Count What You Have Now
Presentation: 5/5
Expert Chart: 6/10
I feel like there were parts of this chart where things were going well and then it would kind of get trippy with lots of freeze arrows, some of which I feel didn’t really make sense to the song. I also found myself repeating some patterns throughout the song where I wish there had been a little bit more variety.

Presentation-wise, I know that it’s not required, but I would have loved to see some BASIC/LIGHT charts on here just so the file is accessible to more players. I tend to keep simfiles I like and have people that come over and play sometimes, so I like files to be at least somewhat accessible to all players. Just a personal preference

Tilt: -0.5 for not having a light/basic chart

Total: 10.5/15

Fly On the Wings Of Love
Presentation 5/5

Expert chart: 6.5/10
This was a decent chart, but does get a little boring after a while, but that’s mostly because I feel like the song itself didn’t really have any peaks or valleys, it kind of stays at the same level throughout the song. I appreciated some of the risk taken with the 16th notes in places to spice it up, though sometimes they were a bit awkward. The song also had a lot of freezes that I didn’t feel matched the song or were really guiding the players’ feet in any way.

Total: 11.5/15

Hallucination xxx
Presentation 5/5

Expert Chart 6/10
Dunno If I was just tired from playing through these files, but this felt more like a 10 than a 9 to me, if not it certainly borders on it. I also have to say that I feel like both the song and chart feel like they could be ripped out of any DDR game from DDR 2013 onwards, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I think it does miss the brief for me a bit since the contest is pre-X style charts. I also just didn’t find the chart, aside from its speed, all that interesting until the ending part.

Total: 11/15

Itsuko
Presentation 5/5
Expert Chart 8/10
Both the song and chart remind me of something out of the DDR Universe series. I enjoyed the slowdown part, it made me smile while playing. There were a couple places where I got tripped up on the steps, though I don’t know if that was just me making a mistake or something in the chart flow, but I still feel like the number of walks and things of that nature were just a tad too much. Overall, a nice chart.

Total: 12/15

Mirror Prism
Presentation 5/5
Expert Chart: 7.5/10
The chart very much reminded me of a SuperNOVA chart for a BEMANI crossover song in that it was a bit under stepped at times, but also had some cute little quirks thrown in there like the freezes with the 16th note at the beginning and end. The first half could probably use just a bit more thrown in there because there were times where I was jamming to the song in my head but I was standing still because there some empty space in the chart. Also, there was a point in the middle where I felt the chart was following the same instrument for a bit too long. Overall though, it was a fun song and chart.

Total: 12.5/15

Oops I Did It Again!
Presentation 5/5
Expert Chart: 9.5/10
Both the song and chart feel like a nice blend of old-school DDR songs/charts and the X2/X3 era of songs/charts. I’m still trying to figure out if I like the 16th run in the middle, but overall it’s definitely something I’ll be keeping in my personal collection.

Tilt: +0.5 for making your own remix for your file

Total: 15/15

Quake
Presentation 5/5

Expert Chart: 7/10
It’s a nice enough chart, the speedup in the middle was nice and the video looked really nice playing the bg but other than that it wasn’t very memorable and towards the end I got a little bored with the rhythm it was following. A decent hard chart, maybe one I would play every once in a while for the speed up aspect and its difficulty.
Total: 12/15


Sunshine
Presentation: 5/5

Expert Chart 6.5/15
When I heard the song preview, I had a good idea of what the rhythm that most of this chart was stepping and I wasn’t wrong. I understand it’s a big part of the song and I appreciate that the arrow placements were played around with so you weren’t doing the same patterns over and over again, but there’s only so many times I can step to the synth in the background before I get bored. I like that you switched it up towards the end and started following the background vocals, but i feel like it got a bit sloppy at times transitioning from that to the rhythm for the synth. I feel like the chart would have benefitted from a shorter cut that emphasized some of the other aspects of the song.

Total: 11.5/15

Umbrella City
Presentation 5/5

Expert Chart: 8.5/10
This is a nice song and chart, I feel like there could have been just a bit more difficulty added to the steps to make it more interesting, but I’m not mad at it being on the easier side. Other than that, not much else to say

Tilt: +0.5 for the gorgeous random movies that played during the song, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in such good quality before.

