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DrumMania
DrumMania 9thMix arcade game
Developer(s)Bemani
Publisher(s)Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Platform(s)Arcade, PlayStation 2
Release1999
Genre(s)Music
Mode(s)Single player (can be linked with other Guitarfreaks cabinets)
Arcade systemSystem 573 (1stMix to 10thMix),
Bemani Python 2 (V to V3),
Windows XP-based (V4 onward)

DrumMania (ドラムマニア, Doramumania) is a drumming music video game series produced by Bemani, the musical division of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc..

Drummania was first released in 1999 as an arcade game, then subsequently ported to the Sony PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2000 as a launch title. Subsequent mixes have been released approximately once a year. In 2010, a series XG was introduced, adding a floor tom, left cymbal and left pedal to the cabinet setup. To focus on the new game, development ceased for the original version, with the last mix V8 released in 2011. The most recent arcade version is DrumMania XG2, which was released on March 9, 2011.

The game can be linked to its guitar-version sibling Guitarfreaks, allowing for cooperative play as long as they are from the same release. Earlier versions of the game could also be linked with Keyboardmania. From 7th mix onwards, the game has been linked to Konami's e-Amusement system, allowing for online competitive play.[citation needed]

History

System 573 era (1999–2004)

GuitarFreaks was released on February 16, 1999. It included a dozen of songs and uses the Bemani System 573 Analog hardware. DrumMania was released on July 10, 1999 along with GuitarFreaks 2ndMix. These versioos included 26 and 33 songs, respectively, and could be linked together to play 14 common songs. Subsequent versions used digital hardware and featured larger song lists, eventually surpassing 120 songs. The GuitarFreaks version number continued having an increment of one compared to the equivalent DrumMania version until GuitarFreaks 11thMix and DrumMania 10thMix on April 22, 2004.

V to V3 (2005–2006)

GuitarFreaks V and DrumMania V were released on February 23, 2005. This version features 271 songs: 118 new additions, 125 from the previous version (« super "shomin" car » was removed) and 28 from older versions.

V4 to V8 (2007–2011)

These versions used Bemani PC hardware.

XG to XG3 (2010–2011)

These versions feature guitar and drum controllers with extra frets and pads, respectively.

GITADORA (2013–present)

This is the latest series, based on XG2.

Gameplay

The Drum Mania gameplay screen. The left is the gameplay area, the right shows a video often related to the song.

DrumMania simulates real life drumming. It is played using a controller designed to imitate a drum set. Five pads are arrayed from left to right for the hi-hat, snare drum, high tom, low tom, cymbal and bass drum. On XG series, a left cymbal, left pedal and a floor tom are added. During play, the player presses the pads and steps on the pedal in sync with the notes falling vertically from the top of the screen in time with the music.

The player's accuracy is judged for each note played, and while the individual note judgments have changed throughout the series, the current system uses Perfect, Great, Good, Poor, and Miss to evaluate performance of each note. Ratings of Poor or Miss will deplete the player's "Excite Gauge", while accurate play will replenish it. If the Excite Gauge is emptied completely, the game ends. Players will be able to play anywhere from three to five songs depending on the game's configuration, with the potential to earn one or two additional stages in certain versions of the game if performance is good enough. At the completion of a song, players are given a letter rank for their performance which can range anywhere from E to A, as well as S and SS depending on how well the song was played, and how the particular release of the game being played computes ranks.[citation needed]

DrumMania uses a modified Yamaha DTXPRESS electronic drumkit. This drumkit is used for players for gameplay and navigating through select screens. Navigating can also be done by pressing Select and Start button on the right side of the machine. On home releases, a drum controller made by KONAMI can be used, although rather than separating each buttons on their own pads, home controllers place the pads on a single place, more resembling a palette. PlayStation 2 DUALSHOCK Controllers may also be used.[citation needed]

Soundtrack

The game's songlist has steadily grow with each release, with the final version V8 containing over 500 songs. Songs are primarily in-house original compositions, covers of popular Japanese or English songs or edited master tracks licensed from the artists. Most songs are pop and rock in style, although there are often a wide variety of musical genres available.[citation needed]

Reception

Initial reception of the PlayStation ports were negative. IGN's criticized the game for its lack of realism, that it was "nothing like real drumming" [4]. Nevertheless, the arcade version of the game remained popular and continues to be played in arcades throughout Asia.

Legacy

Drummania, along with Guitarfreaks influenced the development of popular North American console games Guitar Hero and Rock Band.[citation needed]

In 2008, Konami sued Rock Band developer Harmonix for allegedly violating three patents for its drum and guitar based music games.[1][2] The lawsuit was eventually settled in 2010 and its claims dismissed.[3]

Games

  • Drummania/Percussion Freaks (Released on July 10, 1999)
  • Drummania/Percussion Freaks 2ndMIX (Released on March 27, 2000)
  • Drummania/Percussion Freaks 3rdMIX (Released on September 3, 2000)
  • Drummania/Percussion Freaks 4thMIX (Released on March 17, 2001)
  • Drummania/Percussion Freaks 5thMIX (Released on September 13, 2001)
  • Drummania/Percussion Freaks 6thMIX (Released on February 28, 2002)
  • Drummania/Percussion Freaks 7thMIX (Released on August 30, 2002)
  • Drummania/Percussion Freaks 7thMIX power-up ver. (Released on November 29, 2002)
  • Drummania/Percussion Freaks 8thMIX (Released on April 2, 2003)
  • Drummania/Percussion Freaks 9thMIX (Released on October 8, 2003)
  • Drummania/Percussion Freaks 10thMIX (Released on April 22, 2004)
  • Drummania/Percussion Freaks Kids Planet (Released on April 22, 2004)
  • Drummania V (Released on February 23, 2005)
  • Drummania V2 (Released on November 24, 2005)
  • Drummania V3 (Released on September 13, 2006)[4]
  • Drummania V4: Rock×Rock (Released on August 8, 2007)[5]
  • Drummania V5: Rock to Infinity (Released on June 18, 2008)[6]
  • Drummania V6: Blazing!! (Released April 9, 2009)
  • Drummania XG (Released March 10, 2010)
  • Drummania V7 (Released March 25, 2010)
  • Drummania XG2: Groove to Live (Released March 9, 2011)
  • Drummania V8 (Released March 28, 2011)
  • Drummania XG3 (Released February 23, 2012)
  • GITADORA DrumMania (Released February 14, 2013)
  • GITADORA OverDrive DrumMania (Released March 5, 2014)
  • GITADORA Tri-Boost DrumMania (Released April 21, 2015)
  • GITADORA Tri-Boost Re:EVOLVE DrumMania (Released December 14th, 2016)
  • drummania (Released on March 4, 2000)
  • GUITARFREAKS 3rd MIX & drummania 2nd MIX (Released on December 7, 2000)
  • ギタドラ! GUITARFREAKS 4th MIX & drummania 3rd MIX (Released on September 20, 2001)
  • GuitarFreaks V & DrumMania V (Released on March 16, 2006)
  • GuitarFreaks & DrumMania Masterpiece Silver (Released on August 31, 2006)
  • GuitarFreaks V2 & DrumMania V2 (Released on November 22, 2006)
  • GuitarFreaks & DrumMania Masterpiece Gold (Released on March 8, 2007)
  • GuitarFreaks V3 & DrumMania V3 (Released on October 4, 2007)

See also

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ [2]
  3. ^ [3]
  4. ^ DrumManiaV3 Release Page Archived May 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ DrumManiaV4 Яock×Rock Release Page Archived May 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ DrumManiaV5 Rock to Infinity Release Page Template:Ja icon
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