~B
--beatmania best hits faq--
--version 1.0--
--revised October 04, 2000--
--by Eric French--
--jaguarandi@mindspring.com--
--http://homepage.mac.com/jaguarandi--
-TABLE of CONTENTS-
1.0 What's Beatmania Best Hits ?
1.1 General Beatmania Information
1.2 Beatmania Best Hits
2.0 Playing the Game
2.1 Game Modes
2.1.1 Arcade Normal Mode
2.1.2 Arcade Expert Mode
2.1.3 Training Mode
2.1.4 Free Mode
2.1.5 Options
2.1.6 Disc Change / Append Discs
2.1.7 Play Select (Modifiers)
2.2 Controllers
3.0 Song Lists
3.1 Song and BPM Matrix
3.2 Expert Mode Courses
4.0 Tips, Tricks, and Hints
5.0 Frequently Asked Questions
6.0 Version History
7.0 Acknowledgements/credits
Beatmania is Konami's contribution to the arcade and home music/rhythm
game genre. Some say that it single-handedly started the current trend in
rhythm games; whatever you believe, Beatmania is here to stay. There are
no less than two dozen incarnations of BM spanning arcades, home consoles,
portable systems, and even dedicated handheld keychain machines. Almost all
of these are only available in Japan; here in the US, we've only received the
strangely named 'Hiphopmania Complete Mix' game and it's sequel, Hiphopmania
Complete Mix 2, in arcades (what was so wrong with 'Beatmania'?!?) It is
hugely popular in Japan...it's very difficult to walk into an arcade and not
find a machine or two waiting for you to pop in your hard-earned yen. =)
To oversimplify, in the arcade Beatmania, you take control of a simple mock-up
of a DJ turntable-and-key setup. Five large piano-style keys are on the left,
three white below two black, with a spinnable turntable on the right (newer
versions have additions, such as the seven-key layout in IIdx or the foot
pedal in III, but I digress...) On the sides of the screen, small bars fall
towards a simple diagram of your key-and-table setup at the bottom of the
screen.
As the bars hit the bottom, you press the appropriate key or spin (scratch) the
turntable. Sounds simple? Well, it is, until you start have to playing the
keys like they were on a piano, pressing two or three at a time, and trying to
get a few fingers over to the turntable when necessary. Seeing a player with
skill is truly an awesome sight - seeing someone who sucks is just plain funny.
And you will suck the first time you play, but practice does make perfect, and
before long, you'll be whipping out five, six, and seven-star songs like they
were second nature.
(1.2 - Beatmania Best Hits)
Beatmania Best Hits was released for the Japanese Playstation on 27 July 2000
for 5,800 yen retail. For those outside of Japan, you can order it through
online retailers such as NCS (www.ncsx.com), Tronix (www.tronixweb.com), or
others. If you live near a store that carries import games, they also may have
it in stock or be able to order it for you. It contains a total of 56 of the
most popular songs from previous Beatmanias. Some popular tracks (Body, Drunk
Monky) are noticably absent, but the selection of tracks is varied enough and
covers all of the previous games relatively evenly, giving a balanced feel to
the game. About a dozen of the 56 tracks are 'Another' versions of other
tracks on the disc - the same musical background is played, but more keypresses
are required, making the song sound drastically different. As you work through
the game, more tracks become available, along with one hidden Expert Mode
course...
Best Hits also acts as a 'Key Disc'. Additional Beatmania Playstation discs,
known as 'Append Discs' require a Key Disc to work (see section 2.1.6).
-------------------------------------------------
| 2 ~ Playing the Game |\
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\________________________________________________\
(2.1 - Game Modes)
The first time you load the game (or if you do not have a Best Hits game save
on a memory card when the game boots), you will be asked to choose a controller
type. Choose 'Original' if you have one of the optional key-and-table
controllers.
