A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs. Open source is a development methodology which offers practical accessibility to a product's source (goods and knowledge StepMania is an Open source rhythm video game for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. Music video games may take a variety of forms and are often grouped with puzzle games ^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]} due to their common use of "rhythmically generated puzzles"^[7][8]. Puzzle video games are a genre of Video games that emphasize Puzzle solving

While strong support for the convergence of live music and video games is evident with the success of the Video Games Live concert series^[9], this type of "game-score" augments traditional western music notation with the dramatic elements of animation, interactivity, graphic elements and aleatoric principals (Anigraphical Music). Video Games Live (VGL is a concert series created and produced by industry veterans and video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall The concept of incorporating Game Theory and music is not new and can be traced back to the sandbox-style Musikalisches Würfelspiel^[10]. Game theory is a branch of Applied mathematics that is used in the Social sciences (most notably Economics) Biology, Engineering, A Musikalisches Würfelspiel ( Musical dice game) was a system for using Dice to randomly 'generate' Music (long before Computer Systems

Music video games are distinct from purely audio games (e. An audio game is a Game played on an Electronic device such as—but not limited to—a Personal computer. g. the 1997 Dreamcast release Real Sound: Kaze no Regret) in that they feature a visual feedback, to lead the player through the game's soundtrack, although eidetic music games can fall under both categories. The is Sega 's most recent Video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. As well, music video games are distinct from games about music videos (e. A music video is a Short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music most commonly a Song with lyrics g. the 1992 Sega Mega-CD series Make My Video) in that music video games emphasize music whereas games about music videos often emphasize the video portion. The is an add-on device for the Sega Mega Drive that was released in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan. A music video is a Short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music most commonly a Song with lyrics Crossover titles such as Spice World may be about music videos but also contain musical elements to allow the music video game label.

Contents 1 Major gameplay variations 1.1 Music memory games 1.1.1 Sight-reading music games 1.1.1.1 Rhythm games 1.1.1.2 Pitch games 1.1.1.3 Volume games 1.1.2 Eidetic music games 1.2 Free form music games 1.3 Hybrid music games 1.3.1 Generative music games 1.3.2 Reactive music games 1.4 Mixed-genre games 2 Major developers 2.1 Andamiro 2.2 Bemani 2.3 Harmonix 2.4 iNiS 2.5 Namco 2.6 NanaOn-Sha 2.7 Q Entertainment 2.8 Sonic Team / United Game Artists / Sega AM9 2.9 Other Developers 3 See also 4 References

Major gameplay variations

As the genre has gained popularity and expanded, music video games have demonstrated the ability to support a range of different styles of gameplay. While the oldest form of gameplay is eidetic in nature, the most common form of music game today is rhythmic in nature and has been termed the "rhythm game. Eidetic memory, photographic memory, or total recall is the ability to recall Images Sounds, or objects in Memory Rhythm (from Greek ῥυθμός - rhythmos, "any measured flow or movement symmetry" is the variation of the length and accentuation of " Other common modes of gameplay in music video games include the sandbox style that encourages a free-form gameplay approach and the recent hybrid style that combines musical elements with more traditional genres such as the shooter or the puzzle game. Music video games are also commonly included as minigames in the party game genre.

Music memory games

Music memory games test a player's musical memory. The two major regions of musical memory that are tested in current games are short-term memory and eidetic memory. Short-term memory, sometimes referred to as "primary" "working" or "active" Memory, is said to hold a small amount of information for about 20 Eidetic memory, photographic memory, or total recall is the ability to recall Images Sounds, or objects in Memory These two types of games can be seen as directly analagous to the simple children's games of Simon says (which tests short-term memory) and Pelmanism (which tests eidetic memory). Simon says is a Game for three or more players (most often children Concentration, also known as Memory, Pelmanism, Shinkei-suijaku or simply Pairs, is a Card game in which all of the cards

