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= 1999 =
= 1999 =


1999 was a very big year for music games in general. Following the success of beatmania, DanceDanceRevolution, and pop'n music, several video game developers started releasing their own music games. ANDAMIRO's ''Pump It Up'' and Amuse World's ''EZ2DJ'' were hitting Korean arcades, and even established game series made before beatmania became big got sequels: NanaOn-Sha's ''UmJammer Lammy'' was a huge hit, combining the engine of its predecessor ''PaRappa the Rapper'' with more freeform guitar licks, and Enix's ''Bust-A-Move 2'' was hitting shelves in early 1999. NAMCO's cult hit ''Pacapaca Passion'' received a PlayStation port, as well as an upgraded version (Special) and a sequel. The PlayStation also received several of its own rhythm games - Warashi's ''Le Concert ff'' and ''Le Concert pp'' took it a step forward and had you controlling an entire orchestra. NanaOn-Sha also released the cult classic ''vib-ribbon'', which used a unique, scribbled black and white aesthetic and had your character literally changing as you moved around. The end of 1999 also saw SEGA step into the music game genre with Compile's ''Puyo Puyo DA!'' and Sonic Team's ''Samba de Amigo''. It would be far from the last rhythm games from the company.
1999 was a very big year for music games in general. Following the success of beatmania, DanceDanceRevolution, and pop'n music, several video game developers started releasing their own music games. ANDAMIRO's ''PUMP IT UP'' and Amuse World's ''EZ2DJ'' were hitting Korean arcades, and even established game series made before beatmania became big got sequels: NanaOn-Sha's ''UmJammer Lammy'' was a huge hit, combining the engine of its predecessor ''PaRappa the Rapper'' with more freeform guitar licks, and Enix's ''Bust-A-Move 2'' was hitting shelves in early 1999. NAMCO's cult hit ''Pacapaca Passion'' received a PlayStation port, as well as an upgraded version (Special) and a sequel. The PlayStation also received several of its own rhythm games - Warashi's ''Le Concert ff'' and ''Le Concert pp'' took it a step forward and had you controlling an entire orchestra. NanaOn-Sha also released the cult classic ''vib-ribbon'', which used a unique, scribbled black and white aesthetic and had your character literally changing as you moved around. The end of 1999 also saw SEGA step into the music game genre with Compile's ''Puyo Puyo DA!'' and Sonic Team's ''Samba de Amigo''. It would be far from the last rhythm games from the company.


KONAMI itself was pretty busy, too. In addition to three new arcade beatmania titles, six new DanceDanceRevolution arcade titles, and two new pop'n music arcade titles, KONAMI also introduced two brand-new games: [[AC GF|GUITARFREAKS]] and [[AC DM|drummania]]. Unlike their previous game series, though, these games originally featured music from almost entirely veteran KONAMI music composers. Original sound director [[Mutsuhiko Izumi]]'s hard rock sound from over 20 years of previous music experience helped develop a very rich sound the series has to this day. Together with veteran [[Yoshihiko Koezuka]]'s more mellow 80s sound, veteran [[Harumi Ueko|Jimmy Weckl]]'s jazz, and newcomers [[Hideyuki Ono]]'s ska inspired sound and [[Toshio Sakurai]]'s more rock pop sound, GUITARFREAKS and drummania quickly became hits, the former receiving a [[CS GF|PlayStation port]] by the end of the year.
KONAMI itself was pretty busy, too. In addition to three new arcade beatmania titles, six new DanceDanceRevolution arcade titles, and two new pop'n music arcade titles, KONAMI also introduced two brand-new games: [[AC GF|GUITARFREAKS]] and [[AC DM|drummania]]. Unlike their previous game series, though, these games originally featured music from almost entirely veteran KONAMI music composers. Original sound director [[Mutsuhiko Izumi]]'s hard rock sound from over 20 years of previous music experience helped develop a very rich sound the series has to this day. Together with veteran [[Yoshihiko Koezuka]]'s more mellow 80s sound, veteran [[Harumi Ueko]]'s jazz, and newcomers [[Hideyuki Ono]]'s ska inspired sound and [[Toshio Sakurai]]'s more rock pop sound, GUITARFREAKS and drummania quickly became hits, the former receiving a [[CS GF|PlayStation port]] by the end of the year.


