"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

For the most part, Konami didn't do much "fixing" for SuperNova. As with every DDR installation, Konami continues with its winning formula of simple game mechanics, catchy pop tunes, and bright graphics.

The only thing that really needed fixing was the "mission mode," which was the primary mode of play in Extreme 2 and continues to be the case in this game. In the previous version, you had a disorganized mess of a map that got more nightmarish and convoluted as you progressed. This time around, you get "Stellar Joints," each having a nice list of objectives to complete, and you are allowed to choose which songs with which to complete them.

My only gripe with the mission mode has to do with those requiring completion with a certain character. Since the mission mode assigns you a random character with each song, you could play for quite a long time before you are able to complete that particular mission. These missions are supposed to be about skill, not luck.

After completing a number of objectives, you unlock one of three "Stellar Master Modes," a kind of nonstop stage with a unique set of challenges that build upon and are slightly more difficult than the missions. This, in turn, unlocks songs, characters, and nonstop stages upon completion. You then buy them with your points (accumulated during play) in the shop for free play. I was able to unlock all the songs before things got too difficult for me to continue, but not without a little cheating via use of the regular handheld controller.

I royally hated the mission mode in Extreme 2, but if Konami continues with the set-up they have here, it could be something I will grow to enjoy.

The songs are the usual Konami fare. American pop songs, techno, electronica, trance, and Konami's usual J-pop contributors (such as Naoki and Be For U) are all present and accounted for. What I found amusing was that a good portion of the American pop songs was from the early ‘80s, done by the original artists and had the original videos accompanying them. It was like MTV cleaned out its vaults and sent the videos to Konami!

The only real gripe I've had about the music was about some of the covers for the American pop songs. Sometimes Konami can't get the original recording of the song and has to settle with a cover, which can be of varying quality. Two of the songs, "Heaven is a Place on Earth" and "Come Clean" suffer badly from the cover treatment. And, according to my Boston-born-and-bred husband Vyolynce, the Captain Jack "Centerfold" cover is a crime against humanity and causes him to retire to the bedroom whenever I pull the song up for play.

Bad covers aside, the songs have an even distribution of difficulty, from beginner to basic to difficult to expert to challenge to HOLY CRAP HOW DID A LEVEL 9 SONG GET IN BASIC! Yes, Konami still has a handful of "nightmare" songs for flavor. One of them is appropriately named "Chaos," and you'll see way when you attempt that monstrosity for the first time.

The graphics are never anything to write home about with this series, but it does seem that Konami has cleaned things up. The dancers are no longer optional, so those easily distracted may be hard-pressed to keep their eyes on the arrows. The standard option is for the game to randomly choose dancers, but that can easily be changed along with the background stage in the options screen, which is conveniently located at the bottom of the song selection screen in free play and nonstop.

The background stages also aren't as busy. They only consist of the dancer shaking his or her thang on a disco-like platform, so it's a bit easier to see the arrows you are supposed to follow. Pretty vital when you're trying to survive the more nightmarish songs.

All in all, Konami continues with its excellent quality in a still-popular series. The game is only limited by the storage size of the game disc and the patience of the player. The mission mode may turn off those new to the series, but those that enjoy the series will still enjoy the game and find several new challenges to enjoy.

Jan 2, 2007 | 2 comments
Kat Ingersoll