Beatmania
Too little, too late…
Tags: Beatmania Categories: PS2 Reviews, Reviews
Posted by David Hinkle on Jun 27th, 2006
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Beatmania (title page) | 1 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Music/Rhythm | No | ||
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There are plenty of rythm-based games out there. Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution games have been the cream that has risen to the top, but many gamers may not even realize that a little game by the name of Beatmania actually paved the way for it. Beatmania took its good old time to release over here in the states, and sadly that time was not spent ensuring that our first taste on a console stateside would be a delicious one.
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The biggest problem with Beatmania is the quality of songs included. There just aren’t many good ones, and while I can’t really judge the quality of music in the game, the gameplay when mixed with the music onscreen is rather difficult and misses the natural flow that a game like DDR has. While in DDR you’d have a song that goes from point A to point B, your legs dance in different motions for the entirety of it. In Beatmania, instead you in all honesty should be playing a handful of repeating patterns, being that the game focuses on the beat side of things. Instead, Konami takes the gameplay from DDR and tried to slap it into Beatmania for your hands to run through the motions.
The controller doesn’t make things easier either. The controller itself consists of a turntable and 7 large keys, placed on the right hand side of the controller, in a general pianolike formation. Balancing the controller can be tough, especially during those heated sessions, as you’ll have to quickly press buttons and scratch while trying to keep the controller from falling off your lap.
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The game contains 2 different play modes in Beatmania and Beatmania IIDX, a sequel that employs all 7 keys as opposed to only the 5 that the original Beatmania use. The songs are a mixture of techno remixes on old songs such as Funky Town, along with newer House jams such as Timo Mass’ First Day. The variety of songs is fine enough, it’s just that in combination with the frantic button pushing that is demanded from you without actually feeling the music, it’s a bit lifeless. The game measures your success throughout in 2 ways; Groove gauge and timing.
Like timing in most other rythm-based games, your ability to hit the notes on time with the screen will grant you the greatest success. The Groove gauge, which is an approximate measurement of how well you’re hitting the notes onscreen, is measured at the end of the song, so maintaining it is essential to success.
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Beatmania is a case of “too little, too late.” While the Japanese have received more iterations of the title in the arcade and on home game consoles than you can count on both hands, us outside of Japan have received the shaft in a lackluster port of the title. Unless you’re a crazy rythm game addict, you won’t be missing much by neglecting to be caught up in the Beatmania.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Eclectic mix of songs, inlcuding tracks from Konami games such as Metal Gear Solid. + Unique gaming approach through the controller |
6.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- The controller is a bit hard to use later in the game and isn't worth the added cost - Song list could be a bit longer |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Get a better game such as Guitar Hero or Taiko Drum Master. | |
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Tags: Beatmania
Posted by David Hinkle on Jun 27th, 2006 and is filed under PS2 Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