But perhaps the biggest of the new games released that year was, ironically, a spin-off game; [[AC 1st style|beatmania IIDX]]. beatmania IIDX added two new buttons to the overall game design, and also re-positioned the 1P turntable to the left. But it also boasts something the original beatmania never had; full-motion video. For the first time, licensed tracks from the likes of [[m-flo]] and other artists featured their original videos. This game also marked the debuts of the hugely popular BEMANI artists [[Takayuki Ishikawa]] (dj TAKA) and [[Takehiko Fujii]] (SLAKE). Meanwhile, the original series continued on with [[AC bm 4th|beatmania 4thMIX -the beat goes on-]], which would introduce another staple BEMANI artist, [[Toshiyuki Kakuta]] (L.E.D.). Fujii in-particular went on to sound direct near every beatmania game from 1999 onward, while Ishikawa stayed on board with beatmania IIDX, inviting friends of his like [[Taku Sakakibara]] (TaQ) and [[Osamu Kubota]] to help make a rich, more electronic counterpart to the more hip-hop/dance/techno tone that the original beatmania kept with Fujii. An append release, [[AC substream|substream]], would also introduce [[Goli Matsumoto]], who would go on to decorate almost every single style of beatmania IIDX with his artwork. All of these men would play a major role in the future of beatmania.
But perhaps the biggest of the new games released that year was, ironically, a spin-off game; [[AC 1st style|beatmania IIDX]]. beatmania IIDX added two new buttons to the overall game design, and also re-positioned the 1P turntable to the left. But it also boasts something the original beatmania never had; full-motion video. For the first time, licensed tracks from the likes of m-flo and other artists featured their original videos. This game also marked the debuts of the hugely popular BEMANI artists [[Takayuki Ishikawa]] (dj TAKA) and [[Takehiko Fujii]] (SLAKE). Meanwhile, the original series continued on with [[AC bm 4th|beatmania 4thMIX 〜the beat goes on〜]], which would introduce another staple BEMANI artist, [[Toshiyuki Kakuta]] (L.E.D.). Fujii in-particular went on to sound direct near every beatmania game from 1999 onward, while Ishikawa stayed on board with beatmania IIDX, inviting friends of his like [[Taku Sakakibara]] (TaQ) and [[Osamu Kubota]] to help make a rich, more electronic counterpart to the more hip-hop/dance/techno tone that the original beatmania kept with Fujii. An append release, [[AC substream|substream]], would also introduce [[Goli Matsumoto]], who would go on to decorate almost every single style of beatmania IIDX with his artwork. All of these men would play a major role in the future of beatmania.


beatmania wasn't the only game with a spin-off, though. DanceDanceRevolution had the [[AC DDR Solo BASS|Solo BASS MIX]] and [[AC DDR Solo 2000|Solo 2000]] games, which transformed the usual four-panel style of DDR on its head. Now you had two extra arrows on the top left and right to work with, resulting in a far more difficult game overall. Both of these games contained almost completely brand-new songs never before in the series.
beatmania wasn't the only game with a spin-off, though. DanceDanceRevolution had the [[AC DDR Solo BASS|Solo BASS MIX]] and [[AC DDR Solo 2000|Solo 2000]] games, which transformed the usual four-panel style of DDR on its head. Now you had two extra arrows on the top left and right to work with, resulting in a far more difficult game overall. Both of these games contained almost completely brand-new songs never before in the series.


pop'n music itself had [[AC pns|pop'n stage]], which was a bit like ''PUMP IT UP'', but keysounded. This game also had an almost completely original songlist, and near all of its songs would pop up in the main series of pop'n music titles. It even got an upgrade later that year known as [[AC pns ex|pop'n stage ex]], which added a new difficulty level, a few songs from the then current [[AC pnm 3|pop'n music 3]], and two brand-new songs. One of the new songs, [[WE TWO ARE ONE]], introduced [[Kiyoshi Murai|Seiya Murai]] to BEMANI. Murai would be for years after one of the biggest names in pop'n music, and also a key staff member of KEYBOARDMANIA starting the following year.
pop'n music itself had [[AC pns|pop'n stage]], which was a bit like ''PUMP IT UP'', but keysounded. This game also had an almost completely original songlist, and near all of its songs would pop up in the main series of pop'n music titles. It even got an upgrade later that year known as [[AC pns ex|pop'n stage ex]], which added a new difficulty level, a few songs from the then current [[AC pnm 3|pop'n music 3]], and two brand-new songs. One of the new songs, [[WE TWO ARE ONE]], introduced [[Kiyoshi Murai]] to BEMANI. Murai would be for years after one of the biggest names in pop'n music, and also a key staff member of KEYBOARDMANIA starting the following year.


The Sony PlayStation became the new home for most of these new BEMANI arcade releases. DanceDanceRevolution games became huge hits on the system, and the beatmania games continued to sell quite well. KONAMI even dabbled with the Game Boy with their beatmania games, producing three games in all.
The Sony PlayStation became the new home for most of these new BEMANI arcade releases. DanceDanceRevolution games became huge hits on the system, and the beatmania games continued to sell quite well. KONAMI even dabbled with the Game Boy with their beatmania games, producing three games in all.


