Beatmania IIDX
Encyclopedia
is a series of rhythm video game
s and the sequel to Beatmania that was first introduced by Konami
in Japan
on February 26, 1999. IIDX has since spawned over 19 arcade releases and over 13 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.
Starting from Beatmania IIDX 17: Sirius
, two new note types are added. Charge Notes is a note that must be pressed and released on the right time, while Backspin Scratch is a scratch note which require the player to spin the discscratch on a direction, then spinning it on the opposite direction on the end. Both are valued two combos; one for the beginning note and one for the ending note.
to Beatmania IIDX 4th Style
. Starting from Beatmania IIDX 5th Style
, Flashing 7 is introduced as the highest difficulty. Beatmania IIDX 10th Style
give the player up to Level 8 as the highest difficulty, and Level 8+ as the highest one in Beatmania IIDX 11 IIDXRED
. The major change of difficulty range occurred on Beatmania IIDX 12: Happy Sky
, which has been widen to 12 as the highest difficulty. All songs have been rescaled because of this change. This difficulty range is continue to be used on the next releases.
The beatmania IIDX cabinet has many standard features that are found in traditional arcade cabinets such as a widescreen display, powerful speakers, and start buttons. Also, unique to IIDX cabinets are the effector buttons and sliders, a bass platform transducer
, marquee, and DJ simulating controller. The effector buttons and sliders allow the player to control the volume levels within the game and manipulate the music by adding additional sound effects. The bass platform vibrates beneath the player's feet to the beat of the music being played. The marquee is a series of sixteen-segment display LED
s, used to display game information and song titles during gameplay.
beatmania IIDX controls consist two sets of seven key
s on each player's side, along with two turntable
s. The turntable for the left player's side is to the left of the keys, while the one on the right player's side is to the right.
Each set of keys is arranged in a pattern of four white keys beneath three black keys. The black keys are offset from the white keys so that each pair of adjacent white keys has a black key above and in between them. This arrangement mimics the F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B keys on a musical keyboard
, though beatmania keys, being about twice as long as they are wide, do not resemble piano
keys. The keys are commonly numbered 1 through 7, from left to right. The four white keys are numbered 1, 3, 5, and 7; the three black keys are numbered 2, 4, 6.
Konami also releases home versions of IIDX for the PlayStation 2
console in Japan
. The home versions are known as CS (consumer software or console) styles, while the arcade versions are known as AC (arcade cabinet or arcade) styles. The CS games can be played with a Dualshock
controller or with a special controller from Konami that recreates the arcade experience. Konami manufactures two forms of home controllers, which are known as Konami Official Controllers (KOC) and Arcade Style Controllers (ASC). The KOC, pictured above, is much cheaper than the ASC, but is smaller than the ASC. In addition, KOCs look very different from ASCs and have a smaller space between the turntable and the keys. Konami purports the ASCs to be "arcade-accurate," in that they both resemble and feel like a controller on an arcade machine. For example, the controller itself is much larger and has the turntable further away from the keys. Both styles have a detachable key panel that can be placed to the left or the right of the turntable as the player desires. Aftermarket controllers are also readily available, often containing lit turntables and keys.
Each CS style corresponds to an AC style of the game and contains every song that debuted on its respective AC style, with the exception of certain licensed songs on 1st-3rd AC (released collectively as 3rd CS) that Konami was unable to secure the rights to again. In addition, CS styles may feature a selection of "revivals" - songs that appeared on previous AC or CS styles, "preview songs" - songs that appear on AC styles that do not yet have corresponding CS styles, and "CS exclusive" songs that appear only on CS styles. As of October 2009, CS versions of 3rd Style through Empress have been released (note that 3rd CS contains songs from 1st through 3rd AC; thus, there are no 1st style, 2nd style, or Substream CS titles).
, Dance Dance Revolution
.
