Here it is! This is a general discussion of all rhythm games at large, if you wanna talk about that weird Saturn Parappa Clone, go right ahead! I'm just gonna kick this off by sharing one of my favorite Bemani Songs!
https://youtu.be/26gVlnVM_RU
I've got plenty to share, I'm a Bemani Pop Pop Pop'n Music head, made plenty of friends through that over the years!
Idunno where to begin!
I was rocking Pop'n GB during class in high school in the late aughts. Around the same time I purchased the first popn music art book thing, and somehow managed to hold on to it all the way until a couple years ago, when I cut it up and made the illustrations into pins which are hanging on my wall! Guitar Hero hit my friends group like a ton of bricks in 7th grade, my buddy did a kick flip for the first time the same night he beat Gitaroo Man start to finish in one sitting and still says that was one of the greatest days of his life. I became interested in OTOCKY back when I first heard of it when Electroplankton was first covered in Nintendo Power. Rhythm games have always been the coolest.
My dad is a DDR maniac. He had a full custom arcade style metal dance pads that he built in his home. I never got to see them or use them, though, because it's before we reunited! I had to *work* for my rhythm games like everybody else, hehe !!
I've been quite close with the folks who started the bemanistyle fan community back in the day, as well as the company that exports DJ MAX.
back in my small hometown, before I got away, I loaned out my Pop'n Music mini controller to people I shouldn't have, and by abusing it, they ended it's life prematurely. I still kind of regret it because I want to be playing Pop'n in my van right now! I've been meaning to build an arcade style controller since 2008, I should really get to that eh??
Since moving to the west coast I've always had access to cabinets easily enough, whether at the last real arcades, conventions, or friends houses. I've had my fill, "been there done that". Now it'd be kinda sweet if I had a proper controller in my van, but not the biggest priority.
....
The first time I played Pop'n on an arcade cabinet was while walking a client's dog with my dad at UCLA, and found the cabinet in the UCLA student arcade! My daily chore was to rinse the sprouts we grew in the car, and he paid me 50 cents for doing it, which was enough for one Pop'n Session at the arcade. :o)
I've been exposed to some really rare arcade rhythm experiences, like Pop'n Stage, Keyboard mania, Parapara Paradise, Guitar Freaks combined with Drum Mania. Through those friends I got to see legendary stuff, like all sorts of arcade parts, *update discs*, VHS Pop'n Music Video tapes, handbills, merch, giant collections of CDs from the artists who make the music...
They also kind of *never stopped* making Bemani games. During the years when people began saying *Konami doesn't make games anymore*, I was sitting there, frustrated, with no *Insert Credit* to turn to. Yes, they do still make games. You just only like games with guns I guess, because a new Pop'n Music is still coming out every few years.
are the PSP versions good introductions?