BRACKET 2 - Public Review

[BLueSS]

All registered users (whether you entered or not) will be able to vote or judge the files based on choosing one of the 3 following options. No matter which option you chooise, you must equally evaluate all of the songs in a bracket to provide fairness. The reviews that take longer will grant more points to the files.

PR Option 1: Write a Complete Review of all songs in the bracket (assigning 25 points/song)
- Expert chart (10 points) Write a description of what you liked and disliked with the charts, explaining your score.
- Hardest non-Expert chart (10 points)
- Presentation (5 points) Write a description of what you liked and disliked with the artwork.
- Tilt / Preference (±1 point) for ANY reason, but you have to explain it.

NOTE: "Presentation" includes REQUIRED artwork as stated in these rules. Optional additions (videos, cd titles, etc) can only ADD to a score. You cannot take away points from a file because it didn't include enough extras compared to another file.

PR Option 2: Write a Partial Review of all songs in the bracket (15 points/song)
This is the same as above, but only for the EXPERT chart. This is NOT the "hardest" chart.
- Expert chart (10 points) Write a description of what you liked and disliked with the charts, explaining your score.
- Presentation (5 points) Write a description of what you liked and disliked with the artwork. (SEE NOTE ABOVE)
- Tilt / Preference (±1 point) for ANY reason, but you have to explain it.

PR Option 3: Approval Vote (5 points/song)
This is the quick route. You vote for as many songs from the bracket as you want.
Each vote = 5 points for each song you vote for.

CREATE ONE POST FOR YOUR BRACKET 2 PUBLIC REVIEW HERE.

[chewiiii]

Approvals once again.

+5
Generation of Love
Diddley-Dee
COMO
WHAT THE HELL
Potential Breakup Song

honorable mentions (+0)
PPBQ
LONG TRAIN RUNNIN’ (Ventura Mix)
Number One Fan
ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS

[forcednature]

forcednature reviews Bracket 2:



ChaserXX / HuΣer (t7r) - 15/15

Expert: 9/10
Very nice, a lot of movement, doesn't get boring despite the song being relatively repetitive. Could have maaaybe been harder but as it is I really like it.

Presentation: 5/5
great graphics, fit well to the pretty video.

Tilt: +1
Difficult chart is very fun.


COMO / KIM VIERA x DADDY YANKEE (Juub005) - 13/15

Expert: 7/10
Nice chart. I liked the 16th rap part and the parts with the 16th jumps. I feared this would be boring but it was really fun actually.

Presentation: 5/5
Beautiful graphics. The video is offsync, but i will not deduct any points for that.

Tilt: +1
Nice Challenge chart.


DIDDLEY-DEE / CARTOONS (Lisek) - 14/15

Expert: 8/10
Purely from going off how much fun I had I have to say that this is excellent. It's a bit too long, and maybe slightly too repetitive, but still a nice chart that fits great to the song.

Presentation: 5/5
Very cute graphics. Background video made me laugh hard.

Tilt: +1
Really fun Challenge chart. I love this chart!


EDGE OF GLORY (REMIX) / SATCH THE CAT (TonyAkita) - 13/15

Expert: 8/10
Nice oldschool chart with the streams and the jumps. My favorite part was the chorus. However, I wish this had a bit MORE different things in the latter half, because unfortunately this dragged on towards the end. Still, it was quite fun.

Presentation: 5/5
Fitting to the song, I don't exactly understand why there's that ball but I might be missing something. Still looks nice.

Tilt: 0


FEEL THE MUSIC / JASMINE & SAPPHIRE SKYE (Hainaut) - 13/15

Expert: 8/10
The more I play this the more I like it. Does not hold back with 16ths going to the vocals which is very bold but it ends up being a very fun chart to play over and over. I actually (successfully) tried to PFC this because I liked it so much.

Presentation: 5/5
Oldschool pretty MAX-EXTREME era graphics.

Tilt: 0


Future Pop / Perfume (Super_Ray) - ??/??

No review because it's disqualifed, but this chart had quite a few things going for it (especially the last part.) Unfortunately I didn't like the beginning (steps starting with the song), and the first bit was sorta boring. Still not bad at all and I am excited to see more charts from you.


Generation of Love / MASTERBOY (Kewing) - 11/15

Expert: 6/10
Not bad, but didn't excite me. The movement was all over the place and very unpredictable, the jumps and 16ths in second half were not bad.

Presentation: 5/5
Good graphics that fit to the video.

Tilt: 0


hit 'em up style (oops!) / blu cantrell (chewi) - 14/15

Expert: 9/10
Yeah for a 6 this is excellent. Very fun, does what I expect from a 6 to this song without becoming boring. The combination of the steps and the video/song give this a very "complete" feeling.

Presentation: 5/5
Very fitting to the song.

Tilt: 0


LONG TRAIN RUNNIN' (Ventura Mix) / BUS STOP (y3v0n) - 12/15

Expert: 7/10
Not bad at all but left something to be desired. I felt the song wasn't fully utilized. Some 16ths felt a bit hectic, and in other places, there could have been 16ths where there weren't any. I also didn't like the stops. Despite this, I still thought the chart was quite fun to play.

Presentation: 5/5
Awesome graphics that of course relate to the original.

Tilt: 0


Mars beach / さよひめぼう (Pandemonium X) - 13/15

Expert: 8/10
Steps went very well to this song, but I wish that this had any sort of movement. Not much to say except that it's more fun on pad than it looks.

Presentation: 5/5
Nice graphics that fit to the song.

Tilt: 0


Number One Fan / MUNA (Valex) - 11/15

Expert: 6/10
Not bad but dragged on a lot. I liked the spins, but didn't get excited over anything else. Solid.

Presentation: 5/5
Good graphics, fit to the song.

Tilt: 0


ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS / KYLIE MINOGUE (hooky) - 12/15

Expert: 7/10
Very competent & fun chart that is dragged down by it's cut unfortunately. The middle could have had a slowdown, and the ending of the chart felt very abrupt.

Presentation: 5/5
Pretty fitting graphics for the song.

Tilt: 0


Potential Breakup Song / Aly & AJ (BlueSS) - 13/15

Expert: 7/10
The timing of the steps is really good and fits to this type of song very well. Unfortunately some of the patterning felt a bit weird. The jumps at the very beginning & end didn't have to be there. Otherwise this is a nice oldschool chart.

Presentation: 5/5
Nice graphics that fit well to the song.

Tilt: +1
I liked the overall "feel" of this file (just like with hit em up style) with the chart, the video and the song.


PPBQ / ぽんきち (Telperion) - 15/15

Expert: 10/10
Amazing. One of my favorites of this whole contest. Very nice balance between old-school and newer DDR. I liked every single aspect of this chart.

Presentation: 5/5
Nice, clean graphics that go well to the video.

Tilt: 0


RASPUTIN / MAJESTIC x Boney M. (Rage*) - 12/15

Expert: 7/10
It's a good chart, but the patterning and turning was very weird and not my type of chart. Pretty fun on pad, but not very remarkable otherwise.

Presentation: 5/5
Good graphics.

Tilt: 0


おおきなこえで / 猫叉Master Feat. Sana (MixMasterLar) - 8/15

Expert: 3/10
Unfortunately there is quite a lot to unpack here. The cut is too long, the steps drag on a bit, the 16ths were definitely not 16ths in the song and the chart felt pretty offsync for most of the time. There is potential here, but unfortunately it's not very fun to play.

Presentation: 5/5
nice background, but the jacket feels a bit low-quality. An upscaler could have helped. Still, fits the song.

Tilt: 0


WHAT THE HELL / SHELDON (titiln) - 15/15

Expert: 10/10
Very nice oldschool chart that goes well with this kind of song. Not a lot to say, just really fun.

Presentation: 5/5
Really nice graphics.

Tilt: 0
Great usage of BGA videos, but we're already at 15/15.


Witchcraft Pegboard Nerds Remix / Pendulum (shortysnmn2010) - 12/15

Expert: 7/10
Not bad but had way more potential. I really liked the freeze usage (especially in the first part) but more movement or jumps, jacks or anything to set accents would have made this a bit less repetitive.

Presentation: 5/5
Basic graphics but they do it's job.

Tilt: 0





aand that's it. I liked this bracket way more than the first one. Good job everyone. Hope that the feedback helps, have a nice day.

EDIT: I just realized I gave every single file 5/5 in presentation. What can I say, I'm pretty soft on graphics :P

[Air]

All played on Pad.


ChaserXX 8/10
This was a very twisty fun chart, a little bit much in places but it worked out. I really liked the build up to the drop with the double tap crossovers, they were fun. The main part of the songs crossovers were fun too. I REALLY enjoyed those gallops with the freeze arrows towards the end. Great choice in song! I think had this been in IIDX back in the early 2000s, Konami would have ported it over.

Presentation 3/5
This looks pretty good, I like that the characters have been added to the background, unsure if the house from the BG is from the video, but it all kind of works. I don't like the colors, but they're based on the video.

+1 for song selection
Total 12/15


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COMO 8/10
This had a very decent expert chart. It wasn't too complicated, I had fun. I enjoyed the double steps in places, and the 16ths in Daddy Yankee's verse. If I did have to nitpick, I wanted a bit more out of the ending than just the freeze arrows.
Challenge was also a lot of fun, not overly difficult apart from 1 or 2 32nd notes. Again if I were to nitpick, the freeze arrows at the end.

Presentation 4/5
This looks really nice. I like how colorful it is.

Tilt n/a
Total 12/15


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Diddley-Dee 9/10
Expert was a lot of fun, it was VERY DDR for an easy chart. I loved a lot of the patterns, and with some being reversed/mirrored on the opposite side of the pad, it had great balance and worked very well.
Challenge was fun but I think it has a few too many yellow notes. I think if the 2nd yellow note (after blue) at bar 62 had been removed, and kept this going throughout the chart, it would have worked out a lot better. I really enjoyed the crossover gallop before the Chorus each time, was hella fun, and the other crossovers were a lot of fun. I thought it a bit odd at the end, beat 225 didn't also have a triplet pattern.

Presentation 5/5
It's a call back to 6th Mix and it works. Loved the video that was added too.

Tilt n/a
Total 14/15


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Edge Of Glory Remix 6/10
This was a little bit too much for me. It felt like 8ths were all over the place. I enjoyed the crossovers with the freezes, but wasn't a fan of other parts. I didn't like that the build up before the chorus was copied and pasted later, if it had been mirrored, that may have worked out a little better. The gallops towards the end were interesting.

Presentation 2/5
I guess the football is related to "glory"? I think perhaps it should have read "Edge Of Glory (Satchhecat Remix) / Lady Gaga) or what Irxevan did for Oops in B1, calling it a bootleg. I like the effect on "Remix".

Tilt n/a
Total 8/15


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Feel The Music 6/10
I liked the twistiness of the chart, though it was very heavily focused on the vocals. I think the first verse worked well but fell short in the Chorus area, it felt a little chaotic and weird switching between the vocals and backing track. I really enjoyed the freeze patterns and 16ths between bar 34 - 41, those were a lot of fun. I think perhaps this should be a level 9.

Presentation 3/5
The title looks pretty good, but I find that on the background, it looks like it has the tube type bevel/photoimpacteffect then on the left side, you can't really see it and I'm seeing artifacts around the text where it's been stretched or so. Thicker strokes/outlines would have been good. I don't really like the artist logo.

Tilt +1
+1 for original music! maybe higher quality audio in future? I'm surprised it's 128kbps for original music.
Total 10/15


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Future Pop 7/10
This was fun in places, however I found it more interesting in the build up before the drop, I wish it had been an easier chart, something reminiscent of TURN ME ON (Heavenly Mix) from 3rd mix, perhaps a level 6/7 chart would have worked better. I found it interesting that Ray, a boomer like us, started the chart on the first audio beat o:

Presentation 3/5
I like the font used for FUTURE POP, maybe this is a quick file to get back into the swing of things? the background is a little too bright/contrasty.

Tilt n/a
Total 10/15


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Generation Of Love 9/10
This was a very solid chart. Unsure if I was meant to spin at bar 25, but I didn't and it was still wonderful. The crossovers at bar 41 onwards was super fun, it had some nice airtime. I also loved how the 16th note patterns kept switching it up and didn't feel repetetive!

Presentation 3/5
This doesn't feel like DDR, but it works, it's nice.