KONAMI knew it couldn't keep their music games to just Japan and the rest of Asia at this point, so they started releasing some of their arcade games overseas in North America as well. Unfortunately, the foreign arcade market at the time wasn't as receptive as they would be just a couple of years later to rhythm games. There were two exceptions, though. The first was [[AC DS 1st|Dancing Stage]], an European arcade game loosely based on [[AC DDR 2nd|DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX]] that encouraged KONAMI to release a sequel the following year. The other was '''hiphopmania completeMIX''', a North American version of [[AC bm complete|beatmania completeMIX]] that also managed a year later to get a sequel. (Unfortunately the cabinet is quite hard to find, even back then.)
KONAMI knew it couldn't keep their music games to just Japan and the rest of Asia at this point, so they started releasing some of their arcade games overseas in North America as well. Unfortunately, the foreign arcade market at the time wasn't as receptive as they would be just a couple of years later to rhythm games. There were two exceptions, though. The first was [[AC DS 1st|Dancing Stage]], an European arcade game loosely based on [[AC DDR 2nd|DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX]] that encouraged KONAMI to release a sequel the following year. The other was '''hiphopmania completeMIX''', a North American version of [[AC bm complete|beatmania completeMIX]] that also managed a year later to get a sequel. (Unfortunately the cabinet is quite hard to find, even back then.)
 
 
Lastly, 1999 also marked an extremely important milestone. KONAMI started adapting the current BEMANI name for their music games, the name itself taken from their first game series, beatmania.
Lastly, 1999 also marked an extremely important milestone. KONAMI started adapting the current BEMANI name for their music games, the name itself taken from their first game series, beatmania.


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== January ==
== January ==
* January 19th: [[AC bm complete|beatmania completeMIX]], a compilation game of the first three [[AC bm 1st|beatmania]] [[AC bm 2nd|arcade]] [[AC bm 3rd|games]], is released to Japanese arcades.
* January 19th: [[AC bm complete|beatmania completeMIX]], a compilation game of the first three [[AC bm 1st|beatmania]] [[AC bm 2nd|arcade]] [[AC bm 3rd|games]], is released to Japanese arcades.
** BEMANI graphic artist [[Hotaru Matsuzaki]] (F-FLY) makes her BEMANI debut in this game.
** BEMANI graphic artist [[Hotaru Matsuzaki]] (F-FLY) makes her BEMANI debut in this game.
* January 29th: [[AC DDR 2nd|DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX]] is released to Japanese arcades.
* January 29th: [[AC DDR 2nd|DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX]] is released to Japanese arcades.
** [[Naoki Maeda]] start using his NAOKI alias in BEMANI beginning with this game.
** [[Naoki Maeda]] starts using his NAOKI alias in BEMANI beginning with this game.
* January 31st: ''beatmania Special CD'' album is released. It contains several songs from the first three beatmania arcade games, coming free with the ''beatmania PRESS MIX'' book KONAMI released to promote beatmania.
* January 31st: ''beatmania Special CD'' album is released. It contains several songs from the first three beatmania arcade games, coming free with the ''beatmania PRESS MIX'' book KONAMI released to promote beatmania.
* Date unknown:
** [[AC bm 3rd|beatmania 3rdMIX]] is released to European arcades.
** [[AC DS 1st|Dancing Stage]] is released to European arcades.


== February ==
== February ==
* February 16th: [[AC GF|GUITARFREAKS]] is released to Japanese arcades.
** BEMANI debuts of in-house composers [[Mutsuhiko Izumi]], [[Toshio Sakurai]], and [[Harumi Ueko|Jimmy Weckl]].
* February 25th: [[CS pnm|pop'n music CS]] is released in Japan for both the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Dreamcast.
* February 25th: [[CS pnm|pop'n music CS]] is released in Japan for both the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Dreamcast.
** Veteran KONAMI composers [[Yoichi Hayashi]], [[Satoru Nakata]], and [[Junichiro Kaneda]] make their BEMANI debuts, the former staying on as head sound director of the series for the next five years.
** Veteran KONAMI composers [[Yoichi Hayashi]], [[Satoru Nakata]], and [[Junichiro Kaneda]] make their BEMANI debuts, the former staying on as head sound director of the series for the next five years.
* February 26th: [[AC 1st style|beatmania IIDX]] is released to Japanese arcades.
* February 26th: [[AC 1st style|beatmania IIDX]] is released to Japanese arcades.
** BEMANI debuts of in-house artists [[Takayuki Ishikawa|dj TAKA]] and [[Takehiko Fujii|SLAKE]].
** BEMANI debuts of in-house artists [[Takayuki Ishikawa]] and [[Takehiko Fujii]].