Each new AC release typically features around 60 new songs, with a selection of songs returning from previous versions. The current release, beatmania IIDX 19 Lincle, features a library of over 600 songs. CS releases feature all of the songs of their corresponding AC versions (with limited exceptions), 5-10 CS exclusive songs, around 25 "revival" (returning) songs, and 1-3 preview songs, for a total of around 90-100 songs. Arcade versions run from a hard drive, rather than a DVD, and thus have more space in which to store data.
Songs often include music videos when played, although only some songs contain dedicated videos. Some songs contain generic videos shared by multiple songs, and some of these have additional animated graphics overlaid atop them.
. All versions of beatmania IIDX have been released on the Japanese PlayStation 2 with one exception: the American beatmania
.
—GOLI Characters—
Rhythm game
Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to press buttons in a sequence dictated on the screen...
s and the sequel to Beatmania that was first introduced by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on February 26, 1999. IIDX has since spawned over 19 arcade releases and over 13 console releases on the Sony PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. It is the sequel to the beatmania
Beatmania
is a rhythm video game developed and distributed by Japanese game developer Konami and first released in 1997. It contributed largely to the boom of music games in 1998, and the series expanded not only with arcade sequels, but also moved to home consoles and other portable devices, achieving a...
game series, and part of the Bemani
Bemani
is Konami's music video game division. Originally named the Games & Music Division, or simply G.M.D., it changed its name in honor of its first and most successful game, Beatmania, and expanded into other music-based games.-Bemani video games:...
line of music games.
Gameplay in General
In IIDX games, players recreate the musical score of songs available to them through the use of a DJ simulating controller. The player must coordinate their hands in order to hit the correct keyboard buttons, spin the turntable, or a combination of both in correspondence to color coded notes that approach the judgement bar displayed on screen. Notes are divided on screen by columns which separate them accordingly to match the seven buttons and the turntable on the DJ simulating controller. As a result of hitting notes, different sounds are then produced throughout a songs duration. Correctly hitting notes will produce an accurate musical score, while incorrectly hitting notes will produce inaccuracies and mistakes in the music.Starting from Beatmania IIDX 17: Sirius
Beatmania IIDX 17: Sirius
Beatmania IIDX 17: Sirius is the 17th installment in Konami's Beatmania IIDX series of music video games. The main motif of Siriuss UI will be astronomy, as the game is named after Sirius, known to be the brightest star in the night sky...
, two new note types are added. Charge Notes is a note that must be pressed and released on the right time, while Backspin Scratch is a scratch note which require the player to spin the discscratch on a direction, then spinning it on the opposite direction on the end. Both are valued two combos; one for the beginning note and one for the ending note.
Difficulty
The difficulty ranges from 1 to 7 starting from Beatmania IIDX 1st StyleBeatmania IIDX (video game)
beatmania IIDX was the first version of the game. It included three play modes: 7-keys, 5-keys , and 4-keys ....
to Beatmania IIDX 4th Style
Beatmania IIDX 4th Style
-Notable:*Introduction of the EASY modifier.*Introduction of a time bar, showing how far in the song one is.*Debut of Ryutaro Nakahara and Kosuke Saito in the bemani series.-Home version:...
. Starting from Beatmania IIDX 5th Style
Beatmania IIDX 5th Style
beatmania IIDX 5th Style is the 5th 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...
, Flashing 7 is introduced as the highest difficulty. Beatmania IIDX 10th Style
Beatmania IIDX 10th Style
beatmania IIDX 10th Style is the 10th game in the beatmania IIDX series of music video games. It was released in arcades by Konami in early 2004.-Gameplay:...
give the player up to Level 8 as the highest difficulty, and Level 8+ as the highest one in Beatmania IIDX 11 IIDXRED
Beatmania IIDX 11 IIDXRED
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...
. The major change of difficulty range occurred on Beatmania IIDX 12: Happy Sky
Beatmania IIDX 12: Happy Sky
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 on July 13, 2005. The game features over 45 new songs, some of which are unlocked over Konami's e-Amusement platform...
