Beatmania US PS2 - Anyone have it? [Archive]

Vectorman0

03-30-2006, 09:39 AM

I haven't gotten this yet because the stores with it for $60 didn't have it yesterday, and I'm too cheap to pay $5 more at EB.

Anyway, does anyone have this yet? I've been putting off importing some Japanese beatmania stuff since this was scheduled to come out. I'd like to hear some first impressions if anyone else actually has this.

VACRMH

03-30-2006, 10:01 AM

I would have it if EB got it in yesterday. I'll check back today.

Damaniel

03-30-2006, 10:22 AM

I checked with a local EB and a Gamestop yesterday and was told in both cases that they were expecting to get their copy (each store was only expecting to get one) in today.

norkusa

03-30-2006, 11:15 AM

I've got a $55 gift card at Best Buy that I have been saving for months so I can buy this game with it. They're getting it in next week though for some reason, so I'll know what it's like then.

All the reviews I've read said that the difficulty is dumbed-down for US players, but it should still be insanely hard for anyone that's never played the game before (i.e. me).

JWKobayashi

03-30-2006, 12:20 PM

All the reviews I've read said that the difficulty is dumbed-down for US players, but it should still be insanely hard for anyone that's never played the game before (i.e. me).

Really? I just read a review that said the opposite. I read that they left the difficulty intact (at least for 7 key), although I guess you do need to unlock Another mode. Oh well, most people will probably never beat a song on Another anyway. :)

When someone gets this I'd like to hear a comparison between the US and JP controller. I heard that you can't change the turntable side on the US one like you can on the JP. At least it's ALOT cheaper. I sold all my JP IIDX stuff a couple of years ago and have been looking to get back into it. For the price of one of the JP games alone w/o the controller, you can get beatmania US and a controller. Good deal. :)

le geek

03-30-2006, 01:08 PM

I'm looking forward to it. I'm assuming the controller will work with my import copy of Beatmania...

Cheers,
Ben

Mr.FoodMonster

03-30-2006, 03:07 PM

I just got back from the store with it, and have yet to play it. I've got a nasty little virus so I didn't pick it up yesterday, but I remembered that if you wait 2 days they put your reserve on the floor, so I had to go there. Man, driving on the highway while heavily medicated isn't fun.

I've never played the JP version, so I cant compair it with that. I'll play a little bit and come back with a short review.

Johnny_Rock

03-30-2006, 03:11 PM

I have a copy at EB waiting for me. Now if i can just find the money...

Mr.FoodMonster

03-30-2006, 04:20 PM

Short review:

Pretty fun. I'm not apeshit crazy for it, but its fun. I'm able to do some 3 stars (like Feet for us DDR kids) and am slowly getting better at it. The controller seems to be well constructed, and you can switch what side the turntable is on. Also, I'm trying to figure out where to put my fingers, what works best for me. From my DDR-ing, there are only a couple songs I recognize, but they are way too hard for me to even bother with at this point, except for a parinoia song.

Would I reccomend it? Yeah, for music game lovers. Anyone else? Probably not. Someone asked somewhere if this will be as big as Guitar Hero... No way. We would be very lucky to get another BM game here in the states (or a Taiko game), the way I see it.

s1lence

03-30-2006, 04:25 PM

I have it pre-ordered but I haven't heard from gamecrazy yet. I'm hoping they have it and they just forgot to call.

norkusa

03-30-2006, 05:35 PM

I just walked in the door with my copy. Even though they said they weren't going to get them 'till April 4th, I called Best Buy for the hell of it and they said they got 'em already. And after reading this on Bemanistyle.com's front page, I hurried my ass down there to pick it up:

BEATMANIA US ANNOUNCEMENT:
For those of you who haven't purchased BEATMANIA US here's what I've learned:

1) Best Buy retail Chain does NOT list beatmania on their website.
2) Best Buy's inventory tracker system lists the game as DELETED (meaning they can't order any more and it's no longer being produced) and the details say:
Street Date: 4/04/06 Deleted: 4/06/06
3) My friend who runs/owns a gamestore CANNOT order the game
4) My gamestop and EB both say online "0 in stock, no more on the way"
-This is now untrue. My local stores say there ARE more on the way now.
5) I was told around lunchtime today that: "Beatmania US release will be another DDR Mario Mix release.

