DDR SurPrise! (56k warning pictures)

[otoko]

Recently I went home from college during break to pick up some items from home and to hang out with friends I haven't seen for about two months. During break we went to a Aurora movie theater, Tinseltown USA, to see 9 for a first showing day deal of 3$. At which point I realized why I never go here. The food and prices are horrible.... (Sorry of the quality took them on my phone)


Well on the way out we decided to stop in the theater arcade that was located just adjacent the exit. We stopped in there and saw a few sort of beat up arcade rejects. There was a game that obviously used to be Rush 2049 because there was tell tale (Stickers...) of it.

But this was on the far wall and almost went unnoticed.



It does not have to said a DDR machine is nothing to write home about because even the smallest arcade usually will have one of these.

Then this cycled on the screen..



If you can't read it it says:

WARNING:
This game is for sale and use in Japan only.
The copyrighted music/characters/art work in this game are seperately owned by the authors.
The public performance of this game outside this territory is prohibited by law and violators are subject to severe penalties unless specially authorized by Konami.

Yes there are space errors in the warning page.

Seriously is this a authentic Japanese DDR machine in Aroura?!



Yes, yes it is. What I find really interesting about this unit is it has PS1 (or at least that's what I assume) memory card slots.



Cool to see, but this begs the ultimate question. What is a Japanese DDR machine doing in a movie theater in Aurora Illinois? I can see why it never got noticed. There's usually at most 20 people there at a time. From there I doubt many venture into the arcade area. It's not in one of the best parts of Aurora.

[Ed Oscuro]

Globalism, it's a wonderful thing. It allows people to use things in other countries than where they were made! I'm sure that as the earlier games are getting older and being pushed out of Japan that many will make their way out of that country. Nice pics.

[norkusa]

Wow, 3rd Mix? All I ever see is Extreme and SuperNova's around now. There were never any official DDR arcade releases in the US before SuperNova, so all the ones you see before that are going to be imports. The aren't as expensive as you'd think to import. And when you charge $1 a play, making your money back won't take long:

http://www.coinopexpress.com/products/machines.html

The memory card slots are used for loading custom song edits from the home version onto the machine.

[JohnnyA]

Yeah, this is not unusual. The DDR games are "recycled" more quickly in Japan, so their availability is greater and the demand for older units less. I'm surprised you've never seen a Japanese unit around before. It's fairly common.

[aclbandit]

Wow, 3rd Mix? All I ever see is Extreme and SuperNova's around now. There were never any official DDR arcade releases in the US before SuperNova, so all the ones you see before that are going to be imports. The aren't as expensive as you'd think to import. And when you charge $1 a play, making your money back won't take long:

http://www.coinopexpress.com/products/machines.html

The memory card slots are used for loading custom song edits from the home version onto the machine.

3rd Mix is my FAVE. Wish I had one of these locally...

[Kitsune Sniper]

I've seen 1st JP, Solo Bass, 4th, 5th and onwards locally. My favorite machine was 5th. SO many good songs there.

I recently picked up DDR Extreme 2 for the PS2, and realized how much I miss playing DDR on a real pad. It's been years since I've played the game for real, so to speak. Not just once in a blue moon.

[norkusa]

I've seen 1st JP, Solo Bass, 4th, 5th and onwards locally. My favorite machine was 5th. SO many good songs there.

I recently picked up DDR Extreme 2 for the PS2, and realized how much I miss playing DDR on a real pad. It's been years since I've played the game for real, so to speak. Not just once in a blue moon.

Extreme 2 is my favorite of the US releases. It's what Extreme US should have been. A lot of the hardcore players like SuperNOVA 1 & 2 but I can't get the timing adjusted right on my LCD tv, so I rarely play them except for when I go to the arcade.

Solo Bass?!? I always wanted to play that one, just because it's the only mix that has My Baby Mama on it.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Solo Bass?!? I always wanted to play that one, just because it's the only mix that has My Baby Mama on it.

Now who that is? My Baby Mama.

I miss DDR. I wish I could buy a metal pad to play it again, but there's no room for it here.

[otoko]

Wow, I didn't realize it was so common. I have never seen a JP unit. All the units I have ever seen are US releases.

[Push Upstairs]

There is a Sega Gameworks in Schaumburg that has a nice assortment of video games (not all are Sega).

I believe quite a few of the machines there were Japanese, and there was some sort of karaoke arcade machine that had Yen listed as payment (but it was non working).

My time there was spent playing some big screen projected bowling game and "After Burner Climax".

[otoko]

There is a Sega Gameworks in Schaumburg that has a nice assortment of video games (not all are Sega).

I've been there several times. I have not been there for several years. I doubt I could remember what was there. It was before I got heavy into collecting.

[phreakindee]

Back around 2003 when I lived in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, the few local arcades nearly ONLY had Japanese cabs. DDR, Marvel vs Capcom, Tekken 4... Other than a Big Buck Hunter and Golden Tee game they were all Japan-only units. Always found it odd. Since right around then its become even more commonplace around NC to see Japanese arcade games the few places that have them. Not exactly sure how or why... You would think it would be a bit costly.

[PapaStu]

Looks like an arcade thread..... smells like an arcade thread

**shimmies like an arcage thread**

[diskoboy]

I'm a bit more interested in the Star Wars: Episode 1, Pinball 2000 machine sitting to the right of it...

[Nikademus1969]

We have a DDR Japanese 7th Mix here where I work.