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Music, Rhythm, Dance, Beat Games...

Old 08-10-02, 07:57 AM
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Music, Rhythm, Dance, Beat Games...

I recently purchased Rez for the PS2. It's addictive. I've also played Space Channel 5 and Britney's Dance Beat or whatever it's called. I'd like to hear what you guys have played and liked. PS1 and PS2 have had a few of these types of games. I just purchased Frequency off half.com after playing Rez for a day. Any others I should look out for? Britney's game would've been more fun if it didn't have just her music. There's Dance Dance Revolution and all that too. Just start naming games that you've played and let us know what you thought of them.

Any games of this type coming to the Xbox? I'd like to see Rez2 come out on Xbox.
Old 08-10-02, 10:08 AM
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The Pump series is like DDR, but instead of four pads arranged in a cross pattern, it's got five pads arranged in an X pattern (with one extra in the middle).
Old 08-11-02, 03:57 AM
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I personally own:

PS1:

Dance Dance Revolution -- Which, yeah, everyone knows of

Parappa the Rapper -- The first rhythm game to actually make it to the states, I think. Pretty well known. Also fairly hard. Makes use of the X, O, triangle, and square buttons, as well as L1 and R1, plus two directions on the d-pad if you choose to free-style thing. I found this game to be difficult in large part because instead of controlling an instrument, you're controlling a rapper. Having a single button-press set off a random number of syllables is kind of freaky.

UmJammer Lammy -- Parappa spin off, but with a guitar-playing character. Same general gameplay, but updated. You can also unlock the Parappa character, so if you really like the rap aspect of the first game, it's an option. I personally preferred it to Parappa, in large part because the player-controlled guitar sounded slightly more natural than player-controlled rap.

PS2:

Frequency -- Great. Game. The American take on the genre. While the Easy mode isn't too bad, the Hard level is one of the most insane things I have ever witnessed. I'm also fairly fond of the ability to make your own song remixes. Unique game in that it relies on your ability to activate parts of the song, as opposed to assigning a sound to any given button.

Mad Maestro -- Wherein you conduct a classical orchestra. Very interesting in that it makes use of the PS2's pressure-sensitive buttons. So you not only have to hit the right button, but you must also hit it with the right intensity. It's an interesting game, but I find that it can be tiring (I tend to overkill on the 'hard' presses); it's also much, much easier if you're familiar with classical music.

Games I don't have:

Unison (PS2) -- Mostly waiting for a good deal. This is another American PS2 rhythm game, but it apparently uses the thumbsticks as controls. Looks sort of cool, but is labelled as easily repetitive.

Gitaroo Man (PS2)-- Finally got a price drop (to 29.99), so I'm picking it up soon. Marked as a quirky Japanese game, it features multiple difficulty settings. Seems to have gotten almost universally positive reviews. I hear it relies on using the thumbstick in conjunction with regular button-pressing.

It's also worth noting that Olympic/Multi-Sports games will occasionally feature a rhythm-type game (for the more artsy sports, ie diving or figureskating). I remember, in particular, a rhythmic gymnastics game that was pretty much a straight DDR ripoff.
Old 08-11-02, 04:04 AM
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Have you played Rez?

Also - I think Dead To Rights is supposed to include a mini-rhythm game where you can see strippers.
Old 08-11-02, 04:19 AM
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Originally posted by Trigger
Have you played Rez?
No. I've heard good things, and it's on my to-buy list if it ever comes down in price, but I have not. The relative rarity, combined with the fairly high pricetag (my video game expenditures tend to top off at $30), have me holding off in hopes that the release of a Rez2 would usher in a price-drop and reprinting of the original Rez.
Old 08-11-02, 04:37 AM
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Have you seen any info on a sequel?
Old 08-11-02, 04:59 AM
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Unison is actually a Japanese game ... just the US version was stripped of the Jpop (I would've bought it for) and replaced with stuff by Nelly and other "hot artists"
Old 08-11-02, 06:43 AM
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I loved, loved, loved Bust a Groove for the ps1. Has anyone tried the sequel for the PS2 that was only a Japanese release?
I've been thinking of picking up frequency for a while, now. Everyone like it?
Old 08-11-02, 03:55 PM
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I'm a huge fan of the music rhythm games. Rez is fantastic, although more for the experience and the music than for any sort of rhythm challenge.

Gitaroo Man, Um Jammer Lammy and Space Channel 5 are the tops for me. The only problem with the latter two is that they're pretty easy if you're a music game veteran. Gitaroo Man, on the other hand, is fairly difficult on Normal and just insane on Master. I still throw in UmJammer and SP5 every now and then to experience the visuals, but I have the soundtracks so they don't get nearly as much play as Gitaroo Man which I am determined to finish on Master level. Some of the songs in Gitaroo Man still give me an adrenaline rush to play. (I have the soundtrack to Gitaroo Man as well, and it's got some nice remixes of The Legendary Theme which is the showstopper of the game.)