== March ==
== March ==
* March 11th: [[CS bm GB|beatmania GB]] is released in Japan for Nintendo's Game Boy Color.
* March 11th: [[CS bm GB|beatmania GB]] is released in Japan for Nintendo's Game Boy Color.
* March 15th: [[AC GF|GUITARFREAKS]] is released to Japanese arcades.
** BEMANI debuts of in-house composers [[Mutsuhiko Izumi]], [[Toshio Sakurai]], and [[Harumi Ueko]].
* March 18th: ''GUITAR FREAKS ORIGINAL GAME SOUNDTRACK'' album released.
* March 18th: ''GUITAR FREAKS ORIGINAL GAME SOUNDTRACK'' album released.
* March 19th: [[AC pnm 2|pop'n music 2]] is released to Japanese arcades.
* March 19th: [[AC pnm 2|pop'n music 2]] is released to Japanese arcades.
* March 26th: ''pop'n music original soundtrack'' album released.
* March 26th: ''pop'n music original soundtrack'' album released.
* March 26th: Singer [[Yurica Nagasawa]]'s third and final album with KONAMI, [[1999~VOCE~]], is released.
* March 26th: Singer [[Yurica Nagasawa]]'s third and final album with KONAMI, [[1999~VOCE~]], is released.
* Date unknown: [[AC GF|GUITARFREAKS]] is released to North American arcades.


== April ==
== April ==
* April 10th: [[CS DDR 1st JP|DanceDanceRevolution CS (Japan)]] is released in Japan for the Sony PlayStation.
* April 10th: [[CS DDR 1st JP|DanceDanceRevolution CS (Japan)]] is released in Japan for the Sony PlayStation.
** Another staple in-house DDR composer, [[Yuichi Asami]], makes his BEMANI debut in this game.
** Another staple in-house DDR composer, [[Yuichi Asami]], makes his BEMANI debut in this game.
* April 16th: ''Konami Game Music Now 1999'' album released. It exclusively contains the new songs from beatmania GB on it, along with various beatmania, DanceDanceRevolution, GUITARFREAKS, and pop'n music songs among other KONAMI game franchises.
* April 16th: ''Konami Game Music Now 1999'' album released. It exclusively contains the new songs from beatmania GB on it, along with various beatmania, DanceDanceRevolution, GUITARFREAKS, and pop'n music songs among other KONAMI game franchises.
* April 21st: [[AC DDR CLUB VER.1|DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX with beatmania IIDX CLUB VERSiON]] is released to Japanese arcades. This game combines DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX and beatmania IIDX together to play 13 songs on for synchronized play.
* April 21st: [[AC DDR CLUB VER.1|DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX with beatmania IIDX CLUB VERSiON]] is released to Japanese arcades. This game combines DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX and beatmania IIDX together to play 13 songs on for synchronized play.
* April 23rd: ''beatmania IIDX Original Soundtracks'' album is released, containing (near) all the KONAMI originals new and old from [[AC 1st style|beatmania IIDX]].
* April 23rd: [[beatmania IIDX Original Soundtracks]] album is released, containing (near) all the KONAMI originals new and old from [[AC 1st style|beatmania IIDX]].
* April 26th: [[AC bm 4th|beatmania 4thMIX -the beat goes on-]] is released to Japanese arcades.
* April 26th: [[AC bm 4th|beatmania 4thMIX 〜the beat goes on〜]] is released to Japanese arcades.
** SLAKE assumes the role of sound director of beatmania from dj nagureo, who would continue to stay on board as a sound supervisor.
** Takehiko Fujii assumes the role of sound director of beatmania from Reo Nagumo, who would continue to stay on board as a sound supervisor.
** BEMANI debut of in-house composer [[Toshiyuki Kakuta|L.E.D.]].
** BEMANI debut of in-house composer [[Toshiyuki Kakuta]].
* April 28th: [[CS bm WS|beatmania for WonderSwan]] is released in Japan for the Bandai WonderSwan.
* April 28th: [[CS bm WS|beatmania for WonderSwan]] is released in Japan for the Bandai WonderSwan.
* April 28th: ''DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX LINK VERSION'', an upgrade to DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX, is released to Japanese arcades.
* April 28th: ''DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX LINK VERSION'', an upgrade to DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX, is released to Japanese arcades.
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== May ==
== May ==
* May 28th: [[beatmania SuperMIX]] album is released.
* May 28th: [[beatmania SuperMIX]] album is released.
* May 29th: [[CS bm GOTTA|beatmania APPEND GOTTAMIX]] is released in Japan for the Sony PlayStation.
* May 29th: [[CS bm GOTTA|beatmania APPEND GOTTAMIX]] is released in Japan for the Sony PlayStation.