Tilt +1
This gets a + for music choice! It felt very 2UNLIMITED meets E-ROTIC, I enjoyed the entire thing!
Total 13/15


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Hit Em Up Style (Oops!) 10/10
I see you Chewi, serving us that Gimme Your Love style ending! For an easy chart, this was so incredibly lovable. It was like a love letter to Janet & Tracy it feels very old school DDR and just hit in all the right spots, it's kind of perfect in a way. It reminded me of Let The Beat Hit Em' and a few other RNB boppies, I am curious to see a challenge chart for this may look like tho.

Presentation 4/5
It looks nice! It's not the most interesting/overcomplicated/multiple color style artwork, but it works. It reminds me a little of SuperNOVA 1/2 artwork.

Tilt +1
I'm giving this a plus 1 for an old school song, an old school chart, and the overall enjoyment I got out of it.
Total 15/15


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Long Train Runnin (Ventura Remix) 6/10
This was a lot of fun in some places. I enjoyed the opening pattern, but that part seemed to repeat throughout the song 3 times (and then we hear it a 4th on the outro/fadeout) It became a little reptetive. I thought the parts "Without Loooooooove" it went from a triplet, to a weird yellow/blue sort of gallop, then later a red>yellow gallop, it seemed a bit weird changing it up so many times. I loved the vocal steps at bar 34! I enjoyed that part the most. (there was one part that made me doublestep, but I did it backwards DD)

Presentation 3/5
I think this would have looked better with the old school DDR BUSSTOP logo, and maybe the banner color matching the background? I noticed Train is there too! nice cameo. The font looks fine, but it feels like there's too much going on with the white on the text.

Tilt n/a
Total 9/15


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Mars Beach 10/10
This was so much fun! I think it'd work ver well in something like SuperNOVA, the cute sort of IIDX song that's crossedover with the cute animation. It was good, I loved the twisties, and think it's a clear winner in terms of chart. The funky part of the song later on (bar 48 onwards) reminded me of some of the DDR Club Mix version songs! and those jacks in that section were so much fun. It was such a lovely play, I liked that it gave room to breath with some of the gaps too! It had a nice balance switching between vocals and music, I can also see this being a very popular track if put onto a dedicab.

Presentation 3/5
Screenshots used, which I don't mind, tho it does look a litle low quality. I dislike the font used haha, but the colors are nice and match the screenshots from the video.

Tilt +1
The song was a nice chilled out track, but also funky in places, so for the good choice in music, I give this a plus one (and because of the enjoyment too)
Total 14/15


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Number One Fan 7/10
I wasn't a number one fan unfortunately. This was fun in some places, I liked the first verse with the crossovers, and the use of gallops too. The parts that were a bit off putting were the triplets, they seemed to overpower the file a little. The double taps a bit later with the freeze arrows seemed to be swaying to the right side of the pad, and nothing came up on the left leaving it feeling a bit unbalanced. Some of the later crossovers were enjoyable too.

Presentation 2/5
It looks like it's some art found online, and some text put over the top. Not really much going on.

Tilt n/a
Total 9/10


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On A Night Like This 8/10
I didn't know this was by Kylie, I must have heard it a 1000 times (I'm a bad gay ) This was enjoyable, I liked the little whisper steps with the freezes before the first verse (these were used again later before Chorus) and it had some fun crossovers in there. I can totally see this fitting right in with DDRMAX 1/2 US Licences. Crossovers in the chorus are also super fun! If I were to knock it, it'd be that long ass freeze on the outro, it lasts a bit too long.

Presentation 3/5
I was gonna say how this would look nicer with Rage's Kylie logo, then realized it looks a little like Ordinary World, which I'm kind of into... saying that, I guess the song kind of gives off the same vibe. I like the colors, reminds me a little of something DitZ would do.

Tilt +1
Good song choice!
Total 12/15


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Potential Breakup Song 5/10
This was interesting. I thought it followed some good patterns musically, but there were a lot of awkward patterns mixing between double steps, jumping (a lot of jumping, which I wouldn't mind if used well) I didn't really understand the jumping in the beginning to the quieter/more mellow part, or the jumping in the outro.

Presentation 3/5
I think this looks pretty good, the yellow gradient really pops, wish the yellow had been used on the background too, or that both Aly & AJ were used on the background.

Tilt n/a
Total 8/15


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PPBQ 9/10
This was a lot of enjoy! I liked the balanace of easy and difficult parts. I enjoy a lot of Tel's level 9's and this didn't disappoint, there were some fun twisty parts, is there such thing as a chilled out level 9? maybe? It was a little difficult the first place, but after learning the patterns a bit, was very enjoyable.

Presentation 4/5
I really like the background, with the 2 layers for the text, I don't think it works smaller on the banner and jacket though. Maybe different color for the artist would have made it pop a bit more.

Tilt +1
This was fun, brilliant song choice, it was different. Reminded me a bit of Blust Of Wind and some of those Jazz files from the anything goes packs.
Total 14/15


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Rasputin 7/10
I feel much like one of Rage's End Of Year songs, this seemed to be heavily focused on the left side of the pad, but because of his super powers to pick really fun audio patterns, it was enjoyable. Challenge was way more fun, the double steps made sense, and I loved some of the crossovers with the freezes!

Presentation 5/5
It looks good, it looks like a modern version of synthwave art with those colors, and all seems to pop nicely! Background is more simple, but works very well.

Tilt +1
Giving a plus because the challenge chart was a lot of fun.
Total 13/15


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What The Hell 8/10
This was a decent chart! though predictable in a few places, I felt it had a nice balance switching between the vocals and music. The double taps in the first verse reminded me of Shake It Off, but I thought it worked better in this case. I'm glad I had something more energetic to play towards the end of the pack.

Presentation 4/5
I was thinking of giving this a 5, but I honestly feel a bit weird with this artwork. I get the idea of it being chaotic because of the song name, but I feel there there's way too much going on. It looks as if there's been 10 pieces of MAX3 artwork put through the paper shredder (in a good way) merged with a red color over the top, then there's 3 different backgrounds/patterns in the middle, 3 different fonts, and loads of different colors, It's a bit overkill. (individually, they're all very nice!)

Tilt n/a
Total 12/15


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Witchcraft 7/10
This was fun at the beginning, I liked the way the patterns made me use the same foot with the freezes, then I thought the track was going somewhere being a pedboard nerds remix, but after the build up, it felt like it was a synthwave kind of track with a few wubs here and there, it didn't really take me anywhere. I think the steps flow perfectly with the song though, but it became a little repetetive. Challenge, again goes perfectly to the music, but it didn't take me on the journey I was hoping. Good chart, does what it should for the music (I wasn't really feeling it)

Presentation 2/5
This is one of those where the title was hanging offscreen somewhere (or too low/too high) I feel like it's probably official artwork with the title put over the top.

Tilt +1
I'm giving this a plus 1 because the chart is good, though the song is underwhelming.
Total 10/15


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おおきなこえで/Ookina koé de 6/10
This was interesting (expert) It didn't really work using those 16ths to, what sounds like 12th note patterns, Otherwise, it's very fun in places. I liked some of the spins later in the chart, but after doing it the first few times, I thought a bit more could have been done in terms of music patterns.
Challenge made less sense, again, those 16ths going to 12th notes. I feel too many of the 16ths made it overkill/unenjoyable, also both charts start on beat one not allowing the player to get into it before, getting into it. The gallops were also a bit much for something this slow.

Presentation 2/5
It's very blurry, it looks almost as if the text was put on the art small, then resized bigger. I do however like what was done with the placement on the banner (I hope it's not just a screenshot) the color on the text is really nice, so if it was traced/redone, it'd look very good.

Tilt n/a
Total 8/15

[y3v0n]

ChaserXX 14 / 15
8 / 10 - Heavy
this is a 9 footer, fight me. i think the sections following the piano threw a bit of a curve ball. don't hate it, but they were interpreted very literally. and the second half when you moved away from them is even better.
5 / 05 - Presentation
graphics are effective, text is clean - and while the canvas overlay never quite looks great, it does a good job disguising the image's lossy source.
1 / 01 - Tilt
i like the video - am i right in guessing this was the bgmovie in iidx?

Como 14 / 15
8 / 10 - Heavy
i think this committed to a 7 footer really well. during daddy yankee's section there's a bit of a spike that follows the vocals and feels a little out of place compared to the rest of the song being quite steady - the jumps for emphasis and rhythm help a lot here.
5 / 05 - Presentation
graphics are excellent, the colour scheme is vibrant but cohesive.
1 / 01 - Tilt
i thought the video helped tie the bow quite nicely.

Diddley-Dee 12 / 15
6 / 10 - Heavy
this is an interesting one! these steps are not BAD, but the song itself doesn't "go" anywhere which to a degree impacts the steps you can do. it's still a fun file, i enjoyed most of the steps, though i think the above does mean you were kind of limited to karaoke stepping for a considerable part of it.
5 / 05 - Presentation
graphics are a nice callback to witch doctor, very clean text and the uh, squirrel? in the background is cute.
1 / 01 - Tilt
video is good, i forgot about that guy's ridiculous coiffure.

EDGE OF GLORY (REMIX) 10 / 15
6 / 10 - Heavy
i don't know if the steps in the intro particularly belong there. there's not much musically happening, and then a stream appears that doesn't quite fit. like if there was a beat yes, but because the song is still building at that point. this also made me think the file was out of sync, but i think it's a side effect of the "production" of the song. i liked the second verse and chorus though, i think i liked that over the first.
4 / 05 - Presentation
i understand that there's a soccer reference - like la copa de la vida and we are the champions being ascribed to sporty anthems from queer icons. none of it is particularly offensive and it does the job, though the text is a little simple given the effort elsewhere
0 / 01 - Tilt

Feel the Music 12 / 15
7 / 10 - Heavy
The first half was giving me huge Baby Love Me vibes from MAX2. overall this was pretty good, it's classic ddr's interpretation of eurobeat, though i think it does fall fairly hard on karaoke through the choruses.
5 / 05 - Presentation
overall i like these, i guess you could have emphasised some sort of music theme, but i also appreciate the urge to resist filling every square inch with musical notes.
0 / 01 - Tilt

Future Pop UNRATED / 15
UNRATED / 10 - Heavy
this was a pleasant enough file. personally i felt like the section that kicks in after the buildup is pretty under-stepped. i know it's perfume so it's not a boss song, but it would have been fun to play with some freezes in this, instead of 4th *break* 8th *break* 4th.
UNRATED / 05 - Presentation
i think because the souce image wasn't hq, the light beams/streamers/tinsel/whatever isn't crisp, and it turned out rather lo-fi. text is straightforward and clean though.
UNRATED / 01 - Tilt


Generation Of Love 11 / 15
7 / 10 - Heavy
i feel like with steps starting at 0:00 of the song, you could have amended the cut to have four bars on the intro instead of eight, or pushed the steps back four bars. overall i liked the steps, though towards the end it does feel like the difficulty spikes noticeably despite no real change in the music itself.
3 / 05 - Presentation
another file that uses album art in lieu of your own interpretation - i would have rather seen your own interpretation, though these aren't inoffensive, and you've at least added your own masterboy logo on the banner.
1 / 01 - Tilt
video is a good touch.

hit 'em up style (oops!) 14 / 15
8 / 10 - Heavy
dearly enjoyed the difficulty rating, it had a nice slide up towards the end with a couple of longer streams. not sure about the 16th, that's all.
5 / 05 - Presentation
graphics are trademark chewi great text with a stock photo but this is more than fine - adds to the CS licence feel of the song choice tbh.
1 / 01 - Tilt
what a good video.

