[Hortence:The Muleface Mod]

Well honestly, anyone saying beatmania US was evidence that the series can't work in the US doesn't quite understand why it failed. The game was undermarketed, poorly developed, had a ton of very poor design choices, had absolutely no personality in the interface (which for comparison even for something without characters IIDX Happy Sky had an amazingly well executed interface), and had a mediocre songlist at best.

Not only that, but the release was timed just as Guitar Hero was peaking in popularity and gaining momentum, so the press compared the two and the lackluster personalityless US beatmania release just couldn't compare. If the design and focus of the game was more well thought out, it could have had enough of its own style to differentiate it as a different type of music game, but so far as anyone in the market for a music game cared; beatmania was a lackluster boring game compared to the thrilling rockfest that is Guitar Hero.

Which is a damn shame, since the interface for IIDX is what has the most personality out of the whole game, and Konami's more recent efforts could certainly turn a few heads with how well designed and eyecatching IIDX has been. beatmania US sold poorly not because the core game mechanics were unpopular, it's just American audiences like fluff and pizazz in their games' presentation.

Guitar Hero succeeds because it's been polished and shined almost to perfection, the game is pretty much as much fun for a random spectator to watch as it is for someone playing it. beatmania US comparitively, well, to reference the old adage of "you can polish a turd as much as you like...", wasn't even a very well polished turd.