Beatmania IIDX (video game)

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Beatmania IIDX
Beatmania 2dx title screen.jpg
The title screen
Developer(s) Bemani
Publisher(s) Konami
Series Beatmania IIDX
Platform(s) Arcade
Release
  • JP: February 26, 1999
Genre(s) Music
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade system Bemani Twinkle

Beatmania IIDX [lower-alpha 1] (stylized as beatmaniaIIDX) is an arcade music video game developed by Bemani and published by Konami. It was released in Japan on February 26, 1999. The objective is to perform songs using a controller with seven keys and a turntable. After the surprise success of Beatmania , Benami conceived IIDX to simulate an actual disc jockey (DJ) live performance. Its arcade cabinet contains a widescreen monitor, speakers, and eight spotlights. Bemani later developed several updated versions of IIDX to increased success. The game retrospectively received a positive reception from video game publications for its gameplay and increased difficulty. A sequel, Beatmania III , was released in 2000.

Contents

Gameplay

The player hits notes during the M-Flo song "The Theme from Flo Jack". Beatmania 2dx gameplay screenshot.jpg
The player hits notes during the M-Flo song "The Theme from Flo Jack".

The objective of Beatmania IIDX is to perform songs using a controller with seven key buttons and a scratchable turntable. Hitting notes with accurate timing increases the player's score and groove gauge bar, allowing the player to finish the stage. Failing to do so depletes the gauge and can prematurely end the song. [1] [2] IIDX has four play modes: 4 Keys, 5 Keys, 7 Keys, and Expert. The controls in the 4 Keys mode are limited to only the white buttons. [3] 5 Keys is a mode where the player uses "3 white keys on bottom and 2 black keys on top" like in Beatmania. [3] [4] The 7 Keys mode utilizes all buttons [3] and Expert has the player select a course and obtain the highest score. Clearing four or more stages in Internet Ranking results in a password, which can be submitted to Konami so that the player's score is registered and shown in worldwide rankings. [5]

Development and release

In 1997, Konami distributed its Games & Music Division's (G.M.D.) Beatmania in Japan as an arcade DJ simulator, significantly influencing rhythm games. Its surprise success prompted the developer to rename itself Bemani, a portmanteau of the game's title. The studio made more music-themed video games following its release, including Pop'n Music and Dance Dance Revolution . [6] :54–58 [7] :297 Bemani conceived Beatmania IIDX as a sequel to Beatmania. It was designed to simulate the experience of a DJ performing songs live at a music venue which gave it a "club Visual Jockey feel." The game was released on February 26, 1999. While its predecessor used five keys, the IIDX controller had seven. The controller was one of components used in the game's Benami Twinkle cabinet, along with a large 40-inch widescreen monitor, large speakers, eight spotlights, and the Effect Fader (located in the control panel); the last of which is used to alter the sound during gameplay. [8]

Reception and legacy

Neil Foster of Hardcore Gaming 101 noticed that player one's controller had the turntable relocated to the left side, which was advantageous to "some players." He commented that with the addition of a widescreen monitor, the black keys were given easily identifiable lanes. He called the game "a rocky start" for the Beatmania IIDX series, since it had music from Beatmania's first two iterations (1st Mix and 2nd Mix) paired with new songs and remixes. According to Foster, many players were initially not impressed with performing old songs on upgraded hardware, so they switched to Beatmania 4th Mix. [3] Bryn Williams of GameSpy found IIDX harder than the original Beatmania, because songs that take advantage of its seven keys have more notes than those made for five keys. [1] IGN 's Chris Roper wrote that it was successful because of its distinctive and responsive controller. He opinioned that the controller was imperfectly designed, yet its implementation made the game a rare experience. [2]

Bemani developed several updates to the game after its release. Konami decided to link Beatmania IIDX Club Version (later Substream ) cabinets with Dance Dance Revolution 2ndMix machines for simultaneous play, leading to increased success. In late 1999, the publisher hired artist Goli to design graphics and characters for Beatmania IIDX 2nd Style . [3] Featuring a new visual theme, 3rd Style was ported to the PlayStation 2. [9] In 2002, 8th Style was released after the discontinuation of the original Beatmania. Foster stated these updates popularized IIDX to the point where it overshadowed its predecessor, as the game not only earned more new songs, but became very difficult. [3] A sequel with a five-key controller, Beatmania III, was released in 2000. [10]

Notes and references

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Japanese: ビートマニア ツーディーエックス, Hepburn: Bītomania Tsū Di Ekkusu

Citations

  1. 1 2 Williams, Bryn (April 5, 2006). "beatmania - Page 1". GameSpy . IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on April 9, 2006. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Roper, Chris (March 28, 2006). "beatmania". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Foster, Neil (April 1, 2013). "Beatmania (page 8)". Hardcore Gaming 101. Kontek. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  4. ↑ Foster, Neil (April 1, 2013). "Beatmania (page 1)". Hardcore Gaming 101. Kontek. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  5. ↑ Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (February 26, 1999). Beatmania IIDX (Benami Twinkle) (in Japanese). Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo.
  6. ↑ Ashcraft, Brian; Snow, Jean (2008). Arcade Mania! The Turbo-Charged World of Japan's Games Centers. Kodansha International. ISBN   978-4-7700-3078-8.
  7. ↑ Cook, Nicholas; Pettengill, Richard (May 16, 2013). Taking It to the Bridge: Music as Performance. University of Michigan Press. ISBN   9780472051779.
  8. ↑ "overall on beatmania IIDX". Konami. Konami. February 26, 1999. Archived from the original on February 6, 2007. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  9. ↑ "BeatMania IIDX 3rd Style - PlayStation 2". GameSpy . IGN Entertainment, Inc. November 2, 2000. Archived from the original on August 8, 2004. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  10. ↑ Foster, Neil (April 1, 2013). "Beatmania (page 4)". Hardcore Gaming 101. Kontek. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2020.

