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, stylized as BEMANI, is
Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
's music video game division. Originally named the Games & Music Division (G.M.D.), it changed its name in honor of its first and most successful game, '' Beatmania'', and expanded into other music-based games, most notably rhythm games such as '' Dance Dance Revolution'', '' Guitar Freaks'', and '' Drum Mania''.


Bemani games

Since 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 ''GuitarFreaks'' & ''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 A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...
and mixing boards, ''Beatmania'', known as ''Hip Hop Mania'' in North America and ''Beatstage'' in Korea, allows the player to "spin" the music with five activator keys and a turntable. The ''Beatmania'' series was the first Bemani game introduced and its successor is still the most popular Bemani game in Japan. With numerous 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.


''Beatmania IIDX''

Continuing the ''Beatmania'' series, ''Beatmania IIDX'' (typically pronounced "Two Dee Ecks") was released in 1999. The rules of the game remain the same from ''Beatmania'' with the addition of two more keys giving players seven keys to play with along with 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 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
and PC platforms for home players and continues to this day with arcade releases worldwide. In 2006, the game was released on the PlayStation 2 in North America for the first time, simply titled '' Beatmania''.


''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 2002. Many songs from ''Beatmania III'' were ported to the IIDX series as well as other Bemani games.


''Dance Dance Revolution''

''Dance Dance Revolution'', often initialized to ''DDR'' and also known in Europe as ''Dancing Stage'', was first produced in 1998. The game is played by stepping to music on a dance platform with four 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. While originally an arcade title, many versions of ''Dance Dance Revolution'' have been released on many different platforms including the Sony
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
, Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo
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, and Microsoft
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
. Other versions have also appeared on portable handhelds, cell phones, and as standalone TV plug'n'play devices. ''Dance Dance Revolution'' is commonly considered to be the most well-known BEMANI series outside of Japan.


''Dance Dance Revolution Solo''

An offshoot of the ''Dance Dance Revolution'' series, ''Dance Dance Revolution Solo'' added two additional arrows to the dance stage, but supported only single-player gameplay. The ''Solo'' series saw two major releases and two complementary releases before being canceled in 2001. Most of the music exclusive to ''Dance Dance Revolution Solo'' was reused in the main ''Dance Dance Revolution'' series.


''Dance Maniax''

''Dance Maniax'' is an arcade
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
controlled by two pairs of infrared motion sensors that detect movement of arms and legs. Several versions have been produced in 2000 and 2001. Instead of the usual concept of dropping notes in the genre (like Beatmania), they scroll up to the top of the screen instead. They can be judged as a "hit" or "miss", depending on the timing accuracy. The game featured a song list from Konami's in-house artists and Dancemania music label.


''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'', with modes that use up to nine hand buttons at once, and having some songs that aren't keysounded. ''Pop'n Music'' is stylized with cute
cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...
y characters and a musical selection to match. The series continues to this day as one of the most popular Bemani games.


''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.


''GuitarFreaks'' and ''DrumMania''

Also known as ''Gitadora'' in Japan, the combined series of ''Guitar Freaks'' and ''Drum Mania'' are games that use simplified instruments after their namesake. ''Guitar Freaks'' uses a small, plastic
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
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, ''Guitar Freaks'' predates '' Guitar Hero'' by several years; in fact, the heads of RedOctane, Charles and Kai Huang, were reportedly inspired by the ''GuitarFreaks'' gameplay to develop the Western game's guitar peripheral and pitch its gameplay proposal for what would eventually become ''Guitar Hero''. ''Drum Mania'' lets players play a set of drums. Modeled after modern digital drum kits, the player strikes the appropriate piece with the drumsticks on cue with the music and failure to do so causes the song to sound incorrect. Many American players will recognize the ''Drum Mania'' setup from more recent games like ''
Rock Band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...
'', which is unrelated to the Konami game. Similar to the 5-key to 7-key upgrade from Beatmania to Beatmania IIDX, Guitar Freaks and Drum Mania received a major gameplay overhaul with the 2010 release of Guitar Freaks XG and Drum Mania XG, with a total of 5 frets and 9 drums respectively. While standard Guitar Freaks and Drum Mania games were originally being released alongside the XG games, the latter has now become the primary focus of the series, with the last standard series game being V8, released in 2011. The XG series was rebranded in 2013 as simply "GITADORA". Despite being separately released games that can be played independent of each other, Konami markets the ''GITADORA'' 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.


