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List your top 5 music/rhythm games
- Thread starter kaizoku
- Start date
jtkauff
Member
Here's my take:
1. Guitar Hero - all of the praise for this is spot-on, and the controller rocks (tons better than the Guitar Freaks controller). Plus, the fact that it's a recent US release makes it a great first choice (lots of these games will run you $100+ for game + controller, and that's if you're lucky, while GH + controller is $70). If you buy anything at all, buy this.
2. beatmania IIDX/beatmania - the 7-key IIDX is really the way to go, but 5-key is nice too. Only bad thing is the expensive controller and the leaps in difficulty, but the US PS2 release that's due in March sounds like it will fix this (game + controller for $60ish, and better ramped difficulty). Earlier releases will be easier, but later releases have more polish. I'd definitely wait for the US release of this - seems silly to import a controller now, and Dual Shock beatmania IIDX is just silly.
3. Samba de Amigo - You really need the maraccas controller for this, but it's so much fun. The only reason this isn't my number 2 is lack of releases (just 2, 3 if you count Shakkato Tambourine). For a taste you can get Sega All-Stars and an Eye Toy - the Samba mini-game is quite accurate, but only has 6 songs or so.
4. Drummania - expensive, but worth it IMHO. Along with Keyboardmania, this is probably the closest that you'll get to an instrument game emulating the instrument (though Guitar Hero comes in third for its technique). About to see another release (March), so game + controller will be cheaper (though the controller re-release alone will probably run about $100 shipped, plus another $60 for the game)
5. Pop'n Music - tons of songs, light-hearted, and fun. Great import price too, since these have had "The Best" releases ($30ish) - to get the most out of it you do need an arcade-style controller, but the standard "mini" controller is nice too.
5 (tie). Gitaroo-man - I tend to go for instrument simulation games, but this easily my favorite non-instrument sim game.
As for the ones not on my list, Bust-a-Move/Groove series and Parappa/Umjammer were nice back in the day, but I'm not sure how much I'd like them now. Taiko is a fun game, but the US song list is limited at best - I liked the 1st JP game much better. Donkey Konga is ok, but not great - it's apparently a riot at 4-player. Guitar Freaks was totally outclassed by Guitar Hero, but the ability to play drums and 2 guitars (or drums, 1 guitar, and 1 bass) on DM and the 2 PS2 GF releases rocks. Vib-Ribbon is quite cool as well, though I never was pleased with the "put your own CD and play to that music" version - it always seemed much harder than it should have been. Amplitude/Frequency were always "blah" in my books, though they have a good selection of mainstream US music, if you're into that kind of thing. DDR is, well, DDR (ditto for Pump It Up, In the Groove, etc.).
1. Guitar Hero - all of the praise for this is spot-on, and the controller rocks (tons better than the Guitar Freaks controller). Plus, the fact that it's a recent US release makes it a great first choice (lots of these games will run you $100+ for game + controller, and that's if you're lucky, while GH + controller is $70). If you buy anything at all, buy this.
2. beatmania IIDX/beatmania - the 7-key IIDX is really the way to go, but 5-key is nice too. Only bad thing is the expensive controller and the leaps in difficulty, but the US PS2 release that's due in March sounds like it will fix this (game + controller for $60ish, and better ramped difficulty). Earlier releases will be easier, but later releases have more polish. I'd definitely wait for the US release of this - seems silly to import a controller now, and Dual Shock beatmania IIDX is just silly.
3. Samba de Amigo - You really need the maraccas controller for this, but it's so much fun. The only reason this isn't my number 2 is lack of releases (just 2, 3 if you count Shakkato Tambourine). For a taste you can get Sega All-Stars and an Eye Toy - the Samba mini-game is quite accurate, but only has 6 songs or so.
4. Drummania - expensive, but worth it IMHO. Along with Keyboardmania, this is probably the closest that you'll get to an instrument game emulating the instrument (though Guitar Hero comes in third for its technique). About to see another release (March), so game + controller will be cheaper (though the controller re-release alone will probably run about $100 shipped, plus another $60 for the game)
5. Pop'n Music - tons of songs, light-hearted, and fun. Great import price too, since these have had "The Best" releases ($30ish) - to get the most out of it you do need an arcade-style controller, but the standard "mini" controller is nice too.
