Pop'n music Glossary

A list of terms/modes in pop'n music. English name listed to the left, with the Japanese name to the right if applicable.

Bad

First Game: pop'n music

A note either hit too late, or not at all. Hitting notes when you're not supposed to can also get you Bads. You get no points for Bads.

Battle Mode

First Game: pop'n music 6

You and one other person play simplified charts of only three buttons each (the white, green, and yellow buttons on both sides of the controller), with the goal being to get the most points across three stages. Score enough points and you can unleash various ojamas at certain levels, with 4/MAX being the highest. Songs originally only had one set of Battle charts, but beginning with pop'n music 8, Hyper Battle charts were added. (Note that not all pop'n music songs, even in the latest games, have Hyper Battle charts.) This mode was not in pop'n music 6 CS, but it was present on all the PS2 installments save pop'n music Best Hits!. pop'n music 7 CS and pop'n music portable have only one set of Battle Mode charts available. Battle charts do not appear in pop'n music portable 2.

Challenge Mode

First Game: pop'n music 5

An arcade mode where you can gather points determined by the difficulty level of the song (i.e. a level 13 song cleared will earn you 13 points), as well as using mods called ojamas. Netting points was also the only way in the earlier pop'n music arcade games with Challenge Mode that let you play EX charts (via EXtra Stage). From pop'n musics 5 through 7, ojamas had to be set before you chose a song. (A maximum of two can be set.) Starting with pop'n music 8, though, ojamas are set after choosing a song. (This was also the first game to let you set a permanent ojama through the song, worth 1.5 times the usual amount.) In some (earlier) games, getting a certain amount of points unlocks the EXtra Stage or a special pic, though never both in the same round.

Cho Challenge (超CHALLENGEモード)

First Game: pop'n music 13 カーニバル

An arcade mode that plays similar to Challenge Mode, but has Cools on the entire game. Certain ojamas can only be used in this mode, and the point requirements for an EXtra Stage are much, much higher.

Combo

First Game: pop'n music 3

How many Goods/Greats/Cools you have going before you get a Bad or miss a note. From pop'n musics 3 through 6, the combo was displayed in the top center of the screen. Starting with pop'n music 7, though, they are directly displayed above the border line of the individual note hit. Starting with pop'n music 9, the combo slowly fades out after a note is hit.

Cool

First Game: pop'n music 6

A note that registers more accurate than a Great. First introduced in courses, but later spun off into its own mode in pop'n music 13 カーニバル called "超CHALLENGEモード". Cools can also be played in Free Mode in pop'n music 14 FEVER! CS; scores with/without Cools are stored separately. (pop'n music 13 カーニバル CS lets you play with Cools on in Free Mode, but doesn't display the scores in Records.) In pop'n music portable, its sequel, and pop'n music 20 fantasia, Cools are always on.

Courses

First Game: pop'n music 6

Courses are an arcade mode of play where you play four predetermined songs back to back on a single life bar. The bar barely increases during play, and barely fills up between songs. An empty bar results in your immediate disqualification, though you can still enter your name if you got a high enough score on the rankings. In the pop'n music CS games 6 through 8, certain songs can only be played in Game/Free Mode by playing them in courses. pop'n music 17 THE MOVIE marks the final appearance of courses to date in the arcade; Expert Courses were dropped in pop'n music 18 せんごく列伝 and haven't been seen since.

Prior to courses, there was a mode in pop'n music 3 which allowed you to play through three songs back-to-back with Hyper notecharts. This mode was never used again due to Hyper charts being added to the core game the following installment.

Excite

First Game: pop'n music

An early arcade mode where your rival would throw at you certain mods/distractions throughout the song. This mode was removed in pop'n music 5, though some of the mods live on as ojamas in Challenge Mode.

EXtra (Stage)

First Game: pop'n music 5

EX is the name given to the fourth (and highest) difficulty level in the game, typically highlighted in red on the music select screen. EX(tra) stage is rewarded for passing three songs without fail & ranking a certain amount of points up in Challenge Mode. Songs in this category tend to be much harder than their Hyper counterparts, ranging from Levels 23 to 43 (maximum). This mode was originally named because EX charts could only be played during through EXtra Stage. Starting with pop'n music 8, EX charts can be played in the arcade on any level after being unlocked. To unlock an EX chart in recent arcade games, you have to full combo the Normal chart, get a high score (?) on the Hyper, and then beat the EX on the EXtra Stage.

Note that until pop'n music 17 THE MOVIE, not every song introduced had an EX chart. Also, over the years older pop'n songs prior to the EX chart's introduction have been given EX charts.

Also, up until pop'n music 10 CS, all EX charts had to be unlocked one by one in Challenge Mode in the CS games. From 10 CS onward, though, they're all unlocked after you complete the unlocking system of the respective CS game. (Certain EX charts unlock after certain upgrades are reached in the arcade games as well.)

Note that if you fail a song and continue in Challenge Mode, you can't get an EXtra Stage.

