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I *wanted* to like this, really I did...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: December 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm an arrow-stomper aficionado. I've danced my way through "In The Groove" and all the PS2 DDR games. When I found out about this game, touted as a hip-hop DDR, I was instantly interested. New songs and a new style? Gimme!

The game does have its own flavor, very unlike that of DDR and ITG. The graphics depict urban settings, and you earn respect (and new songs) by completing missions in those areas. The type of music is also very unlike established dance games. All good. Plus, it has goodies like hands (ala ITG) and special icons which, if you step on them, will give you extra, more complex steps. Nice!

However, the game has one fatal flaw: no modifies for the songs. No mods at all. No *speed mods.* And of the songs I've played, the average BPM is 100-120 BPM. Ouch! Add to that the fact that there are only two barely-different arrow "colors" - brown, and brown with an inside line - and that makes the patterns too difficult to follow to be enjoyable.

I wanted to enjoy this game. Really, I did. However, the lack of speed mods ruined it for me. Yes, I realize that makes me a speed weenie, and that old-school DDR aficionados may snicker at my complaint. But I've found that most players need speed mods as I do, and by leaving them out Ubi Soft has shunned a very large percentage of its possible buyers.

Great hip-hop songs and steps, but hard to read arrows

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I am a huge fan of DDR and hip-hop music, and this game is a great change of pace for DDR players who are tired of all the seventies hits and Japanese techno that dominates many of the other DDR games.

The arrows (dance moves) feel much more natural than on some of the other DDR games out there, and I love that on this game I almost always feel like I am dancing, rather than tapping arrows! I love the variety of songs; though most of them have a comparatively slow beat, the arrows are placed in new and different ways than I am used to, so it makes it fun as a change.

I love how the arrows that you press simultaneously are linked with a chain, so it is easy to tell when to hit those. But, the arrows are all shades of brown, so it is hard to see them against the urban-themed backgrounds, and really difficult to tell the difference between half and eighth notes. You kind of get used to it, but on Heavy mode I find myself squinting and relying on the music to figure out when to step on the more complex sequences because I can't differentiate between all the layers of brown.

This game also isn't as hard as some of the other DDR games. I play standard and heavy on the DDR Max and Extreme games, and the hardest level on this game is fun and requires focus but is doable without too much practice. I'd like another level to move up to.

The dancers are way better in this game than in the DDR Extreme games. The dancers start doing trick moves when you get a combo going, and crash to the floor from their spinning headstands if you break the combo. It is fun that they are responsive to what is going on in the game, which they aren't in DDR Extreme and Max.

Even with the complaints I have about arrow visibility and wanting more difficult levels, I enjoy this game a lot and play it often. I wouldn't buy this game as my first or only DDR game (DDR Max 2 would be my first choice!), but if you have a few games and want to mix it up, this one is really different and a lot of fun. I hope they come out with a sequel and fix those problems, because they have done a lot of things better than Konami/ Bemani and I can see their potential for a really strong hip-hop DDR game.

Great soundtrack, bad game

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Most of the DDR-style games have absolutely abysmal soundtracks, so I was really excited to see that there was a game out that actually had some decent music to dance to. I wasn't let down on that account: the music for this game is great. However, the actual game play more or less SUCKS. The routines are all right, and actually require you to move around more than many of the DDR routines, but there are tons of problems. First off, the load times. Just when you start to break a bit of a sweat, the songs over and it's a minute and a half before you can start dancing again because you sit through a load screen to get back to the challenge selection menu, a load screen to get to the song selection menu, and then another load screen before the actual dancing begins. This is doubly obnoxious in workout mode, since it basically prevents you from keeping your heart rate up for any appreciable amount of time.

They also seem to have magically injected my dance pad with novocaine, as 90% of the hold arrows show me as having stepped off of the correct arrow on the pad even if I don't move a muscle. Seriously, you can stand there and put all your weight on it and it will show you as having moved off of it at some random time during the hold. It's not my dance pad, as I don't have any of these problems with other games.

In short, I REALLY wish Konami would remake this game with the same soundtrack but the game play of one of the DDR games; it's a shame to have such great music wasted on such a crappy game.

Teenagers Love This Game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

My 14 year old son has another DDR game but he thought the songs on it were "too old"...that means not hip enough. He and his friends really like the Flow Urban version. Music is much more to their liking. Not for little kids though as some lyrics are explicit.

Awesome Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 15, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I'm not a DDR player at all. Actually, until two months ago, the last time I'd owned a game system was during my elementary school career. However, after playing Flow, I've become a true believer in the genre. Although it is very challenging, it's a fun and rewarding experience to learn the moves and play with friends. The colored arrows didn't bother me at all--I think they add to the game's unique style.

Another hint: if you play in the single player mode, you can switch out players each round, thus making it a group/party game. My friends and I have done this and I think it's a great team-building exercise. You can get one player through a series of challenges, unlocking locations and prizes along the way, while also challenging one another to complete each level--I can't express how great it was to finally have one of my friends clear one of the harder levels so we could all progress to the next level and unlock a new location.

I think this is an awesome game and would highly reccomend it to others.

Doesn't flow as steadily as it should.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 23, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game is a good buy for DDR players hoping to mix it up a bit, but doesn't quite stack up. I rate it based on a number of components:

1. Music (3/5): The song list is certainly different from standard DDR fair and isn't bad, especially if you are into hip hop, but it wears pretty fast. Too many of the songs are very similar and I wish that they had explored a broader range of genres within hip hop. Nevertheless, the songs did make me want to dance - a nice respite from the increasing amount of J-Pop on the latest titles of DDR.

2. Step Charts (4/5): You won't find too many catastrophic charts here, and there is certainly nothing that can be considered the DDR equivalent of a 10 footer, but there are a couple of songs that may be considered easy/moderate nines and plenty of sevens and eights. There is plenty to do for beginners and intermediate players. However, the step charts are a lot of fun, especially if you want to do more than purely technical dance moves and aren't completely concerned about perfects.

3. Visuals (4/5): The background visuals are very fluid and it is interesting to see your character dance in the background (much more so than in DDR). However, the arrows are a bit dull and almost fade into the background, making it more difficult to hit a perfect step, especially on quarter or eight notes.

4. Other (1/5): This is where the game fails. About half of the songs and characters need to be obtained in a rather long and boring "Street Mode" similar to the various similar modes started since DDR Extreme. What makes this game really inferior to DDR are loading times. I found myself having to wait 1 minute between songs. The improved visuals are just not worth this.

The Good: Unique Sound, Fun Step Charts
The Bad: Bland Arrows, Repetitive Songs
The Ugly: . . . l . . . o . . . a . . d . . . i . . . n . . . g . . .

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