Sight-reading music games

Sight-reading music games take a variety of forms depending upon which aspect of the music serves as the focus of gameplay. Although the majority of such games primarily emphasize rhythm as the major gameplay-determinative musical element, other elements of musical notation and development such as pitch and volume also serve as points of emphasis in a number of more recent games. Rhythm (from Greek ῥυθμός - rhythmos, "any measured flow or movement symmetry" is the variation of the length and accentuation of See also Modern musical symbols Music notation or musical notation is any system which represents aurally perceived Music through the use In European classical music, musical development is a process by which a musical Idea is communicated in the course of a composition. The volume of any solid plasma vacuum or theoretical object is how much three- Dimensional space it occupies often quantified numerically In all of these game-forms the goal of the player is to provide a direct injective response to each prompt (linked to an element of the music) from the game. The prompts and responses alternate and as such the gameplay tests the player's short-term memory and sight-reading ability in a manner directly analogous to the non-music-centric children's game Simon says. Short-term memory, sometimes referred to as "primary" "working" or "active" Memory, is said to hold a small amount of information for about 20 Sight-reading is the reading and performing of a piece of written Music, specifically when the performer has not seen it before Simon says is a Game for three or more players (most often children

Rhythm games

The "rhythm game," characterized by such examples as the Dance Dance Revolution series ^[11] or the Guitar Hero series^[12], tests the player's ability to follow a musical beat and stay with the rhythm of the game's soundtrack in a Simon-says-style format. Dance Dance Revolution (abbreviated DDR) previously known as Dancing Stage in PAL territories until the announcement of Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. A beat is the basic Time Unit of a piece of Music; for example each tick sounded by a Metronome would correspond to a beat Rhythm (from Greek ῥυθμός - rhythmos, "any measured flow or movement symmetry" is the variation of the length and accentuation of Simon says is a Game for three or more players (most often children In rhythm games, the player must press specific buttons, or activate controls on a specialized game controller, in time with the game's music. A game controller is an Input device used to control a Video game. Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. The control scheme is usually fairly simplistic, and the moves required are usually predetermined rather than randomized.

Pitch games

A pitch game, as characterized by Karaoke Revolution or the SingStar series, tests the player's ability to match the pitch of a piece of music provided by the game. Karaoke Revolution and its many sequels are Video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, This article concerns the series as a whole For the PlayStation 3 version see SingStar (PlayStation 3. Players use their voices and a specialized microphone as input and they are scored on their tonal accuracy. A pure tone is a tone with a sinusoidal waveshape A Sine wave is characterized by its frequency — the number of cycles per second or its Wavelength These games typically remain linked to rhythm as well due to the basic nature of rhythm in most music, however pitch games are characterized by comparatively simple rhythms and an emphasis on the pitch element of the songs instead.

Volume games

The element of volume is very rare in music games, however it has recently featured in such games as Mad Maestro! and Wii Music. Mad Maestro!, known in Japan as is a Classical music rhythm game for the PlayStation 2, developed by Desert Productions and Wii Music is an upcoming Music video game for the Wii that simulates playing Musical instruments using the Wii Remote and the Although volume games emphasize volume, the player typically does not accomplish this with his voice as with pitch games. Rather, a variety of methods are used to provide alterations in volume. In Mad Maestro!, for instance, the player is able to vary the volume according to the requirements of gameplay by varying the pressure he or she applies to the buttons of the Dualshock 2 controller which are capable of recognizing variable pressure. Mad Maestro!, known in Japan as is a Classical music rhythm game for the PlayStation 2, developed by Desert Productions and The DualShock (officially DUALSHOCK and occasionally referred to as Dual Shock) is a line of vibration-feedback Alternately, in Wii Music, the player varies the angle at which the Wii Remote is held in order to vary the volume of the game. Wii Music is an upcoming Music video game for the Wii that simulates playing Musical instruments using the Wii Remote and the The Wii Remote, sometimes Nicknamed " Wiimote " is the primary controller for Nintendo 's The great majority of volume games remain intimately linked to the rhythm aspects of the song.

