New arcade, looking for suggestions

A Better Tomorrow · Basic Member Joined: 12 Nov 2003

Looking at opening an arcade in the near future. We'll definitely feature music games, as there is a local DDR scene. Wondering what other bemani/music games other DDR players would consider good/important to have on opening day.

Include specific versions, and reasons why if possible.
Thanks in advance.

DoubleTrouble · Trick Member Joined: 02 Sep 2002 Location: Montreal,Qc

Guitar Freaks 6th mix/ Drummania 5th mix

These mixes have the best number of "classic" songs and "newer" ones. Before Konami started cutting almost every song after about a mix. There's also a session mode for these mixes together. They're pretty much considered the best mixes of the series by many.

Otla · Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2003 5:59 pm Post subject:

DDR Extreme
(Duh)

Beatmania IIDX
(Preferablly 4th Mix, Play it sometime it's quite addictive)
Pop n' Music
And If you can figure out how you could put Karaoke Revolution in there.
(Maybe a soundtight booth with a screen and speakers on the outside so people can see you singing)
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SuPa |LÂ©| · Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2003 6:13 pm Post subject:

Beatmania IIDX. I'd suggest 7th style and up because there are no home versions released so far thus people would play at your arcade because they can't play anything 7th style and above at home.
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Dark Hogosha · Trick Member Joined: 12 Feb 2002 Location: Dubuque, Iowa

I can't remember what Beatmania it is, but I think it's one of the complete/final/whatever mixes...ugh, wish I could remember the name. If you can land one of those cheaply, it'd be a good compliment to DDR and you have a good chance of paying it off someday by itself.

Also, getting a Para Para machine could pay itself off, possibly...and Drummania 5th Mix is a good choice as well.

As far as IIDX or Pop'n Music...well...the problem with getting IIDX or Pop'n Music is that they're as expensive as all get-out and, unless you have a GIGANTIC amount of profit coming in off of other stuff and a VERY devoted Bemani fanbase, it's gonna take a LONG time to pay off. Add that to the fact that they're kinda difficult to find and...well, you're gonna have problems, especially if you're opening a new arcade.

My advice is to make sure you don't take a dive from getting these machines. Practically all of the Bemani games are fun and will get a good amount of people playing them, but they're a hefty investment and should be purchased with caution.
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Junior Asparagus · Administrator Joined: 23 Jan 2002 Location: Natick, MA

Syxx · Trick Member Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Location: Chicagoland

Avoid IIDX, they cost too much and break too easily.

Stick with the original beatmania series. Complete Mix 2 is really good.
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altinure · Trick Member Joined: 29 Jun 2002 Location: wisconsin

If you have the money, I'd recommend DM. It does break a lot, but normally the fixes don't require much time or new parts to fix them (the sensors often get moved out of place, and you have to take it apart and move it back).

MeltyKiss · Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2003 11:24 am Post subject:

DDR (obviously) - Extreme or 5th (5th, because it's sorta rare in the US)
Beatmania III - Final or 7th Mix (both have tons of songs on them)
*Not IIDX (unless you have the money for it) because it does cost a fortune and likes to break down (screen lighting, buttons, etc. etc.)
GF/DM - 10/9 (these just came out and has tons of good songs) or 6/5 (tons of old songs and new songs alike; songs for every difficulty [a.k.a. more newbie friendly])
PNM/IIDX - both are expensive and almost any mix above 3rd for either are good. Both aren't as known as DDR.

My personal advice is to stay away from PPP, as the popularity has died out and even arcades in CA stopped making profit from it (after the whole PPP 'year').
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Regenesis · Trick Member Joined: 17 Aug 2002 Location: Rockford, IL

It depends on where you are too...if you're in a location like the midwest where there isn't a lot of Bemani, a IIDX or Pop'n machine could draw visitors from hundreds of miles around (I'd happily drive 2 hours to play IIDX at an arcade, and I know I'm not alone). And seeing as there are...what, two Pop'n machines in the entre US? Yeah, you'd get a lot of people in to play that too. Pop'n Music also has an easier learning curve and the colorful cabinet makes it attractive to casual gamers...only problem is that almost all the song names and instructions are in Japanese....still, if you post some basic instructions for how to work the machine, that shouldn't be a problem.

