List of Bemani series

Nihongo|"Bemani"|ビーマニ|Bīmani, 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

Since Vgy|1997, Konami has released many different series of music games under the Bemani brand. Each series has a unique way of playing the game and detaches players from the typical hand held controller of modern game systems by using their whole body to control the game. "Dance Dance Revolution" lets players dance with their feet, "Beatmania" gives players a DJ style mixing board complete with turntable, "ParaParaParadise" is controlled with the players hands and arm by setting off motion sensors during the dance routine, and "GuitarFreak" & "DrumMania" let players use simplified instruments to create music. Below are the Bemani series of video games in no particular order.

Beatmania

Modeled after nightclub DJs and mixing boards, "Beatmania", known as "Hip Hop Mania" in North America and "Beatstage" in Korea, lets you "spin" the music with five activator keys and a turntable. The "Beatmania" series was the first Bemani game introduced and it's successor is still the most popular Bemani game in Japan. With dozens of releases in arcades and on video game platforms "Beatmania" set itself as a role model for future Bemani titles. The music featured in this series of games is still in use today in "Beatmania IIDX" and other Bemani games.

[http://www.konami.jp/am/bm/ Beatmania portal] Ja icon

Beatmania IIDX

Continuing the "Beatmania" series, "Beatmania IIDX" (Typically pronounced "Two Dee Ecks") was released in Vgy|1999. The rules of the game remain the same from "beatmania" with the addition of two more keys giving players seven total to play with including the turntable. "IIDX" stands for 2 Deluxe, "Beatmania 2 Deluxe", as Konami gave the series an entire internal and external makeover. The deluxe versions of the arcade machines were bulked up with larger displays, a platform for players to stand on and literally feel the bass of the music, and other amenities. As time went on Konami ceased production of the standard cabinet and went exclusively with the deluxe cabinet.

"Beatmania IIDX" has been released on the PlayStation 2 platform for home players and continues to this day with arcade and home releases worldwide. Including a release in North America, simply titled "Beatmania".

[http://www.konami.jp/bemani/bm2dx/ Beatmania IIDX portal] Ja icon

Beatmania III

Built off the "Beatmania" gameplay, "Beatmania III" added a foot pedal to the five keys and turntable used by players. The "Beatmania III" series was short lived with only a few releases and a series run of only two years, ending in Vgy|2002. Many songs from "Beatmania III" were ported to the IIDX series as well as other Bemani games.

[http://www.konami.jp/am/bm3/ Beatmania III portal] Ja icon

Dance Dance Revolution

"Dance Dance Revolution", also known as "Dancing Stage", was first produced in Vgy|1998. The game is played by stepping to music on a dance platform with pressure sensitive arrow pads. The game has changed little since its introduction but has come a long way in terms of musical selection and visual appearance. "Dance Dance Revolution" was originally an arcade title but games have been released on many different platforms including the Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii, and Microsoft Xbox. Other versions have also appeared on portable handhelds, cellphones, and as standalone TV plug'n'play devices. The series in still very active with over one hundred releases to date.

[http://www.konami.jp/bemani/ddr/ Dance Dance Revolution portal]

Dance Dance Revolution Solo

An offshoot of the "Dance Dance Revolution" series, "Dance Dance Revolution Solo" added two additional arrows to the dance stage. The series saw two major releases and two complimentary releases before being canceled in Vgy|2001. Most of the music exclusive to "Dance Dance Revolution Solo" was reused in the main DDR series of games.

[http://www.konami.jp/bemani/ddr/jp/am/solo/ Dance Dance Revolution Solo portal] Ja icon

Dance Maniax

Controlled by two pairs of motion sensors that detect movement above them and below them, "Dance Maniax", known as "Dance Freaks" in Korea, plays like "Dance Dance Revolution" for your hands. First released in Vgy|2000, "Dance Maniax" featured a song list from Konami's in-house artists and Toshiba EMI's Dancemania music label. The series ended after three major releases.

[http://www.konami.jp/am/dmx/ DanceManiaX Official site] Ja icon
[http://www.konami.jp/am/dmx2/ DanceManiaX 2ndMIX Official site] Ja icon
[http://www.konami.jp/am/dmx2j/ DanceManaiX 2ndMIX append J PARADISE Official site] Ja icon

Pop'n Music

Released in 1998, "Pop'n Music" is like a simplified "Beatmania". With larger, colorful buttons, no turntable, and easier note patterns, "Pop'n Music" presents players with a more childlike appearance. However "Pop'n Music" is viewed as every bit as difficult as "Beatmania IIDX" and has modes that use up to nine hand buttons at once. "Pop'n Music" is stylized with cute cartoony characters and a musical selection to match. The series continues to this day as one of the most popular Bemani games.

