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Arcade Revival Initiative '08
cj iwakura
The Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
The Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
You hear it all the time lately: arcades are either dead or dying.
Looking at the monopoly that places like GameWorks and Dave and Busters have on the industry, it's hard to argue with. Casual coin-op locations have either bitten the dust in favor of corporate ones that run on card systems, or they're changing to that format themselves.
Even arcade legends like Capcom have admitted that it's not worth their time to bring huge franchises to arcades any more.
So where's that leave the modern arcade? In a sorry state, that's for sure.
But there's still hope. Developers that still care about the arcade industry are still busy people, and some of them even care about the US market.
With that in mind, I figure fellow arcade goers could benefit from seeing several upcoming and current games which prove that arcades aren't dead yet.
I'll start off with the more recent ones, either localized or otherwise, followed by some current ones that are still worth checking out.
DJ MAX Technika
Already a recognized name to anyone with a PSP who's been importing the Korean handheld titles, PM Studios(the publishers of the forthcoming DJ MAX US version, Fever) recently announced that they're planning on bringing the arcade version to the states.
Technika utilizes a touch-screen interface similar to Ouendan/EBA, with many carryover songs from the DJ MAX series.
It also looks impressive.
Honeymoon / Divine Service - Location Test
Far as I can tell, Technika's gameplay happens on the lower panel, which also shows the notes, while the top screen is more for spectators to watch.
According to Bemanistyle:
So it'll likely have artists from all the DJ MAX Portable games so far, and the expected production values to go with it.
Haven't heard if it's at the IAAPA convention(the E3 of arcade games, basically) or not, but we can hope. With some luck, maybe some of the corporate arcades will have the courage to order a cabinet or two.
Promotional Video
Pump It Up: NXAbsolute
10 years in the industry, and refusing to let Konami keep the dance game industry to themselves, Andamiro are still at it.
With an interesting mix of new songs, and an expansion on NX2's already enormous WorldMax(which offered a few hundred missions with USB support for lots of replay value), NXA is looking like more of the same goodness I've come to expect from AM.
It's already out in Korea, and expected to be available in the US and Mexico by the end of the month.
Dave and Busters have always had good ties with Andamiro for some odd reason, so it'll most likely show up there, if nowhere else.
A beta songlist was posted at Pump Haven a while back, if you'd like an idea of what to expect musically:
Promotional Video
That's probably the new game I'm most looking forward to, though a close second would be:
Beatmania IIDX 16: Empress
One of the few remaining Konami games that be counted on to not suck.
Empress will probably bring the hardcore like every Beatmania version before it, but the newest version's songlist looks particularly awesome.
Of particular interest is the fact that a US Bemani fan-turned-composer named DM Ashura actually had one of his songs licensed for this version.
C/O bemanistyle:
[Genre] - Artist - Title (BPM) - Single Difficulty - Double Difficulty
B4U(Bemani 4 U) sounds absolutely horrible, but nothing's perfect.
The interface, as you can probably tell by the name, is buried in pink, but it looks good in motion.
Title Screen Demonstration
Fly Above [Dream Trance]
There was a rumor a while back that Konami were testing Beatmania IIDX14: Gold for US distribution, but obviously that never panned out.
So don't count on seeing this at most arcades, but some places aren't above importing, so it's not impossible.
Worse case scenario, there's always the console version.
Jubeat
(aka Ubeat)
I can't say I know what to make of this. A new project by Konami Japan that somehow found its way to a US location test, with a westernized songlist, to boot.
Another game that bears a lot of similarity to Elite Beat Agents/Ouendan. Touch screen(or is it cube?) interface.
Informer - Expert
Yes, that Informer. Don't ask me how that song got into this game.
I'd put this up there with Technika as a game that will apparently be available in the US, but... well, don't hold your breath about actually running into it somewhere.
Dance Dance Revolution: X
I'll be honest, I'm not really looking forward to this. After devouring Roxor and killing In The Groove, DDR's only gotten worse and worse with each consecutive mix. X seems like it'll continue that trend with ease.
The cabinet looks gorgeous, but if the songlist is anything like the utterly awful one from Supernova 2, I'll pass. If I want terrible covers, I'll play Rock Revolution.
(And I don't)
Konami have always given the console versions priority when it comes to licensed music and songs that don't suck. If they don't start treating the arcade versions the same way, then DDR arcade won't be around much longer.
Can't say I'll miss it.
Saber Wing - Expert
The steps look fun, but there's still not much of a challenge, and without a good songlist, that doesn't mean much, anyway.
That's around all the rhythm games I can think of, so here's some recent games of interest that don't involve hitting notes to a beat.
Blaz Blue
Well, color me surprised; Aksys Games of all people said they're planning on releasing this in the US.
A new 2d fighter from the professionals over at Arc System Works(Guilty Gear), so it's bound to be both beautiful and hardcore.
This deserves to show up in some arcades, and props to Aksys for taking the effort.
Spoilered for huge:
Street Fighter IV?...
Okay, so odds of this seeing an official US release seem somewhere between slim and none, but that hasn't stopped the arcades that import.
On the bright side, if it gets an official arcade release later on, maybe they'll add the many, many awesome exclusive characters from the CS version.
The essential
The King of Fighters XII
Almost forgot about this one. SNK's answer to Street Fighter IV, and it looks every bit as epic as the competition.
Brand new sprites, at last. Should be a blast when it comes out, especially since SNK plan to give this a US arcade release, or so I heard.
Arcana Heart 2
To my immense shock, Andamiro USA actually said they were bringing this to the US at AMOA a few months back.
A 2d fighter similar to the likes of Guilty Gear, as it involves lots of high speed air comboing insanity, except it has an all-female cast.
US Debut
Another one I can't imagine seeing in an arcade any time soon, but good to know it's available.
I had a hard time getting into the PS2 original, but the potential's there, so it could be fun if the sequel improves on it.
Last and not least, having just remembered it:
Guitar Hero Arcade
Currently on display at the IAAPA, not much is known beyond that.