Eidetic music games

Eidetic music games, for which Simon^[13] and Space Channel 5 serve as examples, test the player's ability to memorize a musical series of notes or beats and to repeat it back in a Pelmanism-style format. Simon is an Electronic game of rhythm and memory skill invented by Ralph H For the Canadian television network see Space (TV channel is a music video game series developed by United Game Artists under the direction of Concentration, also known as Memory, Pelmanism, Shinkei-suijaku or simply Pairs, is a Card game in which all of the cards Eidetic music games can be differentiated from the sight-reading music games by the escalating series of prompts and responses required for successful completion. Each successive prompt and response contains the entirety of the prior prompt or response as well as additional material determined by the round and as such the gameplay is designed to tests the player's eidetic memory. Eidetic memory, photographic memory, or total recall is the ability to recall Images Sounds, or objects in Memory Due to the simplicity of gameplay, eidetic music games have been employed to great success as minigames in such titles as The 7th Guest, Zork Nemesis, and Myst. The 7th Guest, published in 1993 by Virgin Games, is a video -based puzzle Computer game, not unlike The Fool's Myst is a graphic adventure Video game designed and directed by the brothers Robyn and Rand Miller. Eidetic music games are the oldest form of the music game, discounting free form music games, with roots reaching as far back as the late 1970s.

Free form music games

Free form music games, characterized by games such as SimTunes^[14], are those in which the creation of music takes predominance over gameplay and as such these games are often more similar to non-game music synthesizers such as the Tenori-on. SimTunes is a children's Software toy designed by Toshio Iwai and released by Maxis in 1996 Tenori-on is an electronic Musical instrument, designed and created by Japanese Artist, Toshio Iwai and Yu Nishibori of the Music Free form music games occupy a position somewhere between generative hybrid music games and non-game utilities dependent upon the degree to which their gameplay relies upon a driving underlying plotline. Further examples of this form of music game include Fluid, Electroplankton, Traxxpad, and MTV Drumscape. Fluid (European title - Depth (Japanese title is a Playstation simulation game released in 1998 by SCEE and Electroplankton is an Interactive music Video game developed by the Japanese interactive media artist Toshio Iwai and published by Traxxpad is a music application for Sony 's PlayStation Portable developed by Definitive Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. MTV Drumscape (or Drumscape) is an arcade Drum Simulation made by Devecka Enterprises Free form musical modes are also often made available as alternate gameplay modes or unlockables as in such games as Daigasso! Band Brothers, Quest for Fame, and Osu!. is a DJ style music game for the Nintendo DS where players can play the parts of multiple music instruments in one song allowing them to play any part of a MIDI -style song Quest for Fame is a Music video game developed by Virtual Music and distributed by IBM. Osu! is a rhythm video game for Microsoft Windows, based on the Nintendo DS titles Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan and This form of music game is closely analogous to Sandbox games in the realm of non-musical games and the term "sandbox" has been used to describe this form of gameplay^[15][16][17].

Hybrid music games

An offshoot of the serious games initiative^[18], hybrid forms of music video games such as Otocky (a generative hybrid) and Pteranodon (a reactive hybrid) are characterized by substantial and meaningful interactions between a player and the music in a game that ostensibly belongs to a non-musical genre^[19][20]. A serious game is a term used to refer to a Software or Hardware application developed with game technology and Game design principles for Otocky is a Videogame released in 1987 for the Famicom Disk System, an add-on for the NES available only in Japan Nicklas Nygren (born 6 January 1983) better known by the handle " Nifflas " is a Video game developer and Musician.