Mars beach 15 / 15
9 / 10 - Heavy
these were great - some of my favourite parts were the jump sections with the 16ths, i thought it didn't try too hard to do anything outlandish, and stayed grounded throughout.
5 / 05 - Presentation
i think you could *maybe* have sharpened this up a bit, or traced over the characters, but the fonts used and colours are chef's kiss
1 / 01 - Tilt
another iidx file making use of the video, good work

Number One Fan 11 / 15
6 / 10 - Heavy
i think this was a fair file, but harmed by the long cut. the first verse was really good, alternating between rhythm and vocal steps, then it kind of steps up a bit too high, and ends up feeling somewhat overstepped, considering it's a 124bpm pop song.
5 / 05 - Presentation
i like the muted colours that suit the background, and avoiding using official art. very good.
0 / 01 - Tilt

ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS 13 / 15
7 / 10 - Heavy
i really liked the first half. really liked it. the freezes were perfect, and the 16ths used sparingly. i replayed this, and i think the second half gets disrupted by the cut jumping from the verse into the last bridge - the break in rhythm that goes from what you "expect" (given everyone would have heard this song before) into something out of left field kind of left me feeling a bit "why didja do that?".
5 / 05 - Presentation
gfx are nice and straghtforward, i saw in the discord review that it was an 'omage to ordinary world; i see that now.
1 / 01 - Tilt
video takes me back, why did kylie push over that damn vase? hooligan.

おおきなこえで 8 / 15
5 / 10 - Heavy
this gave me extremely...dancing stage 1.5 if it had freeze arrows. it has a bit of an oddness to it, it interprets some parts too literally too often, and there's a lot of room between notes a lot of the time.
3 / 05 - Presentation
this has a similar vibe to last surprise - these feel muddy and compressed. if you re-laid text in high-res and applied a watercolour filter to make the muddiness feel purposeful, i would have appreciated that more.
0 / 01 - Tilt

Potential Breakup Song 11 / 15
5 / 10 - Heavy
this had a lot of jumps for a song that didn't quite have the punch to back it up! i didn't mind the steps and a lot of the phrasing was fair, but the jumps in the low energy parts and long streams didn't have the same pop as if they would in a higher energy song.
5 / 05 - Presentation
i applaud you for avoiding the temptation to use the actual jacket, and using one of the photoshoot images is still a solid choice. it's clean and well executed.
1 / 01 - Tilt
video adds to this file's presentation very nicely.

PPBQ 15 / 15
9 / 10 - Heavy
goddamn those stops, i laughed out loud. this was really good, the steps were as out-there as the song, and i think in this case they worked really well. it reminded me a bit of monkey business. the last jump section was fab.
5 / 05 - Presentation
these are lovely, the shades of blue used are fab. i was going to say i'd prefer the artist text is bigger on the banner anyway, but i cannot read japanese anyway so it doesn't particularly matter to me
1 / 01 - Tilt
that video???????????????

Rasputin 13 / 15
7 / 10 - Heavy
i don't mind this, oh at all. i think the steps were a little outside the box at times which is cool. playing with rhythms is where it's at. the bridge/buildup/chorus (just say second half) was very fun - the first half was experimental. a couple of the patterns didn't make sense to me.
5 / 05 - Presentation
one of the OGs when it comes to good quality graphics. hits every mark, and complements the video nicely.
1 / 01 - Tilt
oh yeah, the video. if BM6 were a month later, you could have used the bimini version!

what the hell 15 / 15
10 / 10 - Heavy
the song cut was bang on in terms of what it needed to include, the rhythms balanced vocals and general energy - the chorus is a standout.
5 / 05 - Presentation
graphics are very good as well, i wasn't sure about the varying text elements, but it still feels harmonious.
0 / 01 - Tilt

Witchcraft (Pegboard Nerds Remix) 9 / 15
6 / 10 - Heavy
i think this did a lot of heavy leaning on the synths, but was restrained in a lot of places at the same time - instead of taking advantage of the high tempo and hard beats, it feels like you wanted to avoid long streams. I think that would have been acceptable, especially heading towards the climax, the song's energy lends itself to this.
3 / 05 - Presentation
banner is a rip on the youtube cover art, like out of the sky in the anon bracket. i'd rather see your own interpretation, but the text is still legible and overall pretty clear.
0 / 01 - Tilt

[Silver]

Approval Votes:

ChaserXX
Diddley-Dee
Long Train Runnin (Ventura Mix)
Number One Fan
On a Night Like This
What the Hell

[t7r]

Full review.

ChaserXX is my file so giving a score to it is like liking your own tweet.

SCORE SUMMARY
Como - 23/25
Diddley-Dee - 24/25
EDGE OF GLORY (REMIX) - 23/25
FEEL THE MUSIC - 23/25
Future Pop - HYPOTHETICALLY 20/25
Generation Of Love - 21/25
hit 'em up style (oops!) - 23/25
LONG TRAIN RUNNIN' (Ventura Mix) - 20/25
Mars beach - 24/25
Number One Fan - 21/25
ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS - 21/25
おおきなこえで - 13/25
Potential Breakup Song - 20/25
PPBQ - 21/25
Rasputin - 24/25
WHAT THE HELL - 24/25
Witchcraft (Pegboard Nerds Remix) - 19/25

SPREADSHEET VERSION
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... VAnkozK0j/

GOOGLE SHEETS HATERS VERSION
NOTE: Tilt is 0 unless indicated otherwise (no one got a single -1 from me and was actually always the case)

Como - 23/25
Presentation (5/5)
* Fundamentals covered although the aspect ratio inconsistency with the title's text still worked I guess so I'll give that a pass.
Expert (9/10)
* Was very fun but I'd like to see a bit more complex patterns.
Challenge (9/10)
* Same remark as Expert but more in terms of movement since it was front-facing for majority of the song with a few good doublestepping. I really liked the Daddy Yankee section; while being a karaoke part it still worked so well.

Diddley-Dee - 24/25
Presentation (5/5)
* Simple and cute presentation. Song cut might've been repetitive but it's not blatantly obvious that it would feel out of place in DDR.
Expert (9/10)
* Appreciate the variation of the patterns given the repetitive nature of the song cut. Still ended up a fun chart.
Challenge (10/10)
* The Afronova walks used in here are fun and I like the WITCH DOCTOR-esque callbacks in here. Fun chart!

EDGE OF GLORY (REMIX) - 23/25
Presentation (4/5)
* While the graphics are good enough, the song cut could use a change-- the intro can be toned down a bit (then again that was too long) and felt repetitive; maybe the second verse can be left cut out. Audio was a bit soft. 1 is the maximum I'm docking for audio problems like this.
Difficult (10/10)
* I really liked the movement in this one, especially that one 4th stream where the player ends up walking backwards near the middle. Completely disregarding song cut this is definitely a 10/10 chart.
Expert (9/10)
* While I'd have preferred the song cut to be changed, it's nice to see the gabba part's patterns became different from the song. Also loved the 8th stream movement in the buildup before the chorus. Fun chart but how the first and second verses felt somewhat the same are the only ones off. Great effort.

FEEL THE MUSIC - 23/25
Presentation (5/5)
* Fundamentals covered.
Difficult (8/10)
* There's one part with consecutive orchestra hits that I'd like to see use jumps instead of a R->L->R cluster instead (at measure 17). The rest of the chart is just fine.
Expert (9/10)
* Chart was really fun but there were freeze arrow sections that are best left shortened at around the first Feel the Music part (m47).
Tilt (1/1)
* While I'm not one to exactly give a +1 tilt for songs produced by the author unless specifically designed for the contest (OOPS in B1) here it is anyway.

Future Pop - HYPOTHETICALLY 20/25
Presentation (4 but I can't/5)
* Anti-aliasing in the text seemed too sharp. Can probably afford to use stills from the 1080p version of the video to have less pixelation (please correct me if it was the case).
Difficult (9 but I can't/10)
* Questionable song start aside this should've been the Expert chart and you made a SuperNOVA bland Expert chart really fun here. I'd give this 10 if it started at measure 5.
Expert (7 but I can't/10)
* Starting on the first beat is a no-no unless it's a boss song. I'd wait until measure 5. The "slow" part was overcharted. First half… I'm torn; not into the single-arrow taps at measure (somewhere). I loved the real 180 BPM part of the song though that was really fun. I'd give this 8/10 if it started at measure 5.
Tilt (0/1)
* #MakeSuperRageHappenAgain #Cheesemix8

Generation Of Love - 21/25
Presentation (4/5)
* Appreciate the effort with the banner but I don't think the new ZIv official background template is the way to go for competitions like these.
Difficult (9/10)
* The movement here is very fun and this turned out to be a very well-balanced chart. Loved the doublestepping at the end! Still against starting immediately at the first beat of the song though;.
Expert (8/10)
* Not sure I'd like those spins in the beginning though. The movement is nice, but I'm a bit iffy with the spin stream in the middle. Liked the overall effort done in this chart nonetheless. Beat 1 start sin.

hit 'em up style (oops!) - 23/25
Presentation (5/5)
* Fundamentals covered.
Difficult (8/10)
* First half was pretty much tapping on each corner for 4 straight measures each. I really liked most the second half though; the 8th jacks in there were definitely reminiscent of those easier 2ndMIX songs. Wasn't too sure about the 4th jacks at m21 thought that part could use variation. Also the start of m26 might've been better off using a different arrow other than right or use an L+R jump; that would add some spice to the 4-footer.
Expert (10/10)
* This was really fun and really captured that old-school feel. The 4th spin used as a consistent motif was well-executed! I won't dock points for the ending that should be a 24th mainly because this is an old-school competition after all.

LONG TRAIN RUNNIN' (Ventura Mix) - 20/25
Presentation (5/5)
* Fundamentals covered.
Difficult (8/10)
* Felt too safe overall, other than that the use of the jumps here is the nicest thing about this chart for sure.
Expert (7/10)
* Wish the parts with the orchestra hits followed just the orchestra hits. Felt like it's going over that by one note. Also not a fan of the part where there are freeze arrows within a freeze arrow.

Mars beach - 24/25
Presentation (5/5)
* Fundamentals covered (can't blame you for the background quality)
Difficult (10/10)
* I liked the movement and patterns here so much better. Makes for a really fun Difficult chart people that want to pass 6-footers wanna play often.
Expert (8/10)
* I'll echo chewi's quote during the live chat because this is exactly how I felt:
"umm i though tthe steps were not bad, but very boring. you were pretty much facing the screen the whole time"
Tilt (1/1)
* The tilt is for the VERY perfect syncing effort. I had been getting single-digit Perfects here.

Number One Fan - 21/25
Presentation (5/5)
* Fundamentals covered.
Difficult (9/10)
* The first half was decent, maybe above average; patterns are neat. The second half's movement felt really nice.
Expert (7/10)
* Felt too long and repetitive with the chart being mostly front-facing. The best parts are the "turn around" parts and they're the only semblance of movement variation in the chart; most of it is front-facing.

ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS - 21/25
Presentation (5/5)
* Fundamentals covered; thought the fadeout at the song cut was too long but I won't dock points for that.
Difficult (8/10)
* Decent chart; the chorus was fun. First half felt too front-facing though.
Expert (8/10)
* Decent chart; might've been safe a bit. Loved the crossovers in the "stay together" parts.

おおきなこえで - 13/25
Presentation (3/5)
* I think you could get away with that graphics quality in 2011. Now that it's 2021, I recommend an upscaling tool like waifu2x.
Expert (4/10)
* Oh no. The wrong quantizations-- a lot of those aren't 16ths. Felt lackluster overall; ended up a bland karaoke chart that doesn't seem to have much thought in the patterns I'm sorry.
Challenge (6/10)
* There was so much potential with the gallops, which I liked. Sadly the intro didn't follow much of the music; I think 16ths still aren't the way to go for this song apart from the gallops in the middle. The freeze arrow use was rather unconventional; if the player has to jump freeze for nearly a measure, might as well put the freeze in BOTH arrows and not one. This was nearly a fun chart, if the freezes and quantizations were done more conventionally.

Potential Breakup Song - 20/25
Presentation (5/5)
* Good graphics. For the song cut, maybe the intro could be cut in half but since that's minor enough and not too drastic like EDGE OF GLORY's song cut+volume issue it's fine.
Difficult (8/10)
* Decent chart overall. I'm still particular about the freeze arrow before the jump that's best left as a regular right arrow at m28b4. Jumps immediately following a freeze arrow ending at an 8th note might feel unusual for Difficult players I guess.
Expert (7/10)
* As much as I'd like to give a 420/69 score for being the best host ever this started earlier than I'd have liked. Also so much of the chart was a bit repetitive especially during the chorus.

PPBQ - 21/25
Presentation (4/5)
* Great graphics. The stop before m38 felt like the next step was too sudden; thought you could give allowance of one more beat with the stop being more than 2 beats though.
Difficult (8/10)
* First half is passable although just like Expert, the first piano bit (m24) felt overcharted but I guess it was meant to follow the percussions. The second half though, was very fun!
Expert (9/10)
* The movement was generally balanced throughout the whole song. However I thought the first piano bit (m24) was too streamy; that can still be toned down. It was still a great chart.

