Dance, Dance Revolution – Advice Please

[photopress:dance_revolution.jpg,thumb,alignright] My friend from Toastmaster’s International, Lori Fawthrop who works at Safeway, came over last week with her Play Station 2 and Dance, Dance Revolution exercise/dance game.  She left it here so we can “play” together every Thursday before our Toastmaster’s/Speechcrafter’s Meeting in Bellevue.

I just love this game!  Of course, now I have to have one, so I have a couple of questions for any DDRers out there.

Is there someone who makes a living by programming my music and steps into the blank, do-it-yourself, DVD?  I like dancing and I sometimes just start doing my own thing and losing track of what IT wants me to do.  I’m not too crazy about the jumping and hitting two arrows at the same time part.  There was only one period in music history that I remember jumping up and down like that, and I only ever did that to one song that went “de-do-do-do/de-da-da-da is what I want to say to you” by the Police.[photopress:police.jpg,thumb,alignleft]Even then jumping up and down while dancing was really not my thing.  And then there’s the pads.  I have two versions here that are Lori’s, but my daughter, Jackie said, “Mom!  You HAVE to get the metal platform!  It’s the ONLY way to GO!”  Lori says to get the Play Station 2 in a used model.  Jackie says get it at a game store because lots of people trade in their Play Station 2 for a Play Station 3.[photopress:me.jpg,thumb,alignright]

Some of the metal platforms come with a “sissy bar” on the back, but that looks really confining.  That appears to be “the competition version” and it does come without the bar.

I’m in my “research” phase before buying one.  So if anyone has any advices, including where these “game stores” might be on the Eastside, can you put your $.02 in down below in the comments?  Thanks.