Total: 13/15

Up N Down
Presentation: 5/5
Expert: 6.5/10

I wanted to like this chart, but there were a lot of parts where it was difficult to understand what the chart was stepping to, so I missed some of the connection with the song that I usually get when playing files. The parts that I did connect to were fun enough and the song is cute on top of that.
Total: 11.5./15

Who the Hell Are You
Presentation 5/5
Expert 9/10

A really fun chart to a really great song. I like the way that the chart kind of combines stepping the beat of the song as well as the vocals without relying too much on one or the other. It’s really reminiscent of a lot of great older DDR charts.

Tilt: +0.5 for my favorite song choice of the bracket

Total 14.5/15

World Coming Down 5/5
Presentation 5/5

Expert 6/10
I don’t think this is the type of song that lends itself to making simfiles easily, so I appreciate you choosing a song that might not have been the easiest to step. That being said, I can’t really say that I enjoyed it all that much. It did have that DDR boss quality of having long 8th streams that in songs with fast BPMs, I think I even saw some PARANOiA SURVIVOR MAX Oni / Healing-D-Vision challenge patterns in there, so as a boss song chart it sort-of works, but not really in the best way. I did like the second slowdown section though.

Total: 11/15

Sore wa…
Presentation 5/5
Expert: 6/10

Much like another one of the files in this bracket, literally everything about this screams modern DDR which, again, is not necessarily a bad thing but it just doesn’t feel like it hits the brief for this contest. The expert also feels more like a 9, possibly because of the song length. Overall, this file is just really not my cup of tea.

Tilt: -0.5 for having to look at shots of little anime girls' legs in the video

Total: 10.5/15

[tammie]

tammie's reviews

BAAM - 13/15
Expert: 8/10
There's nothing wrong with these steps, but I felt like they were pretty straightforward and lacked a spark. It's very well done technically, but I wanted more creativity and character. I felt like the steps didn't evolve through the file, and felt repetitive by the end.
Presentation: 5/5
The graphics look nice! I think a less intense bevel on the text would look nice, but they work well.
Tilt: 0/0

Be With You - 15/15
Expert: 10/10
I love these steps! They have a "groove" to them that matches the disco-y style of the song. The steps evolved throughout the chart, and stayed original and fresh and never repetitive.
Presentation: 5/5
Looks good! Only thing I'd mention is the samplestart seems off by a second or so. Great song choice, and a great job cutting the song in a way that avoids repetition!
Tilt: 0/0

Booty Me Down - 11/15
Expert: 7/10
I'm mixed on this. There are a lot of great ideas, but sometimes it follows the vocals way too close. I love the use of repetition through the chart, though. I don't like super short freezes, they seem pointless and in the end it is just a green colored arrow.
Presentation: 4/5
I'm a little uncomfortable with the graphics!
Tilt: 0/0
I won't detract, but some of these lyrics were a bit much!

Count What You Have Now - 11/15
Expert: 8/10
These were fun! Crossovers were mainly used well, maybe sometimes too much though. I don't love the short freezes.
Presentation: 4/5
Not bad, but low effort from the official album art. The banner looks like it says VANAGE and the background text gets covered in some themes. Something to be careful about with text placement.
Tilt: -1/0
Lacking a full set of charts

Fly On The Wings Of Love - 9/15
Expert: 6/10
Not bad by any means, but there are some improvements to be made. I don't think it was very fun in the verse when it followed the vocals very closely. It didn't feel like dancing at those points. Sometimes it felt like the steps were just following the vocal melody and when the vocal melodies stopped, a lot of the steps just felt like filler steps while you waited for the next vocal melody.
Presentation: 3/5
The text is rather tough to read, especially the title of the song. I don't totally understand why there's a Porygon on the jacket. The audio quality wasn't great.
Tilt: 0/0