It's the result of a collaboration between Konami, Activision, and Raw Thrills, and supposedly runs on GHIII's system.
Since it's a Konami product(if you can't beat them, join them), the hardware should be reliable, and the promise of online tournaments seems interesting. Shame they can't get the online functions used in DDR and Beatmania working in the US, but that's another story.
By popular demand, games that aren't fighters or rhythm games:
Initial D Version 4
Still more of the traditional drift-racing goodness from Sega, but what makes V4 interesting, aside from the cabinet having a widescreen monitor, is the cutscenes are no longer still portraits with subs; they're now rendered cutscenes with voice acting.
That might be a negative for some, since it takes away the original design work, but it's certainly different.
Like the earlier versions, Initial D's all about one-on-one mountain/street racing, with a heavy emphasis on drifting to stay in the game, with lots of character interaction going on in between races.
And for the masochists, you could always try to beat the legend, Bunta:
He has his own challenge stages named after him, like usual.
Wangan Midnight: Maximum Tune 3
Probably Initial D's biggest competition in the street racing scene.
Maximum Tune takes place on highways instead of lonely mountain roads, so players have to navigate traffic along with sharp turns.
It also has a story like Initial D, but most of the dialogue takes place during the actual races.
Also, Yuzo Koshiro(Etrian Odyssey/Streets of Rage) did the music for all of the Maximum Tune games, and it is excellent(if you're into hard trance, at least).
Maximum Tune 3 - Inexhaustible Energy
Maximun Tune 2 - Beyond The Horizon
Both Initial D and Maximum Tune are also both (in)famous for letting players purchase cards to save their race data on, like so.
The ones in the newer versions are made out of plastic instead of paper, so they seemed way more durable.
That's all I'm aware of as of recent, but if you know of any other new or recent arcade games that're of note, I'll be sure to update.
There's a lot of reasons to be optimistic for arcades over the next few months, as long as we can keep the interesting going, so be sure to bug your local arcade techs if any of this seems appealing. If enough people ask, it'll work.
And if you see one of these new machines anywhere nearby, especially the likes of DJ MAX, Jubeat, or Arcana Heart 2, let me know.
Looking at the monopoly that places like GameWorks and Dave and Busters have on the industry, it's hard to argue with. Casual coin-op locations have either bitten the dust in favor of corporate ones that run on card systems, or they're changing to that format themselves.
Even arcade legends like Capcom have admitted that it's not worth their time to bring huge franchises to arcades any more.
So where's that leave the modern arcade? In a sorry state, that's for sure.
But there's still hope. Developers that still care about the arcade industry are still busy people, and some of them even care about the US market.
With that in mind, I figure fellow arcade goers could benefit from seeing several upcoming and current games which prove that arcades aren't dead yet.
I'll start off with the more recent ones, either localized or otherwise, followed by some current ones that are still worth checking out.
DJ MAX Technika
Already a recognized name to anyone with a PSP who's been importing the Korean handheld titles, PM Studios(the publishers of the forthcoming DJ MAX US version, Fever) recently announced that they're planning on bringing the arcade version to the states.
Technika utilizes a touch-screen interface similar to Ouendan/EBA, with many carryover songs from the DJ MAX series.
It also looks impressive.
Honeymoon / Divine Service - Location Test
Far as I can tell, Technika's gameplay happens on the lower panel, which also shows the notes, while the top screen is more for spectators to watch.
According to Bemanistyle:
It appears the whole deal will be brought over to the United States as is, with the ID card features (platinum crew, customization, stats), 32" display, vibrating stage, three difficulty modes, customizable play lists, the Platinum Crew paid service for extra items and events, network service, visuals from Korea's top artists and more.
So far, information confirms the following artists for the game:
Clazziquai
015B
BJJ
Sugar Donut
Garion
Humming Urban Stereo
Yozoh
So it'll likely have artists from all the DJ MAX Portable games so far, and the expected production values to go with it.
Haven't heard if it's at the IAAPA convention(the E3 of arcade games, basically) or not, but we can hope. With some luck, maybe some of the corporate arcades will have the courage to order a cabinet or two.
Promotional Video
Pump It Up: NXAbsolute
10 years in the industry, and refusing to let Konami keep the dance game industry to themselves, Andamiro are still at it.
With an interesting mix of new songs, and an expansion on NX2's already enormous WorldMax(which offered a few hundred missions with USB support for lots of replay value), NXA is looking like more of the same goodness I've come to expect from AM.
It's already out in Korea, and expected to be available in the US and Mexico by the end of the month.
Dave and Busters have always had good ties with Andamiro for some odd reason, so it'll most likely show up there, if nowhere else.
