beatmania [PS2]

Although most U.S. players think of DDR as the dawn of "Bemani," it wasn't the game that launched Konami's rhythm based line of games. No, that honor falls to the original Beatmania which first graced Japanese arcades way back in 1998. The series has done incredibly well in the land to the east, but has only just now made it to the States. Because Beatmania isn't as forgiving as DDR or Guitar Hero, new players may be discouraged -- but those that stick with it are bound to discover a gem of a game.

Played with a specialized controller, Beatmania is designed to simulate the experience of being a club DJ. As a song plays in the background, you have to press a series of keys in time with the music. The keys correspond to on-screen notes and play back digital samples when pressed -- much like the samplers that actual DJs use. To the side of the keys is a turntable. This is used for scratching. At first the experience is a bit overwhelming, but after soldering through a few songs and memorizing key placements, the true fun begins.

The key to the Beatmania experience is that you're actually creating the song as you play. True, the backing music is always there, but the samples only play when you hit the keys. As a result, it's possible to judge your performance simply by listening to the music. If you're hitting the notes in time with the music, everything sounds good. Miss the beat and you won't even have to look at the score to know you're doing poorly.

Those that have played the game in the arcade (or imported one of the many Japanese versions) are likely familiar with both the original Beatmania as well as its sequel Beatmania IIDX. Both modes are available here, though the main difference is the addition of two extra keys. In Beatmania mode, you only have five sampler keys to deal with; in IIDX mode, there are a total of seven. It doesn't seem like much, but the extra two keys make this deceptively simple game even more difficult. Beginners will appreciate the five key mode, while experienced players can hop right into IIDX mode.

When you first pull the controller out of the box, it's setup for a right-handed player (with the turntable on the left and the keys on the right), but Konami didn't overlook the lefties out there. Press the release switch and the key module slides out, allowing you to flip it over and reinsert it.