5 (tie). Gitaroo-man - I tend to go for instrument simulation games, but this easily my favorite non-instrument sim game.
As for the ones not on my list, Bust-a-Move/Groove series and Parappa/Umjammer were nice back in the day, but I'm not sure how much I'd like them now. Taiko is a fun game, but the US song list is limited at best - I liked the 1st JP game much better. Donkey Konga is ok, but not great - it's apparently a riot at 4-player. Guitar Freaks was totally outclassed by Guitar Hero, but the ability to play drums and 2 guitars (or drums, 1 guitar, and 1 bass) on DM and the 2 PS2 GF releases rocks. Vib-Ribbon is quite cool as well, though I never was pleased with the "put your own CD and play to that music" version - it always seemed much harder than it should have been. Amplitude/Frequency were always "blah" in my books, though they have a good selection of mainstream US music, if you're into that kind of thing. DDR is, well, DDR (ditto for Pump It Up, In the Groove, etc.).
1 through 11: Guitar Hero. Possibly my favorite game of this gen. Seriously. My one complaint is that after two months in which I've played it every second day at the least (and that's a lot of gaming for my schedule), I wouldn't mind more songs. But I'm still having a blast with the song selection it does have.
12: Parappa the Rapper. The original and a lot of fun. Too bad none of the followups were as good as they should have been.
13: Gitaroo Man. Really fun too, nice music and very entertaining. Hard as hell in parts, though.
14: Donkey Konga (honorable mention to Taiko, but yeah, the controller is sort of a dog). I think it's not as well-made a game as DDR, and the music sort of sucks, but it's still a lot of fun to play... especially with other people.
15: DDR. I thought about some others, like Mad Maestro and Bust a Groove, but I think DDR is probably my favorite of the rest.
12: Parappa the Rapper. The original and a lot of fun. Too bad none of the followups were as good as they should have been.
13: Gitaroo Man. Really fun too, nice music and very entertaining. Hard as hell in parts, though.
14: Donkey Konga (honorable mention to Taiko, but yeah, the controller is sort of a dog). I think it's not as well-made a game as DDR, and the music sort of sucks, but it's still a lot of fun to play... especially with other people.
15: DDR. I thought about some others, like Mad Maestro and Bust a Groove, but I think DDR is probably my favorite of the rest.
Gotta give DDR the top slot just because it was the breakout mainstream game.
Guitar Hero has to be second. One of the few games that fulfilled its potential.
Drummania/Guitar Freaks. Insanely challenging and creative. Before Guitar Hero's time but didn't quite cater to American tastes.
Taiko Drum Master. Fun and cheap. The drum slides a lot during play though. Could have been designed better but the hitting surface is super durable.
Space Channel 5 for its offbeat take on the genre.
Lumines/Rez even though they're not really rhythm games, they help put rhythm inspired games out there.
Guitar Hero has to be second. One of the few games that fulfilled its potential.
Drummania/Guitar Freaks. Insanely challenging and creative. Before Guitar Hero's time but didn't quite cater to American tastes.
Taiko Drum Master. Fun and cheap. The drum slides a lot during play though. Could have been designed better but the hitting surface is super durable.
Space Channel 5 for its offbeat take on the genre.
Lumines/Rez even though they're not really rhythm games, they help put rhythm inspired games out there.
JackFrost2012
Banned
Sl1p said:
wait wait wait wait wait.
you flame Guitar Freaks relentlessly for being too j-pop oriented and "wacky jappy," yet you rate Pop'n Music AHEAD of Guitar Hero?!?
MY HEAD ASPLODE.
Zerodoppler
Member
AniHawk said:
:lol
JackFrost2012 said:wait wait wait wait wait.
you flame Guitar Freaks relentlessly for being too j-pop oriented and "wacky jappy," yet you rate Pop'n Music AHEAD of Guitar Hero?!?
MY HEAD ASPLODE.
You're thinking of someone else. I hate Guitar Freaks because it's the worst thing to ever come out of Bemani. 3 buttons. 10+ mixes. YIPEE~!!!
