What is beatmania IIDX: Difference between revisions

|align=center colspan=2|[[Image:DSC00910.jpg|250px]]<br/>[[AC 5th style|beatmania IIDX 5th style]] machine

|KONAMI

|KONAMI

'''''beatmania IIDX''''' (alternately '''''beatmaniaIIDX''''' or just '''IIDX''', pronounced "two dee-ecks") is a series of rhythm video games introduced by KONAMI in 1999. It is the direct sequel to the ''beatmania'' game series, and part of the BEMANI line of music games.

== Cabinet informatio n==

Under the 16:9 wide display are the start button, the effector button, and effector sliders. After [[AC 9th style|beatmania IIDX 9th style]], there is also a cardreader, in order to use the magnetic card of [[eAMUSEMENT|e-AMUSEMENT]]. In 9th style, the effector no longer operates, but it has been revived in [[AC 10th style|10th style]] with modified slide switch function. Different versions of the game are traditionally referred to as 'styles', with higher numbers being the most recent machines. The series currently reaches from the first style produced all the way to 10th style. According to [[Goli Matsumoto|GOLI]], 10th style was the last IIDX series with an "n-th style". [[AC IIDX RED|beatmania IIDX 11 IIDX RED]] became the first IIDX series with a theme and title, followed by [[AC HAPPY SKY|beatmania IIDX 12 HAPPY SKY]], and so forth. Each series produced has a different mix of songs from older styles and new songs, and has a different graphical 'theme'.

The main differences in hardware between the IIDX series and the original ''beatmania'' series are the presence of two extra keys, the wide screen and the more powerful speakers.  This hardware difference was never actually intended to become the standard beatmania IIDX cabinet. Originally, KONAMI had planned to develop and release two different versions of arcade cabinets, a version similar to that of its predecessor ''beatmania'' and its ill-fated successor ''beatmania III'', and a 'deluxe' cabinet with a 'DX' suffix on the end of the name. KONAMI scrapped the standard cabinet mid-development, but the 'DX' suffix stuck and has remained throughout the series.

=== Home versions ===

KONAMI has also released home versions of the game, for the PlayStation 2 console. Eleven versions are available in Japan, while one is available in the US. The game is stored in a DVD media, and can be bought with a controller that matches the arcade version very closely. The controller's key insert is detachable, so the player may attach it as preferred on the left or the right side of the turntable. The home versions do not exactly match the arcade versions, but are very similar.  To date, home versions of [[CS 3rd style|3rd style]] through [[CS EMPRESS|EMPRESS]] have been released in Japan; the US release is titled simply [[CS USA|beatmania]] and does not correspond to an arcade version at all.

The difficulty of songs is measured in 'stars', however the system has not remained concrete. The newest styles often contain songs harder than the star system can accurately represent, and as such is constantly revised which each new style. Originally, the difficulty ratings ranged from one to seven "stars". In beatmania IIDX 5th style, a "flashing seven" difficulty debuted, although they would not actually flash until [[AC 6th style|6th style]]. beatmania IIDX 9th style introduced new difficulties by Level, in which "flashing 7's" are replaced with Level 7+. In 10th style, the maximum difficulty was raised from Level 7+ to Level 8. beatmania IIDX 11 IIDX RED debuted Level 8+. As of beatmania IIDX 12 HAPPY SKY, the difficulty system was completely overhauled, and all songs are now rated on a scale of Level 1 to Level 12, Level 1 being the easiest, Level 12 being the most difficult.

Many players consider a pass to be rather arbitrarily determined, and so the usual focus is on getting as high a grade as possible. Grades (a feature that came about as of [[AC 6th style|6th style]]) are determined by the player's "EX Score", which is the number of Flashing Greats (also known as Just Great) times two plus the number of Greats. 8/9ths of the maximum or above yields a AAA, 7/9ths or above is a AA, and so on down to a minimum of F. Getting the maximum possible EX Score on a song(ie all Flashing Greats) is generally considered an unrealistic goal, if not impossible. Despite this, some very good players have been known to achieve this feat, albeit on some of the easier songs in the game.

''beatmania IIDX'' has long been a 'cult' game because of the sheer learning curve of the game for new players, unlike other BEMANI games like DanceDanceRevolution. The machine is often found in Japanese arcades, but they are rare in American and European arcades.