Rasputin - 24/25
Presentation (5/5)
* Fundamentals covered.
Expert (9/10)
* The doublestepping was really good here! I thought the 8th spins were a bit overboard, especially the m39-40 one; at least there's the L+R jump to regain balance.
Challenge (10/10)
* If this was in the anonymous bracket I really wouldn't have thought Rage* would do this. The movement is so good here it's like one of the top-ranking ZIv files with the appropriate use of crossovers. Won't dock points for this but it feels like a Cata.

WHAT THE HELL - 24/25
Presentation (5/5)
* Fundamentals covered, but I'm not so sure with the black bars at the side of the jacket.
Difficult (9/10)
* m22-27's freeze arrows felt like the player is facing the upper-left for 5 whole measures, considering two sets of those used nearly the same freeze arrows. Other than that this still ended up a fun chart!
Expert (10/10)
* I don't have anything else to add since it covers exactly what a fun old-school speed song is. The 16th drill at the end is a nice touch and adds to the challenge while being an 8-footer. What the hell.

Witchcraft (Pegboard Nerds Remix) - 19/25
Presentation (5/5)
* At least there's some effort in recreating the banner and background based on the jacket that doesn't make it look too jarring.
Expert (6/10)
* Chart started too early. The intro was rather overcharted and would've been better off not following the vocals. A lot of it felt repetitive somehow. Felt safe-- TOO safe but the song cut being repetitive didn't help either.
Challenge (8/10)
* The effort is much noticeable here with very well-placed crossovers during the streams. Thought the intro was still a bit overcharted even with a lot of 4ths (it's karaoke sure but can be toned down?) and the part (m74) where the percussions are gone for a while didn't need to have that jump during an 8th cluster.

DISCLAIMER: It might look like how I docked points from おおきなこえで for using the wrong quants might be unfair but unlike hit 'em up style (oops) the former did not exactly follow a lot of the synths especially at the beginning which was so noticeable. Add to that it happened so often in the chart.

[aurae]

I played the hardest available and eligible difficulty, first on keyboard and then on pad.

ChaserXX
Steps: 8
Presentation: 5
Tilt: 0
Total: 13/15

Clean graphics and presentation. I wasn't a big fan of the steps sticking to the off-sync piano, these parts stick out amidst this overwise super tight chart. Very fun to play even on repeated playthroughs.

COMO
Steps: 8
Presentation: 5
Tilt: 0
Total: 13/15

Sweet steps, I enjoyed this chart more than I would've thought just from the song. It's maybe a little double-steppy at the start, but it still had some good flow throughout on pad.

Diddley-Dee
Steps: 6
Presentation: 5
Tilt: 1
Total: 12/15

This felt longer than it actually was. The song choice limited the possibilities for interesting charts quite a bit, forcing it to stick to the obvious paterns. This is suitable and works, but left me wanting more overall. That being said, the presentation might oddly be my favorite of the bracket. Assigning +1 for that - if you told me that this was actually from a super obscure DDR arcade release in, like, one off-brand Family Mart in the suburbs of Osaka, I would not question that one bit.

EDGE OF GLORY (REMIX)
Steps: 6
Presentation: 4
Tilt: 0
Total: 10/15

The long intro makes for slightly awkward steps at the beginning. The graphics are decent, though I would've liked some more details on the title graphic. The gallops in this chart try to create variance and it works in parts, though overall I was looking for even more. The song wasn't that appealing to me personally and might've hindered the chart as well.

FEEL THE MUSIC
Steps: 7
Presentation: 5
Tilt: 1
Total: 13/15

This chart was fun and delivered the DDR experience with most of its upsides and some of its downsides. I liked how much movement was in the chart, lots of crossovers here. During the chorus, the syncopation of the vocals were translated a little too closely to the steps for my personal liking, and it threw off the balance that I had earlier, despite the fact that most of the chart relies on syncopated notes. You wrote it yourself in the readme but this is a very, very hard 8, which I personally would've assigned a 9 to, haha. I'm assigning +1 for the original song composition here, always awesome to see those!

Future Pop
Steps: no
Presentation: uh-uh
Tilt: нет
Total: nah/15

The graphics are alright, although the banner is a bit lacking in detail and the background image could've done with a higher resolution. As for the chart, it should've started in M8 to get the player prepared for what's to come. The step energy felt weirdly disproportionate to the song's actual energy: It felt overstepped during the verse and understepped during the chorus. The song choice is very good though and I'd love to see this fleshed out and revisioned! If this was a qualified file, I'd probably have given a 10 or 11 overall.

Generation Of Love
Steps: 7
Presentation: 4
Tilt: 0
Total: 11/15

I'm not the biggest fan of the 200 outlines around that title in the banner, though I suppose this is derived from the original artwork. Similar to Future Pop, this should've started in M4 or M8 to prepare the player. The steps are decent but required me to do a lot of double-stepping on pad - not sure if I understood the intended flow of direction here, but it hurt my enjoyment of the file a bit. Very fitting song choice for the competition!

hit 'em up style (oops!)
Steps: 9
Presentation: 5
Tilt: 0
Total: 14/15

That 16th note at the end had me rollin'. The song's retroness is borderline illegal and had a very enjoyable chart overall. The graphics are also good and underlined the charm of the file.

LONG TRAIN RUNNIN' (Ventura Mix)
Steps: 7
Presentation: 5
Tilt: 0
Total: 12/15

The smallest of nitpicks about the graphics: The narrow kerning on the title leads to white hairlines between the letters which aren't all that appealing. Otherwise, the style is definitely retro and I like how playful the imagery is. The chart was fun and upbeat and I enjoyed it for the most part, however it did strike me as somewhat repetitive in the long run and hampered the score a bit. I would've preferred a proper ending over a fade-out, but then again I don't know if this is part of a megamix without a proper ending for the cut.

Mars beach
Steps: 8
Presentation: 4
Tilt: 0
Total: 12/15

Pretty low-res imagery in the graphics unfortunately. The chart was fun to play, on pad moreso than on keyboard actually! There was some variety in the steps but they were very dictated by the song, leaving almost no room for diverging from the "obvious choice" based on the prominent rhythms. It's a weird thing for me to formulate clearly, but it didn't distract too much from a very solid file.

Number One Fan
Steps: 8
Presentation: 4
Tilt: 1
Total: 13/15

Actually making me spin during the lyric "And I turn around" made me smile. The graphics are decent, though I would've liked some more poppin' contrast on the text, instead of "just an image with some text on top". I personally liked this chart a lot and enjoyed its flow for most of it, though it did fall onto the gallopy bass a lot. Also, the slowdown in the middle was a little long, due to the fact that this cut was overall too long as well for my taste. Assigning a positive tilt to it to elevate this file a little more, as I might consider this one of my hidden gems among the boomy bass in this pack.

ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS
Steps: 7
Presentation: 5
Tilt: 0
Total: 12/15

Interesting cut to the music, I like the idea to delay the chorus like this. Unfortunately, the ending felt a little disappointing to me, with the overly long fadeout and freeze step. Before then, the steps were quite decent with a good mix of alternating between rhythm and vocals. The graphics were spot-on!

おおきなこえで
Steps: 6
Presentation: 4
Tilt: 0
Total: 10/15

The official art for this song looks very pretty so it's understandable that the banner and background would lean on it, too. The imagery was pretty low-quality and pixelated, though. The chart was okay albeit a tad boring at times, and it stuck to the vocals a little too closely: This low-tempo samba rhythm might need some more emphasis by the steps in order to fully breathe in here. Sorry, esoteric description.

Potential Breakup Song
Steps: 6
Presentation: 5
Tilt: 1
Total: 12/15

I like the jumpiness of the steps, it makes for a quite fun and upbeat chart. The steps started too early, though. I would've preferred if the vocals didn't fully dictate when to step on an arrow and when not to. Especially the chorus-y section is somewhat odd to follow because of how spaced out the steps are with regards to the tight rhythm. The presentation was awesome and I love how you included a lyrics file. IIRC I have seen only one other file in this tourney with an LRC, so that's always a plus and worth a +1 to me.

PPBQ
Steps: 9
Presentation: 5
Tilt: 0
Total: 14/15

That preview music is like a minute long wtf. Goes hand in hand with the cut, which is way too long as well for my liking. That being said, the steps were super fun with a lot of variety. The song itself helps here, with its indecisive and quirky nature, and the chart elevates these properties a lot! Great job. The video is bonkers, obviously. One of my favorites in here.

Rasputin
Steps: 7
Presentation: 5
Tilt: 0
Total: 12/15

I liked the bouncy gallops during the Moscow Chicks line, but overall I felt like there were too many of them going on here, with some to little connection to the steady rhythm of the track. I had to double-step a bunch during my playthrough on pad, but as always that may be because I'm sometimes bad at reading intended directionality. The graphics are sweet and round off an overall very cute package!

WHAT THE HELL
Steps: 10
Presentation: 5
Tilt: 0
Total: 15/15

First off, I have to say that I kinda hate the song, haha. The cut was definitely on the shorter side and, at under 1:30, evokes the feeling of early-DDR-mix pretty well. HOWEVER: For the short burst of energy that this song provides, it's a superb time from front to back. The graphics are an assault (in the best possible sense) and fit the boldness of the song very well. The chart was great fun and I don't really have anything to point out sorry.

Witchcraft Pegboard Nerds Remix
Steps: 7
Presentation: 3
Tilt: 0
Total: 10/15

Nit: This file missed a chance to use the Subtitle function of Stepmania songs. As far as I can see, the graphics are three variants on the cover art, which unfortunately doesn't leave much room for creativity with its gray concrete look-and-feel. Especially on the banner, the placement feels a bit unappealing. Despite the presentation, during the song, the chart was quite decent! The verse felt too difficult, especially during the first run, with way too many steps going on, even though the song stayed relatively steady in terms of energy - a more forgiving difficulty curve would've been nice here. Overall I had a good time with it, though - well done! I was longing for some more dynamics in the cut, but then again I don't know the full track.

[RaverAce]

Hello! I’m RaverAce and I’m still improving on making reviews, so here they are. I did an initial playthrough on the keyboard first, and then I played on the PS3 Mat to see If my thoughts transitioned well between them. This time I took a different approach to these reviews. I tried to find the best parts of each of the charts in the simfile.

ChaserXX (T7R)
Expert: 9/10
I do say the patterns hit hard along with the song. I felt like this could have been a 9, but I believe there can be an argument that it can be an 8 with the bpm being 140, and the steps themselves. I liked how you used the 12th notes because they were executed perfectly. Another thing I liked is the Afronova walks from around measure 50, they certainly fit in with the song. However, there were 2 parts of the chart that I found to be questionable. The first was around measures 34-37, I don’t know how to properly execute this without a doublestep, though I think it may be a complex Afronova walk. The second is the doublesteps at measures 46-50, I think that could have been a little bit better. With that being said, even including those sections, I did like that you gave me a little bit of everything, from the patterns, to the complexity, and a whole lot more, this was a solid entry.

Standard: 9/10
This was a great chart. I think throughout the chart you did the patterns great for the standard difficulty. Though the patterns at around 34-37 was a bit questionable like in the expert chart, but I believe that's intentional doublestep. Overall, I think this has the same quality as the expert chart.

Presentation: 5/5
The fundamentals were covered. This looks clean, like the background, and the video is present.

Tilt: 1
I think the songs works. The rhythms in this song leads to lots of potential steps and I think you managed to accomplish that. Overall, this is a great chart, good luck in this bracket and to everyone eles!

Overall: 24/25

Como (Juub005)
Expert: 9/10
You surprised me a lot with this song. I liked the complex patterns in this chart. A moment that I really liked is the rap part from measures 16-24 in both charts, those steps were done great! Overall, you surprised me because even if this is out of my comfort zone, you managed to surprise me well!

Challenge: 10/10
This chart was even better than the expert chart! The 12ths and the 32ths were executed perfectly, the doublesteps were executed perfectly, and the complexity of this chart was superb. I have nothing else to say, you nailed this!

Presentation: 5/5
Fundamentals were covered. I think Will-I-Am did a nice job with the graphics, and nice inclusion of the video as well.