Hallucination XXX - 10/15
Expert: 7/10
Well done, but not with much character. The afronova jumps were cute, but the ending seemed a bit over the top. It was very straight forward, followed the rhythms (mostly, there were some parts where the rhythm seemed off? I wasn't sure if it was on purpose, but then it fixed itself).
Presentation: 3/5
Looks fine, you did a good job making a banner that matched the jacket from the source material. The background is really just the first picture you get when you google this song, and I don't really see it as what a background is supposed to be in a DDR game.
Tilt: 0/0

Itsuko - 15/15
Expert: 10/10
If you read through my reviews of all the songs, you'll see I value character and originality more than technicality. I think this chart had both! It had a lot of character, and it reminded me of the old TaQ style of songs from pre-Max. This seems like a really cool evolution from that, modernized, but still with the classic DDR flair.
Presentation: 5/5
Love a reference, and they look good.
Tilt: 0/0
I don't think I can go above a 15 but this is a very original file and I enjoy it a lot. I appreciate you going out of the box for this.

Mirror Prism - 13/15
Expert: 8/10
Fun! They sometimes droned on a little, and maybe followed a little too closely for too long to the point of boring repetition. It picked up in the end and overall was fun, if not a nice simple little file!
Presentation: 5/5
Simple but effective.
Tilt: 0/0

Oops! I Did It Again (Rise Team Eurobeat Bootleg) - 15/15
Expert: 10/10
Yeah. This is great, classic, fun, etc. I think the 16th burst is going to be controversial, but I think it's a cute quirk that sets this chart apart. Not much to say other than great.
Presentation: 5/5
Cute reference, pretty, well done. You don't want to hear what I say about centering but the banner looks uncentered compared to the background where it's all one object.
Tilt: 0/0

Quake - 14/15
Expert: 9/10
Really cool! You did a great job taking a song with complicated rhythms and not taking it too far. You embraced the complicated rhythms, but you didn't go too literal or too simple. I think you hit a great balance which is very hard to find. I think in the second half there could've been a little more breathing room and organization in arrow-direction choice if that makes sense. Overall I really liked this. This type of song/file isn't usually my cup of tea but she would not be deleted from my Stepmania and would be a fun one to play when I'm looking for a challenge.
Presentation: 5/5
Looks good! I prefer the black background of the jacket compared to the blue background of the banner. Feels more DDR and put together for some reason. Still, looks great.
Tilt: 0/0

Sunshine (Wippenberg Remix) - 9/15
Expert: 5/10
There's good here, but it felt very repetitive and sometimes messy. The cut may not have helped, but the rhythm kept repeating and repeating and same for the steps. It needed more variety, more peaks and valleys to make following that repeated rhythm more exciting. After a while it's like... okay this again?
Presentation: 4/5
Decent serviceable graphics, but hard to read text, especially "SUNSHINE" with the yellow glow.
Tilt: 0/0

Umbrella Beach - 12/15
Expert: 7/10
Good ideas, but a bit messy. Sometimes I enjoyed what was going on, thinking it was quirky, sometimes the rhythms going back and forth from the quiet synth to the vocals just felt a little strange. Sometimes the switching between following specific rhythms can really ruin the flow of the feel of "dancing" and start to feel like chaos and filler. Still, overall, it was fun!
Presentation: 5/5
Love them! Cute and fun.
Tilt: 0/0

Up N Down - 11/15
Expert: 6/10
I was very confused what I was stepping to. I even played it again like a modern DDR player with vivid noteskin and speed mods. It seems like the steps were sometimes follow barely audible squeaks and background synths. I appreciate the out of the box approach but this didn't work for me.
Presentation: 5/5
Pret-ty. I love.
Tilt: 0/0

Who The Hell Are You (Original Mix - Edit) - N/A
This is my file, and I appreciate everyone's feedback! I'm very happy people are enjoying it!