If you're using a standard PSX controller, Dual Shock, digital, third-party,
whatever - choose 'Normal'. You're then presented with the main menu. For the
sake of naming, I'll refer to the 'Game Start' option as 'Arcade Mode' from here
on out.
(2.1.1 - Arcade Normal Mode)
This is a four-stage mode that allows you to choose which song you will play
for each of the stages. When you choose Normal Mode, you're presented with a
list of additional options (more on this in section 2.1.7). Once you've done
these and selected a song, the game starts and the aforementioned bars start
falling. Tap the keys and scratch (or punch the keys on your PSX controller)
to the rhythm. For each keypress, you will be rated with a quick flash towards
the bottom of the screen - Just Great (rainbow Great), Great, Good, Bad, or
Poor.
Press the key right on time, and you'll get a Just Great. The further off your
timing, the lower the score you'll get. If you're way off or miss a note
altogether, you will get a Poor. Successive Just Great/Great combinations
will yield 'combos', which will also be tallied in the same spot concurrently
with the performance displays. If you get a Good or Bad, the combo will be
broken. Strangely enough, I've found that Poor ratings usually don't break
combos (don't know why.)
At the bottom of the play screen are two performance meters, one for each
player, that run from blue to red. At the start of the level, you'll have
a few blue bars filled in. The object of the game is to perform well enough
to raise the bar into the red section and keep it there. Great and Just Great
ratings will raise the bar, Goods will do nothing, Bad ratings will lower it
a little bit, and Poors will lower it more. If the bar is in the red at the
end of the song, you'll progress to the next stage, if there is one. If it's
still in the blue, you'll be booed off the stage =). Don't worry, there are
unlimited continues.
In addition, a small, animated dancer hangs out by the performance gauge.
Do well, and he will get his groove on, going faster and faster as your bar
increases. Do poorly, and he'll simply shrug, as if to say, 'you expect me
to dance to this??'
Your score is tabulated based on Goods, Greats, and Just Greats. Bad and
Poor rankings will score you nothing. A full song played perfectly scoring
all Just Greats yields 200,000 points - good luck on achieving this.
All songs have a 'star' rating, from one to seven (or blank for unknown).
The higher the number of stars, the harder the song. The song ratings are
taken mostly intact from their original games. Since Beatmania has gotten
progressively more difficult since it's inception, the star ratings across
the songs are slightly out of balance. 'e-Motion', a four star track from
Beatmania 2nd mix, is not nearly as hard as Miracle Moon ~L.E.D. Light
Style Mix~, a track with the same rating but from 5th mix, which was released
two years after 2nd mix. Beware.
Harder songs will become available as you get to the fourth stage. The first
stage will only let you select songs from one to three stars. By stage four,
you won't be able to select anything under five stars.
(2.1.2 - Arcade Expert Mode)
This mode plays a little different from Normal mode in that you have to clear
preset courses where the songs are chosen for you. Each course has five
songs that are usually progressively difficult as the course wears on.
In addition, instead of having a variable performance bar, you start out
with one full orange bar. As you play, Bad and Poor ratings will decrease
the bar, but the other ratings *won't* raise it. Your bar is not ever
replenished for the whole course, so once it's empty, the game's over.
You cannot continue in Expert Mode.
The scoring system is also different. You are awarded two points for each
Just Great mark and one point for every Great note you achieve. All other
ranks score no points. If you make it through the whole course and have
Auto-Turntable disabled, you are presented with an Internet Ranking Password.
Konami's Internet Ranking for Best Hits closed on 7 September 2000, but you
can see how you would have stacked up to the best on the 'Net at
http://www.konami.co.jp/kcej/products/west/beatmania/besthits/bh_ir/view.html .
You will need a Japanese-capable browser to view the comments and the
prefectures
of residence for those high-scoring DJs.
(2.1.3 - Training Mode)
Training mode allows you to try any song you've accessed through Arcade mode.