Generative music games

Generative-form hybrid music video games often make the concert music resulting from the interaction between performer and in-game dynamics a goal of the game^[21][22]. Interactive music also known as nonlinear music or adaptive music, is synonymous with Soundtracks to Interactive media and in particular To achieve this the non-musical genres to which these games give the outward appearance of belonging are often characterized by simple, straightforward dynamics^[23][24][25]. In Rez, for example, the game takes the form of a simple rail shooter, however by integrating sound effects created by the actions of the player (as he completes the normal tasks of rail-shooting) with the soundtrack as a whole, the game is intended to permit the player's direct interaction with the soundtrack and to encourage the creation of a synaesthetic experience^[26]. Rez, developed under the codename K-Project, Project Eden, and Vibes, is a Rail shooter video A shoot-'em-up (also known as shmup) is a Video game genre of Shooter game in which the player controls a vehicle or character and fights large

Reactive music games

The major difference between the generative and reactive forms of hybrid music video games is that games of the generative form allow for the creation of music as determined by gameplay whereas those of the reactive form employ music to determine gameplay. Reactive-form hybrid music video games such as Pteranodon focus upon the underlying genre such that the music serves to determine the dynamics of the non-musical components of the game. Nicklas Nygren (born 6 January 1983) better known by the handle " Nifflas " is a Video game developer and Musician. In these games the player takes substantial cues from the soundtrack to devise his gameplay. Comparable reactive-form ^[27] music video games such as Vib-Ribbon, Audiosurf, or Dance Factory lack a differentiable underlying genre and as such cannot be considered hybrid music games. Vib-Ribbon is a game for Sony PlayStation. Developed by Masaya Matsuura (the former leader of the Japanese "Hyper Pop Unit" Audiosurf is an IGF Award winning puzzle / rhythm hybrid game created by Invisible Handlebar Dance Factory is a PlayStation 2 game developed by Broadsword Interactive and published by Codemasters.

Mixed-genre games

Mixed-genre games are typically party games in which a number of minigames each of different genres are merged into one frame narrative. Party games are Games which share several features suitable to entertaining a social gathering of moderate size A frame story (also frame tale, frame narrative, etc is a narrative technique whereby an introductory main story is composed at least in part for the purpose of Examples of this kind of mixed-genre game featuring musical elements include Feel the Magic: XY/XX and The Rub Rabbits!. Feel the Magic XY/XX, known in Japan as and in Europe and Australia as Project Rub is a Minigame Video The Rub Rabbits!, known in Japan as Akachan wa Dokokara Kuruno? (赤ちゃんはどこからくるの? lit Other games may be considered mixed-genre games if they meaningfully merge music video game elements with gameplay from another distinct genre. Although hybrid music games can be seen to accomplish a similar effect, the overlap between the musical elements and the gameplay in hybrid music games prevents the game from being fully understood when regarding either the non-musical aspect or the musical aspect in isolation from the other. Mixed-genre games such as the musical RPG, Ragnarawk, accomplish a much greater degree of separation between the traditional non-musical aspects of the game and the musical aspects. A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. Ragnarawk is an musical role-playing game created for the 2007 Dare to be Digital video games development competition

Major developers

Andamiro

Main article: Andamiro

Although Andamiro was previously known within the gaming community at large for its prize-winning arcade mini game, Arch Shade^[28], within the realm of music video games the company has become best known for its Pump It Up arcade series^[29]. Originally founded in Korea in 1992 as Oksan Entertainment Co Pump It Up, commonly abbreviated as PIU Pump It Up (1999), while widely believed to be based on Dance Dance Revolution^[30], was in fact developed simultaneously to DDR although it was only released in Korea after the release of DDR^[31]. It is not as well known in America due to Andamiro keeping the game's availability only within its native Korea for many years^[32]. Its dance-mat layout was the inverse of the layout for DDR - the arcade machine uses four diagonal pads and one center pad for each player (see gameplay of Pump It Up). Pump It Up, commonly abbreviated as PIU In November 2006, Andamiro announced a sequel, Pump It Up New Xenesis, which was to be developed by team Nexcade^[33] (Andamiro's previous development team, FreeVolt, was to compose approximately half of Nexcade^[34]). Pump it Up New Xenesis (or NX for short is the 19th arcade game release in the Pump it Up series Pump It Up New Xenesis was released in December, 2006^[35]. Andamiro has produced at least 20 versions of the Pump It Up series worldwide^[36], but due to their naming convention for new game titles it is hard to determine an exact index for the games. Andamiro has also developed nine consumer software versions for PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable^[37]. The Xbox is a sixth-generation Video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. The PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP) is a Handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment.

