_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ #INFINITY'S OSC BONG REVIEWS _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Special thanks to NekoIncardine for the opportunity to judge this competition. While it has been time consuming, it has also been fun. Be aware that I'm going to take things much more seriously this time around, so don't be too surprised if you believe I gave you an unfairly low rating (generally, on my scale, a 6 is a medium score). However, I planned to hand out plenty of constructive criticism in my reviews, so please take my advice (same goes with the rest of the judge's reviews) if you want to truly improve your abilities quickly. All songs were tested by foot using a Cobalt Flux dance mat connected to StepMania 3.9. This is the criteria I applied when rating simfiles: Graphics:__/2 Banner:__/1 - I expect all perfect banners to be easy to read, dynamically appealing, clean, and well organized. Background:__/1 - Same idea with the banner applies here. I'd also like the artwork to captivate my attention if I'm to hand out a full grade. Music:__/2 Song Selection / File Quality:__/1 - I usually hand out perfect ratings to songs which are generally very catchy, upbeat, distinct, or possessing a strong beat. Edit Quality:__/1 - Probably the easiest place to get a full score. As long as the song's length is suitable and balanced without any abrupt or obvious cuts, I'm satisfied. Steps:__/6 Light:__/1 - To receive a full rating for Light, I'd like the step patterns to be varied, but with good consistency and even a slight hint of creativity. Generally, I mainly just want some refinement here, but I also don't want these stepcharts to be overly bland and dull. Standard:__/2 - This will be a little more complex to earn a top score for, but it's still mainly about overall refinement with at least fairly interesting patterns. Heavy__/3 - A good Heavy stepchart, from my perspective, requires a broad diversity of distinct or fun steps implemented in a refined manner. Any awkward step transitions, overly difficult sections (given the difficulty of the rest of the song), or poorly used double-stepping will cause me to take off a few points. Main Total:__/10 Extras/Penalties: +__ CDTitle:__/2 - Here, all I require is a clean image which isn't oversized or dully shaped like a rectangle. Lyrics:__/5 - I demand properly synced words, as well as a little substance (i.e., coloring the letters), for a full score here. Special Characters:__/2 - I'd generally want these to be well sized, clean, and used during the appropriate time. As it turns out, there aren't any entries in this competition which include them, but this is just to state how I would grade them. Animations and/or Movies:__/15 - This is pretty difficult to gain full credit for. If you're to receive a 15, I expect unique background clips (i.e., NOT official DDR background movies*) executed in an extremely captivating way, much similar to those from DDR Extreme 2, or even animations used in ways other than just the background. * - Yes, I used these types of clips in my simfile, but I didn't know how to access anything else. :( Readme Extras:__/4 - I expect 4-rating readme's to cover all sorts of information surrounding the simfile, including topics such as step info, graphics info, song/artist info, acknowledgements, and even some history about yourself. I also demand the details to be descriptive and grammatically solid. Beginner Chart:__/3 - Prevent this from becoming overly redundant for the given difficulty and don't make it too hard for the novices, and you've got the full grade. Challenge (and/or Edit) Chart:__/15 - You've got plenty of freedom here, so long as you ensure the steps are fun and still technically well made, as well as noticeably different from the Heavy stepchart. Also, please ensure this isn't meant for the keyboard, or I will still grade it as if it were for the pad. Other Extra Charts:__/10 - I'm not going to grade any Doubles or PIU stepcharts (I play neither). If these are meant for Singles DDR/ITG, I will grade them based on my same standards as Challenge/Edit charts. [For details on Penalty standards, please see the OSC BoNG rules] That's about it. I hope you enjoy my reviews! - #Infinity _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bad Boy Bass!! (dj remo-con mix) Simfile by Uiru - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (0.3/2) Banner: (0.1/1) A fuzzy and blurry image. Try not to ever rip from a video as you did here again. If you wish to create graphics which truly work, I strongly recommend you learn to use Photoshop (or even Elements), which will allow you to at least give you clean, acceptable artwork if used properly. Background: (0.2/1) Once again, the image is very fuzzy and bland due to being taken from the video. I also find the song title to be slightly oversized in the picture, even though it’s at least very visible. Music: (0.8/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (0.2/1) The good news here is that the noisy synths are not excessively loud as they were in this simfile’s OSC 4 counterpart. Unfortunately though, they still sound ugly and are inappropriate for a DDR song. Along with this, those obnoxious vocals really start to get on my nerves after a while. Edit Quality: (0.6/1) This honestly could’ve been easily shortened to lower than nearly 2 minutes. Practically half of the entire song is made up of the light section in the middle, causing it to really become pretty dull. There are no other offenses, but I still suggest you learn to cut songs when they drag a little as they do here. Steps: (1.3/6) Light: (0.2/1) You’re really pushing it here. Excessive amounts of 8ths, 16ths, and step-jumps/jump-steps don't belong in any Light stepchart. In addition, patterns which used them often became repetitive or quite awkward, filled with too many freezes, odd gaps, and bizarre footwork. This would’ve been much better had you just stuck to plain, basic quarter notes which have gaps dependent on the current energy of the song. Standard: (0.5/2) I’m still finding this to be overdone and awkward. Once again, the steps are too difficult for the song’s difficulty, and there are far too many forced jumps thrown in the streams. To mark a highlight, this almost actually works as a Heavy stepchart (the chaos is implemented awkwardly, but is actually a little fun), but if you’re to improve, you’ll really need to learn to not force so much difficulty on the pad while stepping your simfiles. Heavy: (0.6/3) The awkward usage of chaotic patterns continues in this stepchart, despite being somewhat fun to play. The Dynamite Rave steps in measures 17 and 18 are huge no’s, while measure 49’s use of jumps is disjointed and forced. On the good side, measures 51 through 57 were actually decent, largely because the difficulty was lighter and not overemphasized (the rest of the stepchart should've been more like it, in fact). Overall, however, these steps need work. Main Total: (2.4/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (-5) CDTitle: (+0) Flat and unpleasing. Size isn’t a big issue, but I still recommend you try to redesign your CDTitle to at least be easier on the eye. Readme Extras: (+2) Decently covers info about the steps, song, and graphics. Beginner Chart: (-1) I have honestly never seen an actual DDR Beginner stepchart which allows itself to move along using long quarter streams. As a Light stepchart, this actually would’ve been quite decent, albeit fairly repetitive, but in the future, you’ll really need to keep in mind that those who play Beginner’s mode are strictly looking for a stepchart they can actually play, not one which will greatly challenge them. Challenge Chart: (-4) Apparently, this is nothing more than a mirrored version of the Heavy stepchart with a few more steps, including death runs later on, only to worsen matters. It’s still way overdone, and does not show true effort in distinguishing itself from Heavy. Additionally, your decision to dose in Tell-jumps in the ending run was really pushing it over the edge. Even most high-tier ITG players hate and struggle with these, and packing them in streams is a huge no unless it’s a keyboard stepchart. Incorrect Difficulty: (-2) The Beginner steps are most certainly not deserving of a rating of 1. They're far more of a 4 because of the massive quarter streams. Additional Comments: It’s not that a hard simfile is automatically bad. It’s the way in which you push the difficulty that makes me believe you need to understand that a good simfile is all about how fun and comfortable the steps are, and not how hard it is. Next time, go a bit easier on your audience as you did with The Great Blue Sky ~and the stars above~, which I sort of enjoyed (although a little more variation would be nice). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Blow Me Away Simfile by SpyHunter89 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (1.9/2) Banner: (0.9/1) Very nice looking! The text is clean and pleasing, perfectly complimenting the ambient abstract backdrop. Maybe a little more emphasis on the song title would've helped, but that doesn't completely ruin the picture. This edges more towards Ultramix than the rest of the competition, but honestly, I find that to be a good thing. Background: (1/1) Also a very in-depth picture with appealing artwork and effective text, as if it were pulled right out of Ultramix 4. The robot appears disjointed with the rest of the picture, but I’m not docking off points since the alternate background removes it. Nice job! Music: (1.3/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (0.3/1) This is honestly a pretty weak choice to step. It has quite a bit of energy, but not in the sense that makes it upbeat and fun like Kickstart My Heart was. The bpm is slow, giving the music a dull sensation after a while. 24 from OSC 5 was at least unique, but this fits under the category of usual radio rock unfit for being stepped. Edit Quality: (1/1) An unflawed edit, with a broad range of different sections to keep things interesting. Steps: (4.9/6) Light: (0.8/1) The excellent news I’ve got for you is that you’ve designed this stepchart just about as well as you possibly could. However, the song’s slow bpm makes it a bit dull and tiring to step in the long run. Nonetheless, pattern consistency and flow was superb, while the 8ths desperately needed to actually make this work are carefully placed and well executed. Standard: (1.6/2) These were also very solid for the given bpm, though still not horribly fun, primarily because songs like these are pretty much impossible to step truly well. Step patterns are still clever and diverse for only 99 bpm, making them mildly fun to step, although the slowness of it would probably still disenchant most people. Heavy: (2.5/3) Also very creative and technically well-designed for being so slow. I especially enjoyed how you handled the chaos and jumps, as even at such a low tempo, they felt generally comfortable and fun for me to foot. Clever double-stepping patterns just as used in the Standard stepchart also kept the slow 8th streams fairly interesting. 19 through 26 was just a little iffy comfort-wise with the slow freezes, while 28’s spinning step-jumps were also a little awkward. Otherwise however, consistency and variation are both major highlights, making this surprisingly enjoyable for sub-100 bpm. Main Total: (8.1/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (+26) CDTitle: (+2) Looks perfectly clean and is well-sized. Animations and/or Movies: (+10) Uses official DDR Extreme background videos (don’t worry, I did, too), but solidly gives the simfile a more intense feel because of appropriate selection of the clips. Readme Extras: (+2) Does not review the steps in sentences, but lists their total amounts of steps and freeze arrows, as well as their difficulty ratings. Also gives details about the graphics and process in song selection. Beginner Chart: (+3) I found no real problems. The patterns never become redundant and follow the music excellently for Beginner. Challenge Chart: (+11) A good harder alternative to Heavy. A few gripes include mainly some of the runs, which were difficult but inconsistent to music (found during 6, and 29 to 30), as well as 11 through 12, in which the 8th’s are drowned in double-steps enough that there’s definitely a possibility of a bad transition into the following run. Still solid for the given bpm nonetheless. Foldering Penalty: (-2) Additional Comments: You show great potential with this simfile. Next time though, I suggest you find a more upbeat song to step if you're to come in with a home run. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Celebrate Nite (Around the World Arrangement) Simfile by Sakura Guy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (0.1/2) Banner: (0.1/1) I found the text to be very hard to read over the checkerboard backdrop, which was also very bland and unrefined. Style is also extremely adapted from the background, which shows little thought put into the process. Background: (0/1) Once again, this is a very generic and unpleasing picture. In addition, the checkerboard here isn’t even perfectly symmetrical. And by the way, what’s with those faded letters? Music: (0.7/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (0.2/1) While both songs have the potential to be mashed up properly, this music file falls flat in trying to do so. It’s nearly impossible to even hear Celebrate Nite, and what you can hear sounds crackling and unclean. The two songs blend poorly, resulting in basically a fuzzy version of Around the World. It does at least a decent beat to step to, though. Edit Quality: (0.5/1) This was okay, with a suitable length for DDR. Unfortunately, the fade-in during the beginning took too long to complete, while the main synths from Around the World became pretty repetitive after a while. The fadeout in the end was a bit abrupt, though it was fairly suitable. Steps: (1.0/6) Light: (0.2/1) I can see your idea here, trying to make the steps go “around the world” much of the time. Unfortunately, that doesn’t hide the fact that this stepchart is nonetheless full of repetitive notes that lack much consistency. For instance, the streams during 17 through 22 really seemed to drag, but even their cohension broke apart upon a gap, immediately followed by a change of pace in a completely random location. This stepchart at least isn’t a huge mess of overdone rhythms, but it could’ve really benefited from much less redundancy and more separation based on certain sections of the song. Also (and this applies to all of your stepcharts), please don't throw in steps during any fade-in or fadeout. Standard: (0.3/2) These also lack diversity and consistency alike. The beginning of the song is made up entirely of 3-note 8th streams (and during 9 through 12, you allowed your player to face right far too much), while the jump-step that ends it hardly follows the music at all and does not belong anywhere in a Standard chart (the same goes with any others). Additionally, 33 through 40’s “slow gallops” were disjointed and wacky to foot (you also messed up the consistency with the second pair or notes in 34). Generally however, you’ll need to bring in a much more diverse and thorough set of patterns if you’re to improve your step-creating abilities. Heavy: (0.6/3) The extensive 8th runs which fill much of this stepchart are fairly appropriate and closely follow the music. Unfortunately though, they’re still quite redundant in general, from the constant right-facing opening stream, to the completely repetitive stream during 21 through 24 that uses the exact same step patterns as the freeze walks that precede it. Also, many of the freezes are held too long (most should’ve been held for only a beat’s length and no longer), especially during measure 29, which suffers a hand on its last beat. one good section of the song (aside from the ending notes) was 33 through 40, which at least added in a little variety to the patterns with some jumps along with shorter streams. I strongly recommend you improve your steps to fit more under that category in the future. Trust me, it will help a lot. Main Total: (1.8/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (-7) Readme Extras: (+1) Covers previous the graphics, song, and steps, as well as previous simfile competition history and some acknowledgements. But the text has some grammatical errors and is not very detailed. Foldering Penalty: (-2) Improper Background Format: (-4) No ‘Around the world arrangement’ tag. Just ‘Celebrate Night’. Incorrect Difficulty: (-2) Light is definitely far too streamy to qualify as a 2 footer and should be rated a 4 instead. Additional Comments: Don't let these ratings bring you down too much. If you work hard on improving your step variation in the future, you should get some improvement going. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - DOCTOR PRESSURE Simfile by Jesterline/Ebisumaru - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (1.5/2) Banner: (0.9/1) An unexpectedly simplistic image, but it actually looks pretty good! It’s a little monotone, but it’s nonetheless quite effective. Background: (0.6/1) With a little more, this picture would’ve been quite nice. Unfortunately though, the large chunk of plain space disenchanted me from what could’ve also been a pleasantly unique image. Music: (1.6/2) Song Selection / Quality: (0.8/1) Much like your OSC 5 entry, Radio Star, this song has quite a distinct old school vibe to it. Its rhythms and musical melodies are quite catchy, though it lacks the fun energy which the most enjoyable DDR songs possess. Edit Quality: (0.8/1) Generally no complaints here, though the fadeout of Doctor Beat seemed pretty obvious and abrupt. I assume that it was your best choice, but it’s still sort of a strange transition on the way out. Steps: (5.6/6) Light: (1/1) You have proved your ability to make even a Light stepchart quite creative with these. The jackhammers added a nice touch to the feel of the steps, while the jumps during the chorus were cleverly placed. Very consistent and unique throughout. Standard: (1.8/2) Creative usage of steps continue into the Standard chart. Patterns in general are slightly repetitive, but they’re still very creative and are fun to step. Heavy: (2.8/3) The only misstep I found was that measures 17 through 23 were pretty dull and redundant for a Heavy stepchart. Aside from that, the rest of the steps turned out to be very enjoyable and distinct. The long jackhammers were surprisingly fun, while many other areas were a pleasure to step, despite their simplicity (except for the chaos, which is also well made). A quality stepchart overall. Main Total: (8.7/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (+2) CDTitle: (+1) Too similar to the banner, but still very pleasing to the eye. Readme Extras: (+3) Covers the graphics, stepcharts, and simfile history. A little more would’ve given you a full bonus, but I’m still quite satisfied overall. Beginner Chart: (+3) No problems here. Not too difficult, despite the freezes, and perfectly loyal to the music. Foldering Penalty: (-2) BPM Hiding/Other Tricks: (-3) Song bpm is displayed as 124, but is really 129. Additional Comments: This is another solid offering from you. Maybe next time, I'd like to see something more upbeat like Din Dan Don was, but this is still not a disappointment. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Simfile by Ben.(Spiers) 7.0 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (0.7/2) Banner: (0.4/1) The blue checkers in the backdrop are decent enough, though not particularly too interesting. The flat text really hurts the quality of the image, though. Even Photoshop Elements (if that was the program you were using) has certain ways of changing the text to look a little more interesting, so I recommend you find a way to take advantage of them. Background: (0.3/1) The backdrop has uninteresting and bizarre usage of abstract art, while the flat text still looks rather unpleasing. Selection of hues is also a little strange, especially the bright pink in the text. Music: (1.0/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (0.7/1) Quite a distinct electronic Daft Punk composition with its ongoing buzzy vocals and bouncy personality. A bit mild to be that enjoyable, but still an interesting little piece. Edit Quality: (0.3/1) Even after editing this to be within the time limits, this cut is still just far too long and repetitive to work adequately. For starters, it takes a long 8+ measures just for the main beat to come in, but even after that, it’s mainly just the same redundant music over and over again. This definitely could’ve afforded to be trimmed much further than just 2:40. Steps: (2.0/6) Light: (0.5/1) For the most part, these steps followed the music pretty well (although the long quarter streams later on got pretty random and uncreative). The problem lies in the patterns’ redundancy. For example, early on, there would be nothing but 4 separate notes in 2 measures, followed by a long stream with little or no foot movement involved. Mixing it up while still corresponding to the music would greatly help out (or maybe it also has to do with the repetitive cut, but still). 65 through 76’s approach of continuous quarter jackhammers was also quite repetitive and uncreative from my perspective. Try adding more diversity to your steps, and you will significantly improve. Standard: (0.7/2) Same idea applies here. Your steps are comfortable enough to foot, but they still greatly lack variety and interest. The entire section 9 through 46 dragged on with almost the exact same approach straight. Matters only continued to worsen with the ongoing 3-note 8th streams from 61 to 72 (BTW, 69 to 71 got a bit awkward with the step patterns), although the jump-5-note-stream approach which followed for basically the remainder of the song was okay, though still a little repetitive. Heavy: (0.8/3) Much more of the same – mainly extremely redundant patterns throughout. I also really didn’t care for both of the awkward 2-note jump patterns which filled 9 through 46. Additionally, there’s lots of double-stepping during the long runs which are persistent throughout the later areas of the stepchart, as well as some iffy transitions into many of the stepchart’s jumps, requiring some very wacky foot movement (check the movement from 28 into 29 for a sample). Finally, the very few 16ths also present don’t fit the song at all and should definitely be removed. Main Total: (3.7/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (-4) CDTitle: (+0) Bland and flat. Just your username printed in solid white over a black rectangle. Lyrics: (+3) I actually thought these were inaccurate at first (e.g., “makes us” sounds a lot more like “make sense” in my opinion), but I looked up the lyrics sheet and discovered them to be 100% accurate. I appreciate your inclusion of coloring the words red. A couple of mistakes made were that the “Over” at 1:18 held on long after the vocals stopped, as well as the fact that whenever “More than ever hour after; Our work is never over” displayed, the words disappeared before the vocals ended. Nice job otherwise, though! Readme Extras: (+1) Lists some so-so details about all the stepcharts (try paying attention more to the actual details about the steps and not your opinion about them) and gives out some acknowledgements. Beginner Chart: (+0) I found this stepchart to be bland and inconsistent, even for Beginner’s Mode. The difficulty at least isn’t pushing it for a Beginner stepchart, but I still found the notes to be pretty random. Challenge Chart: (-2) These patterns were a little less redundant (though still repetitive nonetheless), but they’re technically even worse. The gallops added a little variety, but they were still quite bizarre to foot, especially during the interlude from 47 to 48. There were many random jumps thrown in the long streams, which were completely full of ugly double-steps. I also really disliked the ending 16th run, which was unfitting to the music and inconsistent to the difficulty of the rest of the stepchart. Try being a lot more aware careful next time you design very difficult steps. Foldering Penalty: (-2) Improper Banner Formatting: (-2) Your readme doesn’t give me a convincing enough excuse to this image’s incorrect size (I suspect you could’ve just began with the intended size in the first place), so I have no choice but to penalize you for it. Improper Background Formatting: (-2) See above. Additional Comments: You're not a bad simfile designer. I just want to see a lot more variation and less redundancy coming from your work. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ichirin No Hana ~Huge Hollow Mix~ Simfile by zeh - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (1.0/2) Banner: (0.6/1) This image looks okay in its simplicity, but I still would’ve preferred it no to be so generally flat. Background: (0.4/1) I really just don’t like the idea of two separate images adjacent to each other, especially with one of them slightly overlapping the text. Besides that, overall, this could’ve really been a much more in-depth image. Music: (1.8/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (0.8/1) Shows both a beautiful and angry essence during separate times. The high energy of the song makes it quite suitable to be stepped, but the loud screaming causes it to be obnoxious at times. Edit Quality: (1/1) Not too bad at all. This cut gives a basically perfect share of both evident themes during the song and flows together smoothly. Steps: (4.0/6) Light: (0.7/1) These were okay, though a little iffy at times. Much of the beginning of the stepchart is dully hugging mainly just the left and right arrows, even far into the first speed change. 18 through 21 used pretty odd step rhythms that didn’t really correspond to the music, while the baby freeze in 31 probably could’ve afforded to be replaced by 2 non-freeze steps instead. 54 through 60’s freeze arrow usage was pretty iffy and overworked, although I enjoyed the death section which followed. Standard: (1.4/2) Much similar to Light, this was generally fun to play, though still a bit technically flawed. I would’ve preferred more interesting patterns during the beginning and not largely a mixture of very slow jackhammers. Patterns during 13 through 29 were very fun, but lacked a consistent pattern. 46 through 61 got a little redundant with the mostly continuous left and right arrow patterns, while the step jumps really seemed to push it at a brisk 200 bpm. 62 to 68 was appropriate, but the crossover during the transition out was a bit awkward, as was the ending step. Heavy: (1.9/3) Very early on, doublestepping, as well as the 16ths following the vocals, were both a little uncomfortable to step. The same applies to the wacky offbeat steps which follow (at least somewhat follow the evident beats would’ve helped a lot). 18 through 33 had neat usage of crossover patterns, as well as solid jumps later on, although I didn’t particularly care for the 16th triplets from 22 through 24 (they would’ve flowed better and more appropriately placed on the quarter beat), nor for the jump-step-jumps which push it a little. 