You can slow the note scrolling down (no music will be played, but it will
help you get the rhythm) and have the CPU play songs perfectly so you can hear
how they should be pounded out. A review mode also lets you go back and see
your rank on each note you hit in the last song you played, to help you
identify trouble spots. The in-game graphics are not shown in Training Mode.
(2.1.4 - Free Mode)
This mode plays almost exactly like Arcade mode, except you are free to
play songs as many times as you wish. You are given the option of having
a Normal performance bar or an Expert-style bar; the Expert bar is refilled
after each song. You can access any song that you have played in Arcade
mode here. The center graphics are shown in Free Mode.
(2.1.5 - Options)
From top to bottom:
**Game Option
*Game Level: Easy, Normal, Hard, Extreme. In Normal Arcade mode, determines
how generous the performance bar is. Higher settings mean longer blue bars
and shorter red ones, making it harder to clear a stage. Unclear as to how
it affects Arcade Expert mode, but I believe that higher difficulties
increase the rate of loss from your performance bar as you score Bad and
Poor marks.
*Sound Mode: Stereo or Mono. Only you know which one is right for you.
*BGM Volume: Scale from 1 to 9
*SE Volume: Scale from 1 to 9
*Controller 1P/2P : Original for Beatmania controllers, Normal for PSX pads
and joysticks.
*Auto Turntable 1P/2P : See section 4.
**Key Config: Allows you to change the key assignments if you are using a
PSX controller. Beatmania controllers cannot be modified.
**Vibration: Set vibration settings for PSX Dual-Shock and compatible
controllers.
**Effect: Sets the effect type and level. The effector is toggled in the
game by using the Select button.
**Sound Test: Test the background music and key sounds from each track.
Only for tracks you have accessed.
**Records: High scores for Normal Arcade mode and each of the Expert courses,
given in total score, then by Rank (Just Great, Great, Good, Bad, Poor).
**Memory Card: Load or Save. Turning Auto Save 'On' saves after each Arcade
Game. The system will automatically try to load from a memory card upon
startup.
(2.1.6 - Disc Change)
This allows you to change to one of several Append Discs. Choose Disc Change,
eject your Best Hits disc, insert an Append Disc and press start.
What doesn't Work:
2nd Mix, Beatmania Featuring Dreams Come True, DDR Discs, Guitar Freaks Discs,
Dancing Stage, pretty much anything else.
(2.1.7 - Play Select)
These options are available in both Arcade Mode and Free Mode. Select or
deselect them by using a white key (Beatmania Controller) or circle button
(PSX controller).
*Hidden - Notes disappear 1/3 of the way from the bottom of the screen.
*Double - You're manning both sides of the screen. Best of luck to you.
*Battle - Both players get the exact same notes. In Arcade Mode, at least
one player has to pass for both to go on to the next stage.
*Random - The notes will still appear at the same time as before, but their
order will be different.
*Mirror - Mirrors the notes. Left white key and right white key notes will
be reversed, as will all black key notes. Center white key and turntable
scratches are unaffected.
*Sudden - Notes appear 1/3 of the way from the bottom of the screen.
*Hi-Speed - the music is at the same tempo, but the notes scroll twice as
fast, giving you less time to react.
Note that if you enable both Hidden and Sudden modes, all notes will be
invisible.
(2.2 - Controllers)
There are several controllers available for Beatmania that mimic the
arcade setup:
*Konami DJ Station Pro. This is the controller to get. Well, that's what I've
heard anyway, since I've never seen one in person. NCS is now accepting new
orders for them as of this week (last week of September 2000).
The controller itself has light-up keys that are also shaped like their arcade
counterparts. The turntable has a grip surface on it. The unit is metal
instead of plastic. And to top it all off, there are independent volume
sliders for the headphone jack that's on the back (passthrough cables for
your PSX are provided). What more could you want?
*ASCII Beatmania Controller : This is the one I use (because up until this
week, I couldn't find a DJ Station Pro. Not even in Japan.) It's relatively
lightweight, and the buttons work well, but the scratch pad sucks. There's no
traction whatsoever like the arcade or the DJSP, so your fingers do more sliding
and gliding than you'd probably like. The buttons on mine have taken quite
a beating and haven't failed yet. I've heard other people complain about
this controller, but I kind of like it.