, which has been widen to 12 as the highest difficulty. All songs have been rescaled because of this change. This difficulty range is continue to be used on the next releases.
Hardware
Tactile transducer
A tactile transducer or "bass shaker" is a device which is made on the principle that low bass frequencies can be felt as well as heard. A shaker transmits low-frequency vibrations into various surfaces so that they can be felt by people. This is called tactile sound...
, marquee, and DJ simulating controller. The effector buttons and sliders allow the player to control the volume levels within the game and manipulate the music by adding additional sound effects. The bass platform vibrates beneath the player's feet to the beat of the music being played. The marquee is a series of sixteen-segment display LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
s, used to display game information and song titles during gameplay.
Controller Information
Key (instrument)
A key is a specific part of a musical instrument. The purpose and function of the part in question depends on the instrument.On instruments equipped with tuning machines, violins and guitars, for example, a key is part of a tuning machine. It is a worm gear with a key shaped end used to turn a cog,...
s on each player's side, along with two turntable
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
s. The turntable for the left player's side is to the left of the keys, while the one on the right player's side is to the right.
Each set of keys is arranged in a pattern of four white keys beneath three black keys. The black keys are offset from the white keys so that each pair of adjacent white keys has a black key above and in between them. This arrangement mimics the F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B keys on a musical keyboard
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
, though beatmania keys, being about twice as long as they are wide, do not resemble piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
keys. The keys are commonly numbered 1 through 7, from left to right. The four white keys are numbered 1, 3, 5, and 7; the three black keys are numbered 2, 4, 6.
e-Amusement
Since 9th Style, the game has featured integration with Konami's e-Amusement platform, which uses a card inserted at the beginning of the game to save stats, scores, allow customization, and track scores in comparison to previous plays and against others over the internet. From 9th Style to Happy Sky (12th), this was by way of a magnetic card and reader. From Distorted onwards the newer type Contactless smartcard Konami e-Amusement Pass system has been used. 9th Style did not require an internet connection to use a subset of the e-Amusement functionality, but 10th and on required an internet connection to function, which must be provided by a subscription from Konami. e-Amusement is not available outside of the primary markets for IIDX (Japan and Asia), which has left imported machines outside of Asia without full access to hidden songs and extra stages due to the increasing functionality and integration of e-Amusement in more recent styles. However, new songs from e-Amusement enabled styles can still be accessed on console versions (which can be imported from Japan).Home versions
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
console in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The home versions are known as CS (consumer software or console) styles, while the arcade versions are known as AC (arcade cabinet or arcade) styles. The CS games can be played with a Dualshock
DualShock
The DualShock is a line of vibration-feedback gamepads by Sony for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 video game consoles. The DualShock was introduced in Japan in late 1997, and launched in the North American market in May 1998...
controller or with a special controller from Konami that recreates the arcade experience. Konami manufactures two forms of home controllers, which are known as Konami Official Controllers (KOC) and Arcade Style Controllers (ASC). The KOC, pictured above, is much cheaper than the ASC, but is smaller than the ASC. In addition, KOCs look very different from ASCs and have a smaller space between the turntable and the keys. Konami purports the ASCs to be "arcade-accurate," in that they both resemble and feel like a controller on an arcade machine. For example, the controller itself is much larger and has the turntable further away from the keys. Both styles have a detachable key panel that can be placed to the left or the right of the turntable as the player desires. Aftermarket controllers are also readily available, often containing lit turntables and keys.
Each CS style corresponds to an AC style of the game and contains every song that debuted on its respective AC style, with the exception of certain licensed songs on 1st-3rd AC (released collectively as 3rd CS) that Konami was unable to secure the rights to again. In addition, CS styles may feature a selection of "revivals" - songs that appeared on previous AC or CS styles, "preview songs" - songs that appear on AC styles that do not yet have corresponding CS styles, and "CS exclusive" songs that appear only on CS styles. As of October 2009, CS versions of 3rd Style through Empress have been released (note that 3rd CS contains songs from 1st through 3rd AC; thus, there are no 1st style, 2nd style, or Substream CS titles).