A beta songlist was posted at Pump Haven a while back, if you'd like an idea of what to expect musically:
Arcade Station
New Tunes
-Yahpp - Blaze Emotion
-Yahpp - Cannon X.1 [USB ONLY]
-Yahpp - Chopsticks Challenge
-Big Bang - La La La
-Eun Ji Won - Adios
-45rpm - Slightly
-S.E.S - I Am Your Girl
-Namola Family - I'll Look Only You
-Banana Girl - Chocolate
-DJ Missill - Forward
-Sam-I-Am - Uprock
-Gyfted - Crazy
-Big Metra - Panuelito Rojo
-PXNDX - Procedimiento Para Llegar a un Comun Acuerdo
-Nina Pilots - Digan Lo Que Digan
-Tico - Pump Breakers
-Wang Lee Hom - Change Myself
-Lee Jeong Hyun - Come On! (Chinese Version)
-Jang Na Ra - Bad Habit (Chinese Version)
-Super Junior M - U (Chinese Version)
-Steve Yoo - Breakin' Love
-Banya Production - People Didn't Know
-Banya Production - DJ Otada
-Banya Production - K.O.A -Alice in Wonderworld-
-Banya Production - My Dreams
-Banya Production - Toccata
PIU Original
-Yahpp - Solitary 1.5
-Yahpp - Faster Z
-Yahpp - Pumptris Quattro
-Banya Production - Caprice of Otada
-Banya Production - Higgledy Piggledy
-Banya Production - Jam O Beat
-Yahpp - Witch Doctor #1
-Yahpp - Arch of Darkness
-Yahpp - Chimera
-Yahpp - Final Audition Episode 2-1
-Yahpp - Final Audition Episode 2-2
-Banya - Beat of The War 2
-Banya - Moonlight
-Banya - Witch Doctor
-Banya - Love Is A Danger Zone 2
-Banya - Phantom
-Banya - Canon-D
-Banya - Solitary 2
-Banya - Hi-Bi
-Banya - X-Tream
-Banya - Monkey Fingers
-Banya - Naissance 2
-Banya - Final Audition 3 U.F
-Banya - Final Audition Episode 1
-Banya - Come To Me
-Banya - Bee
-Banya - Vook
-Banya - Will-O-The Wisp
-Banya - Winter
-Banya - Point Break
-Banya - Love Is A Danger Zone
-Banya - Dr.M
-Banya - Beethoven Virus
-Banya - N
-Banya - Mr.Larpus
-Banya - Solitary
-Banya - She Likes Pizza
-Banya - Turkey March
-Banya - Naissance
-Banya - Final Audition 2
-Banya - Extravaganza
-Banya - Final Audition
K-Pop
-Baechigi - Nice To Meet You
-015B - Very Old Couples
-Mina - Get My Phone Call
-Joanne - Shiny Day
-Gil gun - A.U.Ready
-Bada - V.I.P
-Seo Taiji - It's My Business
-No Brain - You Fall In Me
-Pia - A Maelstrom
-Crying Nut - Astral Song
-Hot Potato - No Despair
-May - Compunction
-HEaDTriP - Beat # No. 4
-Seo Taiji - Come Back Home
-Seot Taiji - Feel The Soul
-Wonder Girls - Tell Me
-DJ DOC - One Night
-Spooky Banana - Mr. Fire Fighter
-JTL - Enter The Dragon
-Perry - Storm
-WAX - I'll Give You All My Love
-Lee Hyun Do - Sajahu
-Som2 - Deja Vu
-Eun Ji Won - Drunken in Melody
-1TYM - HOT
-Lexy - Greenhorn
-U;Nee - Go
-Crash - What Do You Really Want?
-Crash - Dignity
-N.EX.T - Lazenca, Save Us
-U'Two - Mistake
-Duke - Starian
-Novasonic - Slam
-Deux - Come Back to Me
-Deux - We Are
-Tashannie - Don't Bother Me
-Sechskies - Com'back
-Novasonic - Another Truth
-Clon - Funky Tonight
-Fin.K.L - Forever Love
Pop
-DJ Dookie - Hybs
-Andrew Kim - Throw'em Up
-Sam-I-Am - Haley
-Gyfted - We Goin' Fly Remix
-Sonic Dimension - Chopstix
-Oscillator X - Dance All Night
-Elpis - Dance Vibrations
-ZiGZaG - Energizer
-Sonic Dimension - Groovin' Motion
Special Zone (incomplete)
Full Song
-[Locked] La La La
-[Locked] Adios
-[Locked] Forward
-[Locked] U [SJM]
-[Locked] Procedimiento Para Llegar a un Comun Acuerdo
-[Locked] Panuelito Rojo
-Slightly
-Chocolate
-[Locked] Digan Lo Que Digan
-Crazy
-[Locked] Change Myself
-[Locked] Enter The Dragon
-[Locked] Beat # No. 4
-Come Back Home
-VIP
-Tell Me
-Love Is A Danger Zone 2
-Beat of the War 2
-Canon-D
-Dignity
Remix
-[Locked] 45rpm + Eun Ji Won Remix
-[Locked] Ugly Duck Toccata
-[Locked] Jam O Beat # No. 4
-[Locked] YG Remix
-[Locked] Nina Pxndx Remix
-[Locked] Mr. Fire Fighter Falls in Love With Me
-[Locked] Big Metra Remix
-[Locked] NXA Hiphop Remix
-[Locked] J Knows That Old Bong
-[Locked] Novasonic Remix No. 3
-[Locked] Dr. KOA
-[Locked] Turkey Virus
-msgoon RMX pt.2
-BanYa-P Guitar Remix
-Money Fingers
-NX2 K-Pop Remix 1
-NX2 K-Pop Remix 2
-NX2 Diva Remix
-Groove Party
-Wi-Ex-Doc-Va
-Bemera
-Love Is A Danger Zone: Try To B.P.M
-Treme-Vook of the War
-Banya Hiphop Remix
-Final Audition Ep. 1 & Chicken Wing Remix
Another Step
-[Locked] Canon-D
-[Locked] DJ Otada
-[Locked] Starian
-[Locked] Slam
-[Locked] Moonlight
-[Locked] Toccata
-[Locked] Naissance
-[Locked] Dignity
-[Locked] Cannon X.1
-[Locked] Chocolate
-[Locked] Arch of Darkness
-[Locked] Pumptris Quattro (8bit ver.)
-[Locked] Will o' the Wisp
-Solitary
-Ugly Dee
-Caprice of Otada
-A.U Ready
-Faster Z
-Pumptris Quattro
-It's My Business
-You Fall In Me
-Higgledy Piggledy
-Extravaganza
-Love Is A Danger Zone 2
-Naissance 2
-Love Is A Danger Zone
-Witch Doctor
-Mr. Larpus
-Vook
-Another Truth
-Final Audition 2
-Final Audition
-Final Audition 3 U.F
-Chimera
-Beethoven Virus
-Bee
-Final Audition Episode 1
-Final Audition Episode 2-1
-Final Audition Episode 2-2
-Witch Doctor #1
-Dr.M
-Phantom
-Hi-Bi
WorldMax only (incomplete)
BanYa - An Interesting View
BanYa - Dance With Me
BanYa - D Gang
BanYa - First Love
BanYa - Hello
BanYa - Maria
BanYa - My Way
BanYa - Phantom (Accel Ver.)