Tilt: 1
I’m very surprised by how this turned out. Usually I prefer faster songs, but you executed this almost to perfection. I think this has some of the best charts in this tournament, and I’ll be happy to play this song again!

Overall: 25/25

Diddley-Dee (Lisek)
Expert: 10/10
This was one of the entries that I was looking forward to, and I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed at all! Nice usage of the crossovers and patterns throughout the chart, and the end I liked the addition of the jumps to the chorus. Overall, this was a great fun chart!

Challenge: 9/10
I enjoyed this a lot! The 16ths throughout were done great, and I liked the usage of the Afronova walks on the verses. The only thing I kinda had a little problem with is the intro, I think It could have been mixed up a little bit like in the expert, but I enjoyed this song well!
Presentation: 5/5
Fundamentals were covered. I liked the background of the squirrel, that along with the callback to Witch Doctor from DDR Max would already be a 5. A thing I liked is that you took the extra mile to use a live performance of the song because in my knowledge this song never had a video, so liked how you took that extra step.

Tilt: 1
Defiantly one of my favorite songs in this bracket. The last single hit of the Cartoons in any country, charting at #40 in Italy and #43 in Sweden in 2000, I think you did this song well!

Overall: 25/25

Edge Of Glory (Remix) (TonyAkita)
Expert: 5.5/10
I did like some of the patterns of this chart, I just felt the song cut was a little too long for me. I did like the gallops at measures 78-81, I think those were done well. Another thing that I liked is the edge part at 33-36, I think it fits with the lyrics to the song. A problem though is that I think the patterns overall could have been better. The buildup portion at 66-69, is almost identical to the first one at 21-24, I would like a little more variety next time. I also just think the intro needs a kick in order for those steps to feel it for me, because I wasn’t feeling it that much with only mainly the vocals going on. Overall, it’s a playable chart, but there were some parts that were holding it back for me.

Standard 7/10
I liked this chart more than the expert chart. The lower difficulty does make the vocal part at the beginning flow better for me, and the patterns I think I can understand it more. Overall, I think this is the better chart, but I think it was average at best.

Presentation: 4/5
Fundamentals were covered. I get the soccer ball, I think it’s like the last game of the championship, and you are on the edge of glory, one more victory, so I think it fits well.

Tilt: 0.5
I do appreciate the original remix as I believe I can’t find it elsewhere; I just think it could have been better because it sounded a bit basic for me. I suggest a hi-hat and maybe some percussion instruments to make it more interesting. Overall a playable simfile, but there are some parts that I felt is holding this simfile back from the edge of glory.

Overall: 17/25

Feel the Music (Hainaut)
Expert: 9/10
There were some good patterns in this song. I liked the chorus part; I think that part was executed well! I think there were some interesting patterns throughout the song and I think the 16ths were executed right. I did feel like this could be a 9 with the abundance of 16ths, but overall, this is a great chart!

Standard: 8/10
I liked some of the patterns of this song. There was though a part of the song at measure 46 with the doublestep. I think that could have been done the other way around cause at measure 42, I feel the mindset of the player would think the next part of the chorus would be a crossover. I think you still did a nice job overall. I did like the complexity at the end, I think that was done well!

Presentation: 4/5
Fundamentals were covered. Nice graphics.

Tilt: 1
I like this song. This is a slower Eurobeat song, but it works great! I think you did a great job on this simfile!

Overall: 22/25

Future Pop (Super_Ray)
Not going to do a full review for this song, but this does need improvement. First the steps start immediately with the song which is usually a no-no unless it’s like a song like Over The Period. Second, the measures around 42-58 could have some more complex patterns. I did think the steps at measures 26-34 were done well. Also at measures 58-62 on the expert chart, I did like the complexity of the patterns. I understand that this was late, but overall, I think this is rushed, but has potential. Plus I think there could have been a better song cut. The scores would have been Expert: 6/10, Standard: 5/10, Presentation: 4/5 Tilt: 0 Overall: 15/25

Generation Of Love (Kewing)
Expert: 7.5/10
I liked the complexity of the song. I liked the part at measure 18 with the round and round part, I think that was executed great. There was a part of the song at measure 32 where I believe there could have been some 16ths in that part. Also, I think the song cut could have been better, as the steps almost started immediately with the song. Another thing is I think measure 16 I think the patterns could have been relaxed a little bit. Overall though, I think it was good.

Standard: 7.5/10
I think you did well with the patterns of this song. I think the 4 measures at 49-53 were the best part of the chart, but at measure 56, I think you can relax the arrows on that part there. A thing I was a bit disappointed was the round and round part, because it wasn’t retained in some sort of way, but overall, this was still a decent chart.

Presentation: 5/5
Fundamentals were covered. Graphics looks good, and nice inclusion of the video!

Tilt: 1
I usually don’t listen to Masterboy as I kind of see them as a standard Eurodance group, that doesn’t mean I can’t love their music. One of their classic hits, this song did chart in a lot of European countries, most notably in France in 1995 when it reached #8 in the charts. One thing I liked from this simfile is that this went old-school with no freezes, so overall, I think you did a good job!

Overall: 21/25

Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!) (chewi)
Expert: 9.5/10
This works. I understand what this was going for as an R&B song, and I think you executed the steps to the song great! A part I liked is the doublestep at measure 30, that I think was very memorable. The only thing that I think could have been better is at measure 31 in both charts, I think the steps could have ended with that 1 up arrow. Overall, you did a great job with the steps of the song!

Standard: 8/10
I think for what this chart is trying to accomplish, I think it got the job done. Simple patterns all throughout but it works. There was though repetition at 18-26. I think you could have mixed it up a little bit because it looks more apparent with the slow bpm of 90 and only about 30 measures to work with. Overall, this was still very decent.

Presentation: 5/5
Fundamentals were covered. Good graphics, and nice inclusion of the music video.

Tilt: 0.5
This is not my style, but I can imagine people dancing to this. For what this simfile was going for, I think this was executed great. I do request next time if you do advance, I would prefer seeing a harder song, but overall, this is a great entry!

Overall: 23/25

Long Train Runnin’ (Ventura Remix) (y3v0n)
Expert: 5.5/10
I think this is a doable chart, but it could have had much more potential. I liked the parts with the 16th pops at various parts of the simfile, especially the one’s around measures 45-53, I liked the implementation of the crossovers in that section. I just think there could have been some more steps. The part that plays in the preview I felt could have had some 16ths like in the old version. The stops did break the flow for me as there were still some interesting parts of the song still going in them, also they are not even. Overall, there were moments that I liked in the song, but I would like the steps to be a bit harder, because I think the song had a lot of potential that wasn’t utilized well.

Standard: 5.5/10
There was a part that I think was done decent at measures 37-40, I think that was good. An issue though is the end of the chorus at various parts of the song, I think there could have been some more notes in those parts, because I felt there was too much space between the steps. Overall, I think I think both charts are playable, but there were parts that could use some improvement.

Presentation: 5/5
Fundamentals were covered. I liked the graphics featuring Train on the background, and I liked how you used the other Bus Stop Logo that was used on the original Long Train Runnin’, so great job!

Tilt: 1
I like this remix by Ventura. I thought that artist was only specialized in Eurobeat, but I like that the artist can branch out to other styles as well. With that being said, I think this is a playable simfile, but I would like some more complexity in the patterns next time because I just felt this is capable of better.

Overall: 17/25

Mars Beach (Pandemonium X)
Expert: 7.5/10
This is a good chart. I did like the section at measures 48-56, I think the jackhammers added some depth in this chart. Nice usage of the 16ths, the 12th note part at 59 was executed great, and overall, I think this hit the marks. My only complaint is the intro until measure 32. I think from measure 32 onward the patterns were a lot better, but before that, I think there could have been a few more notes in some of the sections. But still, this was fun and cute, I liked it.

Standard: 8/10
I think this chart has a slight edge as the expert chart. The patterns I think I felt at the beginning could have been better like in the expert chart, but because this is the standard difficulty, I think it fits better than in Expert. Overall, still a fun and cute chart.

Presentation: 5/5
Fundamentals were covered. Graphics were cute and nice addition of the video.

Tilt: 0.5
I think this is a good simfile. It’s not my favorite, but I do appreciate it. Nice Job.

Overall: 21/25

Number One Fan (Valex)
Expert: 8/10
You did a nice job. I liked some of the complex patterns throughout the song. My favorite part was at the chorus, I think it had the right balance of notes, complexion, and freezes. I think the end could have been better, I think with this being an 8, I think the rating can be changed to either a 9, or change that part to be an 8. Another thing is that I think the rest section of the song with the 16ths could have been removed because I felt it to be a bit long. Overall, this was a decent chart, and I liked the addition of the turning around part that goes along with the lyrics.

Standard: 7/10
I did like some of the patterns, the chorus I felt still looked great, but the part with the long freezes I felt could have had the 16th notes like in the expert chart. Overall, I felt there wasn’t much I can say, I liked this a little less, but still I thought it was good.

Presentation: 4/5
Fundamentals were covered.

Tilt: 0

Overall: 19/25

On A Night Like This (Hooky)
Expert: 8/10
I think the steps were done correctly. I liked the steps of the song, primarily around measures 17-32. An issue is that I think there could have been a better cut of this song. I believe the intro can be cut, measures 33-41 can be cut to go right into the chorus, and I think there could have been a faster fade out in the end. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this chart.

Standard: 6/10
I think this suffered from the song cut. I liked some of the moments in the chart like in measures 41-45, I think the patterns there work for a 5, an issue though is that I felt you could have kept that rhythm for the next 4 measures because I felt this to be too easy for a 5. There was a long freeze at 33-37 that I think is limited because of the song cut. Overall, there were moments that I liked, but I think the song cut is holding it back.

Presentation: 5/5
Fundamentals were covered. I love the throwback to Ordinary World in the graphics, and the video was nice.

Tilt: 1
I defiantly get the feeling of this song; I think it fits well with the Pre-DDR X era. Next time though, I would like a better cut song, because while the steps were good, I felt the song cut was a bit limited of what it can potentially do. Still, I had a lot of fun with this. There was a part of the song in measures 25-33 that kind of reminded me of Gunther’s Ding Dong Song.

Overall: 20/25

Ookina Koé De (MixmasterLar)
Expert: 3.5/10
Around measures 18-20 and 34-42 with the spins, I think those were decent, and at 12-20 with the verse I think that was neat, but there were multiple problems with this chart. The steps started immediately with the song which is usually a no-go for charts. The 16ths weren’t executed properly, a majority of them weren’t 16ths, they were like 24ths or 12ths. The freeze sections at the preview, I think the freezes lasted a bit too long. I also felt at that same part from measures 30-46, I felt the steps weren’t committed. There was a simple pattern at the start, then it went to an Afronova walk, then there was a part with the spins which I found adequate, but then it went back into the Afronova walk, I felt that part was going all over the place. Another thing is that there were too many parts that I felt had too much space in between notes. Overall, I did see a few moments of adequacy, but this needs improvement.

Challenge: 3.5/10
I did like the complexity of the patterns in this chart, I just think the chart overall was a bit of an obstacle course. I tried to find a part in the chart that I could at least find decent, and I only think a part in 34-36 I think the patterns were neat. I did like the attempted complexity of the chart, but I just felt that the chart needs 12ths and 24ths plus it suffers a bit of the same problems from the expert chart.

Presentation: 3/5
Fundamentals were covered, but I think the quality of the graphics could have been better.

Tilt: 1
I think there were sections that I felt need improvement. A suggestion for the future is to not be afraid to use notes besides 4ths, 8ths, or 16ths. I think this does have potential, but the execution wasn’t done well. Even then, I would prefer a crash course than something that doesn’t give me emotion, so I will give you props for trying.

Overall: 11/25

Potential Breakaup Song (BlueSS)
Expert: 7/10
I liked some patterns of this song. The measures around 5-21 I find it nice, but I think the directions on a few of the arrows could have been better. At measures 21-28, I think there could have been some more notes on that sections. Also at the chorus, I felt there was too much of the left-down up-right jump combination, so I suggest switching it up. Overall a fun chart, but there were a few parts that I think could have been better.

Standard: 7/10
I think this doesn’t have some problems as the last one, but introduces some new ones as well. I think the notes on 21-28 were appropriate, but on measures 45-53, I think the patterns are a bit too complex. Overall, I think this has the same quality as the expert chart, there were parts that I liked, but it did suffer problems from both charts.

