beatmania Thumps into Stores
Well, there goes our ability to keep dance tunes out of our heads. Or to do work.
Published: March 28, 2006
There are few things in this world as reliable as Konami's ability to make a seemingly simple concept like stomping around or waving your hands in the air so damned addictive that you forget how much of an idiot you look like. With beatmania, though, you don't really have to worry about looking like a dork while you play it, yet the same infectious mix of music and rhythm action gameplay makes it way, way too much fun.
Until now, though, the only way to enjoy the music and rapid-fire button tapping was to import the game -- and that meant to really enjoy it you had to import the controller too. We're not even getting into the issues of chipping your system so you can play the games or how crappy even the official beatmania controllers were.
Finally, though, someone (and we think we know who) at Konami convinced the brass here to not only bring the first game over, but pair it up with beatmania IIDX (which introduced seven buttons, two more than the first game), and a seriously kick ass controller that feels damned close to the arcade cabinet.
“beatmania expands Konami’s leadership in the music genre with a fast-paced experience that recreates the energy of a club and puts the player at the center of the music,” beamed Jason Enos, Product Manager with Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc and Destroyer of Worlds. “With two full games in one package, more than 50 diverse songs to choose from and a turntable controller that brings the hit arcade experience into the home, music fans are in for a treat when they start spinning and scratching with beatmania.”
The 50 songs span most music genres, from house to trance to techno to pop to drum n' bass to hip-hop, with licensed tracks and covers and ohgodwemusthaveitnow. Luckily, the game has shipped, which means you'll probably see it in stores tomorrow (maybe even today if you're a good boy or girl).
Until now, though, the only way to enjoy the music and rapid-fire button tapping was to import the game -- and that meant to really enjoy it you had to import the controller too. We're not even getting into the issues of chipping your system so you can play the games or how crappy even the official beatmania controllers were.
Finally, though, someone (and we think we know who) at Konami convinced the brass here to not only bring the first game over, but pair it up with beatmania IIDX (which introduced seven buttons, two more than the first game), and a seriously kick ass controller that feels damned close to the arcade cabinet.
“beatmania expands Konami’s leadership in the music genre with a fast-paced experience that recreates the energy of a club and puts the player at the center of the music,” beamed Jason Enos, Product Manager with Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc and Destroyer of Worlds. “With two full games in one package, more than 50 diverse songs to choose from and a turntable controller that brings the hit arcade experience into the home, music fans are in for a treat when they start spinning and scratching with beatmania.”
The 50 songs span most music genres, from house to trance to techno to pop to drum n' bass to hip-hop, with licensed tracks and covers and ohgodwemusthaveitnow. Luckily, the game has shipped, which means you'll probably see it in stores tomorrow (maybe even today if you're a good boy or girl).