BanYa - Pumping Up
BanYa - Till The End of Time
Taiji Boys - My Fantasy (Original ver.)
BanYa Production - Scream Song [Remix]
BanYa Production - Beat the Ghost
BanYa Production - Money
BanYa Production - Guitar Man
BanYa Production - Do You Know That -Old School-
BanYa Production - Bullfighter's Song
BanYa - Beat of the War
N.EX.T - For You [Full Song only]
Lee Hyun Do - Typhoon [Full Song only]
BanYa - Miss's Story
BanYa - Vook
BanYa - Street Show Down
BanYa - J Bong
Hyun Jin Young vs. Yahpp - U Inside My Dim Memory [Full Song only]
BanYa - BanYa Classic Remix
BanYa Production - Guitar Man [Full Song]
Seo Taiji - It's My Business [Full Song]
New Tunes
-Yahpp - Blaze Emotion
-Yahpp - Cannon X.1 [USB ONLY]
-Yahpp - Chopsticks Challenge
-Big Bang - La La La
-Eun Ji Won - Adios
-45rpm - Slightly
-S.E.S - I Am Your Girl
-Namola Family - I'll Look Only You
-Banana Girl - Chocolate
-DJ Missill - Forward
-Sam-I-Am - Uprock
-Gyfted - Crazy
-Big Metra - Panuelito Rojo
-PXNDX - Procedimiento Para Llegar a un Comun Acuerdo
-Nina Pilots - Digan Lo Que Digan
-Tico - Pump Breakers
-Wang Lee Hom - Change Myself
-Lee Jeong Hyun - Come On! (Chinese Version)
-Jang Na Ra - Bad Habit (Chinese Version)
-Super Junior M - U (Chinese Version)
-Steve Yoo - Breakin' Love
-Banya Production - People Didn't Know
-Banya Production - DJ Otada
-Banya Production - K.O.A -Alice in Wonderworld-
-Banya Production - My Dreams
-Banya Production - Toccata
PIU Original
-Yahpp - Solitary 1.5
-Yahpp - Faster Z
-Yahpp - Pumptris Quattro
-Banya Production - Caprice of Otada
-Banya Production - Higgledy Piggledy
-Banya Production - Jam O Beat
-Yahpp - Witch Doctor #1
-Yahpp - Arch of Darkness
-Yahpp - Chimera
-Yahpp - Final Audition Episode 2-1
-Yahpp - Final Audition Episode 2-2
-Banya - Beat of The War 2
-Banya - Moonlight
-Banya - Witch Doctor
-Banya - Love Is A Danger Zone 2
-Banya - Phantom
-Banya - Canon-D
-Banya - Solitary 2
-Banya - Hi-Bi
-Banya - X-Tream
-Banya - Monkey Fingers
-Banya - Naissance 2
-Banya - Final Audition 3 U.F
-Banya - Final Audition Episode 1
-Banya - Come To Me
-Banya - Bee
-Banya - Vook
-Banya - Will-O-The Wisp
-Banya - Winter
-Banya - Point Break
-Banya - Love Is A Danger Zone
-Banya - Dr.M
-Banya - Beethoven Virus
-Banya - N
-Banya - Mr.Larpus
-Banya - Solitary
-Banya - She Likes Pizza
-Banya - Turkey March
-Banya - Naissance
-Banya - Final Audition 2
-Banya - Extravaganza
-Banya - Final Audition
K-Pop
-Baechigi - Nice To Meet You
-015B - Very Old Couples
-Mina - Get My Phone Call
-Joanne - Shiny Day
-Gil gun - A.U.Ready
-Bada - V.I.P
-Seo Taiji - It's My Business
-No Brain - You Fall In Me
-Pia - A Maelstrom
-Crying Nut - Astral Song
-Hot Potato - No Despair
-May - Compunction
-HEaDTriP - Beat # No. 4
-Seo Taiji - Come Back Home
-Seot Taiji - Feel The Soul
-Wonder Girls - Tell Me
-DJ DOC - One Night
-Spooky Banana - Mr. Fire Fighter
-JTL - Enter The Dragon
-Perry - Storm
-WAX - I'll Give You All My Love
-Lee Hyun Do - Sajahu
-Som2 - Deja Vu
-Eun Ji Won - Drunken in Melody
-1TYM - HOT
-Lexy - Greenhorn
-U;Nee - Go
-Crash - What Do You Really Want?
-Crash - Dignity
-N.EX.T - Lazenca, Save Us
-U'Two - Mistake
-Duke - Starian
-Novasonic - Slam
-Deux - Come Back to Me
-Deux - We Are
-Tashannie - Don't Bother Me
-Sechskies - Com'back
-Novasonic - Another Truth
-Clon - Funky Tonight
-Fin.K.L - Forever Love
Pop
-DJ Dookie - Hybs
-Andrew Kim - Throw'em Up
-Sam-I-Am - Haley
-Gyfted - We Goin' Fly Remix
-Sonic Dimension - Chopstix
-Oscillator X - Dance All Night
-Elpis - Dance Vibrations
-ZiGZaG - Energizer
-Sonic Dimension - Groovin' Motion
Special Zone (incomplete)
Full Song
-[Locked] La La La
-[Locked] Adios
-[Locked] Forward
-[Locked] U [SJM]
-[Locked] Procedimiento Para Llegar a un Comun Acuerdo
-[Locked] Panuelito Rojo
-Slightly
-Chocolate
-[Locked] Digan Lo Que Digan
-Crazy
-[Locked] Change Myself
-[Locked] Enter The Dragon
-[Locked] Beat # No. 4
-Come Back Home
-VIP
-Tell Me
-Love Is A Danger Zone 2
-Beat of the War 2
-Canon-D
-Dignity
Remix
-[Locked] 45rpm + Eun Ji Won Remix
-[Locked] Ugly Duck Toccata
-[Locked] Jam O Beat # No. 4
-[Locked] YG Remix
-[Locked] Nina Pxndx Remix
-[Locked] Mr. Fire Fighter Falls in Love With Me
-[Locked] Big Metra Remix
-[Locked] NXA Hiphop Remix
-[Locked] J Knows That Old Bong
-[Locked] Novasonic Remix No. 3
-[Locked] Dr. KOA
-[Locked] Turkey Virus
-msgoon RMX pt.2
-BanYa-P Guitar Remix
-Money Fingers
-NX2 K-Pop Remix 1
-NX2 K-Pop Remix 2
-NX2 Diva Remix
-Groove Party
-Wi-Ex-Doc-Va
-Bemera
-Love Is A Danger Zone: Try To B.P.M
-Treme-Vook of the War
-Banya Hiphop Remix
-Final Audition Ep. 1 & Chicken Wing Remix
Another Step
-[Locked] Canon-D
-[Locked] DJ Otada
-[Locked] Starian
-[Locked] Slam
-[Locked] Moonlight
-[Locked] Toccata
-[Locked] Naissance
-[Locked] Dignity
-[Locked] Cannon X.1
-[Locked] Chocolate
-[Locked] Arch of Darkness
-[Locked] Pumptris Quattro (8bit ver.)