== June ==
== June ==
* June 10th: ''beatmania GOTTAMIX Original CD'', a mini-album of the new songs from beatmania APPEND GOTTAMIX, is released alongside the ''beatmania GOTTAMIX Consumer Guide'' book.
* June 10th: ''beatmania GOTTAMIX Original CD'', a mini-album of the new songs from beatmania APPEND GOTTAMIX, is released alongside the ''beatmania GOTTAMIX Consumer Guide'' book.
* June 17th: ''beatmania 4thMIX Original Soundtracks'' album released.
* June 17th: ''beatmania 4thMIX Original Soundtracks'' album released.
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== July ==
== July ==
 
* July 8th: [[AC GF2|GUITARFREAKS 2ndMIX]] is released to Japanese arcades.
* July 10th: [[AC DM|drummania]] and [[AC GF2|GUITARFREAKS 2ndMIX]] are released to Japanese arcades. The former game introduced veteran KONAMI composer [[Motoaki Furukawa]] to BEMANI, while the latter game marked the debut of veteran composer [[Yoshihiko Koezuka]] and newcomer [[Hideyuki Ono]] to BEMANI.
** KONAMI composer [[Motoaki Furukawa]] marks his BEMANI debut.
* July 21st: [[AC DM|drummania]] is released to Japanese arcades.
** Marks the BEMANI debut of veteran composer [[Yoshihiko Koezuka]] and newcomer [[Hideyuki Ono]].
* July 27th: [[AC substream|beatmania IIDX substream]], an enhanced version of beatmania IIDX is released to Japanese arcades.
* July 27th: [[AC substream|beatmania IIDX substream]], an enhanced version of beatmania IIDX is released to Japanese arcades.
** dj nagureo steps down as sound director of beatmania IIDX, and his position goes to dj TAKA, who would serve as head sound director of the series for the next six years.
** Reo Nagumo steps down as sound director of beatmania IIDX, and his position goes to Takayuki Ishikawa, who would serve as head sound director of the series for the next five years.
** Artists [[Goli Matsumoto|GOLI]] and [[Yuji Takahashi]] (YUZ/VJ YUZ) make their BEMANI debuts in this game.
** Artists [[Goli Matsumoto]] and [[Yuji Takahashi]] (YUZ/VJ YUZ) make their BEMANI debuts in this game.
* July 27th: [[AC DDR CLUB VER.2|DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX AND beatmania IIDX substream CLUB VERSiON 2]] is released to Japanese arcades. A sequel to DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX with beatmania IIDX CLUB VERSiON, this version features five full charts for each of its 42 songs.
* July 27th: [[AC DDR CLUB VER.2|DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX AND beatmania IIDX substream CLUB VERSiON 2]] is released to Japanese arcades. A sequel to DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX with beatmania IIDX CLUB VERSiON, this version features five full charts for each of its 42 songs.
* July 27th: [[AC DS TRUE KiSS DESTiNATiON|Dancing Stage featuring TRUE KiSS DESTiNATiON]] is released to Japanese arcades.
* July 27th: [[AC DS TRUE KiSS DESTiNATiON|Dancing Stage featuring TRUE KiSS DESTiNATiON]] is released to Japanese arcades.
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== August ==
== August ==
* August 6th: ''drummania original soundtracks'' album released.
* August 6th: ''drummania original soundtracks'' album released.
* August 19th: [[AC DDR Solo BASS|DanceDanceRevolution Solo BASS MIX]] is released to Japanese arcades.
* August 19th: [[AC DDR Solo BASS|DanceDanceRevolution Solo BASS MIX]] is released to Japanese arcades.
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** Veteran KONAMI composer [[Akira Yamaoka]] makes his BEMANI debut.
** Veteran KONAMI composer [[Akira Yamaoka]] makes his BEMANI debut.
* August 27th: ''beatmania GOTTAMIX Original Soundtracks'' album released.
* August 27th: ''beatmania GOTTAMIX Original Soundtracks'' album released.
* Date unknown: ''' Dancing Stage INTERNET R@NKING Version''', an enhanced port of Dancing Stage, is released.


== September ==
== September ==
* September 3rd: ''GUITAR FREAKS 2nd MIX ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK'' album released.
* September 3rd: ''GUITAR FREAKS 2nd MIX ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK'' album released.
* September 9th: [[CS bm 4th|beatmania APPEND 4thMIX]] is released in Japan for the Sony PlayStation.
* September 9th: [[CS bm 4th|beatmania APPEND 4thMIX 〜the beat goes on〜]] is released in Japan for the Sony PlayStation.
* September 14th: [[CS pnm 2|pop'n music 2 CS]] is released in Japan for both the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Dreamcast.
* September 14th: [[CS pnm 2|pop'n music 2 CS]] is released in Japan for both the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Dreamcast.
* September 17th: [[AC pnm 3|pop'n music 3]] is released to Japanese arcades.
* September 17th: [[AC pnm 3|pop'n music 3]] is released to Japanese arcades.
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== October ==
== October ==
* October 8th: ''beatmania ANI-SONGS MIX featuring Dynamic Pro'' album released. It contains new remixes of various anime licenses. Notable remixers include [[Hiroshi Watanabe]] and [[Yasuhiko Fukuda]].
* October 8th: ''beatmania ANI-SONGS MIX featuring Dynamic Pro'' album released. It contains new remixes of various anime licenses. Notable remixers include [[Hiroshi Watanabe]] and [[Yasuhiko Fukuda]].
* October 8th: ''beatmania ANI-SONGS MIX featuring Tatsunoko Pro'' album released. It contains remixes of various Tatsunoko Production anime series. Later BEMANI composer [[Koji Takahashi|co-ping]] appears on the album.
* October 8th: ''beatmania ANI-SONGS MIX featuring Tatsunoko Pro'' album released. It contains remixes of various Tatsunoko Production anime series. Later BEMANI composer [[Koji Takahashi]] appears on the album.
* October 22nd: ''pop'n music 2 original soundtracks ★ new songs collection'' album released.
* October 22nd: ''pop'n music 2 original soundtracks ★ new songs collection'' album released.
* October 30th: [[AC DDR 3rd|DanceDanceRevolution 3rdMIX]] is released to Japanese arcades.
* October 30th: [[AC DDR 3rd|DanceDanceRevolution 3rdMIX]] is released to Japanese arcades.