Oh. And can I give honorable mention to DDR 3rd Mix Korean Ver2? Beautiful 21 C for the win.
Tain on Beatmania USA said:
QFT. Remember that limp dicked whap to the face that was DDR USA? Yeaaaah~
Heh, I like Vib-Ribbon, too, and that funky oddity Mojib Ribbon, which never seems to get mentioned when Okami's "unique inkbrush look" gets praised.bjork said:
It was a cheap way to check out the game and get a feel for it. Importing a setup of IIDX is about $150. Controller alone is $90-ish. This bundle should be $60, controller and game. And I think that's a great way to do it. The US DDR sucked, a whole lot, but getting a Konami controller for less than $60 at that time was basically impossible. So I got the controller, and played the import games. That's what people can do here. It sucks it's taken them this long to bring it out, but I'll support it to hope we get another, BETTER, mix somewhere down the road. PS2 is at the end of its life, I'd love a like 150 track US Beatmania around the winter or something for $40 for the FANZ.Sl1p said:
Regardless. $60 controller is hot. I'll import the games if I can get into it this time.
bobbyconover
Member
Sl1p said:
I think he meant that playing Beatmania is nothing like being a DJ. But yeah, Beatmania USA will also probably be a pretty disgraceful mix compared to the Japanese versions (which I think is what you were saying).
Whimsical Phil
Ninja School will help you
I love, love, love Gitaroo Man. It's still one of my top three PS2 games of all time. Question for those of you who've played the game: Am I the only one who gets all misty eyed when
? Surely, I can't be.
I'm also a big nerd over the Taiko no Tatsujin games. When I first visited Japan a few years ago, I got rather hooked on playing the arcade versions. After playing my first few games of arcade Taiko (at the Club Sega in Shinjuku), I immediately ran over to Yodobashi Camera and picked up the PS2 version. Ever since, I've been importing each new version of the game.
The Japanese versions of PS2 Taiko typically have better song lists than the U.S. version. If I'm remembering my versions correctly, the 6th volume has a couple of songs that are also in (the remarkably excellent) Ouendan. Specifically, Linda Linda and Kokoro Odoru.
Import away!
U-1 busts out the reprise of the game's love song during his battle with Kirah
I'm also a big nerd over the Taiko no Tatsujin games. When I first visited Japan a few years ago, I got rather hooked on playing the arcade versions. After playing my first few games of arcade Taiko (at the Club Sega in Shinjuku), I immediately ran over to Yodobashi Camera and picked up the PS2 version. Ever since, I've been importing each new version of the game.
The Japanese versions of PS2 Taiko typically have better song lists than the U.S. version. If I'm remembering my versions correctly, the 6th volume has a couple of songs that are also in (the remarkably excellent) Ouendan. Specifically, Linda Linda and Kokoro Odoru.
Import away!
robojimbo said:
Oh, it's not just you. My wrists ended up killing me trying to hit those things. It wouldn't have been so bad if they put sensors on the actual sides of the drum, so the sticks would be perpindicular to the face upon impact. That would have made sense (especially considering that the sound that generates sounds more like you're hitting the side of a drum). Instead you've got to hold the sticks out at an angle in order to strike the side of the face, and the combination of bending your wrist and the fact that you have to really hit the thing to get a response made my wrists seriously sore after a short amount of time playing.
It wouldn't have been so bad if the drum was bigger, but it's so tiny that you've really got to crane your wrists around to hit the sides.
1) Gitaroo Man
2) Guitar Hero
3) Frequency/Amplitude
4) Taiko Drum Master (annoying drum, though)
I'm not sure where DDR would fit into that list. It's not quite the same.
Nope, that's my favorite moment in the game. I love it, absolutely love it. It's just so...heartwarming and wonderful.
2) Guitar Hero
3) Frequency/Amplitude
4) Taiko Drum Master (annoying drum, though)
I'm not sure where DDR would fit into that list. It's not quite the same.
Whimsical Phil said:
Nope, that's my favorite moment in the game. I love it, absolutely love it. It's just so...heartwarming and wonderful.