36 to 46 was okay, but the chaos still felt a little bit iffy to foot. 46 through 54 followed the music rather strangely with gaps and offbeat streams, but 54 through 61’s left-and-right dominance patterns actually worked well this time around since the length of the pattern was trimmed more appropriately. The remainder of the stepchart was fine, but the transitions into jumps or new streams was a little awkward. Main Total: (6.8/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (+14) CDTitle: (+1) Appropriately sized, but the thick, transparent border surrounding it looks a bit iffy. Lyrics: (+3) Everything is synced perfectly. I'd just like a little more substance, and perhaps the vocals during the screaming should've also been counted (recoloring the words there would've been a nice addition, BTW). Readme Extras: (+1) Lists nothing more than a couple of acknowledgements and stepchart difficulties. There’s at least something, but this is still one of the smallest in the competition. Beginner Chart: (+1) This is okay, but it uses some patterns that never appear in Beginner's Mode which explain its rating of 2 feet. Most notably, moving quarter patterns such as those during 38 and 41 (it apparently doesn't really matter how slow the song is scrolling) are definitely pushing it. 50 through 53 falls under the same category. Challenge Chart: (+8) This isn't too bad of an energy drainer. It is, however, pushing it at certain times. Most noticeably, the death run during 33 is really pretty fast, yet its patterns aren't forgiving, sort of like Disconnected Hyper's Expert steps. Moreover, the transition into 13 is definitely a big NO, while the 32nd burst was also quite annoying. Thankfully though, variety and flow are both excellent, making this an enjoyable ITG-ish Challenge/Expert stepchart. Foldering Penalty: (-2) Additional Comments: This was pretty decent overall, but try not to get too overly experimental in the future. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Karma (dj REMO-CON mix) Simfile by jammitch! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (1.8/2) Banner: (0.9/1) This image looks very nice and appealing! If there’s anything to take off from, it’s that ‘dj REMO-CON mix’ is emphasized over ‘Karma’ a little more than what I would’ve preferred. Still excellent, though! Background: (0.9/1) Just as aesthetically appealing as the banner, only with more to offer. The big, curly lines to the left were shaped a little weirdly, but the combined layers still look great overall! Music: (2/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (1/1) This is really quite a dynamically appealing mashup if you ask me. The original Karma was a little bare, but combined with the driving electric guitars from Fake Time, it becomes an all-out techno/rock masterpiece absolutely delightful to step to. Most mashups end up sounding a little busy, but these two building blocks merge perfectly. Nice job! Edit Quality: (1/1) The melodies and rhythms throughout are very diverse and flow perfectly. Steps: (5.3/6) Light: (0.9/1) There was very little to criticize in this strong offering. 41 through 48 was a little redundant with its continuous usage of 3-note 8th streams (maybe turning it into one long stream by 45 would’ve added a little more variety). Aside from that, however, the patterns were extremely diverse and appropriate throughout. Standard: (1.6/2) Patterns continue to be extremely fun to step throughout much of the song. I especially enjoyed how you handled 33 through 39 with the gapped jumps. However, the one thing I was a bit turned off by was when you decided to go completely karaoke to the mildly faded synths during 53 to 76 without adequate flow. It would’ve been alright had you stayed partially true to the evident rhythm still in action, but here, it’s just awkward and pretty random. Still a sincere effort, nonetheless. Heavy: (2.8/3) Still a very solid showing with extremely minimal flaws. Everything was very consistent, and patterns always follow the song appropriately. 69 through 76 even handles the varying guitar patterns without going off-rhythm of inconsistent. Two nitpicks I have are that while 53 through 68 was fun, it went on without variety; and the ending gallop run was unique, but it was a little out there given that Karma’s straight rhythm was still continuing. Aside from that, however, this stepchart is overall very strong and definitely among the best in the competition. Excellent! Main Total: (9.1/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (+15) CDTitle: (+2) The classic jammitch! CDTitle along with its IIDX character. Perfectly fits this simfile. Readme Extras: (+2) Gives very brief information about the songs and bpm/changes, as well as the graphics. Also lists details about the steps and your hefty simfile competition and other history (although the latter was incomplete, not listing your OSC 5 entries and mislabeling your OSC 4 ones under OSC 5 instead). Challenge Chart: (+11) Overall a solid energy drainer, though with a few overdone sections. Thankfully, the long runs are appropriate and fun, with intriguing usage of complex crossovers. On the down side, however, I really disliked 41 through 48 with its awkwardness, while 16th bursts later on were a little unnecessary, given they don’t follow anything in particular, although I appreciate your efforts in adding more variety with them. Finally, the ending death run was suitable, but it stuck out as a little hard compared to the rest of the stepchart, and probably could’ve been better with slightly easier patterns during its last 2 measures. Additional Comments: A very nice showing from a veteran simfile artist. Your hard work and effort shows in this distinct simfile, and I can't wait for more from you. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - KISS KISS Simfile by Akira - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (1.4/2) Banner: (0.6/1) This artwork was okay. The approach is good, but I honestly find it to quite bare and a bit lackluster. The backdrop would look more complete with an outward shine overlapping the red hearts, while the song/artist tags would appear much better if they weren’t so monotone. Background: (0.8/1) Not bad at all. I see that you borrowed a little from Ebisumaru with the outlined hearts, but the image still looks very effective and solid. The song title’s font was a bit fancy for my tastes, but I’m glad you moved it out of the center to allow room for emphasis of the two pairs of lips essential to the theme of the song. Music: (2/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (1/1) Perfectly suited for DDR with its upbeat feel and pumping melodies. A great speed cover of the original Kiss Kiss from TM4 Very clever of a choice choice overall. Edit Quality: (1/1) Nice job changing things around to unify this simfile from Ebisumaru’s, especially with the new bridge after the first chorus. This is a well thought-out edit. Steps: (5.1/6) Light: (0.8/1) This is obviously pretty hard for Light to have 8ths at over 200 bpm, but it works fine, given the energy of the song. Overall, I’m quite impressed. To point out a few things, the steps weren’t always perfectly emphasized (i.e., interlude measures such as 11 blend in with what surrounds them, causing the steps to get a little more redundant than wanted), and measures 46 through 54 were also a little repetitive pattern-wise (the jack on the way out can also go). Nonetheless, this is still a quality stepchart that is very fun and refined. Standard: (1.7/2) Also very solid and fun to step to. For almost all of the song, the steps flow very well and creatively implement great usage of twists and turns. A few nitpicks to point out include the Breakdown crossovers from 9 and 17, the redundant patterns from 54 through 60, and disjointed offbeat streams from 82 to 84. Besides that, great job! Heavy: (2.6/3) Definitely a very hard 9, but it still works quite well. There are plenty of strikingly twisty streams which are still solid for the most part. I didn’t really find the big turn near the end of 33 to work that well, given the lesser emphasis of the song, while 46 to 53 and 86 to 93 were both pretty redundant with the continuous 3-note 8th streams. However, this stepchart fails to disappoint and shows great signs of improvement. Main Total: (8.5/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (+11) CDTitle: (+2) Appropriately formatted, though presumably borrowed from nDDRo. Lyrics: (+4) Very nicely done, complete with appropriately perfect pink text. The words are almost perfectly synced, with the exception of “If you forget I'll remind you; If you're paranoid I'm behind you”, which disappeared before the vocals ended. Animations and/or Movies: (+12) Official DDR background videos implemented in a very creative way. I especially loved the transitions in and out of the video. Readme Extras: (-5) I’m penalizing you 5 points for not using .txt format. I tried to find a way to access it, but it was of no use. Foldering Penalty: (-2) Additional Comments: While B-DASH remains my favorite entry of yours, this simfile is still very fun and is among the better entries in the competition. Great job! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Know Your Xenemy Simfile by #Infinity - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This is my entry, so I’m not going to review it. Moving on… (And please don’t accidentally state I gave it a rating of 0 like what happened to Wild Thing/Poor Boy during OSC 5.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Love Tropicana Deluxe Simfile by Xythar - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (1.6/2) Banner (the non-animating one): (0.8/1) Suitably implemented with its cheery environment. Great job overall. My only problem is that the song title doesn’t really strike me in the appepailing way it should due to its meager size and unsuitable color selection (this song screams “Party!”, but blue and purple don’t address this). Background #1: (0.5/0.5) Beginning frame of the upcoming background video with the added song tag. The image is very pleasing, with good text effects. Background #2: (0.3/5) Ending frame of the video. Works okay, though I probably would’ve preferred the original background over this unpleasantly busy image. Music: (1.7/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (0.7/1) Has a creative feel overall, despite being anime-related, and has an adequate beat. Unfortunately though, the one problem I have with this song, which also applied to Ai~n! Dance No Uta in OSC 5, is that it’s way too corny for my likings. I understand that a good dance song may often be pretty silly, but when it’s this strange (particularly because of the squeaky vocals marrying the casual song in a strange way), things can really get quite annoying after enough listens. Edit Quality: (1/1) No problems here at all. Perfect length, and no overly-repetitive sections. Steps: (5.5/6) Light: (1/1) Pretty difficult for a 137 bpm Light stepchart, but hey, it works nicely. There weren’t any technical problems to find at all, with appropriate and consistent patterns and fun usage of jumps. Good job! Standard: (1.8/2) Also very difficult (more of a fairly simplistic Heavy stepchart, in fact), but it’s still quite fun to step. 21’s step-jump was a little unnecessary due to their lack of a strong beat for required emphasis, while the transition into 16 was pretty funky. However, the streams flowed very well in general and had great variety, giving the stepchart a very enjoyable feel overall. Heavy: (2.7/3) I found these steps to be quite solid overall. They have some very fun patterns, and twists and turns are cleverly executed. The steps follow the music very well, with enjoyable chaos and excellent consistency. Two gripes I had included the long, weird 8th run from 26 to 31 (if only she’d speak up a little, it would be much more appropriate, but here, it seems messy), as well as the transition into measure 46 (players would generally end up using their right foot for the first step after exposing their left, leading to a double-step). However, this is a quality effort nonetheless and among the better stepcharts in the competition. Nice going! Main Total: (8.8/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (+21) CDTitle: (+2) Appealing, appropriate, and very clean. No problems here. Animations and/or Movies: (+12) This simfile has plenty of these. First, there’s an animating banner – a clever idea which I have never seen in any simfile I’ve ever played. In addition, there’s an anime video in the background which fires up the already-fun spirit of the simfile (the little characters, like the song, still got a bit on my nerves, though). Readme Extras: (+4) Very descriptive about the steps, song selection process, graphics, and simfile history. Also includes a guide in removing the animations from the simfile for StepMania 4.0. Beginner Chart: (+3) I have no problems with this stepchart, as it ensures to avoid any technical missteps unsuited for a Beginner stepchart without being boring for the given difficulty. Additional Comments: I actually enjoyed this simfile a lot and found it to be among your best. Keep up the great work with more entries similar to this! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mahoro de MAX 300 Simfile by Trick Master Mint - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (1.4/2) Banner: (0.6/1) Pretty similar to the background overall, though still a solid image. Background: (0.8/1) Excellent usage of Photoshop implementions. It lacks the dynamic creativeness of its toughest competition, but is still great. Song: (1.2/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (0.5/1) Not a very clever mash-up. Anime is horribly overstepped, as are MAX 300 remixes. Besides, these two songs blend together a bit weirdly (though appropriately, rhythm-wise) and possess imperfect synchronization (particularly shown during 38 through 55). It has a beat, but it’s still an unusual selection. Edit Quality: (0.7/1) Early on, this cut got sort of redundant, as 2 verses may have been pushing the length a little too far. Not much besides that, but try to be more careful that you don’t allow your songs to become too long. Steps: (3.7/6) Light: (0.7/1) Actually quite solid for the difficult feel of the song which demands harder steps. Step variety was no slouch, while the streams were generally comfortable and appropriate. Once concern I have are that you ever so occasionally caused the player to double-step into new streams when they wouldn’t truly expect it, such as during 69, as well as the crossovers such as those from 56. I also wasn’t really feeling the jack transition into a step-jump during 63, nor for the crossover stream into 106. Standard: (1.3/2) Still not a poor showing, with steps generally fitting for a boss song, but with some very noticeable missteps. 17 through 23’s approach was very off, as its steps failed to correspond to the drowned-out background synth from MAX 300, while the occasional 4-note 8th drills were also a little iffy. Largely, the lowpoints include excessive double-stepping in peculiar areas, most notably 63 to 66, in which the foot last used (generally not the one most players would naturally move in this circumstance) would need to make the next step after the jump in order to avoid double-stepping. Other bizarre step-jumps include measures 24 and 84, both of which apparently require hustling back into regular position during the pause in order to foot properly. 71’s 270 degree twist into a step-jump was also quite awkward, as were the quick step-jumps from 76 and the end. Heavy: (1.7/3) Also not too bad for 300 bpm. Lowpoints include the lousy transition into 14 (don’t ever force the player to turn their body that far), overdone patterns from 36 to 39 (particularly the long run ending with a step-jump), and many other occasional awkward footings which suffer some weird transitions (many leading into jumps), which I suggest you be more careful about in the future. The very ending was also overdone, complete with its MAX 300 triplet jacks and brutal ending jump transition. Nonetheless, the usages of runs and karaoke on the vocals were very solid. Just ensure you don’t get too funky with your ideas and patterns. Main Total: (6.3/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (+0) CDTitle: (+2) Perfectly acceptable, with adequate size and formatting. Readme Extras: (+1) Covers the steps without any real details and lists some extra trivia about the simfile. Edit Chart: (-3) The rules explicitly state that all stepcharts are to be for pad, not keyboard. I thus grade this as if it were to be played by foot, which it can’t, as a penalty. If you don’t want keyboard stepcharts to be judged like this, please state so in your readme. INC NOTE: The rules actually said that Edits - and edits alone - are to be Keyboard, so I'm invalidating this particular penalty. Additional Comments: This was a decent showing. Just be more careful about wacky double-steps and you should do very well. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mata Hari (Spy Mix) Simfile by the_ditz - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (2/2) Banner: This, hands down, is the best artwork in the entire competition. What can I say? The text is extremely fresh and clean, with refined usage of beveling. The backdrop is very distinct and professional-looking with a clever approach. In fact, this to me is the only song banner in the competition which actually rivals nDDRo quality (sorry, Ebisumaru). Fantastic! Background: (1/1) Here, we get to see even more detail of the banner’s artwork, yet there are still a few rearrangements which separate this on its own. Once again, everything about this image is just perfect, including an appealing backdrop, a solidly arranged artist tag, and two delightful stars to spark up the image further. There isn’t a thing to complain about, and I can only wish I could design song artwork as advanced as you do here. Music: (4/4) Song Selection / File Quality: (1/1) Song choice is fantastic. The melodies and lyrics are very upbeat and fun, while a pumping beat drives the song to be perfect for DDR. Edit Quality: (1/1) I found nothing to be wrong here. This version is edited exactly as any DDR cut should be. Steps: (5.6/6) Light: (0.8/1) Not bad. Consistency and enjoyability are both major highlights. A few nitpicks include the off-beats during 30 through 37, which felt a bit tacky and unnatural to foot, despite being appropriate to the music (although 37 was a bit weird); also, the ending was pretty confusing for a Light stepchart. Still quite enjoyable and creative for the given difficulty! Standard: (2/2) An absolutely excellent mid-difficulty stepchart. Everything about it was just great. Patterns were wildly fun, perfectly consistent, very creative, and completely appropriate to the music. There isn’t anything here to grumble about at all. Good work! Heavy: (2.8/3) Also no slouch of a stepchart, Heavy continues the extremely fun and consistent step patterns in very comfortable ways. A couple of very little things I would’ve liked changed include the 16th burst from 45 (those were enough of a hastle during the later parts of OSC 5’s Dream Of You, and they still don’t fit at all here), as well as the ending spin freezes, which were a little out there for my likings. Overall though, I found these steps to be utterly perfect and among the best in the competition. Main Total: (9.6/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (+13) CDTitle: (+2) Borrowed from nDDRo, but based on the info in the readme, I can only assumed you asked for permission first. Still a very satisfying image. Lyrics: (+4) According to your readme, these are more than likely a bit off due to your lack of access to the song’s actual lyrics sheet, but I’m forgiving you, since you still made them seem pretty darn accurate. I still might’ve liked to see a little color added in for substance, but this still isn’t bad and is synced very accurately. Readme Extras: (+4) Extremely professional and detailed, solidly covering the steps, graphics, and song choice. I found it to be very fun to read, and you make strong points throughout. Excellent job! Beginner Chart: (+3) A perfectly executed Beginner chart which follows the music just as it should, although despite your reasoning, I still believe this would’ve worked fine as a 1 (it’s fine though, so I’m not penalizing you or anything). Additional Comments: Congratulations! This simfile is a huge improvement over OSC 5’s Dream Of You and even Yellow Butterfly for that matter, and I strongly recommend you continue designing your simfiles like this in the future. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Metal Queen Simfile by Lilina/Lily - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (1.6/2) Banner: (0.8/1) Simplistic as anything to expect from 4th Mix, but still a very refined image nonetheless. Background: (0.8/1) The graffiti effects contributed to the completeness of the image, although they seem pretty weird to be lying on a song background. Beyond that, this is an overall solidly built image, although it’s still not quite the most creative artwork I’ve ever seen. Music: (1.9/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (0.9/1) Actually creative and a very suitable selection. The song is very energetic and upbeat, and thus fun to play. A slightly stronger beat would’ve been nice, but I’m still quite satisfied. Edit Quality: (1/1) Very solid! The length is perfectly appropriate, while the song boasts great organization and diversity. Steps: (5.3/6) Light: (0.8/1) Not bad. Patterns follow the song quite appropriately overall, although they’re not horribly diverse.\ I also felt the freeze arrow in 34 was inconsistent with the rest of the chart, while the ending jump didn’t fit, given there’s was no beat for it to correspond to. Still pretty fun, though. Standard: (1.8/2) Hey, this was also quite fun. These steps were comfortable on the mat and I found them to be generally unflawed. I’d suggest fixing the transition into 33, as well as changing 11 through 13 to not hug left-facing so much, but otherwise, this is a very solid stepchart overall. Heavy: (2.7/3) This is quite a fantastic Heavy chart! Throughout, your streams and jumps perfectly complimented each other with superb flow. I especially enjoyed the crossover-jump patterns from areas such as 34 and 35! To perfect this, just remove the forced step-jumps from transitions into measures such as 24 (though not 56) and trim down the awkwardly long streams during the “ohhh…” parts from the choruses. Excellent work, though! Main Total: (8.8/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras: (+26) CDTitle: (+2) Appropriately sized and formatted. No problems at all. Lyrics: (+4) While this is basically a generic lyrics file with little substance, the words are generally synced quite well. Animations and/or Movies: (+10) The music video is appropriate and works in the background, although I don’t find it to be all that exciting due to its repetition and lack of distinction and diversity. However, it still strives a bit of a fiery personality that compliments the song well. Readme Extras: (+4) Covers a multitude of areas, including info about the steps, video, and graphics, as well as special thanks’ and even lots of history about yourself. Extremely complete and detailed. Great job! BTW, thanks for the acknowledgement! Beginner Chart: (+0) I’m not surprised this was rated a 2, since notes directly a beat after a hold are pushing it for beginner (it would’ve been okay had you kept the player on the same arrow, but involving movement as well is something no other Beginner stepchart achieves). Also, 8ths (as used in measures 24 and 36), no matter how closely they follow the music, are always complete no-no’s whenever it comes to any stepchart on the easiest level. Challenge Chart: (+7) You have managed to bump up the difficulty from the Heavy chart while still keeping most patterns appropriate and fairly fun. Even the long streams flow much better than they did in Heavy, given the increased challenge surrounding them. A few problems are up your sleeve, though. You pushed it with the ending runs by tossing in unwanted jumps, while other step-jumps such as into 24 still felt like a bit of a hastle. 40 through 51, however, was where the steps just really fell flat. I suffered major double-stepping during the jack-crossovers, while many of the step-jumps at the end of the streams had very awkward transitions in. Better be more careful about those things in the future. Foldering Penalty: (-1) Additional Comments: This simfile definitely has the advantage of possessing some of the most extras in the tournament and is still no slouch in all other fields as well. With a slightly more creative approach, your originals will surely become elite in the near future. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Namida Girl Simfile by hamm - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (0.8/2) Banner: (0.3/1) A bit too similar to the background. While most ITG graphics are like this, OSC BoNG’s rules stress the two pictures to be noticeably distinct from each other, which, in this case, they do not. Background: (0.5/1) This was just alright, with flat artist text and sludgy monotone effects used for the song tag. The picture of Miki Fujimoto is appropriate, but it lacks truly dynamic appeal. Music: (1.8/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (0.8/1) An upbeat and fun J-Pop tune, but it somewhat lacks true substance in making it extremely enjoyable to dance to. Edit Quality: (1/1) For an ITG cut, perfectly acceptable. It carries in a broad range of melodies and sections while still standing at an appropriate ITG length. Steps: (4.3/6) Easy (Light): (0.7/1) This to me was fairly fun to step, but I wasn’t very impressed by its variety. Outside of 7 through 14 and both choruses, this was made up almost entirely of 2 basic separate notes per measure and rarely altered to somewhat correspond to the music (the first jump in 32 didn’t really fit, while 35 and 36, returning to the usual pattern, would’ve worked better had they not been entirely on the up arrow). Also, the chorus was okay, but the last note per quarter note pattern desperately calls for an 8th, given how evident the vocals are. Medium (Standard): (1.4/2) This is a little more diverse overall, featuring occasional triplets (they were a bit iffy in the beginning surrounded by the gaps, though), as well as some occasional offbeats, but the long quarter note streams were still a little too frequent for me to call this adequately varied. One other misstep was that 43’s “gallop” missed the strong beat in between it, thus feeling a little awkward. Hard (Heavy): (2.2/3) Even less redundant overall, but the continuous 3-note 8ths still could’ve afforded to use more variety in between (the same still applies with 7 through 13, as well; BTW, don’t leave out any notes when the rhythm