-[Locked] Will o' the Wisp
-Solitary
-Ugly Dee
-Caprice of Otada
-A.U Ready
-Faster Z
-Pumptris Quattro
-It's My Business
-You Fall In Me
-Higgledy Piggledy
-Extravaganza
-Love Is A Danger Zone 2
-Naissance 2
-Love Is A Danger Zone
-Witch Doctor
-Mr. Larpus
-Vook
-Another Truth
-Final Audition 2
-Final Audition
-Final Audition 3 U.F
-Chimera
-Beethoven Virus
-Bee
-Final Audition Episode 1
-Final Audition Episode 2-1
-Final Audition Episode 2-2
-Witch Doctor #1
-Dr.M
-Phantom
-Hi-Bi
WorldMax only (incomplete)
BanYa - An Interesting View
BanYa - Dance With Me
BanYa - D Gang
BanYa - First Love
BanYa - Hello
BanYa - Maria
BanYa - My Way
BanYa - Phantom (Accel Ver.)
BanYa - Pumping Up
BanYa - Till The End of Time
Taiji Boys - My Fantasy (Original ver.)
BanYa Production - Scream Song [Remix]
BanYa Production - Beat the Ghost
BanYa Production - Money
BanYa Production - Guitar Man
BanYa Production - Do You Know That -Old School-
BanYa Production - Bullfighter's Song
BanYa - Beat of the War
N.EX.T - For You [Full Song only]
Lee Hyun Do - Typhoon [Full Song only]
BanYa - Miss's Story
BanYa - Vook
BanYa - Street Show Down
BanYa - J Bong
Hyun Jin Young vs. Yahpp - U Inside My Dim Memory [Full Song only]
BanYa - BanYa Classic Remix
BanYa Production - Guitar Man [Full Song]
Seo Taiji - It's My Business [Full Song]
Promotional Video
That's probably the new game I'm most looking forward to, though a close second would be:
Beatmania IIDX 16: Empress
One of the few remaining Konami games that be counted on to not suck.
Empress will probably bring the hardcore like every Beatmania version before it, but the newest version's songlist looks particularly awesome.
Of particular interest is the fact that a US Bemani fan-turned-composer named DM Ashura actually had one of his songs licensed for this version.
C/O bemanistyle:
[Genre] - Artist - Title (BPM) - Single Difficulty - Double Difficulty
NEW SONGS
[HARDCORE] GUHROOVY fw. M-PROJECT - ALL I NEED YOUR LOVE (145BPM) SP:[N5/H7/A9] DP:[N6/H7/A9]
[ONLY ONE EUROBEAT] SUPER STAR 満-MITSURU- - ALL MY TURN -このターンに、オレの全てを質ける- (177BPM) SP:[N6/H9/A11] DP:[N6/H9/A11]
[RECKLESS RAVE] Remixed by DJ YOSHITAKA with Michael a la mode - B4U (BEMANI FOR YOU MIX) (170BPM) SP:[N6/H9/A11] DP:[N7/H9/A11]
[HOUSE] 猫叉Master feat.JUNE - Bahram Attack -猫叉Master Remix- (155BPM) SP:[N4/H9/A10] DP:[N5/H9/A11]
[HAPPY☆JIG] S.S.D. with ななっち - BRIDAL FESTIVAL!!! (160BPM) SP:[N4/H7/A9] DP:[N5/H8/A9]
[NOSTALISH REQUIEM] e-lma - CaptivAte2～覚醒～ (175BPM) SP:[N6/H9/A11] DP:[N5/H9/A11]
[BUCHIAGE TRANCE] Remixed by DJ Yoshitaka - Cyber Force -DJ Yoshitaka Remix- (146BPM) SP:[N5/H9/A10] DP:[N6/H9/A10]
[MEGA MIX] kors k as disconation - Flash Back 90's (155BPM) SP:[N4/H8/A10] DP:[N5/H8/A10]
[DREAM TRANCE] Sota Fujimori - Fly Above (150BPM) SP:[N5/H6/A8] DP:[N5/H8/A9]
[HOUSE] ravex - HOUSE NATION (128BPM) SP:[N4/H7/A9] DP:[N5/H8/A10]
[MORNING FULL ON] L.E.D. - HYPERION (150BPM) SP:[N6/H9/A11] DP:[N6/H10/A11]
[TECHNO POP] Creative Life - I'm Screaming LOVE (147BPM) SP:[N4/H6/A7] DP:[N5/H7/A9]
[HARDCORE] L.E.D.-G fw. Eriko Tanzawa - JEWELLERY STORM (176BPM) SP:[N5/H9/A10] DP:[N5/H9/A10]