Good luck finding copies if all of this is accurate and true...

So I dunno if this will be difficult to find in the future, but I've been waiting ages to play it and wasn't going to take any chances, so I got my copy ASAP. Guy at Best Buy said they only got 2 copies in too, and I grabbed the last one.

Vectorman0

03-30-2006, 05:57 PM

Dammit, looks like konami is pulling another MGS3Subsistence Limited Edition. Thanks for the heads up, I need to make some calls now.

Johnny_Rock

03-30-2006, 05:58 PM

Getting my copy tonight glad i was smart enough to slap down that 5bucks a month ago.

Vectorman0

03-30-2006, 06:48 PM

An hour and a half and 5 stores later, I managed to get my copy at the TRU. I can't wait to try this out.

Getting my copy tonight glad i was smart enough to slap down that 5bucks a month ago.

I slapped $5 down at two stores for two copies of MGS3S LE three months ahead of time and got neither. So it's no gurantee...

MarkMan

03-30-2006, 08:02 PM

Just got my bundle... Seems like all the GameStops in my area got 2 only. I've been buying the series since II DX 3rd style came out on PS2. Love this game.

weirdguy

03-30-2006, 08:25 PM

Got mine at the local Futureshop.

They had like 3 hidden under the games displays. Wasn't even expecting to buy it... since I didn't know it was out...

Since I never played it before, I find it kinda hard but fun.

Damaniel

03-30-2006, 10:07 PM

Picked mine up at one of the local Gamestops -- it was their last one, but they only got 2 to begin with. :)

This is my first time playing Beatmania (though hardly my first Bemani game -- I've spent far too much time with Dance Dance Revolution), and my first impression is 'Wow, this game is HARD!'. Seriously, playing in 5-key mode, even 3-star songs are fiendishly hard, and require absolute perfect timing to play, or else they end up sounding like crap. I'm afraid to see what a 10-star song looks like...

My biggest complaint is that the song list is pretty weak. With such a large collection of songs to draw from, Konami could have done a lot better. At least a couple of the songs are just plain terrible (Jam Jam Reggae, anyone?). The controller is very nice though. It feels solid and is really responsive. Plus, I like the fact that you can flip the keys if you're left handed.

Overall, I'm having fun so far, but I can see the learning curve is going to be really steep. I'll have to try out IIDX mode, since the song list seems a lot better. :)

Johnny_Rock

03-30-2006, 10:37 PM

I'm playing it now lots of fun although it will take some getting used to because of the black/white key layout.

Zadoc

03-30-2006, 10:42 PM

Dude, who shot you?

norkusa

03-30-2006, 10:49 PM

Yeah, it's pretty tough. The hardest part is pressing the keys without looking at them. Once I get that down, I'm sure I'll do a lot better. Had the same problem when I first played Guitar Hero but now I can breeze thru most of the songs in Expert. Just gotta practice.

Even though I still totally suck at it, I'm having a blast playing Beatmania. I really dig the controller and the keys on it remind me of my friends 303 Groovebox. Almost makes me feel like I'm playing a real instrument.

Crazycarl

03-30-2006, 10:57 PM

yea, getting the the tempo, and keys right takes a bit of learning. I've gotten used to it, but damn it's ganna take some time. But shit i like playing FunkyTown for some strange reason LOL.

djbeatmongrel

03-30-2006, 11:23 PM

this game is great but the learning curve is steep as hell and its hard getting used to the keys since they feel like they are layed out for a mammoth (its a strange F to B layout, C-E for plain 5 key). the controller is really well designed though.

davidbrit2

03-31-2006, 07:00 AM

Okay, compared to the Japanese controller, the US one seems fine. According to photos I've seen of the insides, they reinforced the buttons a bit to prevent them from sticking. The turntable feels a bit stiffer than my Japanese controllers, though, and I noticed occasional peculiarities with it missing gentle scratches, or registering twice. I might open it up and see if there's some dust or debris in the optical sensor somewhere.

As for the game itself, it's certainly no IIDX 8th Style, but it's a pretty nice pile of songs nonetheless. I can't really forgive them for leaving out Another difficulty in 5-key mode, though. Boo.

