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PS2
Pop 'n Music 12 Iroha
- New Import |
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NCS
Game Synopsis
«©NCSX»
Mami and Nyami return to the Pop 'n antics in
traditional Japanese
garb, red beads, and their usual pool of charm and
moxie. Joining them this time around is the Vic
Viper from Gradius and an assemblage of other
personalities such as Shishi Waka, Hajime, Mell, and
the mighty Techno Stars.
The twelfth Pop 'n Music game features over 100 songs and new
modes, characters, and a number of songs from
popular animation series. Konami conducted a poll
over the internet to allow fans to choose tunes in
the game so no one would be angered or surprised by
a final track listing if it was nominated by
internal Konami decree under a cloud of secrecy.
Modes featured in the game include Enjoy mode,
Battle mode, Challenge mode, Study mode, and others
to mix up the Bemani action somewhat.
The basic gist of Pop 'n Music is pastel-colored Beatmania. Cues
rain down the screen and the corresponding button
must be slapped when the cue reaches the baseline
below. Two mini-games are also included for giggles
and NCS found solace in the mini-game where a
bicyclist rides to the cat food store in order to
buy some kibble for kitty. During the trip, pedal
furiously to beat the time limit and jump from time
to time to avoid moles, logs, cans, and other
obstructions that would impede your trajectory.
NCS Game Notes
* In the Now Loading screen before the memory card
prompt appears, two goldfish may be seen wading in a
pond while ripples radiate on the surface.
* On the title screen, the two girls Mimi and Nyami
holler "Hallo" while sprightly Japanese theme music
plays with Taiko drum accompaniment. They also
eventually intonate, "Pop 'n Music Iroha" while
sashaying from side to side in their sneakers. In
the background, there's little chicks that fly
diagonally across the screen in a northeasterly
directly.
* If you don't press anything, a "How to Play"
sequence appears which teaches gamers the ways of
Pop 'n Music and which cue-triggers are Great and
which are Bad.
* Press START and the following selections appear:
ARCADE / Modes include ENJOY - CHALLENGE -
BATTLE - EXPERT.
FREE / Free style mode
TRAINING / Practice your skills and toggle
speed, phrase, repeat, etc
SPECIAL / STUDY LAND - POP 'N REQUEST -
CHARACTER GUIDE - OMAKE - MINI GAME
RECORDS / Check the Charts, Secrets Unlocked,
and Expert Mode wizards
SAVE&LOAD / Load and restore data from memory
card and set Auto Save mode
OPTION / Set the game level, vibration, key
configs, sound volumes, etc
* In STUDY LAND, a narrator gives pointers on
playing the game while cues drop and you're
encouraged to perform well. There are three lessons
to check out if you need some tutoring on Pop 'n
Music.
* The CHARACTER GUIDE features profiles of every
character in the game. There's a total of 55
personalities to check out including the Vic Viper
ship from Gradius. If you select a character, you
can set their temperaments and animations based on
the cue scoring in the game. For example, if you
want to see what they look like when your action is
garnering NEUTRAL, GOOD, GREAT, FEVER, and MISS
ratings, just flip through the selections and the
character's animation changes accordingly. For the
Vic Viper, the LOSE animation shows the ship being
destroyed while GREAT is depicted by the Vic
destroying three enemy orbs in sequence and picking
up a gold power-up. Hit FEVER and the Vic is shown
destroying an Easter Island head statue. Some other
characters include the cute moppet Hanao, the
angelic flowflow, Ryusei Honey, Shishi Waka, Hajime,
Mell, Techno Stars, Yanary, the King, Warudoc, and
more.
* There are two mini-games featured in Pop 'n Music
12 that may be played immediately and don't require
unlocking. The first mini-game uses five buttons and
shows an animation of a dancer with one foot
balanced atop a mountain followed by another
animation to its upper right that shows a certain
action sequence. Below, there are five cards with
silhouettes of characters in a certain stationary
pose. Tap the button for the card that corresponds
to the action being shown in the second animation in
less than 5 seconds and you're golden. Literally
golden, since little golden flowers start sprouting
on the bottom of the screen and begin to dominate
and populate the mountainside.
