My journey through the rhythm genre was full of ups and downs in the past 8 years. I’m sure this story sounds familiar: a game genre you know and love becomes part of the mainstream, you are happy at first but as time goes by you realize the quality and soul (or lack thereof) of your favorite genre has changed, this makes you respond differently when people ask you about your interests; what you may have at one time proudly recommended and defended in gaming discussions has become part of a long running joke. This is what I feel the rhythm gaming genre has become, and this article looks at the rise and fall of what was once one of my favorite genres.

Back in 2002 I was still a Dance Dance Revolution fan. When first introduced the game was seen as exercise indoors, which I appreciated no matter how ridiculous it looked to people watching me play. I was having a good time, and a early 2003 trip to an arcade in Disneyland made me devote even more time to ‘improving’ my play after seeing someone full combo songs with 9 and 10 ratings. DDR was in its’ prime back then, but what happened in the following years? DDR was dance-stomped into the ground by yearly releases on the consoles, at one time even becoming a Mario themed dance game for the Gamecube. That was the end of it for me, after slowly sliding downhill from the release of DDR Extreme. I was at the jumping off point but I held the hope my next music genre experience would bring back the love I had back in the PS1 era.

Enter 2005 and the season of the Guitar Hero. A new entry to the music game genre receiving great reviews? I had to try it. And as soon as I played ‘Iron Man’ at the local Best Buy I was hooked. I played the game through on normal and eventually on hard, but I wasn’t able to fully get the hammer-on and pull-off system in the first game but that was ok because I was already moving on to the improved gameplay in the second Guitar Hero. The second numbered entry is easily my favorite release because of the easier hammer-on/ pull-off system and actually got me into guitar lessons later, but back to the game. The third game was still really good in my opinion, just not as great as the first two. Sadly, after this the focus of the Guitar Hero series shifted to putting harder and harder notecharts and songs into the releases, even going to the point where you have to exclusively tap sections of songs out completely by button, not even using the strum bar because notes are so close together. Activision felt it was a good idea to release 19 music games last year which is about 18 too many in my book, and if I can barely handle difficult songs on hard without practice where does this leave me when we’ve moved into impossibleville? I’m out in the cold, looking for a new home in the music genre.

There are a few other games that to me offset what I felt was a continuing downhill slide. After my Guitar Hero burnout I started playing Rock Band as an alternative. The game is easier in comparison to Guitar Hero, and more of a group experience especially when singing is involved. I’ve slowed down in my plastic instrument playing in the last 2 years, but instruments aren’t the only outlet for the music genre.

One standout game I played for the first time quite recently was Amplitude on the PS2. As a predecessor to the Guitar Hero series, I felt the similar but different game mechanics were something that more people (including me) should have known about before the market became flooded. I only learned about Amplitude because it was being mentioned on message boards when Rock Band Unplugged was announced. The button gameplay and track switching was borrowed from Amplitude, and because I was actively seeking new PSP games at the time the game was announced, I ended up playing and liking Amplitude as well.

I believe the DS and PSP have it the best when it comes to quality music game releases. In addition to the afore mentioned Rock Band Unplugged, the DJ MAX series is the other great music game on the PSP. DJ MAX is pretty much a follow the beat of the music game similar to the beatmania games from Japan, but played on the PSP’s d-pad and buttons. The game features various play modes normally ranging from four to eight buttons (eight buttons includes the 2 shoulder buttons and the full range of the face buttons). These modes slowly ease you into different playing styles while still providing a challenge, especially on songs in the 10 to 15 difficulty range. If you want to try the series I would suggest importing the Clazziquai edition to learn the game systems first then move on to the domestic release, DJ MAX Fever, available on PSN. The only thing that detracts from the US release is an ‘auto correct system’ that hits any buttons you miss if you hit another on the same side of the PSP at the correct time, essentially turning any song into a 2 button song. Taking the time to learn how to play correctly in Clazziquai Edition which has no auto correct makes the game a much more enjoyable experience. The DJ MAX series is a great example of how to do a music game right, it is seriously overlooked but was one of the reasons I had to go out and buy a PSP in the first place.

The Nintendo DS also has several great music games. Elite Beat Agents is a great beat-tapping game which I would consider an underground hit, as is Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! and Ouendan! 2, the original Japanese series of games the US version is based on. Another favorite of mine is the second ‘Taiko no Tatsujin’ game on the DS, which features the same drumming on the console versions playable on the DS touch screen or via face and shoulder buttons. My favorite DS release in the music genre is Daigasso! Band Brothers DX, which uses up to 8 midi sounds at once with you playing one of the instruments to recreate popular J-pop and classical songs. This title also features a Karaoke mode which accurately measures your pitch while singing. If you’re not a fan of the Japanese music included you can download up to 100 other tracks from the online service, made by Nintendo or uploaded by other players. There is also an additional 100 slots for any songs you or your friends decide to create. It’s a great game and music creation tool that I highly recommend, especially if you want to sing Japanese karaoke.

The music genre to me seemed to peak with the popularity and national exposure of Guitar Hero and slowly drop after that, with a few series that I followed turning into a depressing state of churning out mediocre title after mediocre title. For those that didn’t, I remember and continue to enjoy their quality and hope that something new will come along and pull the music genre out of the hole it seems to be in at this time.