== November ==
== November ==
* November 25th: [[CS bm GB Gatcha|beatmania GB2 ガッチャミックス]] is released in Japan for Nintendo's Game Boy Color.
* November 25th: [[CS bm GB Gatcha|beatmania GB2 ガッチャミックス]] is released in Japan for Nintendo's Game Boy Color.
* November 25th: [[CS DDR 2ndReMIX APPEND CLUB vol.1|DanceDanceRevolution 2ndReMIX APPEND CLUB VERSiON vol.1]] is released for the Sony PlayStation
* November 25th: [[CS DDR 2ndReMIX APPEND CLUB vol.1|DanceDanceRevolution 2ndReMIX APPEND CLUB VERSiON vol.1]] is released for the Sony PlayStation
* November 26th: [[Nanka hen da! ~from pop'n music 3 (Limited Edition)|なんか変だ! ~from pop'n music 3 (Limited Edition)]] EP released. It is the only [[Atsushi Shindo]] song released under KONAMI's muslc label.
* November 26th: [[Nanka hen da! ~from pop'n music 3 (Limited Edition)|なんか変だ! ~from pop'n music 3 (Limited Edition)]] EP released.
* November 26th: [[un-Balance ~from pop'n music 3 (Limited Edition)]] EP released.
* November 26th: [[un-Balance ~from pop'n music 3 (Limited Edition)]] EP released.


== December ==
== December ==
* December 3rd: ''beatmania ANI-SONGS MIX featuring Tsuburaya Pro: ULTRAMANIAX RHYTHM'' album released. It contains exclusively remixes of songs from the popular ''Ultraman'' series of shows.
* December 3rd: ''beatmania ANI-SONGS MIX featuring Tsuburaya Pro: ULTRAMANIAX RHYTHM'' album released. It contains exclusively remixes of songs from the popular ''Ultraman'' series of shows.
* December 3rd: ''beatmania ANI-SONGS MIX ULTRAMANIAX BEAT'' album released.
* December 3rd: ''beatmania ANI-SONGS MIX ULTRAMANIAX BEAT'' album released.
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* December 16th: [[AC DDR Solo 2000|DanceDanceRevolution Solo 2000]] is released to Japanese arcades.
* December 16th: [[AC DDR Solo 2000|DanceDanceRevolution Solo 2000]] is released to Japanese arcades.
* December 20th: [[AC pns ex|pop'n stage ex]], an enhanced version of pop'n stage, is released to Japanese arcades.
* December 20th: [[AC pns ex|pop'n stage ex]], an enhanced version of pop'n stage, is released to Japanese arcades.
** Veteran KONAMI composer [[Kiyoshi Murai|Seiya Murai]] makes his BEMANI debut in this game.
** Veteran KONAMI composer [[Kiyoshi Murai]] makes his BEMANI debut in this game.
* December 22nd: [[CS DDR 2ndReMIX APPEND CLUB vol.2|DanceDanceRevolution 2ndReMIX APPEND CLUB VERSiON vol.2]] is released in Japan for the Sony PlayStation.
* December 22nd: [[CS DDR 2ndReMIX APPEND CLUB vol.2|DanceDanceRevolution 2ndReMIX APPEND CLUB VERSiON vol.2]] is released in Japan for the Sony PlayStation.
* December 25th: [[AC DS DREAMS COME TRUE|Dancing Stage featuring DREAMS COME TRUE]] is released to Japanese arcades.
* December 25th: [[AC DS DREAMS COME TRUE|Dancing Stage featuring DREAMS COME TRUE]] is released to Japanese arcades.


== Unknown ==
== Unknown ==
* [[AC DS 1st|Dancing Stage]] is released to European arcades.
* ''' Dancing Stage INTERNET R@NKING Version''', an enhanced port of Dancing Stage, is released.
* [[AC GF|GUITARFREAKS]] is released to North American arcades.
* '''hiphopmania completeMIX''', a North American version of beatmania completeMIX with a few songs removed, is released to North American arcades.
* '''hiphopmania completeMIX''', a North American version of beatmania completeMIX with a few songs removed, is released to North American arcades.
* [[AC pnm|pop'n music]] is released to North American arcades. Several songs are removed, and a few character names were changed.
* [[AC pnm|pop'n music]] is released to North American arcades. Several songs are removed, and a few character names were changed.
* [[Tomoko Shiono|shio]] leaves the pop'n music staff to work on the beatmania series sometime after the completion of pop'n music 2. She would return to pop'n music the following year.
* [[Tomoko Shiono]] leaves the pop'n music staff to work on the beatmania series sometime after the completion of pop'n music 2. She would return to pop'n music the following year.


