Educate me regarding Pop'n Music

[sisko]

I was walking next to an arcade and saw that they got a new Pop'n Music cab in. Awesome! A new Bemani game I haven't tried! I played it, and loved it. I love it more than DDR which I have been playing for years.

I figured this would be a good excuse to import a PS2 and play at home, however when I pulled up some info on the games and controllers, I was appalled.

Playasia has the standard arcade replica controller for $430 and ToysnJoys lists it for $500. In my mind that is a ridiculous price. Are there any other full size controllers for a reasonable price and with reasonable responsiveness and durability?

I've seen a variety of smaller controllers, is there a particular brand and model that anyone can recommend? What about models to avoid?

I know there are a minimum of 11 Pop'n Music games out there, which one is the best in your opinion?

[Cryomancer]

I've been thinking about getting into this as well, personally I'd like to build a controller.

Anyone know where i can buy the big domed buttons for not a million dollars?

[davidbrit2]

http://www.happcontrols.com

Look for the Jumbo Dome Pushbuttons. They're about $8 each, and you need 9 of them. I built my controller with those, and it's beautiful.

If you want to buy a full sized controller, do a Google search for Ransai. Those guys make custom controllers. They're still well into the 3-digit price range, but certainly not $500.

And if you want a smaller controller, the new official Konami controller (the white one) has very responsive buttons. You'd get an excellent gameplay experience from that one as well. Stay away from the Crazy Hit controller, as you have to rewire it a bit to make it work with PNM.

As for the games, I'd say 8 is one of the best. It's got a lot of transplant songs from other Bemani games. 11 just came out, and so far it's awesome. And the other PS2 games (7, 9, 10, and the smaller Best Hits) are all excellent as well.

[Oobgarm]

I've been digging Best Hits! a lot; I've got 9 and 11 and they're good too. I'd sort through the songlists, find some MP3s (maybe over at bemanistyle), and try to find some songs you enjoy.

You'll want a large controller if you want the best experience. It's not a cheap game series to get into, but it's really fun and super challenging.

http://www.desktoparcade.com/products/popnmusic/

These are pretty good ones.

[Dahne]

*projects the Captain Yashiro signal into the sky*

[davidbrit2]

*projects the Captain Yashiro signal into the sky*

Ha ha. Yeah, I figured he would have wandered in here by now.

[Kroogah]

I missed the Cap Signal, I was sleeping.


I was walking next to an arcade and saw that they got a new Pop'n Music cab in.

First question: WHERE??? GOD DAMN IT WHERE?????!!??! THERE ARE LIKE 5 OF THOSE IN THE CONTINTENTAL 48 STATES!!!!!!

Now for Pop'n 101.

The official Konami ASC (Arcade Style Controller, this is an abbreviation you will see a lot) is neat, but the price is ridiculous. There are 2 great alternatives:

Ransai Controllers - ransai.bemanistyle.com
Desktop Arcade - www.desktoparcade.com

I've played on both, and I can tell you that they're the EXACT SAME THING. I have also played on an official Konami small controller, and playing Pop'n on the small controller is like playing Beatmania, only with 9 buttons and no turntable.

With the small controller it's a great game, with the ASC it's the best game ever, as you may or may not have gathered from playing the arcade cab, you lucky bastard.

For the games, I'd recommend 8 as the best starting point. There is something about 8 that completely hooks whoever starts on that game and they wind up playing for years. This is the case with myself, and one of the makers of Ransai controllers, among others. It's getting hard to find, though.

9 is great, but it has more filler songs than the others (still plenty of good non-filler though)

10 is excellent but it has the worst secret unlocking system I've ever seen in any game.

11 might be the next best choice to 8. I got it on Monday and have been playing it for hours pretty much ever since.

Lemme know if you have any other questions. Obviously, I geek out over this game like no other. I played DDR for a year and got sick of it, played Beatmania for a year and got sick of it, Pop'n is 2 years and counting.