World Coming Down - 9/15
Expert: 6/10
I didn't enjoy the slowdowns, it felt like the steps during the slowdowns were just as chaotic as the regular speed, which kind of made them unneeded. The chart was ok, but it was just very chaotic, and a little messy. I think it there were easier and harder sections to balance it out, that would help a lot.
Presentation: 3/5
Not the prettiest, but they're custom made for the file and legible.
Tilt: 0/0

Sore wa hanabi no youna koi - 11/15
Expert: 7/10
Not bad by any means, but I feel like a lot of it would be helped by both simplifying and specifying your rhythms. A lot of times it just felt like 8th streams that were filler while waiting for the next part of the chart. Sometimes there were really interesting hits in the music that weren't stressed and seemed like a missed opportunity
Presentation: 4/5
Not custom graphics other than the banner. I don't think the blur effect looked great, but overall the graphics look nice, if not a bit lazy.
Tilt: 0/0
I didn't use decimals, but I kind of wasn't sure between a 7 and an 8 for the Expert chart, and a 3 and a 4 for presentation, so I evened it out by doing the lower number for the chart and higher number for presentation. Also, you were right in the readme that I didn't like the song, and I of course rated this by the charts not the song, but naturally, enjoyment of the song is going to effect enjoyment of the file

[RaverAce]

This is RaverAce doing my first ever review for Best Mix!
As being the ace of rave, I’ve been searching constantly for the best dance tracks from all over the world. Although I’m a bit shy going into this, especially since this is the first time I'm doing these kinds of reviews. These are my opinion and if you like these charts, more power to you.
With that being said, let’s get into my very first review of tracks in alphabetical order!
I played all these songs on a PS3 DDR Mat with no bar or chair, and also analyzed the charts with ArrowVortex. No songs I played needed to use the keyboard in order to pass. This also includes edit of Hallucination XXX, which is not eligible to be counted in the grading.


Baam! (Chmurek)
Expert: 8.5/10
Nice steps, nice implantation of the bam sections, and steps matched up with the song! There was one of the bam’s in measure 11 that was the same in standard as with a few small sections mainly in the beginning, but I’ll let it slide as it’s much less apparent than another song in the bracket.
Standard: 7/10
Feels a bit safe, but it works, though I felt this is overleveled, and should have been a 5.
Presentation: 4.5/5
The graphics match up with the cartoon aspect of the video, as well as including the video in the song. I do feel like the beginning could have been cut to only 4 measures before going into the vocals.
Tilt: 0

Overall: 20/25

Be With You (Pie-kun)
Expert: 5/10
I do like some patterns, but I felt the timing of the song while analysing the song with claps to be off.
Standard: 4/10
I just found this average, the problems with timing does knock it under average for me.
Presentation: 3/5
I think the graphics were good, didn’t blow me away, but it was good and nicely executed. A problem is that the graphics aren’t labelled in the simfile as well as the audio not matching up with the file.
Tilt: 0

Overall: 12/25

Booty Me Down (Air)
Expert: 5/10
There were repeated patterns throughout the chart and some freeze arrows I felt weren’t needed or were too short. It doesn’t help that the song outright sounds so mineral I don’t think this is a song designed for the realm of DDR. I did appreciate the 16th streams which make sense, and at least the notes match up with the song. That being said, seeing the history of making the chart, I see this as an attempt as a so bad its good vibe. As such as much as I dislike the song and chart, I can’t rate it the lowest of the scores I’ll give, but in my opinion, I didn’t find the song fun at all.
Standard: 5.5/10
Same as Expert, but the lower difficulty does bump it up a little bit.
Presentation: 2.5/5
The graphics are just average for me. I have no problem with the subject matter, but it just felt average. At least the song is short.
Tilt: -1
While the song isn’t the worst song I’ve heard, it just doesn’t feel like a song that I feel like people can dance too in a rave sort of way, or DDR. Plus there’s not that much going into this song.