is loud and evident as you did during the end of 10). Good gob mixing steps around from 33 through 48, though. However, while the sparse freezes during the chorus were fine during the easier stepcharts, here I find it to be a little dull for the given difficulty. Main Total: (6.9/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (+10) CDTitle: (+2) Much better than the flat picture you used during OSC 5. The picture is inoffensively sized and pleasing to look at. Readme Extras: (+0) Does not cover anything significant enough for me to award any bonus points. Expert (Challenge) Chart: (+12) I actually quite enjoyed playing this. The choruses’ freezes and offbeat patterns were very fun to alternate, while the frequent 16th bursts during the verse distinctly followed the background riffs without becoming overly forced. No sections felt repetitive, except maybe for 7 through 13 and its later counterparts. A solid offering overall. Improper Banner Formatting: (-2) The artist name here is partially cut off. Incorrect Difficulty: (-2) I highly believed Expert was too easy to be rated an 11. I generally had no problems passing anything it threw at me and it was not even very draining at all. The only 16ths which appeared were arranged in very easy patterns, while the 12th run was easy to keep up with. Much more of an easy 10 in my opinion. Additional Comments: You're still a solid ITG step designer. In the future, you might want to implement a broader diversity of distinct patterns to go over the top. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PARANOiA Disconnected Max (Hyper Dirty Mix) Simfile by fireyoshi1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (0.3/2) Banner: (0.2/1) Appears unclean and a little hard to read. The song title is flat and not imposed, while ‘190’ blends in with the fuzzy backdrop. Background: (0.1/1) Takes the PARANOiA background and brings in new additions, which unfortunately only caused the image to look dirty and unpleasing. The added ‘Disconnect Max (Hyper Dirty Mix)’ tag was also quite difficult to read. Song: (1.7/2) Song Selection/File Quality: (0.7/1) A distinct combination of two very similar songs from separate dancing games. Very energetic, but a little too busy for complete refinement. Edit Quality: (1/1) This cut is perfect for a dancing game environment, with no repetitive sections and very suitable length. Steps: (2.0/6) Light: (0.4/1) I’m not feeling these very much. They’re at least not a big huge mess, but they really lacked consistency and wise pattern implementation. 9 through 24 spent far too much time hugging one side of the mat for too long with poor variation (try harder to avoid weird double-stepping/twisting as during the transition into 19, BTW), while many of the gaps were unexpectedly random and didn’t correspond to the music. 25 through 32 was dull, given the steps followed nothing but the phone’s sound effects and throwing in large gaps in doing so. 33 to 40 was alright, but an additional step on the first beat of 37 would’ve improved consistency. The rest of the stepchart was also okay, but I’d still like to see more care put into avoiding bizarre double-stepping. Standard: (0.6/2) I found little consistency and flow throughout most of these steps. 9 through 24 was utterly random, with no cohesion in the steps (also, please be aware to avoid streams which awkwardly leave the player in a 270 degree angle, as used during 14 to 15). The phone sample karaoke during 25 through 32 was still pretty dull, while 33 to 40 followed the music very closely, but with uncreative patterns (although mixing the long streams around might still be pushing it for the given difficulty). 42 through 57 followed the music fine, but the long quarter jacks could’ve been replaced by something more interesting. 58 to the end spent far too much time toying with mines, neglecting the actual quality of the step patterns, which were plagued by excessive usage of gaps and bare loyalty to the music. Heavy: (1/3) Fortunately, these steps at least show some evident consistency and effort (42 through 57, aside from the awkward slowdown patterns, was actually pretty enjoyable to foot). On the down side though, 9 through 24 got repetitive and awkward because of its nearly consistent usage of double-steppy 7-note streams ending on a weird step-jump (be careful about the comfort of the transitions into some of them, such as into 15). 25 to 32’s following of the machine’s voice is one example of something that should always be avoided (using 64ths and going off-rhythm is always very awkward to foot), while the runs during 33 to 40 were appropriate, but full of double-steps. Finally, 57 to the end’s usage of 16ths was okay, but I still recommend you be careful not to twist the player into awkward positions. Work harder and you’ll definitely improve soon enough. Main Total: (4.0/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (+2) CDTitle: (+1) Unusually wide, with an odd merge of the logos of Konami and Roxor. Clean, but still pretty strange. Readme Extras: (+2) Gives some brief details about yourself, the song, the graphics, and the steps (the latter wasn’t very descriptive, however), as well as a few acknowledgements. Beginner Chart: (+1) This is actually okay for Beginner, with no overdone patterns. 33 to 40 was pretty weird in attempting to follow the melody, but that's about it. Improper Background Format: (-2) Should be 640 x 480 or larger (but still of the same shape), but is only 320 x 240. Additional Comments: Be more careful about the overall comfort and refinement of the steps in the future, and try not to get too playful with things such as gaps and mines. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PARANOiA Survivor Min Simfile by Azure Heights - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (1.3/2) Banner: (0.8/1) An appealing image, with a distinct backdrop and an interesting combination of texts. The one gripe is that while the artist tags appear clean and acceptable, they’re pretty thin and a bit hard to read (especially ‘mixed by dj Tepples’). Background: (0.5/1) BIG LOL TO DESTINY’S CHILD HEADS ON PARANOIA ROBOTS. Unfortunately though, this recreation of a PARANOiA background otherwise fails to show the expertise the banner posed, with tacky cut-outs of PARANOiA and Destiny’s Child images merged together. Song: (1.2/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (0.5/1) As a mash-up, fairly interesting, though mainly just Survivor with PARANOiA samples. This unfortunately also means it’s lackluster as a DDR song, with little bass to back up the beat important for any solid DDR selection. Edit Quality: (0.7/1) The gag in the beginning probably should’ve been left out. Edit-wise, this works fine, though is slightly long due to the inclusion of 2 verses. Steps: (4.7/6) Light: (0.8/1) Pretty nice overall. Patterns generally have excellent flow and variation, appropriately going to the song. Usage of jackhammers was also clever. One iffy section, however, was when you decided to toss in step-offbeats during 44 to 53, which didn’t really fit the song consistency-wise. Standard: (1.7/2) Solid and confortable once again. Maybe the choruses could benefit from more creative patterns than just continuous quarters. I didn’t really enjoy the steps technically slow gallops during 10 through 16, while 44 through 53’s offbeats still felt a bit awkward due to the disjointed gaps which still follow. Still fun, though. Heavy: (2.2/3) This was decent, but it still slightly misses the mark when it comes to overall enjoyability. 44 to 53 worked this time, with more organized and refined patterns than in Light and Standard, but 9 through 16’s karaoke steps were a little iffy. 25 through 32 didn’t follow anything in particular, while 33 to 40’s constant usage of 8ths was alright, but a little dull for the given difficulty. Finally, I really didn’t care much for 56 through 64’s utterly random long streams apparently thrown in soley for the purpose of climaxing the stepchart’s difficulty, although the outro was handled well. Main Total: (7.2/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (+11) CDTitle: (+2) Well-formatted and appropriate for the song, considering it was originally mixed by dj Tepples. Lyrics: (+5) Thoroughly lays down all vocals in the song, even those in the background. Synced perfectly, with a bit of creativity implemented into recoloring “I’m better than that”. Readme Extras: (+4) Covers plenty of information about dj Tepples, the graphics, and the song. Also gives out acknowledgements. Additional Comments: I strongly believe your song choice was the main flaw of this simfile. You have proven yourself worthy with masterpieces such as Our House, Shake That!, and Gasolina (Delacation Remix), but this felt a little out there in general. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - September Simfile by dahrkdaiz - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (1/2) Banner: (0.5/1) Okay, but pretty fuzzy, with odd usage of text effects. Also, don’t arrange your tags in bizarre ‘X’ shapes in the future. Background: (0.5/1) This is also alright, with at least some depth in the backdrop, though it’s still a pretty bland image overall. Music: (1.8/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (1/1) A very solid song choice – a speed cover of Earth, Wind, and Fire’s September. The juicy beat is very evident throughout, and the upbeat feel of it makes it very suitable for being stepped. Edit Quality: (0.8/1) This never really felt too repetitive in general, but it honestly felt pretty long and could’ve been trimmed to a more natural length very early and later on. Steps: (4.7/6) Light: (0.7/1) Not bad. Most patterns are appropriate to the given music with great flow. The main lowpoints are the usages of offbeat notes throughout 34 to 61, which generally try too hard to follow the music closely. You should really only use them in Light charts when you have no choice, as in measure 48, as vocals generally aren’t powerful enough to call for these kinds of steps. The verse also got pretty redundant in generally the same patterns throughout. Aside from that, this is pretty solidly made overall. Standard: (1.5/2) Much of the same thing applies here. Your patterns flow excellent and are fun to step (though organizing them in a particularly clever way would’ve been nice), but it’s the redundancy and awkward karaoke of the verse that brings it down a little (patterns with excessive amounts of gaps in order to follow the lyrics more closely usually don’t come out very well), although the chorus was actually very fun and well implemented this time. In addition, the jump-step from 48 is pushing it for Standard. Still quite decent, nonetheless. Heavy: (2.5/3) Unfitting karaoke is of no concern here, as the verse was actually handled very nicely this time. However, you’re pushing it a little with the turns. The freeze-spins during 25 through 32 and 81 to the end were slightly overdone, while the chorus’s approach of forcing the player to turn their body at a 270 degree angle was really too out there to feel comfortable to step. The baby freezes from 15 and 16 can also go. On the bright side, foot patterns are generally very fun and flow well throughout, and I even enjoyed your usage of freeze-jumps later on, although the transitions early in 69 and 77 were both pretty odd. Main Total: (7.5/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (-2) CDTitle: (+1) Looks alright, but the border is a little thin. Readme Extras: (+1) Thoroughly covers the stepcharts, but nothing else. Foldering Penalty: (-2) Improper Background Format: (-2) Sized at 320 x 240, which is too small for the size requirements. Additional Comments: Very nice overall. If you can implement your distinct patterns a little more properly, you'll become quite a competitive step designer. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - V35 Simfile by will-i-am - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (0.8/2) Banner: (0.3/1) Far too similar to the background, only with the added artist tag. ‘Tiger’, as you stated in your Readme, is ripped from LUV TO ME (disco mix), and looks very fuzzy and jagged. Background: (0.5/1) This honestly could’ve been better. V35 looks pretty monotone with its complete blueness, while the backdrop is pretty bland and washed out. Try experimenting more with your artwork, using less sketchy and more polished effects to create a refined image. Music: (1.9/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (0.9/1) Not bad overall. This sounds quite distinct with its techno-trance ambiance and unique synths. It fits DDR quite nicely, even if it’s not exactly the most exciting selection to be picked out. Edit Quality: (1/1) No flaws here. Everything is organized in the appropriate function and sounds very refined. Steps: (5.4/6) Light: (1/1) This basically sets the example of exactly what a good Light chart is supposed to feel like. Very consistent and appropriate to the music, yet diverse and not repetitive. Great job! Standard: (1.5/2) This was also pretty nice, though it tended to become slightly repetitive at times, in particular with 4 to 15, which also probably should’ve used triplet rhythms instead (yes, some Standard charts do have a few 16ths dubbed in, so long as they don’t become overly complex). The steps still followed the music appropriately overall, but they aren’t horribly fun throughout. Heavy: (2.9/3) Excellent! Once again, the steps manage to be very consistent and diverse without becoming boring or repetitive. The fairly chaotic patterns were quite creative and fun, following the music perfectly. The only true nitpick I have is that the step-jumps from 42 to 48 were a little much, given the energy of the music. In all though, fantastic! Main Total: (8.1/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras: (+5) CDTitle: (+1) Much more appropriately sized than the one used for OSC 5’s Together, though it would’ve worked significantly better had you kept the backdrop completely transparent instead of white. Readme Extras: (+3) Covers the music file, graphics, cd title, and stepcharts. Solid features overall, though I’d like to see a little “history” (about the artist or yourself) included as well next time. Beginner Chart: (+3) Nothing technically wrong or repetitive here. Good job. Foldering Penalty: (-2) Additional Comments: Step-wise, you're absolutely fantastic. If you could only sharpen your ability to design graphics, you'll go over the top. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Votum Stellarum Simfile by Super_Ray - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Graphics: (1.1/2) Banner: (0.6/1) This is a clean image, with a fairly clever usage of the pop’n character. However, it’s still sort of a bland and non-captivating image in the long run. Background: (0.5/1) The song title looks nice and clean, although still a bit formulaic. I was not impressed by the backdrop, which is slightly pixilated and is basically an unpleasing twirled cloud of black and blue. Music: (1.5/2) Song Selection / File Quality: (0.7/1) This is pretty much a basic Bemani-related trance song with nothing horribly noteworthy, but it’s still a suitable selection with its broad array of melodies and sturdy beat. Edit Quality: (0.8/1) 2:19 is honestly quite long for a DDR song, and this could’ve easily been cut to be of more appropriate length. Fortunately though, it never became excessively redundant or boring, so it works alright overall. Steps: (4.5/6) Light: (0.7/1) Technically, I saw little to be wrong with most of these steps. I’m just not seeing very much creative variation in the patterns as I do in stepcharts such as DOCTOR PRESSURE or V35, as shown by most of the generally formulaic streams lacking substance. Some holds did not fit, particularly the redundant 21 through 24, as well as those from measures 24 and 31 to 32, all of which take place during a slight variation in the music, yet stick to the ongoing pattern. Consistency was excellent, but I’d still like to see more effort put into the overall creativity of this stepchart. Standard: (1.4/2) Here, your patterns become pretty experimental for the given difficulty, though most unfortunately lead to this stepchart’s main low points. 17 to 30 suffered some random variation, starting the tricky triplets which ended abruptly to save room for other inconsistent patterns. I did enjoy the offbeat patterns during 41 through 44, but 48’s crossover stream pushes it for Standard. Overall, these steps actually are a bit creative, although they still lack truly clever placement, much similar to the Light steps. Heavy: (2.4/3) Hey, this is actually quite a solid Heavy stepchart. The patterns manage to be extremely diverse and still follow the music very appropriately without losing consistency. There are still some mistakes to point out, though. Some of the chaos became a bit frantic, particularly the gallop-jack patterns which appeared frequently during measures 33 through 48. Additionally, some areas, mainly the transitions into 24 and 72, completely missed the evident drum rhythms surrounding them and thus felt pretty disjointed. 57 to 60 was also a little iffy to foot, due to its spread out and repetitive pattern. Aside from all of that, not too bad. Main Total: (7.1/10) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Extras/Penalties: (+3) CDTitle: (+1) Basic pop’n music CDTitle, but very pleasing and clean to the eye. Readme Extras: (+2) Averagely covers the steps and song, and gives out acknowledgements. Adequately-made overall, though not horribly interesting to read. Beginner Chart: (+2) A bit generic even for Beginner, but I found no technical problems throughout. It probably should've been rated a 1 instead, but it's fine. Foldering Penalty: (-2) Additional Comments: You're getting better, but I'd still like to see a lot more substance in your offerings. This is pretty decent, but is a little bland here and there. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ REVIEWS END HERE. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________