**DJ Man / BeatCon: I have no experience with these. Please let me know if
you own/have used one of these and give me your impressions.
-------------------------------------------------
| 3 ~ Song Lists |\
-------------------------------------------------
\________________________________________________\
Follws are all the songs and Expert Courses available in the game. Not all
are available at the start of the game. Some appear to be unlocked by good
performance (the hidden Expert Course appeared after I beat three other expert
courses), while others appear to be unlocked after you've beaten certain songs.
I'll update this section as I find out more information.
1. u Gotta Groove
2. Do You Love Me?
3. Papaya Bossa
4. Hunting for You
5. Do It All Night
Course 2 ~ 2nd / Yebisu
1. Cat Song ~ Theme of UPA
2. Overdoser (Romo Mix)
3. Metal Gear Solid ~ Main Theme
4. Deep Clear Eyes
5. e-Motion (2nd Mix)
Course 3 ~ 3rd / Gotta
1. NaHaNaHa vs. Gattchoon Battle
2. Believe Again
3. Manmachine Plays Jazz
4. Attack the Music
5. Genom Screams
Course 4 ~ 4th / 5th
1. Overblast!!
2. Paranoia Max ~Dirty Mix~
3. Brand New World
4. Prince on a Star
5. Deep in You
Course 5 ~ Hard
1. Ska a Go Go
2. Hell Scaper
3. R3
4. Logical Dash (KCEJ Original Another)
5. The Earth Light
Course 6 ~ Best
1. Miracle Moon
2. Quick Master (Reform Version)
3. 20, November (Single Mix)
4. Super Highway
5. Luv to Me (Disco Mix) Version Gotta
Course 7 ~ L.E.D Light Another
1. Overblast!! (KCEJ Original Another)
2. Miracle Moon ~L.E.D. Light Style Mix~ (KCEJ Original Another)
3. Hell Scaper (KCEJ Original Another)
4. Genom Screams (KCEJ Original Another)
5. The Earth Light (KCEJ Original Another)
In all modes, you are able to have the turntable notes counted automatically,
allowing you to concentrate on the keys. 'Auto Turntable' mode is enabled in
the options and is great for beginning players, especially those just learning
the songs themselves. All turntable scratches are counted as 'Good' ratings,
but like other 'Good' rankings, only add a little to your score and your
performance meter. Keep this in mind as you get better - you can actually
score higher and advance your meter more quickly if you scratch the turntable
yourself and get Just Great and Great ratings than if you let the game do the
work for you.
-------------------------------------------------
| 6 ~ Version History |\
-------------------------------------------------
\________________________________________________\
Version 1.0 (October 4, 2000) - initial release. All songs with 1p note
counts, all Expert mode courses.
-------------------------------------------------
| 7 ~ Acknowledgements and Credits |\
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\________________________________________________\
Many thanks to Konami for putting out the Beatmania series, which keep getting
better over time (they keep getting harder too).
Thanks to all of the mad Japanese players that I saw in Tokyo this past summer.
You haven't seen anything until you've seen someone play BM III Double Hidden!
Thanks to my wife and my son for being there =)
~~~~
This FAQ is copyright 2000 and beyond by Eric M. French. It may be distributed
freely across the internet, but cannot be used or sold, either in whole
or in part, for profit, personal gain, or any other reason. Write your
own FAQ, don't steal others'.
Konami, Beatmania, Dance Dance Revolution are all trademarks of Konami Japan.
Hiphopmania is a trademark of Konami America.
~~~~
This FAQ can be found at http://www.gamefaqs.com or
http://homepage.mac.com/jaguarandi (click on 'Bemani'). If you have any
suggestions, comments, corrections, flames, etc., please send them
to jaguarandi@mindspring.com .