[[Category:History]]
[[Category:History]]

Latest revision as of 17:24, 9 July 2024

Not to be confused with 1999~VOCE~.

BEMANI Timeline
1997 - 1998 - 1999
2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009
2010 - 2011 - 2012 - 2013 - 2014 - 2015 - 2016 - 2017 - 2018 - 2019
2020 - 2021 - 2022 - 2023 - 2024

1999

1999 was a very big year for music games in general. Following the success of beatmania, DanceDanceRevolution, and pop'n music, several video game developers started releasing their own music games. ANDAMIRO's PUMP IT UP and Amuse World's EZ2DJ were hitting Korean arcades, and even established game series made before beatmania became big got sequels: NanaOn-Sha's UmJammer Lammy was a huge hit, combining the engine of its predecessor PaRappa the Rapper with more freeform guitar licks, and Enix's Bust-A-Move 2 was hitting shelves in early 1999. NAMCO's cult hit Pacapaca Passion received a PlayStation port, as well as an upgraded version (Special) and a sequel. The PlayStation also received several of its own rhythm games - Warashi's Le Concert ff and Le Concert pp took it a step forward and had you controlling an entire orchestra. NanaOn-Sha also released the cult classic vib-ribbon, which used a unique, scribbled black and white aesthetic and had your character literally changing as you moved around. The end of 1999 also saw SEGA step into the music game genre with Compile's Puyo Puyo DA! and Sonic Team's Samba de Amigo. It would be far from the last rhythm games from the company.

KONAMI itself was pretty busy, too. In addition to three new arcade beatmania titles, six new DanceDanceRevolution arcade titles, and two new pop'n music arcade titles, KONAMI also introduced two brand-new games: GUITARFREAKS and drummania. Unlike their previous game series, though, these games originally featured music from almost entirely veteran KONAMI music composers. Original sound director Mutsuhiko Izumi's hard rock sound from over 20 years of previous music experience helped develop a very rich sound the series has to this day. Together with veteran Yoshihiko Koezuka's more mellow 80s sound, veteran Harumi Ueko's jazz, and newcomers Hideyuki Ono's ska inspired sound and Toshio Sakurai's more rock pop sound, GUITARFREAKS and drummania quickly became hits, the former receiving a PlayStation port by the end of the year.

But perhaps the biggest of the new games released that year was, ironically, a spin-off game; beatmania IIDX. beatmania IIDX added two new buttons to the overall game design, and also re-positioned the 1P turntable to the left. But it also boasts something the original beatmania never had; full-motion video. For the first time, licensed tracks from the likes of m-flo and other artists featured their original videos. This game also marked the debuts of the hugely popular BEMANI artists Takayuki Ishikawa (dj TAKA) and Takehiko Fujii (SLAKE). Meanwhile, the original series continued on with beatmania 4thMIX 〜the beat goes on〜, which would introduce another staple BEMANI artist, Toshiyuki Kakuta (L.E.D.). Fujii in-particular went on to sound direct near every beatmania game from 1999 onward, while Ishikawa stayed on board with beatmania IIDX, inviting friends of his like Taku Sakakibara (TaQ) and Osamu Kubota to help make a rich, more electronic counterpart to the more hip-hop/dance/techno tone that the original beatmania kept with Fujii. An append release, substream, would also introduce Goli Matsumoto, who would go on to decorate almost every single style of beatmania IIDX with his artwork. All of these men would play a major role in the future of beatmania.

beatmania wasn't the only game with a spin-off, though. DanceDanceRevolution had the Solo BASS MIX and Solo 2000 games, which transformed the usual four-panel style of DDR on its head. Now you had two extra arrows on the top left and right to work with, resulting in a far more difficult game overall. Both of these games contained almost completely brand-new songs never before in the series.

pop'n music itself had pop'n stage, which was a bit like PUMP IT UP, but keysounded. This game also had an almost completely original songlist, and near all of its songs would pop up in the main series of pop'n music titles. It even got an upgrade later that year known as pop'n stage ex, which added a new difficulty level, a few songs from the then current pop'n music 3, and two brand-new songs. One of the new songs, WE TWO ARE ONE, introduced Kiyoshi Murai to BEMANI. Murai would be for years after one of the biggest names in pop'n music, and also a key staff member of KEYBOARDMANIA starting the following year.

