 Beatmania IIDX 7th Style Review
Beatmania IIDX 7th Style: Jewel Shower
Playstation 2 (JPN)
Release Date: May 13, 2004
Price: $69.99+
Rarity: Extremely Rare
Highlights
High Points: Incredible songlist.
Low Points: Lack of everything else.
Song of the Style: Tomorrow Perfume by dj.TAKA (6/7+/7+ - 6/7+/7+)
Perhaps the pinnacle of Ishikawa’s achievements on Beatmania IIDX, Tomorrow Perfume was used as the song select screen in 6th style- apparently it was popular enough to be made playable in this version. Beautiful, colorful, and climactic, it is a song not to be overlooked, even with its high difficulty across all skill levels.
I’ll admit it- I’m well versed when it comes to the Bemani scene, but toss me seven keys and a turntable and I’m about as “n00b” as you can get. I’ve played piano for 14 years, and for some reason, a half a centimeter between keys and a moving music score makes my poor fingers fumble around blindingly as I desperately attempt to pass 6’s and 7’s, even after a year of hardcore practice.
Beatmania IIDX 7th style was the first arcade style my fingers ever graced. And while the machine had no video, right turntable, or remorse for my wallet, the music selection alone provided enough incentive for me to keep playing.
Now, even with the release of IIDX 11 RED, 7th style CS for the PS2 still holds a place as one of the best Beatmania console games ever conceived, if only for one reason: the immaculate songlist.
As a bit of background, IIDX 6th style CS had a wealth of features to support its stellar but slightly sparse songlist: the enticing-but-all-too-distracting Music Clip Mode; Drill Mode, as sort of a IIDX for Dummies; and the absolutely amazing Tatsujin Videos. It sported a cleaner, crisper, lighter interface than 5th style. And while it contained around the same amount of songs as 5th style, the overall quality of the songs, along with its Avex licenses, seemed to outshine its predecessor.
IIDX 7th style CS has none of the above-mentioned modes. It sports the same off-orange bare-bones interface as in the arcade. Anyone used to playing 9th style and above may drop their jaw at such a primitive-looking affair. Overall, it seems the game itself is rather sparse- at least you don’t have to play songs to unlock them in free mode now, but what good is it now when you wanted to see Happy Wedding full screen, a la Music Clip Mode?
You may think at first that this style couldn’t wind up as anything but a failure..
You thought wrong.
One plays Beatmania IIDX for the songs, and 7th style simply does not disappoint: ninety songs, with all the arcade-exclusives making the count. The Avex Super Eurobeat licenses continue with Burning Up For You, Remember Me, amongst others; the majority of 6th style exclusives have returned for new anothers or otherwise; and two unlockables from 8th and 9th style are available for play. Nary a bad song graces this mix, from the classics like Over the Clouds and Ride on the Light to the Max2 crossovers of Burning Heat! and Kakumei. And while many people have complained about 7th style’s difficulty, I think the 6th style returns bridge enough of a gap between the beginner-friendly 3rd and 4th style repeats to the 7th style 6’s and 7’s. Of all the IIDX console songlists to date, 7th style vastly outperforms the competition and more than makes up for its shortcomings.
And while 7th doesn’t have the incredible extras of its predecessor, it does sport a few new features: Dan/Class Mode, where players move through the ranks taking on slightly watered-down versions of Expert Courses; and Masters Mode, which is this style’s version of Endless Mode. Neither are all that fun to play, but are a good gauge of where you stand in terms of IIDX skill (given you could actually see what songs you were going to play in a certain Class Course). I would’ve personally vied for another Drill Mode, but I’ll take what I can get.
Overall, if you’re going to buy 7th style, buy it for its near-perfect, incredibly robust songlist. While it’s not as pretty as the later styles- and may not have all the bells and whistles of 6th style- it still remains one of the best styles to ever grace a console.
Overview
Graphics: While it remains IIDX at the core, it’s quite the eyesore to go from 9th and the later styles back to 7th’s interface; frugal, yet functional. The videos are a mixed bag; most are clean and crisp; a few remain blurry and badly compressed.
Music: Crank up the volume, folks- nearly every single one of the 90 songs on this style is a hit. A, V, Colors, Starmine, Frozen Ray, D2R, Burning Heat!, Solid Gold, More Deep, Marmalade Reverie- it’s the only reason Masters Mode is such a blast to play.
Gameplay: Still the same old IIDX. Lack of extra modes introduced in 6th style really hurt, though.
Final Thought: I haven’t reiterated this enough: IIDX 7th style’s songs have stood the test of time. There is a reason this style alone remains one of the hardest to obtain. Make this style a part of your Bemani collection- you will not be disappointed.
Bemani Score: 7.5 out of 10 | 
