rhythm games: Jubeat- Making Rhythm Games a Big Fad!

Most of you must have heard of jubeat, from bemani series released by Konami. I bet that at least one person among your classmates have played jubeat, and maybe he or she is already an expert. It is jubeat that make rhythm games a hit in Taiwan. When classes are over, I often see many students queuing up in the arcade game store. They are waiting for playing jubeat!

Why does jubeat become so popular?

1. Its gameplay is innovative.

2. There are 16 buttons, 4 in length and 4 in width. "When a marker, an animated explosion or other animation, reach a 'hot point', the player must tap the corresponding screen according to the rhythm.[1]" Compared to conventional rhythm games in which buttons and screen display are separate, jubeat is the one "you press what you see". It is not too difficult for beginners.

3. "As with other Konami games, an e-Amusement card can be used to save statistics and a player ranking, and can also be used to access unlockable songs. Single player and linked multiplayer modes with multiple cabinets are also offered.[1]"

The Version of Jubeat from Past to Now

There is a specific theme of every version.[1]

No.	Theme	Release Date in Japan
1	Jubeat	2008/07/24
2	Jubeat ripples	2009/08/05
2.5	Jubeat ripples APPEND	2010/03/18
3	Jubeat knit	2010/07/29
3.5	Jubeat knit APPEND	2011/03/23
4	Jubeat copious	2011/09/15
4.5	Jubeat copious APPEND	2012/03/14
5	Jubeat saucer	2012/09/25

APPEND: An update kit set for the current version. The theme remains the same, but news songs are added and some special events are held.

The theme hasn't been changed for more than one year. Konami decide to change the strategy. "The overall Song List is rotated each month, therefore the song list will be updated every week or month to include new songs, along with some songs being added, removed or revived.[1]"

An significant change in jubeat saucer is "Edit beatmap". Since 2010/10/01, a player can edit their own beatmap with "jubeat Lab[2]" and upload. If many players like the beatmap, it may be available on arcade!