Never played Beatmania, but
1. Samba de Amigo
2. Guitar Hero
3. Ouendan
4. Taiko Drummer
5. Parappa the Rappa
I have ZERO problems with the taiko drum. Everyone here realizes that you can't hit the direct centre right? If you put the drum on the carpet so it doesn't move around then I don't see how you could have problems with the taiko drum.
Not very much love for Karaoke Revolution? I haven't played it, but I saw it when I bought my Guitar Hero and I was interested by it. Is it a good game?
1. Samba de Amigo
2. Guitar Hero
3. Ouendan
4. Taiko Drummer
5. Parappa the Rappa
I have ZERO problems with the taiko drum. Everyone here realizes that you can't hit the direct centre right? If you put the drum on the carpet so it doesn't move around then I don't see how you could have problems with the taiko drum.
Not very much love for Karaoke Revolution? I haven't played it, but I saw it when I bought my Guitar Hero and I was interested by it. Is it a good game?
Taiko no Tatsujin is one of those games that would rock if they released an ASC for it. I remember those early installments of the series for PS2... I was like, holy low-res visuals, Batman. :lolWhimsical Phil said:
February/March is gong to be a busy time with DDR Strike, GF5+DM5 and PNM12. I'm a shooter junkie, too, so throw Ibara into the mix as well. Wallet am cry.
SiegfriedFM
Member
1) Pop'n Music series (got 10 and Best Hits, both rock)
2) DDR series (DDR Extreme JP version is still the best)
3) Guitar Freak/Drum Mania series
4) Gitaroo Man
5) Singstar series
Donkey Konga and Taiko no Tatsujin are horribly boring. There's little connection between what you're doing and the sound. It's not like you're playing the drum track, you're just bashing away on top of the song, drowning it in the process. Also, can't confirm if this works with the PS2 version since it's stashed away deep in my closet, but on the PSP version you can get a perfect score by repeatedly mashing all buttons.
Amplitude/Frequency are decent in themselves but I hate the music selection.
Mad Maestro is kind of fun but possibly even simpler than TnT.
For most of the listed games, the official peripherals are a must. Third party GF guitars break if you glance at them. I wouldn't play PM without the cute yellow pad either. But for DDR, just get a cheap padded dance mat and wear it out. Those $100 padded mats wear out just as quick but for four times the cost.
2) DDR series (DDR Extreme JP version is still the best)
3) Guitar Freak/Drum Mania series
4) Gitaroo Man
5) Singstar series
Donkey Konga and Taiko no Tatsujin are horribly boring. There's little connection between what you're doing and the sound. It's not like you're playing the drum track, you're just bashing away on top of the song, drowning it in the process. Also, can't confirm if this works with the PS2 version since it's stashed away deep in my closet, but on the PSP version you can get a perfect score by repeatedly mashing all buttons.
Amplitude/Frequency are decent in themselves but I hate the music selection.
Mad Maestro is kind of fun but possibly even simpler than TnT.
For most of the listed games, the official peripherals are a must. Third party GF guitars break if you glance at them. I wouldn't play PM without the cute yellow pad either. But for DDR, just get a cheap padded dance mat and wear it out. Those $100 padded mats wear out just as quick but for four times the cost.
Problem I have is that it isn't much fun to play by yourself, whereas most other music games are. It's also not that much fun sober. It makes for a good drinking game, though, and I think the technology that Harmonix designed for it is pretty cool (measuring pitch and timing to determine how well you're doing).Zaxxon said:
Jumpman Jr.
Member
um, five best? Here's my ten favorite, couldn't cut it down
1. Unjammer Lammy
2. Rez
3. Gitaroo Man
4. Sambo de Amigo
5. Karoake Rev 1-3
6. Bust a Groove
7. Band of Bros
8. Electroplantkon
9. DDR Mario Mix - easy DDR rox
10. Pop n' Music
pass: Technic Beat (headaches), Mad M (ugh), Space Channel 5 (hated both parts)
1. Unjammer Lammy
2. Rez
3. Gitaroo Man
4. Sambo de Amigo
5. Karoake Rev 1-3
6. Bust a Groove
7. Band of Bros
8. Electroplantkon
9. DDR Mario Mix - easy DDR rox
10. Pop n' Music
pass: Technic Beat (headaches), Mad M (ugh), Space Channel 5 (hated both parts)