Free Mode

First Game: pop'n music PS/DC

A console-only mode where you can play any song on any difficulty level without stage number restrictions. Up until 9 CS, songs had to be played in Arcade Mode before being playable in Free Mode (except for the default beginner song of the game).

Full Combo

First Game: n/a

Every note hit in a song was either a Good, Great, or (depending on the mode) Cool, with no additional missed notes. From pop'n music 13 カーニバル through 19 TUNE STREET, a message displaying "NO BAD!" appears at the end of a song for those who obtain a full combo. (Beginning with pop'n music 20 fantasia, it just says "Full Combo" like in beatmania IIDX.) In addition, in most of the later AC/CS games, a little mark with two crowns/onions/whatever will be displayed next to the song with a Full Combo.

Good

First Game: pop'n music

A note that barely hits the lane. A Good is only worth 20% the amount a Great is without Cools on.

Great

First Game: pop'n music

You hit the note perfectly/near perfectly, resulting in 100% possible score for that note without Cools on.

HELL

First Game: pop'n music 6

The name of a course in pop'n music (usually) containing the four hardest new songs in the game. It is often one of the final unlocks in any given pop'n music game. Since pop'n music 8, HELL courses have had exclusively EX charts in them. It is also the name of an ojama that punishes you severely for missing a note when activated. There are no HELL courses after pop'n music 17 THE MOVIE, since there have been no Expert Courses in the series since then.

Hi-Speed

First Game: ?

The rate a song's notes scroll - the higher the mod, the faster they descend. Originally only double speed was available, but speed mods were upgraded in pop'n music 6 with 3X and 4X, and in pop'n music 9 with the hidden 6X. (5X was eventually introduced in pop'n music 11, where it was also hidden. In addition, pop'n music 9 CS had 8X, the only game to ever have that speed mod.) Starting with pop'n music 15 ADVENTURE, speed mods also come in increments of 0.5 up to 6X.

Note that ojamas in Challenge Mode set to a certain speed mod are compounded into the speed mod. For example, using a 2X ojama and turning on Hi-Speed 3 will result in a scrolling rate of 6X. Be careful!

Hyper

First Game: pop'n music PS/DC

A level of difficulty higher than Normal, but less than EX. They are highlighted in yellow on most games' music select screens. Songs in this level range between 10 to the high 30's. (The highest to date is Concertare, a 42.) Originally a CS exclusive level of play, Hyper charts weren't introduced in the arcade until pop'n music 3, and even then they were only playable in Hyper mode (a course consisting of Hyper-only notecharts). Hyper notecharts became available for normal arcade play in pop'n music 4. Since pop'n music 6, all new AC/CS songs (except for a few licenses in pop'n music 10) have had Hyper charts.

Over the years some older songs have been given Hyper charts as well.

Long Version

First Game: pop'n music 9

Longer versions of pre-existing pop'n music songs, ranging from 3 to 5 minutes long. Due to their length, a Long Version takes up 2 stages - except for the long version of Homesick Pt.2&3. All other Long Versions songs were removed in pop'n music 16 PARTY♪.

Max Combo

First Game: pop'n music 3

The longest line of Cools/Greats/Goods in a song before you break your combo with a Miss or Bad.

Note that up to pop'n music 16 PARTY♪, the highest Max Combo you can gain is the total notes of the minus 1. Since pop'n music 17 THE MOVIE, though, this has been dropped, and the highest max combo you can get in the song is the exact amount of notes in a song.

Mini

A term used by players for the small pop'n music controllers (sometimes derogatorily) for the PS/DC/PS2 games, originally black. The controller was completely redesigned (and re-colored white) for the release of pop'n music 10 CS. Minis are also fully compatible with the PS2 IIDX games, even the US version; the two farthest left buttons are used for the turntable (the top being used for upwards, and the bottom for downwards).

Net Taisen Mode (NET対戦)

First Game: pop'n music 12 いろは

An arcade mode where you play against two other players online, challenging each other for the highest scores in a song. Certain ojamas can be unlocked for play in this mode depending on your performance. In the PS2 installments, Taisen Mode is only playable against two CPU opponents, as the PS2 pop'n music games cannot go online.

Normal

First Game: pop'n music

Occasionally known as 9-Button / 9-Line / 9KEY, it is the lowest level default chart that uses all 9 buttons on the controller. It is usually highlighted in green in the games' song select screens. Difficulty levels range from 3 (Monde des songe) up to 30 (夜間行). All songs in pop'n music have a Normal chart.

Party Mode

First Game: pop'n music

An arcade mode in which certain mods would be forced upon you if you hit one in a song. This mode was removed in pop'n music 6.

Perfect(!)

First Game: n/a

Every note hit was a Great, earning you a perfect score of 100,000 (or Great and Cool if Cools are on). Starting with pop'n music 13 カーニバル, a message displaying "Perfect!!" appears for those who do this at the end of a song, along with the result screen announcer congratulating you by saying, "Marvelous!" In addition, in most of the later AC/CS games, a little mark with three crowns/onions/whatever will be displayed next to a song with a Full Combo.

pop-kun

First Game: pop'n music

The official name of the multi-colored notes that drop from above in a song.

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