Presentation: 5/5
Fundamentals were covered. I liked the graphics, and nice inclusion of the video. I also liked the extra step with the lyrics!

Tilt: 1
This song does have energy. Overall, there were some moments that I felt is holding the simfile back, but I think this simfile still had some great moments in it.

Overall: 20/25

PPBQ (Telperion)
Expert: 10/10
I think this chart gave me a little bit of everything. From the stops, to the freezes, to breaks and complexity, I think this chart had the complete package. There are so many parts of the chart that were executed perfectly that I can’t pinpoint a part that was my favorite, I felt there wasn’t one dud in the chart. Overall, this was great throughout, I think this is one of the best charts in this tournament!

Standard: 8/10
There were some good parts in this chart. I think the most interesting part of the song was the 12th notes in measures 61-62. There was though a questionable part in the song at the stop near measure 38. I think that part could have had an 8th note on it and remove the jump. Another part is at measures 67-70, I think there could have been at least some freezes or a few notes on that section, however the other charts below this also had this so I understand. Overall, this is still a very decent chart.

Presentation: 5/5
Fundamentals were covered. I liked the graphics and the video.

Tilt: 1
When I initially played this song, I didn’t get the part when the drop came in, but then hearing the sample (party people, be quiet), I understood it. This is a great simfile overall!

Overall: 24/25

Rasputin (Rage)
Expert: 5/10
I did like some of the patterns in this song, but I think there were placements that were a bit questionable. A good part is at measures 16-17, I think the spin was great. Though there looks to be a random jump at measure 37-38, maybe take that out next time. There were also moments throughout the song that I felt some notes could have been removed to fit in more with the song. Also at the violin section, I believe that section could be rearranged to avoid a doublestep, otherwise I felt this would be an 8. Overall, this is playable, but I also felt there could have been some better patterns and more variety in some parts of the song.

Challenge: 6.5/10
I think this was better. I think the 16ths in the violin part fit in better than the expert chart and the verse I think had some better complexity in the chart. An issue though is that comparing both charts, I did see some similarities between the patterns. I suggest switching it up for next time. Overall, I think this is a better chart, but it needs some more variety in the directions of the patterns to stand out from the expert chart.

Presentation: 5/5
Fundamentals were covered. Nice graphics and video.

Tilt: 0.5
I this remix of Rasputin is good. This is alright, I did see a few bright spots, but I just don’t think its enough with the competition that is in this bracket.

Overall: 17/25

What The Hell? (Titlin)
Expert: 9/10
I loved the energy in this chart. The breakdown at measures 20-28 were executed great! I liked the usage of jumps throughout the song and overall, I had a lot of fun with the chart. The only thing that I felt questionable Is at measures 16-17, I think the directions could have been done differently. Overall, this was a great chart, and I had a lot of fun!

Standard: 9/10
I think this had the same quality as the expert chart. The best part I think in both charts is from measure 28 onwards. The first half until the breakdown there were some questionable directions, but when it reached the chorus, the chart was at its best. Overall a fun chart, great job!

Presentation: 5/5
Fundamentals were covered. I liked the graphics and the usage of the BG videos!

Tilt: 1
I liked this song; this defiantly has energy and was at the appropriate length. Overall, this is a great simfile!

Overall: 24/25

Witchcraft (Pegboard Nerds Remix) (Shortysnmn2010)
Expert: 5.5/10
I think there were some moments that I think were good, but I just couldn’t find any that were very memorable. There was a moment in measures 72-75 that I think was one of the more notable parts of the chart. Overall, I think the song went a little bit too long, and I felt there could have been some better steps.

Challenge: 7/10
This was better. There was a moment that I think was done nicely and that was in measures 40-48, that part I liked. Overall, I think this was an improvement on the expert chart, but I can’t add that much to this chart.

Presentation: 3.5/5
Fundamentals were covered, but the song wasn’t cut correctly. At the end of the music file, there was audio that I believe was unintentionally played so I would ask for that to be fixed next time please.

Tilt: 0

Overall: 16/25

Here are the results.
1. Como (25/25)
2. Diddley-Dee (25/25)
3. PPBQ (24/25)
4. ChaserXX (24/25)
5. What The Hell (24/25)
6. Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!) (23/25)
7. Feel The Music (22/25)
8. Mars Beach (21/25)
9. Generation Of Love (21/25)
10. Potential Breakup Song (20/25)
11. On A Night Like This (20/25)
12. Number One Fan (19/25)
13. Long Train Runnin’ (Ventura Mix) (17/25)
14. Edge Of Glory (17/25)
15. Rasputin (17/25)
16. Witchcraft (Pegboard Nerds Remix) (16/25)
17. Ookina Koé De (11/25)
18. Future Pop (15/25) 17th if qualified.

Overall, this bracket had some interesting songs, I think it’s a tossup to see who makes it to the final round. Until next time, keep on raving, and it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice!

[lrxevan]

Just for clarity:
8-10 is like.. A-/A/A+
6-7 is like... B/B+
5 is a B-/C+

Presentation scores:
2 = only graphics were included and the graphics have some functional issues like text problems
3 = included graphics don't blow me away but aren't bad and work, or the graphics are a 2 but a well-done video was included.
4 = graphics are very good or high effort, or the graphics are a 3 but a well-done video was included
5 = great graphics + included video, or the graphics were super super good and there's no video.

Presentation score might also be affected by sample or sample length problems, missing difficulties, or other things.

Some scores seem low but I don't want to discourage anyone from doing more files and entering again. The newer folks all did really well for being new. You should seem some of those rough tournamix files.

Anyway...

ChaserXX

Great song choice. There were some really great in this simfile, but there were parts of it especially as we approached the middle that felt a little too chaotic for my tastes for a couple of reasons. First, I think the choice to follow the main syncopated piano melody doesn't make a lot of sense for a hard dance track like this. And second, I think it abused Afrnova walks a little too much when those are better saved for specific musical moments rather than just for added complexity anywhere. I also think that because this was pretty challenging throughout (this is definitely not an , it left you without a lot of room to increase difficulty the way you wanted as you neared the end, which lead to trying to step every part of the song at once. I hope it doesn't seem like I'm being super harsh because I actually think this was good, it just had a few problems that kept it from greatness, just my opinion. 8/10

Presentation:
The banner's simple but really serves DDR and I think the included background video was a really great choice. The background is an art cutout from something but I think it works really well so I'm not mad at it. I do sort of wish maybe the text effects in the art had a little more umph. Still, the package here is pretty compelling. 4/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 12/15
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COMO

Good stuff. This was fun on pad. To nitpick a bit: I like that you had crossovers on specific parts of the chorus' vocal and like how that gave the chart a theme, but think the crossovers would have been better at other points in the music. You also did a similar thing early on with step jump step, which is nice. I think maybe I wouldn't have used jumps on the "snares that aren't there" just before the chorus comes in and after the first half of Daddy Yankee verse, I don't really get them but maybe it's just me. Really loved the big difficulty spike during the second verse, but maybe think that pushes it into 8 territory rather than 7 territory. This is definitely a "Secret Rendezvous 7," lol. My Summer Love vibes in a good way. 9/10

Presentation:
Beautiful, gorgeous, looks like Linda Evangelista. No complaints. Included video is well done. 5/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 14/15
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Diddly-Dee

The placement of these arrows was very clean and I appreciate that a lot. I think that you absolutely completed the assignment in that these were fun to play and enjoyable. The crossovers during the chorus were really cute and easily my favorite part of the chart. The cut however I think really hurt you here. After about the halfway point, it started to feel very long, and I think that's because of the way this was cut. At 1:50, I wouldn't describe this as being too long in a vaccuum. But it felt like I reached the end of the simfile at some point and then it just started over and I played it twice. Additionally -- and totally acknowledge this as a difference of opinion -- I would have probably bumped up the difficulty of this on Heavy rather than including an easy heavy chart and a challenge chart both. I wanted the clean lines of the Heavy Chart and the 16th notes during the chrous and such from the Challenge chart. 7/10

Presentation:
Not much to complain about here, but it is really derivative of Witch Doctor, kind of in a good way, but still. Included video is always a nice touch. What's the character from? 4/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 11/15
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EDGE OF GLORY (Remix)

The opening was really long and sparse and didn't give you a lot to work with and so that part ended up feeing a little long and awkward. I really liked the 8th note run/rest/8th note run thing you have going on here because I'm a sucker for 3rd mix. There were a few parts of the stepchart that felt a little like you didn't know exactly what to do so you just remixed a previous part of the chart (for example, the gallop version of a previous 8th note run). In fairness, I wouldn't have really known what to do either. As I said above, I don't think you had a lot to work with with this song, which is just pretty sparse in general. Your choices are like, 8th note runs, and that's kind of it. I think it's OK to lean into that but a shorter cut wouldn't have hurt. Due to that I personally didn't find this one to be as fun to play as a few of the other entries. But it's not bad or anything. 6/10

Presentation:
The graphics are servicable and do the job and there are no major problems but they don't wow me. 3/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 9/15
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FEEL THE MUSIC

There's a lot to like here, particularly the steps during the eurobeat brass portions of the song. What I think might have helped if you tried to avoid following the lyrics with your steps as much, and almost ignoring them unless they align better with the beat. Whenever I'm moving down a songwheel during a tournament and I hear offbeat lyrics I get a little nervous that the author is going to try to follow them because I just don't think that works very well or is very fun even though it's very tempting to try to do it (a problem I sympathize with because it can feel weird to try to like, do staircaise eighth note patterns during those). This can be especially challenging if the singer takes liberties with the rhythms for the purpose of adding expression as is sort of the case here. It's also a trap when you step a song you wrote yourself to try to follow rhythms in a more complex way than you would with someone else's work and I think you fell into that a little bit here. When you step your own music, take two things off before you go out the door and the result is almost always a little bit smoother. 6/10

Presentation:
The graphics are cute but I am not blown away by them. The stroke colors around the artist logo jump out at me a little and I think they could have been made thinner or maybe a different font selection was in order here. Regardless there's no major problems and they are perfectly functional and good. 3/5

Tilt:
+1, submitting your own music is brave and it's a lot of extra work. Respect for that.

Total: 10/15

A brief note about the production work here: I'd just like to make a few suggestions (and I'm far and away not the world's best producer or anything, so take this with a pinch of salt). Compression would really help you stabilize the volume elements of your vocalists. The volume levels swing a lot. They also need some EQ, particularly a boost at the high end to give them more presence. The rhythmic background synths are a little bit quiet and could probably use a boost. The drums are a little quiet and could use more oomph and probably also some compression. Tape saturation is really useful for a bunch of different elements in eurobeat and helps give it that "eurobeat sound" that is so evocative of the 80s. Like Oops!, the bass here is also maybe a little weak, although I think that's probably just a levels issue. Something we all struggle with a little bit is muddy mids at around the 500 hz range, I'd recommend making cuts in your EQ to elements of the track that don't need to exist at that range. Anyway, nice job. Putting out a song at all is a real achievement. Obviously none of this feedback was used to score your file. Just offering a little feedback.
------------

Future Pop

Well, I think this should have started at half BPM. I've never heard the song before so my immediate thought was "thank you for automatically enabling 2x scroll for me." Just kidding around. Otherwise, I actually thought this was pretty strong. I think it was a smart choice to add jumps for the second refrain of the synth section, but that left the first time around feeling a little sparse. Actually outside of the runs I think the whole thing felt just a liiiiittle but sparse in general. But it was still fun to play, just needs some evening out. 7/10

Presentation:
The banner is simple but works. The background image's text appears behind UI elements in Stepmania which is kind of a pet peeve of mine and one of the few things I'll actually lower a presentation score for, lol. 2/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 9/15
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Generation of Love

I honestly can't think of much about these that's bad. This feels very like DDR 3rd Mix+. I liked pretty much all of it. Props for the Last Message 8th note spin runs. Very fun to play. 10/10

Presentation:
I'm not sure but these graphics kind of look like a cut from some official art somewhere. It's not bad and it works but I'm not blown out of the water in the same way I enjoyed the steps. Props for the included video. 4/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 14/15
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hit 'em up style (oops!)

