Beatmania

Ever wanted to pretend to be a DJ? Enjoy playing rhythm games in general? Then Beatmania is just the prescription you need.

Have you ever gone to a party or club and wandered by the DJ, thinking only for a split second about how they do their job? For just that fleeting moment, your brain speculates the disc-spinning, the button-pushing and the record-pulling, before you realize that your friend is pulling you to the bar. Well, wonder no more! It took them six whole years, but Konami is finally releasing the popular DJ simulator Beatmania here in the United States, allowing us to drop it like it's hot in the privacy of our homes.

Hey Mr. DJ Put A Record On
So how does this elusive simulator work? It's simple enough; similar to its cousin Dance Dance Revolution, there will be bars that fall down vertically on a screen, and when it hits the bottom the player must push the corresponding button on the peripheral that comes with the game, but also spinning the turntable at its corresponding time. The peripheral is a turntable set: seven buttons and a turntable that can be adjusted to accommodate lefties and righties.

The tricky part of the learning process, however, is syncing the seven buttons to the seven slots on the screen. While the learning curve might be a bit steep in that aspect, the end result is nothing short of fun. The keys actually affect what sound you'll make, so if you want the song to sound right, the correct buttons must be pushed at just the right time.

Konami's rhythm games are infamous for difficult timing, and Beatmania is no exception. With the perfect timing, you'll get a "Perfect," but if you're even a millisecond off, you'll get a "Great," "Good," or even "Poor." The number of each you get will determine the grade you get at the end of the song.

Play My (Insert Expletive) Song!
So there's this great DJ simulator, but what kind of music does it play? Any of that annoying Jpop crap? Well, not that I personally think Jpop is crap, but there is a lush variety of music available for your pleasure, ranging from hip hop and jazz to house and trance. There are many subgenres available too, such as happy hardcore, big beat, Italian house, French pop and more. This particular version of Beatmania also features some American songs, remixed to the reminiscent sound of clubs, such as Britney Spear's "Toxic," or Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity," to name a couple. The mixes themselves are well done, so you'll be striving to perfect the art of Beatmania, if not to be an excellent player, then to at least hear the song the way it's supposed to be heard.

Being the mother of rhythm games, Beatmania has been around before Dance Dance Revolution ever got popular. It took a long time, but it's finally here, and rhythm game fans everywhere should be rejoicing. Making its way from the arcade to the console is a wise, wise move.

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