Pop'n music CS General Info
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Which mix should I buy?
Every person has their own opinions about which Pop'n Music mix is the "best". Rather than point out a definitive list, I'll list the pros and cons of each one, and let you decide. It is easier, however, to get the newer mixes.
Pop'n Music
Total Songs: 19
Unique Songs: 0
Pros
- available on two different systems
- worth a look to see how much the series has progressed
Cons
- only 19 songs, all of which have been repeated in later games
- only one difficulty level for most of the songs
- graphics are outdated
- bad timing, bad loading times
- hard to find
Pop'n Music 2
Total Songs: 46
Unique Songs: 4
Pros
- available on two different systems
- much bigger songlist than the first game
- introduces many of the characters still seen in the series today
- difficulty level has been amped, and a very few amount of songs even had a second chart
Cons
- most of these songs were repeated in later games
- outdated graphics, bad timing, bad loading times still
- still only one difficulty level for most songs
- hard to find
Pop'n Music 3 Append
Total Songs: 44
Unique Songs: 7
Pros
- available on two different systems
- introduces several key Pop'n Music artists, such as Q-Mex, Atsushi Shindo, and Katoaka Tsugumi
- more songs have second charts than the previous game
- older songs have new charts to play
Cons
- outdated graphics, bad timing, bad loading times still
- almost half of the song list can also be played in Pop'n Music 2
- requires owning Pop'n Music 1, 2, 5, or 6 to play it
- three new licenses from the AC version are absent from this one
- hard to find
Pop'n Music 4 Append
Total Songs: 41
Unique Songs: 8
Pros
- available on two different systems
- Hyper diffciulty added to new AC songs: a first
- almost all of the songs are new to the game
- many of the arcade originals have never been revived
- two of the licenses missing from the last CS game are restored
Cons
- very few unlocks, most of them remixes
- requires owning Pop'n Music 1, 2, 5, or 6 to play it
- hard to find
Pop'n Music 5
Total Songs: 64
Unique Songs: 8
Pros
- EX difficulty added
- contains many preview songs for the next Pop'n Music game
- contains 15 brand-new songs for the CS release
- much improved graphics and interface
- features Hi-Speed 3 and 4 from Pop'n Music 6 AC
Cons
- hard to find and expensive
- many of the arcade originals were recycled in later games
- unlocking system requires ridiculous requirements
Pop'n Music 6
Total Songs: 104
Unique Songs: 13
Pros
- biggest songlist of the PS games, bigger than some of the PS2 games
- all the new AC/CS songs have Hyper difficulty as the minimum difficulty level: a first
- contains (nearly) the entire Pop'n Stage track list as a bonus
Cons
- hard to find and expensive
- graphic quality is diminished greatly from the arcade version, with animation on par with the first games
- songs exclusive to Expert Mode only have one chart, even if they originally had more than one
- several modes from the AC version were cut out, most noticeably Battle Mode
- all but 2 of the licenses are missing from the AC version
Pop'n Music 7
Total Songs: 97
Unique Songs: 29
Pros
- much improved interface
- difficulty level is higher than previous game, with many more EXs than the last 2 games
- lots of new AC and CS songs
- part of the PS2 Best Hits line, making it inexpensive to purchase new
Cons
- increasingly harder to find new
- unlocking system is said to be very annoying
- songlist is hit or miss for people
- interface is often criticized as being difficult to navigate through
- many of the new songs were repeated in the next game
Pop'n Music Best Hits
Total Songs: 54
Unique Songs: 8
Pros
- contains many songs that haven't been revived since their appearance in this game
- many of the songs and charts are available from the get-go
- contains missing licenses from Pop'n Music 6.
