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| Beatmania IIDX | |
| Developer: | Konami |
| Publisher: | Konami |
| Release date: | 1999 |
| Genre: | Rhythm |
| Game modes: | Up to 2 players simultaneously |
| Cabinet: | Unique design |
| Controls: | Turntable; piano keyboard (7 keys) |
| Monitor | |
| Orientation: | Horizontal |
| Type: | HDTV monitor |
| Notes | |
| None | |
Beatmania IIDX (also called by variants as beatmaniaIIDX, pronounced "Beatmania Two-Dee-Ecks"), created in 1999, is a reinvention of Beatmania, a rhythm game by Konami. Like its predecessor, it is part of the Bemani series.
The Beatmania IIDX cabinet's controls consist of seven keys (four white, three back) on each player's side, along with two turntables. The turntable for the left player's side is on the left of the keys, while the one on the right player's side is on the right.
Under the wide display are the start button, the effector button, and effector sliders. After Beatmania IIDX 9th Style, there is also a cardreader, in order to use the magnetic card of e-AMUSEMENT . In 9th Style, the effector no longer operates, but it has been revived in 10th Style with modified slide switch function.
The main differences in hardware between the IIDX series and the original Beatmania series are the presence of two extra keys, the wide screen and the more powerful speakers.
Konami also released in Japan home versions of the game, for the PlayStation 2 console. The game is stored in a DVDDVD is an optical disc storage media format that is used for playback of movies with high video and sound quality and for storing data. DVDs are similar in appearance to compact discs. History During the early 1990s there were two high density optical sto media, and can be bought with a controller that matches the arcade version very closely. The controller's turntable is detachable, so the player may attach it as preferred on the left or the right side of the keys.
The gameplay is still the same as in Beatmania: there are 8 columns on the screen, corresponding to each of the keys and the turntable. While playing, small horizontal bars fall straight through each of these columns, and the player must press the right key (or play the scratch) when the bar touches the bottom of the column.
Every time a key is pressed or the scratch is played, an instrument is played to complement the song. So, in order to hear the song correctly, the player must get the bars on the right timing. Additionally, the game shows a rating (flashing Great, Great, Good, Bad or Poor) for each falling bar that's played by the user. The challenge comes in the fact that the player's performance is represented in a life barA Life bar is used in many video games to show how close the player is to failure ('death', being knocked out, etc). A typical life bar is a horizontal rectangle which starts full of colour. If damage is taken or mistakes are made, the coloured area gradu with a green and red portion. Good and upward ratings raise the life bar, while Bad and Poor ratings lower it. The red portion is at the high end, when the player does well. The green portion is much larger and represents the cut-off point where the player will "fail" the song, ending the game once the song is finished.
Beatmania games are very unforgiving of false moves. Not only does missing existing notes quickly lower your bar out of the red range, but hitting non-existent notes will also count against you. The scoring system is somewhat similar the one used in Dance Dance RevolutionDance Dance Revolution or DDR for short, is a video game controlled by the player's feet. It was first introduced by Konami as a video arcade game in Japan in 1998, and many variations have been produced, some even for home use. It is classified as a Bema, where players are graded on their ability on a letter scale (from E to AAA).