These are very safe and while I think they're good and competent I think they could have been pushed a little more in terms of difficulty and also in terms of patterns used. For example maybe putting jumps on "go," "hit'em," and "style" in the chorus later on in the song just to escalate a little bit. There isn't really a lot going on. I also think maybe this is more of a 5 difficulty-wise and not so much a 6 thanks to the BPM. There's nothing at all wrong with an easier slower file I just feel like the song gave us a little more and it made me want to move a little more while playing. Ya feel me? 6/10

Presentation:
The text looks nice, but I wish there was more in the background and I would have liked more color. The included background video is a nice touch. 3/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 9/15
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LONG TRAIN RUNNIN' (Ventura Mix)

Those stops really sent me to mars. Not so sure about those, the music was definitely still playing, haha. Most of the time this was a really servicable oldschool-style simchart but there were a few sections (aside from the stops) that I had some issues with. First, there were some sixteenth notes during the chorus didn't seem to match the vocal. Maybe they were for a different part of the song, but that felt a little counterintuitive because of how much emphasis is on the song's vocal at the time. I liked the repeated quarter sections. The sixteenth gallops were sometimes cool but other times I felt like they didn't work. Generally I think there were some missed opportunities but that this was still fun overall. 6/10

Presentation:
The graphics are cute and pretty DDR. I don't have a lot to say that isn't nitpicking a little, but I do wish maybe the remix name was positioned a little different. I know this is a reference to the original banner. 4/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 10/15
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Mars Beach

I thought this was cute and well done but, and I'm trying to explain this well so sorry of it comes off inarticulately or something but, it felt like a bunch of intro sections stepped back to back. I don't know if that's the song's fault or not. There were times when I really wanted the steps to take off and get going but they never really did. What was there was good and fun. I just wanted a little more from it. I also think maybe it faced the same direction a lot. The patterns were fun, just wanted a little more. 6/10

Presentation:
Cute banner and background with a great video add. You can't go wrong. The text is maybe a little hard to read but who knows, maybe it's just me. 5/5

Tilt:
+1 Struggling to explain this but I think this is a lot better than the sum of the parts above. The overall package is nice. I just wanted a little more from the heavy steps.

Total: 12/15
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Number One Fan

I love Muna. That doesn't matter, I just wanted to say that. Anyway, this could have really used some editing. A problem some people run into is wanting to follow both the bassline and the drums and also add freezes for long vocal notes and jumps for hits/emphasis. By then you've got a chart like this one that seems to really want to step the whole song at the same time and ends up feeling just a little messy as a result. I don't think this is outright bad but I would try next time to be more selective with how you choose the elements of a song to emphasize and whether or not you're going to directly follow parts of the song with your arrows at all. Additionally, the cut is a little long. I was actually wondering while playing if it would be the whole thing. You know, Upside Down from the Anonymous bracket is supposed to be the 5th mix entry, but this really felt like you'd need to pay two credits to play it. 6/10

Presentation:
Well, the graphics look like a cutout from something else. The MUNA artist text doesn't necessarily have to be in the background but if it is, it shouldn't be cut off at the bottom. In many themes even the song text is cut off. 2/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 8/15
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ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS

I liked many parts of this, but I had a few problems too. The slow section in the middle was added to that part of the song but doesn't actually go there and then on top of that, very little happened during that part and it was a little bit sparse. If you had to do that I think you should have at least halved the BPM, or included more arrows. The final very, very, very long freeze arrow is a little strange. There were 'flashes of greatness' here, in particular there were some sections that felt very very DDR and made me feel nostalgic in a good way. But there were also parts that left me feeing very confused. Again I don't think this was terrible or anything but I'd kind of like to see you take a second swing at it because there are both a lot of problems and a lot of things I genuinely like. 5/10

Presentation:
We love a reference. The graphics are really cute. The included video is appreciated as usual. 5/5

Tilt:
N/A - Although I do want to say the cut is kind of weird and the lack of beginner and light steps is making my eye twitch a little, I know you were low on time and also I'm not even ranking the standard steps so I guess it would be wrong for me to complain about it.

Total: 10/15
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Potential Breakup Song

Like a lot of people I think the jumps in the opening didn't necessarily match the energy of the song but I don't think they were completely out of line either, it was just a choice I personally might not have made. Most of this chart I think is really good and very fun to play and I didn't have a problem with many of the rest of the jumps. I think there was maybe a little too much space between notes in certain places and that I would have liked a little more in those places. I actually don't have much negative feedback to give outside of that. 9/10

Presentation:
Very good. I'm generally not a huge fan of album art+text but I think there was enough effort here that it doesn't feel like a copy+paste job and it looks good. Included video is welcome. 4/5

Tilt:
N/A

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

PPBQ

This is really good but it serves more modern DDR sensibilities. I don't think it's fair to dock a bunch of points for that but I just wanted to say that I considered it as part of the score? I'm not actually sure how to fairly judge this because I don't think I'm the intended audience but I'll try. First, it's very rhymtically intense in a way that encourages multiple playthroughs and not in a way that makes it feel messy most of the time. To my boomer sensibilities, the early parts felt "sorrow-esque" in a good way. The way the steps follow the rhythmically weird piano throughout isn't my favorite choice, but I understand why the choice was made. With that said, it's very complex already, and we're not even halfway through. From about the "samplestart" part of the song on, things get pretty chaotic until the drums drop out later, and this is where I am conflicted, because I don't think these are badly made but it just feels like too much to me. The jumps and such are there specifically to make the song feel harder, which makes sense except that I think it might be overstepped up until that point anyway. A less crowded chart wouldn't have needed that to give you the difficulty spike you wanted. I hope this made sense. Telpy you do really awesome work. Great song choice, by the way. 8/10

Presentation:
The graphics are cute but it's a little hard to read the artist text. The included video rules. 4/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 12/15
------------

RASPUTIN

The song is a bop. Opening string and closing string sections are really well done. I feel like the build section leading up to the chorus could have been cut, but I don't know how reasonable that is because the song is pretty hard to cut. The steps during that section aren't as exciting as the parts that come before it. Immediately I noticed that the steps face right a very large percentage of the time, and also that there are a lot of double-steps that don't seem like the intentional kind but maybe I'm wrong. I'm not opposed to double steps but I like it when there's a plan and it doesn't always feel like there was. The clap emphasis during the chrous is cool, but I would have liked a little more space around them. It does feel during the chorus like you wanted to step a lot of elements at the same time. There are parts of this that are really fun but it feels "chunky." 6.5/10

Presentation:
As usual, you leave us all feeling jealous with your high taste level. Beautiful graphics and text effects. The jacket is a really nice touch. The included video is so good. Tons of effort. Respect! 5/5

Tilt:
+0.5 for just for a high amount of effort and polish. The heavy steps aren't my favorite, but between the included challenge steps and the effort of the video I feel like this is just better than that single step chart would indicate, y'know?

Total: 12/15
------------

Uninhabited Island

Starting a 6 with sixteenth note runs is a bold move, even at this BPM, and starting a song right when the music plays is generally considered to be a bad idea because you need to give the player time to hear the music before you start. Generally it's 3-4 measures minimum. I thought a lot of this was really good and cute and I love the song choice. But there are a lot of incorrect rhythms (16ths that should have been triplets, or in other words, yellow notes that should have been green notes). But once I got past some of those problems I actually think this was a cute, fun chart for players of a certain level in a way, or at least that parts of it are. I just think it needs work to be as good as it could be. 5/10

Presentation:
Well, the graphics are obviously a cut of the album art or something else. The banner is unusual but functional. The background on the other hand is harder to tell what's going on and elements are cut off by Stepmania. 2/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 7/15
------------

WHAT THE HELL

I kind of think of you as the king of SAIFAM speed simfiles and that reputation is earned. This is really great. I only have nitpicks: that the opening of the chorus could have had more arrows outside of the two jumps when SHELDON sings words maybe, and that I wonder if the bridge could have had a slowdown, but it's also fine without it, it's just a choice I might have made in your place. 10/10

Presentation:
Just like Rage, you pretty much always hit it out of the park and this one's no exception. The graphics are chaotic in an awesome way and the bg script is really well done. 5/5

Tilt:
N/A

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

Witchcraft (Pegboard Nerds Remix)

I feel like not a lot happened in this chart that made me excited. The chorus sections were actually really great, and a few times I was like "Okay, here we go, now we're getting into it!" only to have the like, energy level decrease suddenly again. It felt like you were holding back a little bit so that it wouldn't be too hard, when I actually think this could have made a pretty cool 8 on heavy. This might feel vague, but it feels like this never really got going but also isn't bad or anything. 6/10

Presentation:
Well, the banner is a little bit simple but it works. The background text is cut off by default stepmania theme elements. It also seems like it might be a cutout from album art or something. Also, the sample length on the song wheel is very, very short. Not a big problem but I definitely noticed it. 2/5

Tilt:
N/A

Total: 8/15

[Foxytail]

I don't usually like to use the Approval Votes option for any reason unless I'm feeling sick like I've been. Otherwise, I'd put more energy into making a Complete Review. Though I did some thorough evaluating to come down to this. Here are my votes.

Approval Votes: (+5)
Diddley-Dee
FEEL THE MUSIC
Generation of Love
hit 'em up style (oops!)
LONG TRAIN RUNNIN' (Ventura Mix)
Mars beach
PPBQ
RASPUTIN
WHAT THE HELL

Honorable Mentions:
ChaserXX
COMO
Number One Fan
Potential Breakup Song

[Lisek]

Tested on keyboard with legs under desk simulating play.

Approval Votes:
RASPUTIN
PPBQ
WHAT THE HELL

[Aki]

APPROVAL VOOOOOOOOTES!

WHAT THE HELL
COMO
LONG TRAIN RUNNIN' (Ventura Mix)
Potential Breakup Song
Diddly Dee

[Titiln]

ChaserXX - 14/15
expert: 9/10
i wasn't really feeling the use of jumps until the song "kicked in", and like others mentioned i wasn't very sure about the chart getting too twisty, but the rest was very solid. didn't dock points for this because it wasn't that detrimental for this song in particular, but i wish the cut was shorter. it is what it is.
presentation: 5/5
good graphics that match the video's aesthetic
song: it was alright i guess

COMO - 15/15
expert: 10/10
great steps all around that complimented the music properly. awesome use of jumps, unfortunately i have no real feedback for what could be improved.
presentation: 5/5
probably the best set of graphics in the whole contest. video looked offsync in plain stepmania 5.
song: pretty good job by father yankee and fake shakira

Diddley-Dee - 13/15
expert: 8/10
this is unfortunately brought down by a slightly long cut that feels repetitive, and i would've made it follow the lyrics just a little less (but still following them for the most part). i liked the rest a lot though
presentation: 5/5
i wish the graphics weren't such a direct reference to the witch doctor graphics but they're among the better ones otherwise
song: cartoons are one of those bands that i'd never listen to outside ddr, but within ddr i like their songs a lot

EDGE OF GLORY (Remix) - 11/15
expert: 7/10
the beginning for this song felt overcharted for what was going on musically. some 8th runs felt like they could've been something else, and i imagined there would've been some more jumps in some parts. unfortunately the remix wasn't very good and seemed like it gave you less to work with than what the original would've given you.
presentation: 4/5
they seem kind of rushed but they get the job done. this gets +1 for going with a soccer concept instead of just tossing ladygaga.jpg into these and calling it a day
song: i'd rather listen to the default lady gaga version, sorry to say but this remix felt very amateur

FEEL THE MUSIC - 12/15
expert: 8/10
some pretty good concepts here but it followed the vocals to a fault at some points, making those parts feel a little tedious to play
presentation: 4/5
these are good but everything kinda blends together too much and nothing really stands out.
song: i didn't really like this song

Future Pop - not part of the contest but would've been 10/15
expert: 7/10
steps started with the song and felt overcharted for what was going on musically, and then the song "kicks in" and there's just not much going on in the stepchart compared to the quieter part. maybe the cut should've been different. i liked it otherwise
presentation: 3/5
these work i guess but you didn't really do much here
song: this is great, big fan of perfume