[http://www.konami.jp/bemani/popn/ Pop'n Music portal] Ja icon

Pop'n Stage

Combining game elements from "Dance Dance Revolution" and "Pop'n Music", "Pop'n Stage" takes the colorful buttons and lets players play the game on a stage with their feet. There was only one version of the game released.

[http://www.konami.jp/bemani/popn/stage/ Official site] Ja icon

GuitarFreaks & DrumMania

Also known as "Gitado" in Japan, the combined series of "GuitarFreaks" & "DrumMania" are games that use simplified instruments after their namesake. "GuitarFreak" uses a small, plastic guitar with three buttons known as "frets", a strum bar, and a motion sensor that players set off by pulling the neck of the guitar up and quickly down again. Despite the similarities, "GuitarFreaks" predates "Guitar Hero" by several years.

"DrumMania" lets players play a set of drums. Modeled after modern digital drum kits, "DrumMania" is played similarly to "Beatmania". The player strikes the appropriate piece with the drumsticks on queue with the music and failure to do so causes the song to sound incorrect. Many American players will recognize the "DrumMania" setup from more recent games like "Rock Band", which is unrelated to the Konami game.

Despite being separately released games that can be played independent of each other, Konami markets the "GuitarFreaks" & "DrumMania" series as a pair that can be linked for co-operative play in the arcades. The two series continue to be released to this day.

[http://www.konami.jp/bemani/gfdm/ GuitarFreak & DrumMania portal] Ja icon

Keyboardmania

A MIDI synthesizer game. "Keyboardmania" features a mini musical keyboard and players create the primarily piano based music by striking the keys to the note patterns on the screen. "Keyboardmania" saw only five major releases before being canceled but features exceptionally difficult and unique gameplay for the Bemani series of games. "Real Mode" actually requires players to know how to play the piano in order to easily pass the songs.

"Keyboardmania" can be linked with certain versions of the "GuitarFreaks" & "DrumMania" series.

[http://www.konami.jp/am/keyboard/ Official site] Ja icon

ParaParaParadise

Built around the Para Para dance style made popular in Japan, "ParaParaParadise" recreates official dance moves within the game by setting off arrows on screen by using player's hand under a set of motion sensors. The music in the game centers around Eurobeat and features songs from Konami and Avex Trax. Only three version of the game were released as Para Para dancing fell out of mainstream popularity in Japan, and the series never saw light outside of the country beyond music game importers and localized Korean versions of the arcade machines.

Jubeat

Announced on December 22 2007, "Jubeat", pronounced you-beat, is the newest official Bemani title by Konami. The game is similar to Whack-a-mole, where players must tap the square-shaped touch screens when they light up. Currently the game is being publicly tested in Japan and will feature online play.

[http://www.konami.jp/bemani/jubeat/ Official site] Ja icon

Bemani Pocket

Similar in style to "Tamagotchi" hand helds, the Bemani Pocket series released finger play versions of "Dance Dance Revolution", "Beatmania", and "ParaParaParadise".

Bemani artists

In addition to licensed music tracks, primarily from Toshiba EMI and Avex Trax, Konami employs a list of in-house artists to produce the music for its Bemani series. These artists often go by pseudonyms when credited with their songs. Some Bemani employees have broken off and become independent artists. The current list of artists under Konami's label are listed on the Bemani website.

[http://bmf.i-revo.jp/ Bemani Music Foundation] Ja icon

ee also

*Music video game

References

External links

* [http://www.konami.com/ Konami website] Official company site
* [http://www.konami.jp/Bemani Bemani portal] Official Japanese Konami music game portal Ja icon
* [http://www.ddronlinecommunity.com/ DDR Online Community] Official North American Konami music game portal
* [http://www.bemanistyle.com/ Bemanistyle] North American music video game fan site
* [http://www.ddrfreak.com/ DDRFreak] Dance Dance Revolution fan site
* [http://www.gdamania.net/ GDAmania] GuitarFreaks & DrumMania fan site
* [http://www.bemanitube.com/ BemaniTube] Music and rhythm games video community
* [http://voiddd.com/wiki/ BEMANI Wiki] Ja icon
*Wikia|Konami