I should probably mention that about half the songs in 5-key ("Beatmania" mode) have really, really strict timing. This is because the judgment and timing information for the note chart is evidently taken straight from the original Japanese 5-key Beatmania games, which had insanely tight timing requirements at times. But then other songs on the same game would end up being really easy to nearly get a perfect score, so go figure.

All in all, I'd say it's worth the money if you've been wanting to try this game. And a nice side effect is that you'll have a good controller for about half the import price should you decide to import any of the Japanese Beatmania IIDX releases.

norkusa

03-31-2006, 01:09 PM

I've never played the game before, but the turntable does seem kind of stiff. Maybe there's a way to mod it so it'll be looser?

Also, anyone know some sties that have gameplay videos of people playing Beatmania? I'm dying to see how some people can pass these 7-key songs

Damaniel

03-31-2006, 01:30 PM

I've never played the game before, but the turntable does seem kind of stiff. Maybe there's a way to mod it so it'll be looser?

I've noticed the same thing. Hitting two or more scratches back to back can be kind of tricky.

Also, for those in the Portland, Oregon area, the Frys in Wilsonville is advertising the Beatmania bundle for $54.99. I don't know if they actually have any in stock, but chances are pretty good since they tend to get in lots of copies of new games.

davidbrit2

03-31-2006, 01:43 PM

Also, anyone know some sties that have gameplay videos of people playing Beatmania? I'm dying to see how some people can pass these 7-key songs

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=iidx

That should be a good start. You might try checking ol' YouTube, too.

Vectorman0

03-31-2006, 03:07 PM

There actually is, which involves cutting out turntable shaped inserts that a slick to put inbetween the current mechanism. Check the bemanistyle forums.

I've never played the game before, but the turntable does seem kind of stiff. Maybe there's a way to mod it so it'll be looser?

Also, anyone know some sties that have gameplay videos of people playing Beatmania? I'm dying to see how some people can pass these 7-key songs

CYRiX

03-31-2006, 03:23 PM

well when reading the psm article on it they didn't like it.
They say (Pulls out mag):
"The song list is so unfamiliar"
"Adding to the confusion, the layout of the game's structure is tuned more for an arcade than a console"
"Next time we'd like to see it become a little more accesible for the non-hardcore"

Score: 7.5

Dang, was really wanting to try this out too, maybe if it hits clearance I'll get it.

davidbrit2

03-31-2006, 03:29 PM

The song list may be unfamiliar, but being afraid to venture out into new music would be a silly reason not to purchase this. There are quite a few gems buried among the selection. And the layout isn't any more confusing than, say DDR. Three songs per game, or Expert courses, among other similar modes.

Joker T

03-31-2006, 08:34 PM

This game looks cool but I don't like music games too much only one I really love so far is Guitar Hero.

Beefy Hits

04-02-2006, 06:32 PM

GS and EB seemed to only get 2 copies each . Toys R US was sold out. Ordered it online only to find out it was backordered.Won't get it till Mon. or Tues. Best Buy looks like they got 4 copies in.

MarkMan

04-03-2006, 08:32 AM

Wow, I'm dissapointed in the song list. I should have known better though after playing through II DX 3rd style to 9th imports already.

I like the Metal Gear remix though. :)

JWKobayashi

04-03-2006, 11:02 AM

I like the Metal Gear remix though. :)

Yes! That's my favorite song from 5 key. Glad to see that it made it in. :)

FlashStash

04-03-2006, 02:29 PM

Is there a way to preview the song before actually selecting it? When you move to a song on DDR, for example, a song clip plays. Is there something special you need to do to get that here?

FS

davidbrit2

04-03-2006, 02:44 PM

Is there a way to preview the song before actually selecting it? When you move to a song on DDR, for example, a song clip plays. Is there something special you need to do to get that here?

FS

Nope. Beatmania has never done preview clips, aside from the Beatmania III series (that never got a home release) and maybe one or two of the odd licensed PS1 Beatmania games like Sound of Tokyo, and I think Dreams Come True.

Beefy Hits

04-05-2006, 12:39 PM

norkusa

04-05-2006, 02:33 PM

Wow, from playing this for 2 hours last night, I can tell this is a hardcore game.Is it me, or are those 5 key song difficulties ratings way off? Some of those 2 star songs are ridiculous! I'm finding the 7 key stuff way easier!