Overall: 12/25

Count What You Have Now (Threefish)
Expert: 3.25/10
I did see some nice patterns, but I believe there were some unnecessary double-stepping. While some freezes that don’t end on an arrow right next to it works like in Kind Lady, other freezes I felt should have. Slowdown Is properly executed. As much as I don’t want to do this, here’s the problem, both charts share too many of the same or similar patterns. I can see for example measures 12, 22, and 50-51 plus some others across both charts. I can let it off a little bit if it’s expert/challenge, but not in standard/expert to this extent. Even Air’s charts in standard & expert while repetitive, didn’t share that much notes with each other. At least mirror the notes to make some sort of attempt to not look like it was copy & pasted.
Standard: 3.75/10
I think there were some better patterns in this one, but the pattern problem with both charts’ really put this one down.
Presentation: 4/5
The retro feel of the graphics fits with the song. The man looks cool with the helmet. Overall, I think the presentation of the graphics were good.
Tilt: 0

Overall: 11/25

Itsuko (Aurae)
Expert: 5/10
The chart is only average with some persumed doublesteps and some issues with freeze lengths. I do appreciate the variety of the steps, but there was a slowdown which is not mentioned in the bpm counter which is something that may throw people off, but it was executed properly, so I’m not deducting any points for what the score is already standing.
Standard: 8/10
This is a better chart. Maybe this should have been an 8, but I think a 7 works for it too.
Presentation: 5/5
I like the throwback to the ultramix era with the graphics and the homage to Richard Devine (Sigrev2). If there was a DDR Ultramix 5, I can imagine this song being in that mix, which is why it’s a 5/5
Tilt: 1
I do like the song. Straight from the Ultramix/Universe era with American producer Richard Devine, Itsuko is a haunting track with similar sounds to his song from Ultramix 4 (Sigrev2). At 147 bpm, this track hits hard with computer sounds, and a mysterious atmosphere within the song. Great cut of the song as well! This is a nice song to dance to, and I like to thank you Aurae for reintroducing me to this great dance tune!

Overall: 19/25

Hallucination XXX (Jammitch!)
Expert: 8/10
This is not a 9, this in my opinion should be 10 because of a few jackhammers, a consistent bpm of 220, and the ending. In other parts, there were some notes that I felt could have been removed. Also, there are parts of the song in which I felt could have been slowed down to 110bpm, but I had a lot of fun playing this song, also a good calorie burner as well!
Difficult: 8.5/10
This one’s a little better, but some I felt that this should have been an 8.
Presentation: 2.5/5
The background could have used some more visuals, or just use something similar to the jacket. It feels a bit generic and doesn’t fit in with the jacket.
Tile: 0

Overall: 19/25

Mirror Prism (Foxytail)
Expert: 3/10
This chart is a bit too jumpy. There was I believe a lack of variety and energy in some sections of the song plus some problems with some freeze lengths. Unfortunately, the song I felt wasn’t utilized to the fullest, but it isn’t that much. I also felt this should be an 8 because of the jumps and some usage of the 16th notes. Overall, I felt this song to be lacking of energy for a song that is trying to have that kind of spirit.
Standard: 6/10
There were some good spins, but I believe the patterns could have been better. I also believe with the spins; this should be a 5.
Presentation: 3/5
Nothing bad to look at, but nothing pleasing to me as well. It didn’t blow me away, but I think it is okay. Audio could have been a bit louder though.
Tilt: 1
I do like the effort you and Kurio made to this original song, so I’m giving you a point. Though maybe for a future song, perhaps getting a harder kick or bassdrum or going at a faster bpm may be better as this song is only 135 bpm, the song felt like it was lacking power.

Overall: 13/25

OOPS! I DID IT AGAIN (Rise Team Eurobeat Bootleg) (Irxevan)
Expert: 8/10
This is a great chart, the 16th stream could have been a bit shorter, but nice patterns and the right length nice work!
Standard: 8/10
Nice chart, I believe it has the same quality as the expert difficulty!
Presentation: 5/5
I like the artwork, really like the throwback to the one by Rochelle. I also liked the use of the bg videos featured in the song. The length is great for DDR. Overall, I think this is a job well done!
Tilt: 1
The song is also great, the only part that I think could have been better is the chorus, I think the kick could have been kept going, but that won’t affect the additional point, because I think you did a great job Irxevan!