Frequency is a fine game too, and as someone else pointed out - insanenly difficult. The game weeds out the true Rhythm Masters from the Wannabes...and considering I'm stuck on the very first Hard song, I guess I'm just a Wannabe.

Parappe the Rapper is what started me on my fixation for the genre. It's still hilarious, with some great hip hop songs and very memorable characters. Considering how cheap it is nowadays, there's no reason not to own it. The sequel, on the other hand, has forgettable music and absolutely zero challenge. Very poor follow-up to such a classic. However, if you want the ultimate Parappa mix and Party CD, grab the "Parappa The Party Mix by DJ Kaori" released by Tommy Boy records in Japan. It's one long mix CD, with all the songs from Parappa 2 (which sound soooo much better here) mixed in with a bunch of American hip hop anthems (The Humpty Dance, Everything's Gonna Be All Right, Fantastic Voyage) and even a De La Soul cover of the original Parappa song "I Gotta Believe." Seriously, this is one of the best CDs I've heard....and I've heard a lot.

Bust A Groove 1 is fun, although it's very mainstream. In other words, if you have any sense of rhythm you'll fly through the game. But the music is incredible. The sequel doesn't add a whole lot to the gameplay and the music is vastly inferior.

Unison is unique in that you're responsible not just for keeping the rhythm but also for memorizing the choreography of the dancers. Yes, if you've got impeccable hand-eye coordination you can blast through the game without practicing your dance routines, but for the other 99.9% of us a bit of memorization and practice is required. The music is a mixed bag...there are some cornball classic American themes (O.P.P., YMCA) and some Jpop anthems.

The Dance Dance Revolution games I tend to shy away from, because the fun derives from using the dance pad instead of the controller. Which is fine of course, but I prefer the satisfaction of using the controller almost like an instrument during my music games.

The Bemani/Beatmania games are fun too, with some of the best music out there (the first volume has a killer Metal Gear Solid remix). They require some of the finger gymnastics that Frequency does although not nearly to the same degree of difficulty. You can get a DJ turntable to use with the game, which adds a lot to the experience.

The Drummania and Guitar Freaks games are just like the Bemani ones. Again, there's some incredible music here and you can get a drum set or guitar controller to help out.

Hope that helps!

Larry
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Old 08-11-02, 08:00 PM
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Originally posted by Lokise
Frequency is a fine game too, and as someone else pointed out - insanenly difficult. The game weeds out the true Rhythm Masters from the Wannabes...and considering I'm stuck on the very first Hard song, I guess I'm just a Wannabe.
I beat Space Channel 5 3 times in a row without hardly any errors. I found it to be no challenge at all... Then again - the Britney Game I wasn't good at. My roommate was awesome at it, but I think it's cuz he's more familiar with the playstation controller. My girlfriend (who I rented it for) loved it, but wasn't much better than I was. Now, is Frequency the type of game that's harder if you aren't too familiar with the buttons or harder cuz the rhythms are complex?
Old 08-11-02, 08:45 PM
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Not to take away from your skills Trigger, as you're obviously a dedicated gamer. But yes...Space Channel 5 is one of the easiest rhythm games out there. I love the game, but the gameplay is simply Simon Says redux.

Frequency is a mind-bender. Control-wise you use just 3 buttons on the PS2 pad (well, a 4th to activate your power-ups), but you have no idea how much of a workout your fingers can get from such a "limited" control scheme. Most rhythm games challenge you to keep a beat as you're tapping out commands. Frequency takes it to the next level by challenging you to keep *different* rhythms corresponding to each track of the song. In other words, you may have to tap out a complex drum track, then quickly switch to the guitar track without missing a beat, then to the vocals...and *one* mis-timed tap resets the track. So not only do you have to have mad rhtyhm skills, but also quick hand-eye coordination to rotate the song tube between tracks and a good sense of music timing so that you're able to switch from one track to the other and instantly pick up on that track's rhythm.

It's a bit confusing to try and explain, but trust me....Frequency is the end-all be-all of challenging rhythm games. I've mastered pretty much every music game out there, but Frequency's Hard level makes me whimper like a wounded puppy.

It's a great game though, with some killer techno tunes. And no game will give you a greater sense of satisfaction after you've completed a song.

Larry
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Old 08-11-02, 08:50 PM
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Oooh - fun! I ordered it off half.com a few days ago for 14 bucks... sounds really cool.
Old 08-12-02, 01:11 AM
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Surprised no one has mentioned Samba de Amigo! Lots of fun and is playable with the standard controller. The normal Sega quirkiness you find with many of their A titles.