Cons
- hard to find
- small songlist compared to other PS2 and even PS Pop'n Music titles
- only 5 new songs, 3 of them remixes
- many of these songs can already be played in Pop'n Music 6 and 7
Pop'n Music 8
Total Songs: 104
Unique Songs: 52
Pros
- big, varied songlist
- contains many Bemani crossovers
- many of the songs have not repeated to this day
- part of the PS2 Best Hits line, making it inexpensive to purchase new
Cons
- very few revivals
- Live songs said to have weird timing issues
- interface is considered to be cumbersome
Pop'n Music 9
Total Songs: 111
Unique Songs: 57
Pros
- big, varied song list
- good balance between easy and difficult songs
- much less cumbersome interface than 8
- contains 4 e'mall songs and 3 preview songs from Pop'n 10
- only Pop'n title to date to contain Hi-Speed 8
- only Pop'n title to contain Long Version songs
- part of the PS2 Best Hits line, making it inexpensive to purchase new
Cons
- long, confusing unlocking system
- timing is somewhat off/strict on some songs
Pop'n Music 10
Total Songs: 103
Unique Songs: 50
Pros
- upped difficulty from previous games
- you no longer have to play songs in Arcade mode to play them in Free mode. Also, once you finish unlocking all the songs in Arcade mode, ALL songs and their charts become playable (a first in the series) in Free Mode automatically
- interface is more polished than earlier games
- part of the PS2 Best Hits line, making it inexpensive to purchase new
Cons
- long, frustrating, annoying unlocking system
- timing is incredibly strict/off
- most of the hidden songs were repeated in the next game
Pop'n Music 11
Total Songs: 113
Unique Songs: 50
Pros
- first game with Hi-Speed 5
- big, varied songlist
- only Pop'n CS game with URA notecharts
Cons
- expensive to purchase (not part of the PS2 Best Hits line)
- URA charts are hit or miss with players
- takes a VERY long time to unlock everything via time unlock
Pop'n Music 12 Iroha
Total Songs: 102
Unique Songs: 70
Pros
- varied songlist
- easy, fun unlocking system
- Pop'n Request songs
Cons
- three songs require data from other PS2 Bemani games to save permanately
- many of the songs were later repeated in the next game
- older songs have awkward timing
Pop'n Music 13 Carnival
Total Songs: 114
Unique Songs: 70
Pros
- Super Challenge mode added to gameplay
- Fast unlocking system
- Pop'n Request songs
- Lots of songs, many of them brand-new to the game
Cons
- lots of repeats from the previous game
- new mini-game considered frustrating to complete
Pop'n Music 14 FEVER!
Total Songs: 112
Unique Songs: 96
Pros
- lots of brand new songs
- contains all the ee'mall 1st avenue songs (save one)
- new mini-games to play
- updated records section now tracks cools, greats, goods, and bads you get in a song in addition to score and max combo
- contains .5 speed-mods from Adventure AC
- fast, easy unlocking system
Cons
- timing is considered too lax by some, making it easy to score on songs
- practically no revivals
- many of the ee'mall songs have no EX charts
- no Marathon Mode
- no Internet Ranking
- no Omake section
Pop'n Music Portable
Total Songs: 82
Unique Songs: 63
Pros
- Contains most of the songs from Pop'n Music 15 Adventure.
- First accurate portable Pop'n Music game, containing the original charts for new and old songs alike.
- 5-button expanded on with [H] charts. 7-button returns for the first time since Pop'n Music 6, which also has a [H] chart.
- First Pop'n CS game with skins, a jukebox, and character bios.
- Can be linked to Pop'n Music 18 Sengoku Retsuden to play the new CS songs on.
- Brand-new, clean, easy-to-follow interface.
- 7 new songs, two of them brand-new licenses.
Cons
- Loading times are long, even moreso than the early PlayStation Pop'n Music games.
- Only 82 songs, which is the smallest songlist in a traditional CS Pop'n game since Pop'n Music 5.
- Uncomfortable control scheme due to the game being on the PSP (though you can change the settings).
- Lane slightly smaller and harder to read to fit on the PSP's monitor.