Overall: 22/25

Quake (Aki)
Expert: 8/10
I do like some of the patterns of the song. The bpm change was executed great!
Standard: 6/10
I liked the chart a little bit less than the expert chart, but still okay.
Presentation: 5/5
Nice graphics and video!
Tilt: 0

Overall: 19/15

Sunshine (Wippenberg Remix) (Silver)
Expert: 5.5/10
This is an alright chart. I see the spins and it does have energy. The problem is that I felt like some parts of the song could have been cut out as some parts of the song I felt were repetitive. This song is just a tad long for my taste, and I believe this song works better with a shorter cut.
Standard: 5.5/10
I don’t know if this is better than the expert chart. There were some questionable patterns and the same problems with length from the expert chart. The song is also sped up from the original remix from 138 to 145 (which is why at the initial playthrough, I thought it was a generic hand up song), which unless the change of bpm is sped up considerably, I prefer to keep it in its original state.
Presentation: 3/5
I think the graphics were alright, I felt though the song cut could have been better. There are songs that fit the most in the 1:30 range, and some who do need that extra time to make it more enjoyable or simply couldn’t be cut any shorter. Part of the build-up could have been cut and the ending could have been reduced to only 8 measures in my opinion.
Tilt: 0

Overall: 14/25

Umbrella Beach (Juku)
Expert: 5.5/10
The song felt safe, but I think there could have been better patterns throughout the song.
Standard: 6.5/10
The steps for standard are acceptable, though I think with the abundance of freeze arrows, I think this should have been a 4, not a 5.
Presentation: 5/5
You did nail the presentation! I like the Umbrella’s and the background video’s accompanying it.
Tilt: 0

Overall: 17/25

Up’n Down (Will-I-Am)
Expert: 4.5/10
You made this a bit too hard for this kind of song. I do appreciate some of the patterns, but some just didn’t fit into the song. The beginning could have also been cut a little bit.
Standard: 8/10
This is a much better chart. The steps match up with the song and there were some good patterns!
Presentation: 3.5/5
I think it’s neat and fits the theme of the song.
Tilt: 0

Overall: 16/25

Who The Hell Are You (Original Mix -Edit) (Tammie)
Expert: 6.5/10
I do like a bit of the crossovers, but I felt the patterns could have been better. This does feel a bit safe.
Standard: 6.5/10
I think this has the same quality as expert, looks safe overall.
Presentation: 4/5
I think the jacket and background may be a bit generic, but not enough to lower by score. I think it was good. I do like the inclusion of the video however. Though I believe you can take out the (Original Mix -Edit) as it’s basically the main and the most known version of the track so I felt that part is unnecessary.
Tilt: 0

Overall: 17/25

World Coming Down (Braeden47)
Expert: 4.5/10
This chart just didn’t click for me. There are patterns that didn’t fit the song, some lack of variety and this is suppose to be a mix based on Pre-DDR X. This didn’t feel like a song that matches up with that era, but is at least better than the challenge chart.
Challenge: 2.5/10
This wasn’t a good chart for me, there were more notes that doesn’t match up with the song, the patterns weren’t great and overall, doesn’t match up to the era Pre-DDR X.
Presentation: 2/5
Unfortunately, I think the text could have been better. The background also looks kind of basic. The preview could have been the chorus instead of a part of the song and I believe there wasn’t at least a fade out at the end of the song (the full version doesn’t end like that).
Tilt: -1
The song just didn’t do it for me. I do appreciate that the bpm is actually 220, but I felt that this song doesn’t work in the pre-X era of DDR.

Overall: 8/25

Sore Wa Hanabi No Youna Koi (Forcednature)
Expert: 9.25/10
There were some crossovers that I liked, and I like the energy in this song. This I believe should have been a 9 instead of am 8, but I had a lot of fun with the chart and song.
Challenge: 8.75/10
I liked this chart. I felt this should have been a 10, not a 9, but like the expert chart, I had a lot of fun playing the chart!
Presentation: 5/5
I felt like it’s a bit generic, but I think graphics are good for the subject matter of the song and what the song is working with. Nice inclusion of the video!
Tilt: 1
This may be the best Prim song I’ve heard. The melody needs to have great energy and a nice kick to back it up, and I felt Prim did a nice job in blending in the Japanese asthenic with some hardcore elements! I wish more songs with the idol esthetic are something a little bit similar to this, then it could probably be at least a bit more tolerable.