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

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Beatmania IIDX is a series of rhythm video games, that was first introduced by Konami in Japan on February 26, 1999. IIDX has since spawned 29 arcade releases and 14 console releases on the Sony PlayStation 2. It is the sequel to the beatmania game series, and part of the Bemani line of music games. A PC release titled beatmania IIDX INFINITAS has been released, beginning alpha testing in September 2015, and was heavily updated to a new version in 2020.

Bemani is Konami's music video game division. Originally named the Games & Music Division (G.M.D.), it changed its name in honor of its first and most successful game, Beatmania, and expanded into other music-based games, most notably rhythm games such as Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Freaks, and Drum Mania.

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beatmania IIDX 10th Style is the tenth game in the beatmania IIDX series of music video games. It was released in arcades by Konami in early 2004.

<i>Beatmania IIDX 9th Style</i>

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<i>Beatmania IIDX 8th Style</i>

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<i>Beatmania IIDX 7th Style</i>

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<i>Beatmania IIDX 6th Style</i>

Beatmania IIDX 6th Style is the sixth game in the beatmania IIDX series of music video games. It was released in arcades by Konami in 2001. The game features 40 new songs. 6th Style introduced new features such as letter grades and the new Hard Mode.

<i>Beatmania IIDX 5th Style</i>

beatmania IIDX 5th Style is the fifth game in the beatmania IIDX series of music video games. It was released in arcades by Konami in 2001. The game features 35 new songs, five of which are hidden. New features introduced in this version are auto-scratch, as well as two more Hi-Speed settings 5th Style's songlist featured the first songs that would later become "flashing 7s", here differentiated from regular 7s with a kanji meaning "forbidden".

<i>Beatmania IIDX 3rd Style</i>

beatmania IIDX 3rd Style is a music video game developed by Bemani and published by Konami, initially released as an arcade game in Japan on February 25, 2000, and subsequently ported to the PlayStation 2 on November 2. 3rd Style removed the 4-keys mode from previous installments and replaced it with the Light7 difficulty, giving most songs a fully separate, easier notechart. The game also introduced Free Mode and Extra Stage, and featured a new aesthetic.

Beatmania IIDX Club Version was released on April 21, 1999 by Konami to the Japanese arcade audience. It could be linked with a Dance Dance Revolution machine for simultaneous play.

beatmania IIDX substream is a 1999 music video game which had a different songlist and could be linked to a Dance Dance Revolution machine for simultaneous play. If either the Dance Dance Revolution player or IIDX player made mistakes, the other game became more difficult.

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<i>Beatmania IIDX 12: Happy Sky</i>

Beatmania IIDX 12: Happy Sky is the 12th game in the beatmania IIDX series of music video games. It was released in arcades by Konami in 2005. The game features over 45 new songs, some of which are unlocked over Konami's e-Amusement platform. Happy Sky introduced several small but significant changes to the series, such as a new difficulty scale, and a new boss song.

<i>Beatmania IIDX 13: Distorted</i>

Beatmania IIDX 13: Distorted is the 13th game in the beatmania IIDX series of music video games. It was released in arcades by Konami in 2006. The game features a total of 55 new songs, some of which are unlocked over Konami's e-Amusement platform. Distorted's interface is a refresh of Happy Sky's interface, but using a monotone color scheme with orange wireframe patterns in menu backgrounds.

<i>Beatmania IIDX 11 IIDXRED</i>

Beatmania IIDX11: IIDXRED is the 11th game in the beatmania IIDX series of music video games. It was released in arcades by Konami in 2004. The game features many new songs, some of which are unlocked over Konami's e-Amusement platform. As suggested by the title, IIDXRED's color scheme is red and black, and was one of the first versions to not use the word "style" to denote its version and have a legitimate theme.

<i>Beatmania IIDX 15: DJ Troopers</i> Video game

Beatmania IIDX 15: DJ Troopers is the 15th game in the beatmania IIDX series of music video games. It was released in arcades by Konami Digital Entertainment on December 19, 2007, and a version for the PlayStation 2 was released on December 18, 2008. The game features over 50 new songs, some of which are unlocked over Konami's e-Amusement platform. The overall motif of DJ Troopers is a military themed style, containing rustic greens, grays, and camouflage patterns.

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Beatmania IIDX 17: Sirius is the 17th installment in Konami's Beatmania IIDX series of music video games. The main motif of Sirius's UI is astronomy, as the game is named after Sirius, known to be the brightest star in the night sky. Public location tests began on May 27, 2009, and the game itself was released on October 21, 2009.

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Beatmania IIDX 19: Lincle is the 19th installment of Beatmania IIDX series. The location test itself was announced on April 18, 2011. The location test was held first on Akihabara on April 20, 2011. Umeda's location test started on April 22, 2011, and both ended on April 25, 2011. Fukuoka and Nagoya had their location test started from April 28, 2011 until May 1, 2011. Kyoto and Sapporo's location test started on May 6, 2011 until May 8, 2011. It was released on September 15, 2011.

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