Yeah, I thought the exact same same thing. I'm having a much easier time (although it's still difficult as hell) playing the 7-key stuff than the 5 keys. I think it's mainly because I keep loosing my place in the 5 key songs and I'll accidently hit those extra 2 keys all the time.

I really want one of those ASC controllers, but they sell around $400-$450 new everywhere. They've got them available on konamistyle.jp for aprox $275 USD. Does anyone know if they'll ship to the US or is it Japan only?

Vectorman0

04-06-2006, 12:13 PM

Does anyone know if they'll ship to the US or is it Japan only?

I'm 99.9% sure they only ship to Japan.

Beefy Hits

04-06-2006, 01:20 PM

Does anyone know if they'll ship to the US or is it Japan only?

I'm 99.9% sure they only ship to Japan.
Is that because Japanese are racist, or because they are cheap, or because they don't want to make extra money?

norkusa

04-06-2006, 01:43 PM

Is that because Japanese are racist, or because they are cheap, or because they don't want to make extra money?

All of the above!

Daft Punk

04-09-2006, 06:40 PM

I picked it up I like it .

Then again iv'e been playing it since it was released on the ps in japan .

Im glad you can swap the turntable around. And I have the same gripe about hitting multiple scratches it just don't work too well .

Kroogah

07-03-2006, 11:41 AM

Finally stopped putting it off and picked this one up.

This is a great game if you've never played it before. Or if you're like me and sold all your old Styles and yer controller. V has returned to torture me once again.

Any of you guys made any progress since you first bought the game? Or is the skill level around here still davidbrit > me > everyone else? LOL

It took me about a year to start beating 7-star songs, and I started on u gotta groove on the original PS1 mix. One of the first 7-stars I beat was Presto, so aim for that one.

djbeatmongrel

07-03-2006, 11:50 AM

tell you the truth i got to fed up with the learning curve. its too steep for me at the moment. also, the only music game i'm playing at the moment is guitar hero, just need BATM and CBH on expert and i am done. :D

Kroogah

07-03-2006, 11:57 AM

djbeatmongrel

07-03-2006, 12:09 PM

tell you the truth i got to fed up with the learning curve. its too steep for me at the moment.

What level are you at? If I rack my brain enough I can tell you what to practice. This release needs Drill Mode from 5th & 6th Style.

Ah, BATM and CBH. I finally beat BATM at Kamino's a couple weeks ago, then immediately tried CBH and beat that too. Hard as Hell though.

i appreciate the offer but for i have no idea where i am stuck at, i atleast unlocked most of the songs on 5 key. dont worry about helping though, i plan on keeping it shelved for a while till i blow through some of my other games

Mr.FoodMonster

07-03-2006, 01:23 PM

Any of you guys made any progress since you first bought the game? Or is the skill level around here still davidbrit > me > everyone else? LOL

I have not been playing it all that much. When I first got it, I went through all the songs just so I could have them all open on free play. I played through all of them on easy (a couple of them were pretty tough, but I've got them) and I've got like half of them on medium. It seems like I can go good for awhile, but when the action really kicks in I lose it and end with like a 20%. I dont know, the game is alright, but I've spent probably 5 times the amount of time playing Guitar Hero than this, just because its much more fun. I dont regret buying BM, but I'm not super excited/glad that I did either. I hope they give us atleast one more game, but I dont know if thats going to happen.

MuppetMaster

07-03-2006, 02:02 PM

I've been looking into this game quite a bit lately and it looks pretty damn cool. I will hopefully be picking a copy up later this week.

Princess-Isabela

07-05-2006, 09:43 PM

Beatmania games were known since always for their hardcore steep curves, Id suggest to pick up Beatmania IIDX 11th Mix RED, game rocks totally, it has over 70 songs of which most are awesome(MAX 300 anyone?), highly recommended.
US Beatmania is ok, it has interface taken out from 9th mix, but song selection suffers.
overal game is too easy on lower difficulties, such as light, medium, even some on hard, pretty unequal.
still one of the best music games released in states, if you see negative reviews on the net, dont take them too much into consideration, Beatmania really does rock, - you just have to give it a chance.