Of course, playing with the maracas is much better!! Maracas are getting hard to find, though.

More info on the game:
http://www.sega.com/games/dreamcast/...tml?PRODID=193
Old 08-12-02, 05:20 PM
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Took Lokise's advice and followed Trigger's lead. Bought Frequency for $15 - $5 coup at Half.com. I'm looking forward to trying it out, but I'm a little nervous, as I sorta suck at this type of game. Eh, for ten bucks it should be worth it anyway.
Old 08-13-02, 07:40 PM
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Happypants, you're exactly right. No clue how I forgot to mention Samba but it's definitely one of the more unique rhythm games. Being 6'5'' I always had a difficult time with some of the more frantic stages as the maracas's sensors never seemed to register correctly (no really, not an excuse!). But yes, another fab game.

Decker and Trigger - Hope you like Frequency! I busted it out again after posting here, and actually completed a few more songs in Expert mode. Yay...some day I *will* be a real live Freq!

Larry
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Old 08-16-02, 12:32 AM
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Just picked up Gitaroo Man today and played it for a while. Fun game, with a wide variety of tunes. I'm stuck on the level where Gitaroo Man is playing the slow song for the girl.

I keep messing up, though I think part of the reason is because the analog stick needs to be kept near the outer edge of its travel for the game to register direction changes.

Definitely one of the quirkiest Japanese games I've played!

I wanna play more but I got to go to work tomorrow... ugh
Old 08-16-02, 04:44 PM
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Got my copy of Frequency today - the first few stages are fairly easy (*when playing on the easy setting), but by stage 3 they start to get tough - I'm stuck on the 4th band in Stage 3. For a laugh, I tried the first song on the first stage using the Expert difficulty setting - oh my god - how impossible is that? This game is way too tough. I guess if you're some sort of mutant with special powers it might be a piece of cake... I'm gonna see how my friend does with it. It's pretty cool anyway...
Old 08-17-02, 03:41 AM
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Happypants: The song you're stuck on is "The Legendary Theme" which I referred to as the showstopper of the game. Well, it becomes a showstopper by the end of the game. You'll see. Great song, a welcome change of pace in the genre, and it provides the most exhilarating moment I've experienced in a music game. Again...you'll see.

Trigger: Toldja! It's a beast of a game, although the Expert Level songs won't seem *quite* so impossible after you've become accustomed to the songs and control scheme (I suggest using X, R1 and R2 which makes hitting the rapid succession of beats in some songs much more manageable). Although they're still hard as nails. Also...making your own Remix should help acclimate you to the timing the game requires...and it's damn fun!

Larry
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Old 08-17-02, 07:11 AM
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I just got my copy as well. It's damn hard for me, but very cool. What a shame that this game slipped under the radar; I figure that'll dramatically change though when everyone gets their online demo with the modem
Did you see the previews for Frequency 2? You'll be moving through cities, which look very sharp. Still while playing, the last thing I'm looking at is the tunnel in the background.
Old 08-17-02, 08:18 AM
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My roommate turned out to be really good at this game... he can beat a song on expert and he's nearly done clearing Normal (which is more like Impossible for me)... he unlocked a song by Freezepop called Science Girl which is awesome. I just bought their CDs. I'll probably pick up Frequency 2 - I'm kinda glad it slipped under the radar cuz it's so cheap now.
Old 08-19-02, 03:08 AM
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Best Buy has Frequency for $10. What is anyone's suggestion on "Gitaroo-Man" for the 4th stage. Should I use all fingers or do you guys use just a thumb? I can't beat it.
Old 08-19-02, 06:47 AM
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My roommate has nearly completed Frequency on expert... I have no idea how, his fingers move like lightning. He only has the last 2 songs to go in stage 4 and then stage 5 to unlock, plus 3 songs to unlock. He's more than halfway through anyway.
Old 08-19-02, 08:08 AM
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It sounds like I'm in exactly the same spot as your roommate, two songs left on stage 4. From what I hear, stage 5 has a couple killers waiting for me.
Old 08-19-02, 08:24 AM
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Zelda Ages/Seasons contain simplistic mini-games of this type. One of them is singing, the other is dancing. You have to complete them on the easy level to continue on in the game, but if you'd like you can go back and play on harder levels as well for fun and prizes.
Old 08-19-02, 11:58 PM
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Originally posted by ChrisKnudsen
Best Buy has Frequency for $10. What is anyone's suggestion on "Gitaroo-Man" for the 4th stage. Should I use all fingers or do you guys use just a thumb? I can't beat it.
You just need to play through a couple times until you pick up the patterns. There's no charge point, just straight battle for a couple minutes.

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