Overall: 24/25

So, after this bracket, here are the rankings of the songs.

1. Sore Wa Hanabi No Youna Koi (24/25)
2. OOPS! I DID IT AGAIN (Rise Team Eurobeat Bootleg) (22/25)
3. Baam! (20/25)
4. Hallucination XXX (19/25)
5. Itsuko (19/25)
6. Quake (19/25)
7. Who The Hell Are You (Original Mix -Edit) (17/25)
8. Umbrella Beach (17/25)
9. Up’n Down (16/25)
10. Sunshine (Wippenberg Remix) (Silver) (14/25)
11. Mirror Prism (13/25)
12. Booty Me Down (12/25)
13. Be With You (12/25)
14. Count What You Have Me Now (11/25)
15. World Coming Down (8/25)

Overall, I felt there were a few good songs. Again, these are just my opinion, and if you like these songs, more power to you. I would also want to thank everyone for the feedback, and If I do make it to the next round, I can take it into account. Though with the scores my song is receiving, the Porygon Label still has a lot to learn & go through in order to compete with the very best. I could perhaps implement the feedback into my Anonymous entry, that is, if my entry makes it to the next round. I would also like some feedback into making these reviews in the future. Until next time, keep on raving, and it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice!

[Rage*]

BAAM!
I really enjoyed these steps. They flowed well and were just enough of a challenge. If this was on an arcade machine and British arcades actually still carried DDR, I would play this often. You should feel proud of this file, it’s bags of fun.
8/10

Presentation:
Lovely graphics that made me want to jump in right away.
4/5

Tilt:
+1 for overall cuteness and fun

Total: 13/15

------------

BE WITH YOU
I enjoyed these steps, I found the first chorus a bit *too* karaoke but the second chorus had much more interesting rhythms. This file reminded me of staying up til the early hours unlocking songs in Dancing Stage Fusion, a file that makes me reminisce is always a good thing.
6/10

Presentation:
Clean, bold and classy. Three things I will never be. Three words I would also use to describe these graphics, they ssuited the song perfectly. 5/5

Tilt:
N/A
Total: 11/15

------------

BOOTY ME DOWN
Dodgy lyrics aside, I enjoyed the step patterns and I actually think the repetitive nature lent itself well to the song. I’ve always felt urban music worked well in DDR, as long as it has a strong, clear rhythm, which this song has
7/10

Prsentation:
I love the Dancemania Bass lady, and the fonts and colours for the text are nice. The overall concept is hilarious.
3/5

Tilt:
+1 for referencing Dancemania Bass

Total:11/15

------------

Count What You Have Now
The steps flowed well and fit the music to a tee. The song edit felt a little too long but that is not toto its detriment. It is the sort of file I could see myself playing in the arcade.
7/10

Presentation:
Really nice graphics, especially love the colour scheme. 4/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 11/15

------------

Fly On The Wings Of Love
I found the first few bars a bit awkward and hard to time, but after that the steps were fun and had some interesting patterns. Some of the jumps were a little awkward, but a good effort.
6/10

Presentation:
I actually think the anime images were well chosen and the fonts and layout of the text is good. I feel more could have been done to tie these two elements together as they are hard to read, but I like the concept a lot.
2/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 8/15
------------

Hallucination XXX
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. Reminded me of a boss song before boss songs were 300bpm monsters with “Max” in the title and it is a file I will be returning to in the future. The last few bars being absolutely batshit crazy felt very Konami.
9/10

Presentation:
They suit the song and were well put together. There;s no shortage of anime imagery in the simfile community but these definitely stood out.
4/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 13/15

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Itsuko
I quite liked the juxtaposition of quite a sparse sounding song with with quite heavy step patterns. I feel the chart might have benefited from holding back a little in some areas, but overall a soild effort.
7/10

Presentation:
These graphics remind me of the Ultramix era, only with an extra level of polish that those games often lacked. They work well for the song and stand out.
3/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 10/15
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Mirror Prism
The steps were cool and flowed well. If you told me this was a Konami chart from a game I had overlooked, I would believe them. I enjoyed the good-cool esque vibe. Good job.
7/10

Presentation:
Really nice colours and layout. I am not sure about the “bee” stripes on the artist logo but overall very good. 3/5

Tilt:
+1 for the Konami vibe.