''Keyboardmania''

A
MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...
synthesizer game. ''Keyboardmania'' features a mini-musical keyboard and players create the primarily
piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
based music by striking the keys to the note patterns on the screen. ''Keyboardmania'' saw only three 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 multi-session linked with certain versions of the ''GuitarFreaks'' and ''DrumMania'' series.


''Para Para Paradise''

Built around the Para Para dance style made popular in Japan, ''Para Para Paradise'' 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 was 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", title changed to ''UBeat'' and ''Jukebeat'' in the American test releases) is similar to
Whac-A-Mole Whac-A-Mole is an arcade game, originally known as or in Japan. A typical Whac-A-Mole machine consists of a waist-level cabinet with a play area and display screen, and a large, soft, black mallet. Five holes in the play area top are filled wit ...
, where players must tap the square-shaped panels on a touch screen when they light up. It was released in Japan in July 2008. A localized version of the game for
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
was announced the month after with tests held at an arcade in Southern California alongside ''
Dance Dance Revolution X ''Dance Dance Revolution X'' is a music video game developed by Konami. A part of the ''Dance Dance Revolution'' series, it was announced in 2008 for Japan and on May 15, 2008 for the North American PlayStation 2. The arcade version was announced ...
''. After two separate testing phases Konami canceled all plans to release the game in North American Arcades. ''Jubeat'' arcade presence is localized in Japan and several East Asian countries. Free-to-Play adaptations for mobile were eventually released in 2010. Japan received Jubeat Plus, available for iOS and Android. International regions received a localized version called ''Jukebeat'', available solely on iOS. While the apps may appear similar, ''Jukebeat'' songlist is far more restricted and features different licences.


''Bemani Pocket''

Similar in style to '' Tamagotchi'' handhelds, the ''Bemani Pocket'' series released small, handheld versions of ''Dance Dance Revolution'', ''Beatmania'', and ''ParaParaParadise'' intended to be played with one's fingers. Rarer ''Pop'n Music'' and ''GuitarFreaks'' variants were produced later on.


''Reflec Beat''

''Reflec Beat'' was first released on November 4, 2010. Its gameplay is similar to air hockey, but ''Reflec Beat'' uses fingers. Players must touch circular symbols that match the color of their line moving to the player at the right time. It features a one-on-one matching system. Mobile adaptations for iOS were made in 2011, with Japan receiving ''Reflec Beat Plus'' and international regions receiving a localized version called ''Reflec Beat +'' in 2012. Like ''Jukebeat'', ''Reflec Beat +'' contains a more restricted song list, with no licensed tracks at all.


''SOUND VOLTEX''

''SOUND VOLTEX'' was first released on January 18, 2012. Its gameplay involves four white buttons, two orange "FX" buttons, and two knobs, one blue and one pink. While the white and orange buttons are simply pressed or held, the knobs must be adjusted on cue with blue and pink lasers which quickly move left and right across the track. Similar to ''beatmania'', this gameplay is meant to mimic a DJ controller, but places more focus on layering effects over the music. Besides music featured in other BEMANI series, many songs are arrangements of music from ''
Touhou Project The , also known simply as , is a bullet hell shoot 'em up video game series created by one-man independent Japanese ''doujin'' soft developer Team Shanghai Alice. Since 1995, the team's member, Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, has independently developed ...
'', and some are produced by
Vocaloid is a singing voice synthesizer software product. Its signal processing part was developed through a joint research project led by Kenmochi Hideki at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, in 2000 and was not originally intended to b ...
artists. SOUND VOLTEX also holds regular song contests, officially called ''SOUND VOLTEX FLOOR'', in which fans submit original songs (sometimes including artwork) for a chance to be part of the game's extensive setlist.


''Dance Evolution ARCADE''

A Kinect-based game called ''Dance Evolution ARCADE'' is also considered a part of Bemani series, previously being exclusive to
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
. It was released on March 27, 2012. Its gameplay is similar to the original game, in which players must follow the in-game character's movements by touching and drawing line on the air correspondingly with the movement. The game ceased receiving e-Amusement service on August 31, 2016, discontinuing most cabinets that require constant e-Amusement connection, installing the offline patch and effectively terminating support for the game.