The Sony PlayStation became the new home for most of these new BEMANI arcade releases. DanceDanceRevolution games became huge hits on the system, and the beatmania games continued to sell quite well. KONAMI even dabbled with the Game Boy with their beatmania games, producing three games in all.

KONAMI knew it couldn't keep their music games to just Japan and the rest of Asia at this point, so they started releasing some of their arcade games overseas in North America as well. Unfortunately, the foreign arcade market at the time wasn't as receptive as they would be just a couple of years later to rhythm games. There were two exceptions, though. The first was Dancing Stage, an European arcade game loosely based on DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX that encouraged KONAMI to release a sequel the following year. The other was hiphopmania completeMIX, a North American version of beatmania completeMIX that also managed a year later to get a sequel. (Unfortunately the cabinet is quite hard to find, even back then.)

Lastly, 1999 also marked an extremely important milestone. KONAMI started adapting the current BEMANI name for their music games, the name itself taken from their first game series, beatmania.

So overall 1999 was a very big year for KONAMI's BEMANI series. But 2000 would make 1999 look like nothing happened at all.

January

  • January 19th: beatmania completeMIX, a compilation game of the first three beatmania arcade games, is released to Japanese arcades.
    • BEMANI graphic artist Hotaru Matsuzaki (F-FLY) makes her BEMANI debut in this game.
  • January 29th: DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX is released to Japanese arcades.
    • Naoki Maeda starts using his NAOKI alias in BEMANI beginning with this game.
  • January 31st: beatmania Special CD album is released. It contains several songs from the first three beatmania arcade games, coming free with the beatmania PRESS MIX book KONAMI released to promote beatmania.
  • Date unknown:

February

March

April

  • April 10th: DanceDanceRevolution CS (Japan) is released in Japan for the Sony PlayStation.
    • Another staple in-house DDR composer, Yuichi Asami, makes his BEMANI debut in this game.
  • April 16th: Konami Game Music Now 1999 album released. It exclusively contains the new songs from beatmania GB on it, along with various beatmania, DanceDanceRevolution, GUITARFREAKS, and pop'n music songs among other KONAMI game franchises.
  • April 21st: DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX with beatmania IIDX CLUB VERSiON is released to Japanese arcades. This game combines DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX and beatmania IIDX together to play 13 songs on for synchronized play.
  • April 23rd: beatmania IIDX Original Soundtracks album is released, containing (near) all the KONAMI originals new and old from beatmania IIDX.
  • April 26th: beatmania 4thMIX 〜the beat goes on〜 is released to Japanese arcades.
    • Takehiko Fujii assumes the role of sound director of beatmania from Reo Nagumo, who would continue to stay on board as a sound supervisor.
    • BEMANI debut of in-house composer Toshiyuki Kakuta.
  • April 28th: beatmania for WonderSwan is released in Japan for the Bandai WonderSwan.
  • April 28th: DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX LINK VERSION, an upgrade to DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX, is released to Japanese arcades.
  • April 28th: Dance Dance Revolution 2nd MIX ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK album released.

May

June

  • June 10th: beatmania GOTTAMIX Original CD, a mini-album of the new songs from beatmania APPEND GOTTAMIX, is released alongside the beatmania GOTTAMIX Consumer Guide book.
  • June 17th: beatmania 4thMIX Original Soundtracks album released.
  • June 20th: Dance Dance Revolution KONAMI ORIGINAL DANCE NUMBERS mini-album released. It contains a few songs from DanceDanceRevolution, and was released with a guide book for DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX.

July

August

  • August 6th: drummania original soundtracks album released.
  • August 19th: DanceDanceRevolution Solo BASS MIX is released to Japanese arcades.
  • August 26th: DanceDanceRevolution 2ndReMIX is released in Japan for the Sony PlayStation.
  • August 27th: beatmania GOTTAMIX Original Soundtracks album released.
  • Date unknown: Dancing Stage INTERNET R@NKING Version, an enhanced port of Dancing Stage, is released.

September

October

  • October 8th: beatmania ANI-SONGS MIX featuring Dynamic Pro album released. It contains new remixes of various anime licenses. Notable remixers include Hiroshi Watanabe and Yasuhiko Fukuda.
  • October 8th: beatmania ANI-SONGS MIX featuring Tatsunoko Pro album released. It contains remixes of various Tatsunoko Production anime series. Later BEMANI composer Koji Takahashi appears on the album.
  • October 22nd: pop'n music 2 original soundtracks ★ new songs collection album released.
  • October 30th: DanceDanceRevolution 3rdMIX is released to Japanese arcades.

November

December

Unknown

  • hiphopmania completeMIX, a North American version of beatmania completeMIX with a few songs removed, is released to North American arcades.
  • pop'n music is released to North American arcades. Several songs are removed, and a few character names were changed.
  • Tomoko Shiono leaves the pop'n music staff to work on the beatmania series sometime after the completion of pop'n music 2. She would return to pop'n music the following year.
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