Total: 11/15
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OOPS! I DID IT AGAIN (Rise Team Eurobeat Bootleg)
These steps are great fun, and I love that you made a Britney Spears song sound like something from Disney’s Rave. The difficulty level and flow is really nice and I have played this file a lot. Good work all around.
8/10

Presentation:
Love the call back to the Rochelle cover in 5th Mix, Bold, clean graphics that have a great Max/Max2 vibe. 5/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 13/15
------------

QUAKE
I really liked this. I loved the build up to the BPM increase and it felt like a fun challenge. I’m really glad you included the video.
7/10

Presentation:
The graphics look very nineties. I’m getting Turok: Dinosaur Hunter vibes, in a good way. 3/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 10/15

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SUNSHINE (Wippenburg Remix)
I feel like the steps really came to life in the middle, and there were some parts I really enjoyed. Overall a good effort, I would like to check out more of your files.
6/10

Presentation:
The colour scheme and concept is ideal for this song. 3/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 9/15
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UMBRELLA BEACH
I’m not a big Owl City fan (Carly Rae collab aside) but this is a very fun cute file and you made me appreciate the song. I loved the chilled out video and the steps flowed well.
7/10

Presentation:
Really nice graphics that set the tone before I had even pressed the start button 4/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 11/15
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UP N DOWN
I love that you made a challenging stepchart out of a Charli XCX song. It works well!
Some of the freezes felt a little awkward but not enough to stop me enjoying a very well thought out file. 7/10

Presentation:
I love these! They make me want to eat Parma Violets sweets. 5/5

Tilt:
+1 because of all the lilac!

Total: 12/15
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WHO THE HELL ARE YOU (Original Mix - Edit)
A really nice chart, you know when to hold back and when to make things a bit more difficult, which is always impurtant. I am so glad I live in a time when I can play files like this on a shiny pad from Poland, as opposed to an S Club Juniors soft pad from the discount shop.
9/10

Presentation:
I love the layout and font choices for the graphics, really nice. I feel a bit of a palette swap would elevate these to being perfect. They are very nice but compared to your previous work they feel like a second to last draft as opposed to the finished article. This is a very minor gripe for a well made file though.
4/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 13/15
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World Coming Down
I didn’t know what to expect with this song but thanks for keeping me guessing! This was a challenge for me, I’m not going to lie, but one I enjoyed. There were some really interesting parts around the middle.
7/10

Presentation:
The graphics are very simple and lack polish but you get an extra point for the layout of the text which is quirky and suits the song well. I would love to see what these would look like with white text instead.
3/5

Tilt: N/A

Total: 10/15
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Sore wa hanabi no youna koi
These steps had character but were a bit repetitive, I think a slightly shorter song edit would have helped. They did flow very well though. 6/10

Presentation:
The graphics are very pretty and suit the song well. I like the layout of the jacket. My only gripe is that there was no romanised translation for the song title but overall good job. 4/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 10/15

[Kewing]

I'm sorry I didn't do a full review, been dealing with some stuff.

Approval vote
BAAM
QUAKE
Sunshine (Wippenberg Remix)
UP N DOWN
WHO THE HELL ARE YOU (Original Mix - Edit)

Honorable Mentions
OOPS! I DID IT AGAIN
Be With You
Mirror Prism
Hallucination XXX

[Telperion]

Also ran out of time to do a full review...hopefully I can scrounge together some time for Anon and B2.

Approval Vote
BAAM
Booty Me Down
OOPS! I DID IT AGAIN (Rise Team Eurobeat Bootleg)
QUAKE

Honorable Mention
Be With You
Fly On The Wings Of Love
Itsuko
UP N DOWN
WHO THE HELL ARE YOU (Original Mix - Edit)