Bemani

Main article: Bemani

An extremely popular^[38] series of games published by Konami in Japan that make up a significant proportion of total sales in the music video game genre, the "BEMANI series"^[39][40] is named for Konami's music games division. is Konami 's Music video game division Originally named the Games & Music Division, or simply G () is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys Trading cards, Anime, Tokusatsu, Slot machines For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. is Konami 's Music video game division Originally named the Games & Music Division, or simply G The division's name is derived, in common Japanese syllabic abbreviation, from its flagship game, BEatMANIa^[41]. In Beatmania (1997), the player uses a set of buttons and a controller in the form of a DJ's turntable^[42]. A disc jockey (also known as DJ or deejay) is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience The phonograph, or gramophone, was the most common device for playing recorded Sound from the 1870s through the 1980s The BEMANI series also includes several games requiring the use of controllers shaped like musical instruments, such as GuitarFreaks^[43] (1998) and DrumMania^[44] (1999). GuitarFreaks (also GUITARFREAKS, abbreviated GF) is a Music video game series produced by Konami. DrumMania (alternately drummania, abbreviated DM) is a Music video game series produced by Konami Digital Entertainment Bemani's musical arcade titles include Mambo a Go Go^[45] (2002) and Toy's March^[46] (2005). Mambo a Go Go, is a Music video game produced by Konami where players must rhythmically beat Conga drums as colored notes fall from the top of Toy's March is a drum simulation game developed by Konami in.

Only a limited selection of the BEMANI games have been released outside of Asia^[47], the most notable being Dance Dance Revolution (1998) (commonly abbreviated to DDR; also known as Dancing Stage in European release). Dance Dance Revolution (abbreviated DDR) previously known as Dancing Stage in PAL territories until the announcement of In DDR, players step on or otherwise activate panels on a large (about 1 meter square) floor controller in time with an on-screen sequence^[11]. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A dance pad, also known as a dance mat or dance platform, is a flat electronic Game controller used for Input in dance games Home versions of the floor controller somewhat resemble the Nintendo Power Pad accessory^[48]. is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on The Power Pad (known in Japan as Family Trainer, and in Europe and briefly in the United States as Family Fun Fitness) is a floor The overwhelming success of DDR and its sequels has spawned numerous re-creations or clones of the game or its mechanics, both commercial (as with EZ2Dancer^[49], In the Groove^[50], and In the Groove 2^[50]) and free (including StepMania^[49], which is also FOSS^[51], and Dance With Intensity^[49], which is not). EZ2Dancer is an arcade rhythm video game made by the Korean company Amuseworld. In the Groove (abbreviated ITG) is the first game in the In the Groove franchise published and developed by In the Groove 2 is the sequel to Roxor Games ' 2004 arcade game In the Groove. StepMania is an Open source rhythm video game for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. Free and open source software, also F/OSS, FOSS, or FLOSS (for Free/Libre/Open Source Software) is software which is liberally licensed This makes DDR possibly the most duplicated music game in existence^[52].

The BEMANI series can be credited with several trends in music games. One such trend is the use of novel, specialized game controllers, in both arcade and home versions^[53] (which Konami had also pioneered in non-music games such as Police 911^[54]). Police 911 (aka The Keisatsukan Shinjuku Cop 24 Hours in Japan, Police 24/7 in Europe. Another trend is the use of a sizable catalog of short mixes and covers of existing songs as well as songs produced in-house for the game which serve as a common basis for many members of the series^[55]. Many games in the series also have further sequels in which the main change is the selection of songs, and the mechanics of the gameplay remain similar to the original^[56].