''Mirai Dagakki FutureTomTom''

''Mirai Dagakki (ミライダガッキ) FutureTomTom'' was first released on June 20, 2013. Its gameplay involves hitting drums to match the notes on the screen, akin to ''
Taiko no Tatsujin , lead=yes, group=lower-alpha (Japanese: 太鼓の達人, Taiko no Tatsujin, lit. "Master of the drums") is a series of games created by Namco. In the games, players simulate playing a taiko drum in time with music. The series has released games ...
''. The game ceased receiving e-Amusement service on July 31, 2015, discontinuing most cabinets that require constant e-Amusement connection, installing the offline patch and effectively terminating support for the game.


''BeatStream''

Released on July 17, 2014 and discontinued on March 1, 2017, its gameplay involves hitting notes that come from eight directions to an octagonal judgment lines within a wide touch panel. The notes have several types: some need to be held down, and some need to be slid. Similar to ''Beatmania IIDX'', the player starts with 30% clear gauge (represented by a ring in the middle of the screen) and have to obtain at least 70% by the end of the game to pass the stage. The music library features a good number of songs from Vocaloid and ''Touhou Project'', like ''Sound Voltex'', but ''BeatStream'' does have its fair share of original songs. e-Amusement support for ''BeatStream'' ended on September 1, 2017, discontinuing most cabinets that require constant e-Amusement connection, doing the game unable to run after boot and recycling cabinets for other games.


''MÚSECA''

First released on December 10, 2015 after 5 location tests, ''MÚSECA'' gameplay involves a pedal and 5 spinners which can be pressed, held or rotated, depending on the note type. One of ''MÚSECA'' most important aspects are the illustrations named Grafica. A Grafica gives the player GIFTs, which are in-game bonuses that are auto-triggered at some points of the charts, slightly modifying the chart lane's judgment line. GIFTs include Life Support, Score Gain, Play Risk, and Item Collect. Most Grafica characters have their own voices that play when they're triggered in-game. The game ceased receiving e-Amusement service on July 31, 2018, discontinuing most cabinets that require constant e-Amusement connection, installing the offline patch, recycling some cabinets for other games and effectively terminating support for the game.


''NOSTALGIA''

was first released on March 1, 2017, available as an upgrade kit for ''BeatStream'' cabinets or as a new machine. The game serves as a spiritual successor to ''Keyboardmania'', with its gameplay involving a keyboard-esque controller used to hit notes coming from the top of the screen. Unlike ''Keyboardmania'' though, the player does not have to hit a specific key, just one in the note's general area. Only one row of keys is used as well; while the cabinet does have black keys, they are solely for decoration. The touchscreen used by ''BeatStream'' is reused to navigate the game's interface. Similar to ''Keyboardmania'', "Real" charts requires players to know how to play the piano in order to easily pass the songs.


''DANCERUSH''

''DANCERUSH'' was first released on March 23, 2018. Similar to other Bemani series like ''Dance Dance Revolution'' and ''Dance Evolution'', ''Dance Rush'' has 3 game modes: Light (up to 2 songs), Standard (up to 2 songs, plus Extra Stage) and Premium (record any song and upload them to YouTube). It uses Microsoft Kinect-like hardware and a touchpad-like dance stage. ''Dance Rush'' has four buttons for navigating the menu.


''DANCE aROUND''

Introduced on November 10, 2021 ''DANCE aROUND'' began location tests in select portions of the Japanese market through November 2021. Unlike its predecessors ''DANCERUSH'' or ''Dance Dance Revolution'', ''DANCE aROUND'' uses cameras in combination with "real-time AI" to generate an avatar on screen that mimics the players movements in the real world. The game features two different styles of dancing: a simple mode using only hands, and an advanced mode that uses full body tracking. ''DANCE aROUND'' is most closely comparable to the Just Dance game series.


Martial Beat

Martial Beat was designed for the
PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
in Japan in 2001. It is based on the players' actions by use of wristband sensors. The game was shipped in a modified '' Dance Dance Revolution'' cabinet, with the sensors and the game's art on it. Although there are two sets of selection buttons (as ''Dance Dance Revolution'' supported two players), the game is one player only. To play the game, one needs to follow the on-screen instructor, and when a red light turns on located on top of the screen, the player must perform the move by repeating the instructor.About Martial Beat
Highway Games


Bemani artists

In addition to licensed music tracks, primarily from
Toshiba EMI , formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. Whe ...
and Avex Trax, Konami employs a list of in-house artists to produce the music for its Bemani series, which in 2017 started being referred to as the "BEMANI Sound Team". These artists often go by
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
s when credited with their songs. Some Konami employees have broken off and become independent artists.


References


External links


Konami company website
{{Konami Konami Lists of video games by franchise