[ELECTRO-TECH] Ryu☆ - Mind Mapping (128BPM) SP:[N4/H7/A9] DP:[N4/H7/A8]
[EUROBEAT] Y&Co. feat. DOMINO - Monkey Dance '09 (155BPM) SP:[N4/H8/A10] DP:[N4/H8/A11]
[TRANCE] PINK PONG - MY FUTURE (148BPM) SP:[N5/H8/A9] DP:[N6/H9/A10]
[TECH-BREAKBEAT] DJ Mass MAD*ism - naughty girl@Queen's Palace (145BPM) SP:[N5/H9/A11] DP:[N5/H8/A10]
[ENERGETIC TRANCE] DM Ashura - neogenesis (151BPM) SP:[N4/H6/A9] DP:[N5/H7/A9]
[DANCE MUSIC OF SORROW] C×F (Music Produced by NAOKI MAEDA) - NΦ CRIME (169BPM) SP:[N4/H7/A9] DP:[N5/H8/A9]
[HOUSE] Shinichi Osawa - OUR SONG (136BPM) SP:[N4/H7/A9] DP:[N5/H8/A10]
[PSYCHADELIC TRANCE] Remixed by L.E.D. - PSYCHE PLANET-GT (152BPM) SP:[N6/H9/A10] DP:[N6/H9/A10]
[E-DANCE POP] 上野圪市(a.k.a.Baby Weapon, DJ SWAMI) feat.星野奏媐 - Punch Love ♥ 仮面 (172BPM) SP:[N5/H8/A10] DP:[N6/H9/A10]
[BIG BEAT] 猫叉Master+ - Queens Tragedy (152BPM) SP:[N4/H8/A10] DP:[N4/H8/A9]
[TECH PARA] good-cool ft. CHiCO - secrets (150BPM) SP:[N6/H9/A11] DP:[N5/H9/A11]
[CANDY RAVE] kors k - smooooch･∀･ (177BPM) SP:[N4/H8/A10] DP:[N5/H8/A10]
[UK HARDCORE] Remixed by kors k - THE SHINING POLARIS (kors k mix) (172BPM) SP:[N5/H8/A9] DP:[N6/H7/A8]
[HOUSE] Remix by Sunset In Ibiza (SII) - thunder -HOUSE NATION Remix- (128BPM) SP:[N4/H7/A9] DP:[N5/H8/A10]
[ELEMENTAL CHANT] Zektbach - Turii -Panta rhei- (148BPM) SP:[N4/H9/A10] DP:[N4/H8/A10]
[PROGRESSIVE] TAKA - V2 (150BPM) SP:[N6/H11/A-] DP:[N5/H10/A-]
[90's RAVE] Y&Co. - Y&Co. is dead alive (145-876BPM) SP:[N5/H9/A10] DP:[N5/H10/A11]
[DRAGON'BASS] IDEA NOTE - アタックno.3 (170BPM) SP:[N5/H7/A9] DP:[N6/H9/A10]
[IRON CONCERTO] Seiya Murai - 鉄甲乙女-under the steel- (160BPM) SP:[N4/H7/A10] DP:[N5/H9/A10]
[J-TRANCE] 小林ゆう - 翼 (149BPM) SP:[N4/H7/A9] DP:[N5/H8/A10]
[HOU-ROCK] Des-MASTERS - ハリツヤランデヴー (143BPM) SP:[N5/H8/A10] DP:[N5/H8/A10]
[J-DANCE POP] HHH+H - まほろば (149BPM) SP:[N5/H7/A9] DP:[N5/H8/A11]
[TRENDY TECHNO] Dr. Honda - ミッドナイト媕天使 (150BPM) SP:[N5/H7/A9] DP:[N5/H8/A9]
[ポップス] AKIRA YAMAOKA feat.喜屋檦ちあ - 山岡晃の「クイズ！家事都合！」 (148BPM) SP:[N4/H7/A10] DP:[N5/H8/A10]
[RAGE AGAINST EMPRESS] D.J.SETUP - 天空脳番長危機十兪連打 (150BPM) SP:[N5/H10/A11] DP:[N5/H10/A11]
EXTRA STAGE
[PSY TRANCE (FULL ON)] kors k as StripE - Programmed World (153BPM) SP:[N5/H9/A11] DP:[N?/H10/A11]
ONE MORE EXTRA STAGE
[DANCE SPEED] 青龍 - 3y3s (191BPM) SP:[N?/H?/A?] DP:[N?/H?/A?]
HIDDEN SONGS
[BALLAD] NM feat. Thomas Howard - BALLAD FOR YOU ～想いの雨～ (065BPM) SP:[N3/H5/A7] DP:[N?/H?/A?]
[TECHNO] SLAKE - BREEDING (150BPM) SP:[N?/H6/A7] DP:[N?/H?/A?]
[DISCO] good-cool - Dancin' Into The Night (139BPM) SP:[N?/H?/A?] DP:[N?/H?/A?]
[DEEP HOUSE] SPARKER - FLUTE MAN (130BPM) SP:[N3/H6/A7] DP:[N4/H6/A8]
[TRANCE CORE] Ryu☆ Vs. Sota - Go Beyond!! (200BPM) SP:[N6/H10/A?] DP:[N?/H?/A?]
[EURO TRANCE] NAOKI underground - INSERTiON (139BPM) SP:[N?/H?/A?] DP:[N?/H?/A?]
[MIXTURE] DesQ - JACK (116BPM) SP:[N?/H7/A10] DP:[N?/H?/A?]
[NU SKOOL BREAKS] Sota Fujimori - Just a Little Smile (136BPM) SP:[N4/H7/A11] DP:[N4/H7/A11]
[TECHNO] SLAKE - LIMITED (150BPM) SP:[N?/H9/A9] DP:[N?/H?/A?]
[GOSPEL] Lala Moore with CoCoRo*Co - Make A Difference (130BPM) SP:[N5/H9/A10] DP:[N5/H9/A?]