Harmonix

Main article: Harmonix Music Systems

Harmonix Music Systems is an American game company that primarily makes music games^[57]. Harmonix Music Systems (or simply Harmonix) is a video game development company based in Cambridge Massachusetts in the United States. Harmonix Music Systems (or simply Harmonix) is a video game development company based in Cambridge Massachusetts in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It first became famous for the game FreQuency (2001) and its sequel Amplitude (2003), both of which feature edits of existing songs (as well as original selections) and a gameplay similar to that of Beatmania^[58][59]. Frequency is a Music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by SCEI. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Amplitude is a 2003 PlayStation 2 musical video game It was developed by Harmonix and is the sequel to the game FreQuency Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Harmonix also produced Karaoke Revolution^[60] (2003) (published by Konami as a BEMANI game^[61] in the same vein as Dance Dance Revolution). Karaoke Revolution and its many sequels are Video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, () is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys Trading cards, Anime, Tokusatsu, Slot machines In Karaoke Revolution, a player sings on-screen lyrics into a microphone along with accompanying background music (in the style of karaoke) and is scored on closeness of pitch between player and tune^[60]. (kɑːrɑːˌoʊkɛ in Japanese karaoke) is a form of Entertainment in which Amateur Singers sing along with recorded Music (and/or a Although now one of the most well-known pitch-oriented games^[62], Karaoke Revolution was released three years after the publication of the Finnish PC game, PlaySingMusic^[63] (2000) by SoittoPeli (possibly the first such game) and its subsequent presentation at the LA iWireless World conference by Elmorex Ltd. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. in 2001^[64].

A newer game by Harmonix, Guitar Hero (2005), has expanded into a popular series for which Harmonix is best known^[65]. Guitar Hero is a Music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 Video Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Guitar Hero makes use of a guitar-shaped controller with five neck buttons^[12]. The sequel, Guitar Hero II, was released in November 2006^[66].

After being bought by MTV in 2006^[67], Harmonix began work on Rock Band^[68]. MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. Former publisher RedOctane^[69] (now owned by Activision^[70]) turned the task of continuing the Guitar Hero franchise to Neversoft^[71]. RedOctane is an American electronic entertainment company perhaps best known for publishing the ''Guitar Hero'' series. Activision Inc is an American Video game developer and publisher. Neversoft or Neversoft Entertainment is an American Video game developer, founded in 1994 by Joel Jewett Mick West and Chris Ward Harmonix released Rock Band on November 20, 2007 in North America, with the game being published by EA Games^[72]. Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, An expansion to Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s (2007), was created prior to the release of Rock Band in order to fulfill the contractual obligations with Activision, as its development started prior to the ownership transfer^[73]. Guitar Hero Encore Rocks the 80s (titled Guitar Hero Rocks the 80s in Europe is a Music video game and the third installment in the popular

Apart from music video games, Harmonix is known for being one of the first developers to make use of the EyeToy camera accessory for the PlayStation 2^[74]. History The EyeToy was originally devised by Dr Richard Marks who had the idea of connecting a Web camera to a PlayStation 2 and using it to play games

iNiS

Main article: iNiS

iNiS is a video game developer most commonly known for their cult video game^[75] Gitaroo Man (2001) for the PlayStation 2 and their Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan (2005) series for the Nintendo DS^[76]. iNiS is a Japanese Video game developer that specializes in rhythm games. iNiS is a Japanese Video game developer that specializes in rhythm games. A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video Gitaroo Man ( ギタルマン) is a Video game for the Sony PlayStation 2, published by Koei and developed by sometimes referred to as simply Ouendan, is a rhythm Video game developed by INiS and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS The is a dual-screen Handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. All of iNiS' rhythm games were designed by Keiichi Yano^[77]. While the company has been around for many years, none of their previous games matched the recent success and support that Ouendan received^[78]. The popularity of Ouendan led to interest in the older game, Gitaroo Man^[79]. Published by Koei in 2002 throughout North America, which soon became difficult to find for sale as it gained cult status^[75]. This article is about the software company For the Japanese era name see Kōei (era. In response to this demand, Koei resumed production to ship more copies^[80] which resulted in the elevation of Gitaroo Man from a cult video game to a sleeper hit. A sleeper hit (often simply called a "sleeper" refers to a Film, Book, single, Album, TV show, or Video game In addition, iNiS ported the game to Sony's handheld PlayStation Portable gaming device as Gitaroo Man Lives!^[81] (2006). The PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP) is a Handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Gitaroo Man ( ギタルマン) is a Video game for the Sony PlayStation 2, published by Koei and developed by

