Is it worth getting into now?

[MdX MaxX]

I'm contemplating whether to start buying import music games. I probably won't soon, but possibly a few months from now I'd have the opportunity.

My question: Is getting into GF/DM worth it at this point?

I'd much rather get into GF/DM than GH or RB, since the whole wannabe rockstar concept doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. I want a music game that takes skill and musical talent to play, and has the feel of a Japanese arcade game. So anyway, I went on play-asia.com today to search for prices on beatmaniaIIDX, GuitarFreaks, and DrumMania stuff. But judging by the website, the stuff is really hard to get. Neither the GF ASC nor the DrumMania KOC is in stock, and I don't even see a GF non-ASC controller on the site. Plus, the only games in stock are GF/DM V3, and the new Masterpiece Silver/Gold, all the others are out of print. Judging by this, it seems getting into GF/DM would be too much of a hassle. Would it be better to just deal with GH and RB?

Sidenote: Pretty much the same case with beatmaniaIIDX, but I already have a US KOC, so the only problem there is the games. Only IIDX GOLD and DJ Troopers are in stock.

[Jinx]

Originally Posted by MdX MaxX

I'd much rather get into GF/DM than GH or RB, since the whole wannabe rockstar concept doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. I want a music game that takes skill and musical talent to play, and has the feel of a Japanese arcade game.

Err... the only part in that that you're actually getting from GFdm over GH/RB is the Japanese game feel. Unless you're getting a VERY nice digital drum kit or shmancy controller, DM won't really be that different from GH/RBs setup, minor discrepancies aside such as the difference in pad layouts and the one pad difference between the DM KOC and an American drum controller (no pad difference with a GH drum).

If you're avoiding GH or RB because of "wannabe rockstar concept", why would you bother with GFdm? In the grand scheme of music video games, they're both essentially the same in that. Also, you don't need musical talent for any of the above except MAYBE DM for the higher difficulty songs. Saying that GF takes more skill to play than GH/RB... maybe. More musical talent? That much is laughable on all fronts.

Basically, get GFdm because you like their songs and the judgment. Get GH or RB if you like their songs and their controllers.

[Kσn]

I want to point out that Drummania obviously can use a real drum set to play, which is why I bought all the newer games, because I am going to get a DTXPlorer soon. However, the older games cant even use it.

If you want to find some of the stuff, I believe there are still controllers in the ebay store, even the older games. You can also ask in the marketplace on here.

Personally I play all drumming games, including RB and (not as much at all) GH. Why? Because they are fun, and the music in the games are great. But Drummania's difficulty curve is quite extreme, and I think RB will start you off with the basics at the very least. But to even start enjoying GFdm, make sure you will like the songs.

And I dont know if its just me, but I dont think either GH or Rock Band has a wannabe Rock Star feel to it. Maybe Rock Band a little since there was a well thought out campaign, but GH has very little story in it.

So it all comes down to this. Look at the gameplay, listen to some of the music, and look at the DLC. Find which appeals to you more overall. Dont worry if the games are hard to find, you will find the old stuff eventually if you look hard enough.

[ranatalus]

Originally Posted by Jinx

If you're avoiding GH or RB because of "wannabe rockstar concept", why would you bother with GFdm?

JAPANESE MUSIC GAMES ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THEIR GAIJIN COUNTERPARTS

[MdX MaxX]

When I say 'wannabe rockstar,' I'm referring to the over-the-top rocker characters and interface present in the Guitar Hero games. That doesn't appeal to me. Rock Band's not so bad, though.

So the choice pretty much lies in the songlist then. I like Konami Originals and music like them, so that's why I assume I'd like GF/DM better. I guess I'll have to look into the songlists more.

(I did have GH3 for a while before my guitar controller stopped working, my neighbor has RB1 and my friend has GHWT, so it's not like I know nothing about these games. I just don't know much about GF/DM. I've only played it once at an arcade, and it was like GF 1st Mix.)

EDIT: Zenius-I-Vanisher only has the arcade songlists, are they more or less the same as the console versions?

[Kσn]

Originally Posted by MdX MaxX

EDIT: Zenius-I-Vanisher only has the arcade songlists, are they more or less the same as the console versions?

if its the CS port of a arcade game sort of.

The game keeps usually all the songs new to the game (for instance GFdm V3, all the new V3 songs will be on the CS game), and adds popular choices for players, or something along those lines.

Both Masterpiece games are the most played and popular songs in the series. If you can, go with Masterpiece GOLD and Silver if you are just going for songs. If you want to just get into the game I thought V2 and V were pretty easy, those were the two games that got me off the ground. Compared to other games, Gold and Silver are, I believe a little harder then the CS ports.

[Checky]

Originally Posted by MdX MaxX

I just don't know much about GF/DM. I've only played it once at an arcade, and it was like GF 1st Mix.)

Even 1 CS game will have more then 4x the amount of songs on arcade 1st mix, so at least you'll feel there's a little bit of variety. In terms of music V3 is still my favourite so far so i'd recommend CS V3 purely based on music. It's also the newest mix, so you get the best mix of new options and such. If your going to choose either silver or gold, go for Gold because the system to unlock new songs in Silver is a pain in the ass.

And it's never too late to start, I just started Pop'n a month ago (already up to 40's).

[KevinDidder]

Music games have never been worth getting into.

This is coming from someone who has passed all but 3 songs in FEVER AC, passed all but TL100S in Drummania (and S'd all but 4 charts in DM10th AC), has over 900 AAAs in IIDX, 90%d all the 13s in ITG, and played DDR for 8 years.

[Checky]

And your not not even legal yet, your a hero.

[AdamW]

For drums, unless you're getting a DTXplorer, the home version of DM just is not really worth it, because the KOC (and, even worse, third party KOC rip offs) is terrible. The Rock Band drums are really pretty decent, and the Ion Drum Rocker set is very nice for the money. DM is a somewhat better game technically speaking, but you'll have a lot more fun on a console playing RB simply because of the hardware.

For guitar it's more of a toss up and I don't play guitar anyway, so go with whatever songs you like best.

If you have a decent local arcade, that's by far the best way to play GF/DM. They are *arcade games*. The CS versions are really just for practice.

[zorahk]

DTXplorer or Dj DAO ASC is pretty much the only way to play.

That or buy an arcade machine.