[NU JAZZ] SLAKE - Ready to Rockit Blues (150BPM) SP:[N3/H5/A6] DP:[N5/H6/A8]
[TECHNO] L.E.D. - SOLITION BEAM (152BPM) SP:[N6/H9/A10] DP:[N?/H?/A?]
BEGINNER ONLY
[撫媐リック] 紅色リトマス - 凛として咲く花のごとく (163BPM) [from pop'n music 15 ADVENTURE]
B4U(Bemani 4 U) sounds absolutely horrible, but nothing's perfect.
The interface, as you can probably tell by the name, is buried in pink, but it looks good in motion.
Title Screen Demonstration
Fly Above [Dream Trance]
There was a rumor a while back that Konami were testing Beatmania IIDX14: Gold for US distribution, but obviously that never panned out.
So don't count on seeing this at most arcades, but some places aren't above importing, so it's not impossible.
Worse case scenario, there's always the console version.
Jubeat
(aka Ubeat)
I can't say I know what to make of this. A new project by Konami Japan that somehow found its way to a US location test, with a westernized songlist, to boot.
New Songs
A-Ha - Take On Me [2 / 6 / ?]
Darude - Sandstorm [2 / 8 / 9]
Aqua - Barbie Girl [3 / 8 / 9] (cover)
Snow - Informer [3 / 5 / 9]
Michael Fortunati - Give Me Up [1 / ? / 7]
Bananarama - Venus [2 / 7 / 8] (cover)
N-Trance - Set You Free [? / 6 / 9] (cover)
From jubeat
Scatman John - Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)
The Village People - YMCA
Kozo Nakamura - Jumping Boogie
Mutsuhiko Izumi - Orpheus In The Underworld
Mutsuhiko Izumi - Snow Goose
Mutsuhiko Izumi - Polaris
Nolans - I'm In The Mood For Dancing
Chris Brown feat. T-Pain - Kiss Kiss
kors k - Special One
ki☆ki - Happy Happy
Another game that bears a lot of similarity to Elite Beat Agents/Ouendan. Touch screen(or is it cube?) interface.
Informer - Expert
Yes, that Informer. Don't ask me how that song got into this game.
I'd put this up there with Technika as a game that will apparently be available in the US, but... well, don't hold your breath about actually running into it somewhere.
Dance Dance Revolution: X
I'll be honest, I'm not really looking forward to this. After devouring Roxor and killing In The Groove, DDR's only gotten worse and worse with each consecutive mix. X seems like it'll continue that trend with ease.
The cabinet looks gorgeous, but if the songlist is anything like the utterly awful one from Supernova 2, I'll pass. If I want terrible covers, I'll play Rock Revolution.
(And I don't)
Konami have always given the console versions priority when it comes to licensed music and songs that don't suck. If they don't start treating the arcade versions the same way, then DDR arcade won't be around much longer.
Can't say I'll miss it.
Saber Wing - Expert
The steps look fun, but there's still not much of a challenge, and without a good songlist, that doesn't mean much, anyway.
That's around all the rhythm games I can think of, so here's some recent games of interest that don't involve hitting notes to a beat.
Blaz Blue
Well, color me surprised; Aksys Games of all people said they're planning on releasing this in the US.
A new 2d fighter from the professionals over at Arc System Works(Guilty Gear), so it's bound to be both beautiful and hardcore.
This deserves to show up in some arcades, and props to Aksys for taking the effort.
Spoilered for huge:
Street Fighter IV?...
Okay, so odds of this seeing an official US release seem somewhere between slim and none, but that hasn't stopped the arcades that import.
On the bright side, if it gets an official arcade release later on, maybe they'll add the many, many awesome exclusive characters from the CS version.
The essential
The King of Fighters XII
Almost forgot about this one. SNK's answer to Street Fighter IV, and it looks every bit as epic as the competition.
Brand new sprites, at last. Should be a blast when it comes out, especially since SNK plan to give this a US arcade release, or so I heard.
Arcana Heart 2
To my immense shock, Andamiro USA actually said they were bringing this to the US at AMOA a few months back.
A 2d fighter similar to the likes of Guilty Gear, as it involves lots of high speed air comboing insanity, except it has an all-female cast.
US Debut
Another one I can't imagine seeing in an arcade any time soon, but good to know it's available.
I had a hard time getting into the PS2 original, but the potential's there, so it could be fun if the sequel improves on it.
Last and not least, having just remembered it:
Guitar Hero Arcade
Currently on display at the IAAPA, not much is known beyond that.
It's the result of a collaboration between Konami, Activision, and Raw Thrills, and supposedly runs on GHIII's system.
Since it's a Konami product(if you can't beat them, join them), the hardware should be reliable, and the promise of online tournaments seems interesting. Shame they can't get the online functions used in DDR and Beatmania working in the US, but that's another story.
By popular demand, games that aren't fighters or rhythm games:
Initial D Version 4
Still more of the traditional drift-racing goodness from Sega, but what makes V4 interesting, aside from the cabinet having a widescreen monitor, is the cutscenes are no longer still portraits with subs; they're now rendered cutscenes with voice acting.
That might be a negative for some, since it takes away the original design work, but it's certainly different.
Like the earlier versions, Initial D's all about one-on-one mountain/street racing, with a heavy emphasis on drifting to stay in the game, with lots of character interaction going on in between races.
And for the masochists, you could always try to beat the legend, Bunta:
He has his own challenge stages named after him, like usual.
Wangan Midnight: Maximum Tune 3
Probably Initial D's biggest competition in the street racing scene.
Maximum Tune takes place on highways instead of lonely mountain roads, so players have to navigate traffic along with sharp turns.
It also has a story like Initial D, but most of the dialogue takes place during the actual races.
Also, Yuzo Koshiro(Etrian Odyssey/Streets of Rage) did the music for all of the Maximum Tune games, and it is excellent(if you're into hard trance, at least).