* The second mini game utilizes four buttons where
your little cat is hungry and it's time to rush to
the store for some cat food on your bicycle. There
are roughly 90 seconds for the task in each level -
yes the timer shows 30 but it counts down slowly....
Since kitty is starving, you pop him in the basket
located at the front of your bike and head off for
the store. Pedal quickly to reach the store but jump
to avoid obstacles that litter the roadway. If you
should bump into an obstacle, the jolt will send
kitty hurtling into the heavens and you'll have to
speed the bike up to catch it. Not that it'll
splatter to the ground since one of many heroes
invariably rises from the ground to plop it back in
the basket. Obstacles that appear include rolling
cans, moles that pop out from the sidewalk, wood
logs, and rocks. If you reach the destination in
time, Nyami is waiting at her cathead shaped shop
with a gang of canned food in front. The next scene
shows cat next to an open can of food with hearts
flowing from its satisfied feline face.
* If you conquer the first level of the mini-game,
the second level takes place in a swamp where birds
drop rocks and frogs leap out of the swamp to stand
directly in front of your rampaging bicycle without
fear of death. A jabbering skull, a few snakes, and
a log also make an appearance. The scene after that
takes place on what appears to be another planet
with UFOs and aliens on the tear. In this level,
meteorites from the sky, a jabbering alien skull,
dropped fungi from UFOs, a rolling can, and others
attempt to impede your progress for kitty kat food.
* The game play in Pop 'n Music is structured
similarly to Beatmania. Yes, Konami is capable of
ripping themselves off. Colorful cues with eyes drop
from the top of the screen. Each cue has a white
strip located at its center. The aim of the game is
to tap the corresponding color button on your
controller as the white strip crosses the meridian
at the bottom of the screen. Perform well and you'll
be ranked GREAT if each cue is hit on the mark. Fare
less favorably and you'll get GOOD. Drop the ball,
as it were, and you'll get smacked with BAD. Bad, in
the bad sense of the word. As you hit the cues
perfectly, Mimi dances and spins on the left side of
the screen while Nyami performs her solo number on
the right side of the screen. If you botch the
cues and miss them continuously, Mami will drop to
her knees in exasperation. Other characters also
perform little dances and animations in later
levels. A health meter of sorts sits beneath the cue
action - keep up the beats and it'll continually
energize. Miss to many cues and it'll drop until it
reaches nada and your game ends.
* NCS enjoyed the "Gradius - Full Speed" song. The
tune is recognizable at the outset but the music
tempo has been bumped up so fast that its nearly
unrecognizable as the tune hits full steam in the
middle.
* While playing the game with a Dual Shock 2 pad is
entirely possible, the use of a Pop 'n Music
controller makes a world of difference in hitting
the cues in a fluid and free flowing manner. The
game may be played in 5-button of 9-button mode and
the game basically requires the Pop 'n Controller
when you're tapping in 9-button mode.
* As you play through the game, the girls will yelp,
"Are you Ready," "Nice play," "Too bad," "Okay,"
"Here we go," "See you" and other choice English
words and phrases.
* Songs in the game include:
Punkish Girl / Knock Out Regrets
Rhythm & Blues & Minyou
Healing Duo / home
Onsen Rap / Onsen Song Remixed
Blues Rock / Just you wait!
Dynamite Soul /
Posi Aco / New days
VIVID / For Dear~
J-Rock / Looking for ...
Flow Beat / CURUS
Kids March / space merry-go-round
Message Song / MY
A Cappella / Magical Voice Shower
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This document is ©NCSX 2006. All rights reserved. No
reproduction in whole or in part of this document
may be made without express written consent of
National Console Support, Inc.
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