Music
Music is an integral part of the beatmania IIDX series. Featuring a wide selection of genres and artists, both licensed and in-house, the Beatmania IIDX series is well known for its original music. Konami produces an original soundtrack of each game, usually a few months after release, due to the appeal of the music. Konami also releases original albums by Beatmania IIDX artists through its online store, Konamistyle. It's also a tradition that Konami crossovers some songs from other Bemani games such as Pop'n MusicPop'n Music
, commonly abbreviated as Pop'n, PM or PNM, is a music video game in the Bemani series made by the Konami Corporation. This game is known for its bright colors, upbeat songs, and cartoon character graphics...
, Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...
.
Each new AC release typically features around 60 new songs, with a selection of songs returning from previous versions. The current release, beatmania IIDX 19 Lincle, features a library of over 600 songs. CS releases feature all of the songs of their corresponding AC versions (with limited exceptions), 5-10 CS exclusive songs, around 25 "revival" (returning) songs, and 1-3 preview songs, for a total of around 90-100 songs. Arcade versions run from a hard drive, rather than a DVD, and thus have more space in which to store data.
Songs often include music videos when played, although only some songs contain dedicated videos. Some songs contain generic videos shared by multiple songs, and some of these have additional animated graphics overlaid atop them.
Releases
The beatmania IIDX series has been released in the home video game market in addition to its arcade releases. To date, the only video game system to have seen a IIDX game is the Sony PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. All versions of beatmania IIDX have been released on the Japanese PlayStation 2 with one exception: the American beatmania
Beatmania (North America)
beatmania, also known colloquially as beatmania or BMUS to distinguish it from the original arcade game beatmania, is the first version of the music video game beatmania IIDX to be released in the United States...
.
Characters
Beatmania IIDX has a variety of characters that are drawn by multiple artists. The most notable artist is GOLI matsumoto, who draws most of the splash posters and score backgrounds. He also draws most of the characters in the series. These characters appear in result screens, as overlays in the music videos, splash posters, and more.- Tran (is looked at as the icon of IIDX at times)
- Yamato Tora
- Mika Tsukuba
- Yuri Aida
- Akane Sugo
- Emi Motegi
- Azusa Suzuka
- Acry Aries
- Kana
- Tomo
- Maiko Arashi
- Ramla Yoko Storm
- Tsurugi Orihara
- Futaba Futaba
—GOLI Characters—
- Yuz(Age:?)
- Nyah (Xia's older sister. Age:21)
- Celica Mizushiro (Erika's Twin Sister. Age:19?)
- Shilow (Saya and Ereki's brother. Age:22)
- Siren
- Duel
- Nix
- Q-Jack
- Erika Kitami (Celica's Twin Sister)
- Zilchi
- Lilina Hinazuki (Lilith. Shem's younger sister. Age:17)
- Seina Hinazuki (Shem)
- Ereki (Saya and Shilow's brother)
- Tsugaru Hishimiya(Age:13)
- Shiki
- Tatsuma Hayuki (Daruma Age:13)
- Iroha Umegiri(Age:17)
- Hifumi Umegiri (Iroha and Ameto's sister)
- Ameto Umegiri (Iroha and Hifumi`S sister)
- Xia (or Xiatian. REALNAME Arua. Nyah's younger sister)
- Saya (Shilow and Ereki's sister)
- Sakura
- Tekka
- Eiri
- Fa-bo
- Inu (new from IIDX 17 Sirius)
External links
- Beatmania IIDX Gateway
- Outphase, fan news site
- Solid State Squad, American-based Beatmania IIDX scorekeeping site.
- Beatmania IIDX Notecharts