beatmania
Just when we though we'd kicked the Bemani habit...
Published: February 1, 2006
Konami's whole Bemani series of music games have all really been built around a simple concept: take an easy to understand concept, let the user control it all to a degree, and throw in a bunch of music with tons of hooks. Voila, instant quarter-muncher. And they were designed to drain you of your George Washingtons, make no mistake.
Of course, as arcades here in the US have pretty much died off, the home market has been the new resting place of various Dance Dance Revolution revisions. It's doubtful that something like Karaoke Revolution Party would ever have survived in the arcades for long, so there is a validity to pushing a game into homes. Then again, something like Para Para Paradise will probably never take off in American homes.
Laying somewhere in between lies beatmania, all innocent with its lack of capital letters, yet insidious in its ability to snare even a casual gamer with a fairly innocent concept: Five buttons (or seven if you opt for the beatmania IIDX songs included) and a turntable. That's it. Notes scroll down the screen, and when you get to the bottom, you tap them out on the buttons, and give the turntable a little spin when a big red line slides down the side of the screen next to the buttons.
But oh, dear, sweet lordy is it addictive. It only takes a couple songs -- in the case of Konami's Gamer's Day event last week, it was a cover of Britney Spears' Toxic, picked for us by producer Jason Enos, he of the rippling forearms and Fabio-like flaxen mane blowing in a breeze that only he seemed to feel. Despite the distractions of clean, purdy pictures of flight attendants in some form of heat (a nice nod to the Britney video -- or, uh, so we hear, we've never seen it, of course), the song itself was easy to play, and before long we were tapping along to the beat.
beatmania's hook is hard to describe. You know how when you hear a song you really like the bassline or drum part for, you'll catch yourself using both your hands to play out the bass and snare? It's like that, only you're rewarded, and doing it all on time gives you that same ridiculous kind of "just one more" high that you can get from nailing a part in, say, Guitar Hero.
Something just clicked and we had to play more. Sadly, we only got the chance to play two more songs, but already the game was getting easier... and more addictive.
The game will of course ship with a custom controller designed by Konami. Of particular interest to those that have played the imported home version of the game will be the fact that the buttons are completely redesigned, and actually feel much more like the arcade cabinet, with raised, clickier tactile feedback rather than just being somewhat flat little plastic nubs that got stuck in the down position. The turntable edge of the base has also been rounded off, and for those that like playing the game lefty, the entire button assembly slides out and then back in so the buttons aren't flipped upside down. It's an awesome addition, and one Konami deserves big props for implementing.
The only problem now is how damned far off the game is (it won't hit until March), but believe you us, we'll be getting our hands on a controller and copy of the game for proper hands-on preview goodness before then. Check back soon.
Of course, as arcades here in the US have pretty much died off, the home market has been the new resting place of various Dance Dance Revolution revisions. It's doubtful that something like Karaoke Revolution Party would ever have survived in the arcades for long, so there is a validity to pushing a game into homes. Then again, something like Para Para Paradise will probably never take off in American homes.
Laying somewhere in between lies beatmania, all innocent with its lack of capital letters, yet insidious in its ability to snare even a casual gamer with a fairly innocent concept: Five buttons (or seven if you opt for the beatmania IIDX songs included) and a turntable. That's it. Notes scroll down the screen, and when you get to the bottom, you tap them out on the buttons, and give the turntable a little spin when a big red line slides down the side of the screen next to the buttons.
But oh, dear, sweet lordy is it addictive. It only takes a couple songs -- in the case of Konami's Gamer's Day event last week, it was a cover of Britney Spears' Toxic, picked for us by producer Jason Enos, he of the rippling forearms and Fabio-like flaxen mane blowing in a breeze that only he seemed to feel. Despite the distractions of clean, purdy pictures of flight attendants in some form of heat (a nice nod to the Britney video -- or, uh, so we hear, we've never seen it, of course), the song itself was easy to play, and before long we were tapping along to the beat.
beatmania's hook is hard to describe. You know how when you hear a song you really like the bassline or drum part for, you'll catch yourself using both your hands to play out the bass and snare? It's like that, only you're rewarded, and doing it all on time gives you that same ridiculous kind of "just one more" high that you can get from nailing a part in, say, Guitar Hero.
Something just clicked and we had to play more. Sadly, we only got the chance to play two more songs, but already the game was getting easier... and more addictive.
The game will of course ship with a custom controller designed by Konami. Of particular interest to those that have played the imported home version of the game will be the fact that the buttons are completely redesigned, and actually feel much more like the arcade cabinet, with raised, clickier tactile feedback rather than just being somewhat flat little plastic nubs that got stuck in the down position. The turntable edge of the base has also been rounded off, and for those that like playing the game lefty, the entire button assembly slides out and then back in so the buttons aren't flipped upside down. It's an awesome addition, and one Konami deserves big props for implementing.
The only problem now is how damned far off the game is (it won't hit until March), but believe you us, we'll be getting our hands on a controller and copy of the game for proper hands-on preview goodness before then. Check back soon.