Maximum Tune 3 - Inexhaustible Energy
Maximun Tune 2 - Beyond The Horizon
Both Initial D and Maximum Tune are also both (in)famous for letting players purchase cards to save their race data on, like so.
The ones in the newer versions are made out of plastic instead of paper, so they seemed way more durable.
That's all I'm aware of as of recent, but if you know of any other new or recent arcade games that're of note, I'll be sure to update.
There's a lot of reasons to be optimistic for arcades over the next few months, as long as we can keep the interesting going, so be sure to bug your local arcade techs if any of this seems appealing. If enough people ask, it'll work.
And if you see one of these new machines anywhere nearby, especially the likes of DJ MAX, Jubeat, or Arcana Heart 2, let me know.
cj iwakura on
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Too bad the machine at the local mall is in a constant state of disrepair.
The games I saw over there that really interested me where the card based ones
example
Lords of Vermillion by square enix
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3838485&l=c4ef8&id=719270276
The Gundam squad based shooter was sick too
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3838494&l=ed13c&id=719270276
one of the beatmanias
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3838497&l=9a89b&id=719270276
(let me know if you cant get to the pictures)
This is a big reason why arcades in the US are failing. All the games are the same anymore.
You know what the best thing was about walking into an arcade in the 80s/90s? Variety.
Meanwhile such a huge percentage of new games are truly shitty (not the ones listed above, but crappy hunting games and the like) it's looking really unlikely that arcades will ever truly revive. Best we can hope for is keeping what's left alive.
The only good exception I can think of is Virtua Cop 3. I hate what Time Crisis has become.
(And Wild Dog will never, ever die.)
But yeah, I guess the genre variety has gotten kind of shallow, though at least they've a lot to offer.
It's actually doing pretty good business, and it's great to get drunk and play some old school TMNT or X-Men beat em ups.
They've got a ton of old games there, it's basically like stepping into a time machine.
Motherfucking limed.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
The one genre that I really miss is the beat-em-up games with EXP and stuff (Gauntlet Legends comes to mind). Or the Simpsons game, or Aliens vs Predator, or the Die Hard game... You get the idea.
Hey now, there's more than rhythm, fighting, and light-gun games.
Sometimes they have overpriced racing games that charge $2 for a 90-second race.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
I just had a braingasm imagining Castle Crashers arcade among other awesome Beat-em-ups.
Oh shit, don't even get me started on those...
"BUT IF YOU GET FIRST YOU GET TO RACE AGAIN!" Really? It's FUCKING impossible to win because the computer cheats like a little slut.
It would be awesome to play a game like that in the Arcade.
They really are the best. Also, one thing that I love is Light gun games at home on the Wii. I need more of these, now. That's kinda the opposite of the OP though... woops.
Or is this silly US arcades only?
Too bad there no chance in hell that it'll come to Australia though.
Silly US arcades.
Sadly, I think I actually know what that abbreviation stands for.
Yeah, don't hold your breath.
And if someone knows a recent game that isn't a fighter or a rhythm game that doesn't suck, by all means, say so and I'll update.
It just so happens that they're pretty much the highlight right now. At very least, they're all I've noticed.
Shooting cds at dudes in HI-DEF.
Also, I've never been to a Dave & Busters or Gameworks, so I'm pretty much relegated to seedy Chuck 'E Cheese's.
Switch: 6200-8149-0919 / Wii U: maximumzero / 3DS: 0860-3352-3335 / eBay Shop
Oh, shoot, racers. Good call. I need to update with Initial D and Maximum Tune.
Also, Sega has a new After Burner, which is pretty intense.
I thought there was only the first one? I've only seen it at GameWorks(Mario Kart GP).
It was buried in a corner far away from the Initial D/Maximum Tune circle.
Like others have said, we need variety. I would kill for some good beat em ups, or platformers, or those games where you pilot giant mechs in a 3d arena and don't know what the hell is going on until one of you kill the other.
3ds friend code: 2981-6032-4118
I would kill enough people to match the body count of a good beat-em-up if it meant getting a good beat-em-up. And less in the style of the old stuff, more with levels and gear, if possible.
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/43013.html
That trailer was released earlier this week. THIS WEEK. What the fuck. I thought we had moved past crappy licensed Dreamcast titles.
Melty Blood: Actress Again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxPmhnQibFU
Fate/Unlimited Codes too for that matter too while we're on Type-Moon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBkCUbgbLGA
I would kill for something like that around here. The main reason ours died out was because all the new games they got cost 1-2 dollars a play and nobody wants to spend that to play for a total of 2 minutes (if they're lucky.) I remember spending hours watching my brother beat most of the games in our arcade on one quarter.
If I ever get rich that's what I'm going to open, an arcade with a ton of any older cabinets I can find. Quarter a play at the most, none of this "2 dollars to start, one to continue" shit.
@ Dangerous: If I ever get that rich I'm setting them all to free play and building an addition to my house.
3ds friend code: 2981-6032-4118
That is, in fact, the most important part.
I am not entering a temporal conversation loop with you.
Maybe we need more MARVEL in US arcades?!
And Melty Blood, if anything, would probably get localized for the PS2, as that's more likely to turn a profit nowadays. Then again, AM's localization of AH2 followed the Atlus release of AH1 for PS2, so who knows what could happen.
OP updated with Initial D and Maximum Tune(and some Yuzo Koshiro beats).
"It's funny, because it's true."
And by funny, I mean I want to cry.
Okay, everyone stop and look at this. New beat 'em up. In the arcades. With DC superheroes in it.
And it looks utterly, utterly horrible. This is exactly what I'm talking about here. It used to be that arcades would have visuals that were well above what was possible at home. And now the reverse is true... the arcade tech is actually vastly worse in so many cases. What the hell?
I guess I wouldn't be so annoyed if it didn't have Harley Quinn in it. I love that psychotic gal. Ah well, there's always Lego Batman...
Giving rights to a beat'em'up to anyone that isn't Sega, Sammy, Konami, or Capcom is silly.