Generation Of Love - 13/15
expert: 9/10
something tammie said in the group review sums up how i felt about this, as a matter of fact i'll just copypaste it: "towards the end the synths got a little kooky with the jumps and the triple-16ths. Also, it was way way way too twisty imo". i agree but it was so good otherwise that it gets a solid 9. also the steps started way too soon.
presentation: 4/5
the graphics are kind of lazy but they get the job done, the background in particular is really lazy but the video makes up for it.
song: masterboy ftw

hit 'em up style (oops!) - 13/15
expert: 9/10
i think you could've used some more jumps here while still keeping it a 6, and i was not a big fan of that 16th note in the end but otherwise very good
presentation: 4/5
these graphics work but feel like they're missing something else to make them stand out. looks kind of rushed.
song: this is alright i guess

LONG TRAIN RUNNIN' (Ventura Mix) - 13/15
expert: 8/10
i absolutely hated that stop, if you really wanted a gimmick in there you could've halved the bpm or something. there are some issues here that add up, for instance i didn't like the additional 4th note in the opening measures (and the parts that sound like it), i would've removed it to closely follow that part. it sounds hypocritical for me to say that considering how some other reviews complain about the steps following the music or lyrics too closely, but the chart did such a good job at knowing when to not and not follow the music everywhere else that you could've afforded to just stick closer to the instruments there. i wasn't feeling some of the gallops either and thought it could've used some more jumps, but really good otherwise.
presentation: 5/5
very good abstract graphics and proper use of what i call the post-daz bus stop logo from ddrmax 2
song: this is good but bus stop without daz just isn't bus stop

Mars beach - 13/15
expert: 9/10
this was pretty good overall, i liked how it wasn't afraid to pause for a while. i thought the steps would change a little around measure 16 when there's more going on in the song (not like it should become super difficult, just a couple more notes). the 16th notes around measure 39 seemed a little uncalled for, but i guess it's mirroring what happened in measure 23 although it's not as noticeable in the song itself. some parts felt repetitive and that could've been alleviated with a shorter cut. very solid otherwise
presentation: 4/5
kind of lazy, considering all the stuff going on in the video you could've pulled ideas from, but gets the job done. i would've at least cleaned up the image you used for the graphics a little, upscalers can do a pretty decent job cleaning up images like those.
song: i wouldn't listen to this outside ddr but it is very suitable for ddr

Number One Fan - 10/15
expert: 7/10
felt repetitive mostly because of the cut and the song itself not giving you a lot to work with. i wouldn't have used that many gallops, so the remaining ones feel special. a lot of it felt overstepped, you could've calmed down a little and used some freeze sections or something. the rest was good
presentation: 3/5
kind of seem too dark for the song and there's not much going on with the text.
song: i didn't care for this one

ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS - 14/15
expert: 9/10
i liked this one a lot, it's just brought down by a weird cut. i'm not familiar with the full song so i don't know what could've been done instead, but there was probably a better option to go with here.
presentation: 5/5
i would've made the jacket use the song title broken down into two lines like in the banner but still very good
song: kylie rules

Potential Breakup Song - 14/15
expert: 9/10
the jumps at the start felt uncalled for, especially considering all the other appropriate jumps in the chart, but otherwise really good chart that didn't miss the opportunities for variety brought by the song
presentation: 5/5
good graphics that match the video
song: this song is cool

PPBQ - 14/15
expert: 9/10
a really solid chart, just wish it calmed down at some parts, like the relatively calm part in measure 15, and the 2 minute cut hurts this a little.
presentation: 5/5
good graphics although i expected something more colorful to match the video.
song: i didn't really like this one but it is suitable for a rhythm game

RASPUTIN - 12/15
expert: 7/10
i didn't like how the chorus was charted, felt like it was kind of droning on with all those 8ths and kind of a missed opportunity. this song in particular i thought would have more straightforward patterns instead of so many doublesteps, and i wasn't feeling most of the 16ths either.
presentation: 5/5
good graphics that match the lyric video's aesthetics, although i pictured something way more colorful for this song.
song: rasputin is great, but i don't care at all for this remix, it barely adds anything to the original song and the deviations it takes aren't an improvement

おおきなこえで: 9/15
expert: 6/10
the steps started too early, those 16th notes didn't feel suitable at all for the song or rating, but the rest felt appropriate for the song
presentation: 3/5
the graphics are there but they are JPEG to the max
song: this was okay

WHAT THE HELL: this is my file

Witchcraft (Pegboard Nerds Remix) - 10/15
expert: 7/10
cut was too long and didn't help, but i figure this song is hard to cut to begin with. steps started too early, some parts felt either overcharted or like missed opportunities to do something more interesting. i liked some other parts a lot though.
presentation: 3/5
this is just a youtube crop which unfortunately wasn't particularly interesting to begin with.
song: i love pendulum. i'd chart their whole discography if i had the time. this remix, however, is not good and i would've much rather seen the normal version of this song

[tammie]

ChaserXX - 13/15
Expert - 8/10
Fun, and some really neat creative moments with cool gallops and freezes. Sometimes I think it was following quiet parts a little too literally which caused some confusion (such as the piano part), and sometimes it went overboard with twists but not always! There was a lot of fun twisting.
Presentation - 5/5
Looks great!

COMO - 15/15
Expert - 10/10
I have no negative critiques for this! It was so much fun, it did a great job matching the energy of the song without getting too literal. Really really really great.
Presentation - 5/5
Gorgeous! I'm sure you know there are issues with the video sync- but for anyone reading, it looks like StepMania Outfox can play it right but not SM5. I can't fault you for not realizing, who would've known until now!

Diddly-Dee - 13/15
Expert - 9/10
Very very fun! The use of crossovers and the little 16th gallops in the verse- those touches really matched the bouncy nature of the song. The cut did work against you a little bit here - at the second verse I felt like it was too repetitive. I did like the final chorus adding the jumps for a little more of a build up in the chart.
Presentation - 4/5
Cute graphics and fun video. I didn't love the colors scheme in the background- I think it looked a little unexciting for the song.

EDGE OF GLORY (Remix) - 9/15
Expert - 6/10
I think due to the song choice, there wasn't much to do to make the steps pop. It often felt just like 8th note fillers - they matched what was going on but in a very generic way that didn't end up feeling special. Sometimes it felt sloppy where it would be following a specific melody, but adding some extra notes or switching what it's following - for example, the synths after the chorus before the second verse. It added two eighths during a gap in the melody which made it feel a little messy and like you were trying to fill in space.
Presentation - 3/5
Simple, but effective. I do wish the artist text matched the songwheel (SATCHTHECAT vs SATCH THE CAT). I know it's a small thing- but I always notice!

FEEL THE MUSIC - 13/15
Expert - 9/10
I enjoyed the steps a lot during the synthline. They followed the synth not totally literally, and chose creative rhythms that fit well but probably wouldn't be the first to come to mind. It added a lot of personality. I also loved the 16ths to the "orchesta hit" noises (is that what they're called? I think that's what they were called on the Yamaha keyboard I had in the early 90s lol). The chorus followed a little too literally to the point where it kind of lost the vibe of "dancing."
Presentation - 4/5
The banner is super cute! In the background/jacket, the text feels a little overstretched and the graphics seem a little sparse, but overall very nice.

Generation of Love - 10/15
Expert - 7/10
There was a lot of like, but some that I didn't. The rhythms were often fun and creative, although sometimes it felt repetitive and followed a little too literally. The synths at the end got a little crazy with the jumps and sixteenths. I don't mind a small crazy area, but it didn't feel like it matched. There was a huuuuge amount of twisting and I wish it was toned down a little. Also, there should be time before the steps start instead of on the first beat.
Presentation - 3/5
The banner works well, although it is not super custom- a logo on top of a crop of the album art, but it looks nice! I'm a little sad there isn't a background - just a jacket with a blur behind it.

hit 'em up style (oops!) - 14/15
Expert - 10/10
I love these. It reminds me (by your design!) of old R&B songs in DDR. Fun, simple, clean. I know the 16th at the end is controversial, but I think it's really funny and fun.
Presentation - 4/5
Great text, but not sure about the choice of the stock image behind them!! Those phones didn't exist at the time of this song!
Tilt - 0/0
You know what I said about the cut - we never hear the full chorus because it's a chorus with adlibs that cuts out some main chorus vocals. I don't think it's bad enough to tilt it down but I just wanted to note this!!

LONG TRAIN RUNNIN' (Ventura Mix) - 13/15
Expert - 8/10
Really fun! I didn't like the stops. During the synth line some eighth notes didn't go with, which made it feel strange. The 16th gallops sometimes worked great, sometimes I didn't love. I think this was really really fun, just maybe needed to be tightened up a little bit.
Presentation - 5/5
Absolutely chaotic. In a fun way! Which matches the song!

Mars beach - 13/15
Expert - 10/10
Loved this from start to finish. It follows the song without being too literally, and it has great attention to detail regarding how the player is facing. Super cute. I loved the jump-step quarter note part. It fit the section perfect.
Presentation - 4/5
Cute graphics but the blurriness in the background didn't look great. Video was nice addition.
Tilt - -1/1
Very very low quality distorted audio file was very noticeable and affected my enjoyment.

Number One Fan - 10/15
Expert - 6/10
A little over ambitious I think. The gallops following the beat started to get tiring (conceptually, not physically) as it seemed to go through the whole chart. It was all a bit haphazard between following the beat of the vocals, whichever was more involved. It made it feel very disjointed. The step was also very reptitive which amplified the issues in the chart. There were fun rhythms in here, but I think it just needed a bit more focus.
Presentation - 4/5
Not bad, simple, but very dark. It's hard to read the text that says "Muna."

ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS - 11/15
Expert - 7/10
Some good, some bad. I liked the steps in the first verse and the chorus. Although, in the first verse, it felt like you got rhythms wrong unless you meant to not follow the background synth. The pre-chorus kind of felt like filler steps- not much personality or excitement. The addition of the slow part to the cut, which I will get it later, really lead to a boring section as well that didn't really need to be there. The last freeze was a bit bizarre with how long it was.
Presentation - 5/5
Great graphics! They fit very well, I love the reference, and the video is lovely.
Tilt - -1/1
The cut was bizarre and abrupt, and ruined the flow a lot. It re-structures the song in a way that the song isn't, and isn't a good source for interesting steps.

Potential Breakup Song - 12/15
Expert - 8/10
Some sections I really loved, some sections were just okay for me. I thought the chorus was really fun with the 8th-8th-8th patterns, and I loved the freeze stuff in the post-chorus. Also a great use of jumps. Sometimes during the verses etc, it felt a little like karaoke steps that were slightly off. Not bad, but just slightly strange. I did like how the steps anchored on one arrow in these sections, going like, "left-down-up-down-left-down-up-down-left." (I don't know if that's the exact arrows you used, but for example purposes only.) That complimented the melodies really well and in a cool way.
Presentation - 4/5
Nice! Background can have something more- a little simple, but looks nice and effective for graphics!

PPBQ - 13/15
Expert - 8/10
Very new school. I often felt like it was a bit chaotic. Some of the rhythms were complex, but what they were following wasn't strong enough to make it feel very natural and sometimes it felt like you were trying to follow multiple aspects of the song. Also, the amount of twists didn't feel warranted for me in an old school file.
Presentation - 5/5
Looks nice!

RASPUTIN - 14/15
Expert - 9/10
I loved the use of double stepping during the string section! The steps very well represented the pulsating beat and the double-stepping in general really added to the "disco" and "groovy" feels of the song is that makes sense. One thing to note, which usually bothers me more than it did in this file- it is facing right a majority of the time.
Presentation - 5/5
Gorgeous as always! Love the banner especially.

ookina koe de - 7/10
Expert - 5/10
Steps started with the music- there should be some time before the steps start. A lot of the rhythms were very off, and there wasn't much creativity in the steps here to the point where sparser sections of the song felt boring to play.
Presentation - 2/5
Text on the banner is very tiny, jacket and background are very blurry.

WHAT THE HELL - 15/15
Expert - 10/10
It's Titiln doing SAIFAM Speed. Of course it's great! Classic feeling file. I loved the pre-chorus section with the freezes, and the last synth section with the lalalas and the ending with the 16ths. Fun, tight, classic.
Presentation - 5/5
Pretty as always. Really fun concept too!

Witchcraft Pegboard Nerds Remix - 10/15
Expert - 7/10
I loved the chorus, it was very fun and very tightly done. The verses were a bit bland, it felt like a lot of generic 8th note sections that didn't do much.
Presentation - 3/5
It works. Not very appealing and just copied and pasted from the official art.