GF/DM would rock too...they're slightly more common though. 5-key Beatmania is....ok. Easier for beginners, certainly, but a lot of IIDX players won't even bother with it.
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A Better Tomorrow · Basic Member Joined: 12 Nov 2003

Thanks for all the replies.

REGEN: We are in the midwest, actually.
We're hearing IIDX a lot, both that it's very popular and might have a lot of repair issues.
What are the major differences between IIDX/original series/III?

Again, thanks for the feedback, keep it coming.

Junior Asparagus · Administrator Joined: 23 Jan 2002 Location: Natick, MA

MeltyKiss · Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2003 2:33 pm Post subject:

Shimono · Trick Member Joined: 24 Jan 2002

Dark Hogosha · Trick Member Joined: 12 Feb 2002 Location: Dubuque, Iowa

Where exactly in the Midwest, if you don't mind my asking?
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Syxx · Trick Member Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Location: Chicagoland

jennythecat · Vivid Member Joined: 21 Dec 2002 Location: The Third Rail

I know some people will disagree with me on this, but IIDX is a difficult one...the price is high, maintenance is a big issue (I assume if you're considering an arcade that you know your way around an arcade machine well enough for basic repair; but parts of IIDX are hard to come by and expensive themselves), and without being an established arcade, you have no idea what your customer base wants.
I have no doubt that there are people out there who will drive 100 miles to spend five bucks on IIDX. However, if they are driving 100 miles, you know they won't be there every day; they won't be regulars. A couple bucks from out of towners every weekend is nice, but its not the steady stream of daily quarters that you'll need to do well. Regular customers are what's going to make or break an arcade.
Plus, IIDX is intimidating for people who are new to the Bemani scene (hell, I don't play it, and I've done DDR for years...I love the IIDX music but playing is a waste of money for me), and if you are opening an arcade in an area without a real established Bemani interest, I don't know that IIDX is your best choice. Stick with simple stuff, a late-version DDR, late version Beatmania, etc., and build from there. That will give you a chance to gauge your customer base and find out what they want.
Plus, IIDX, at least the slightly older ones, aren't getting any more expensive, so why rush into it? Take your time, find out what people want, figure out if its worth it. Then go from there.

So...midwest, eh? Where?

Jen
6th Avenue Arcade
West Bend, WI
www.arcadejapan.com

Regenesis · Trick Member Joined: 17 Aug 2002 Location: Rockford, IL

Chairon · Basic Member Joined: 11 Nov 2003

Ok, i know you just asked for bemani and such(we'll get to that in a minute) but get some more up to date games. The arcade i went to has games from the mid-early nineties.

Now, on to bemani. I'm not sure what its called(i think it might be PIU) but theres this one arcade game like DDR but it uses the center panel and ALL of the surronding arrows. Something like that would most likely turn off most newbies and seasoned players alike. However, you could charge a very large amount of cash to play it and laugh all the way to the bank as people fail within 10 seconds

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Rancidfish · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:27 pm Post subject:

Egads, do -not- get GF6/DM5. I can't stand, like, half the music on there. I'd get GF9/DM8. 6/5 has lots of "classic" songs, but 9/8 has a lot more good songs, and I'm pretty sure it has way more songs just in general. All I really miss from the old games is Hypnotica (probably one of my favorite GF/DM songs ever), and all the good new stuff more than makes up for it. Plus a lot of the cool classic songs are still there, like Three Worms, Across the Nightmare, Right on Time, etc.
On top of that, more recent versions have beginner mode, while 6/5 does not. Sucks for people who are new to the game, which means you'll only be making any money from people who have played before and newbies will get discouraged.

And about the 5-key vs. IIDX argument, I'm a IIDX player and I don't even bother with 5-key. Those two extra keys make the game so much more interesting. However, that doesn't mean I recommend getting IIDX. It's very expensive, very tough on beginners, and doesn't have the same "What's that game?" appeal. GF/DM actually looks like playing instruments. DDR looks like, well they're moving around, which is pretty amazing already, for an arcade game. IIDX just looks like they're mashing on some sort of controller, like in just about any other video game. It won't draw crowds or earn money as well without the hardcore bemani fans.

If you do get IIDX, I'd recommend 9th Style, primarily because of the addition of beginner mode, and also because of the return of some good classic songs.
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