iNiS's success with these rhythm games prompted Nintendo, who was the publisher of Ouendan in Japan^[82], to pressure iNiS to produce a spiritual sequel to Ouendan that would appeal more to North American audiences^[83]. is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on A spiritual successor, sometimes called a spiritual sequel or a companion piece, is a successor to a work of fiction that instead of being a standard Sequel The reason for this was that Ouendan included musical and cultural references that would make little sense outside of Japan^[84]. This resulted in the production of Elite Beat Agents in 2006^[85]. Elite Beat Agents is a music Video game developed by INiS and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld Elite Beat Agents includes well-known Western songs, all performed by cover bands^[86]. Elite Beat Agents is a music Video game developed by INiS and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. It also has a few new gameplay tweaks (see gameplay of Elite Beat Agents). Elite Beat Agents is a music Video game developed by INiS and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld On May 17, 2007 iNiS/Nintendo released Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 (Burn! Hot-blooded Rhythm Soul! Go! Fight! Cheer Squad 2, Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2^?)^[87] (2007) in Japan as a direct sequel to the original Ouendan^[88]. is a rhythm Video game developed by INiS and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. is a rhythm Video game developed by INiS and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. Ouendan 2 featured new characters, situations, and Japanese music^[87].

Namco

Main article: Namco

Relatively late to the market, Namco's first foray into rhythm games came in the form of its Taiko no Tatsujin series^[89]. is an amusement company based in Japan, best known overseas for Video games development is a series of rhythm games created by Namco. The series has seen releases for the arcade, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, These arcade games featured 2 large taiko-style drums^[90] and their popularity^[91] prompted the release of a PS2 version, Taiko: Drum Master (2004) which required a specialized taiko-drum-shaped "TaTaCon" controller to play^[92]. means " Drum " in Japanese (etymologically "great" or "wide drum" " Taiko Drum Master " (English title also known as " Taiko no Tatsujin " (太鼓の達人　"Taiko Other games in the Taiko no Tatsujin series that have been released in Japan include both Taiko no Tatsujin Portable for the PSP and Taiko no Tatsujin Touch De Dokodon for the Nintendo DS^[93][94]. " Taiko Drum Master " (English title also known as " Taiko no Tatsujin " (太鼓の達人　"Taiko The PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP) is a Handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. is a rhythm Video game developed by Namco and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS Handheld game console in 2007 and it The is a dual-screen Handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. In 2003, Namco expanded Nintendo's flagship Donkey Kong series into the realm of rhythm games with its Donkey Konga series which currently consists of Donkey Konga (2003), Donkey Konga 2 (2004), Donkey Konga 3 (2005), and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (2004)^{[95][96][97][98]}. is a GameCube rhythm game starring the gorilla Donkey Kong, developed by Namco and published by Nintendo. is a GameCube rhythm game starring the gorilla Donkey Kong, developed by Namco and published by Nintendo. is the sequel to Donkey Konga for the Nintendo GameCube, a game where you must pound on a special barrel-like controller called the DK Bongos along is a Music video game in the Donkey Kong series by Nintendo and Namco. is a Nintendo GameCube Video game featuring the Gorilla Donkey Kong and played with the DK Bongos.

NanaOn-Sha

Main article: NanaOn-Sha

A Japanese video game company now known as NanaOn-Sha is credited with the creation of what is generally considered to be the first modern rhythm game^[99], PaRappa the Rapper (1996)^[100]. NanaOn-Sha is a Japanese Video game company which created what is widely credited as the first modern rhythm game, PaRappa the Rapper For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. NanaOn-Sha is a Japanese Video game company which created what is widely credited as the first modern rhythm game, PaRappa the Rapper PaRappa the Rapper (パラッパラッパー 1996 also known as "PaRappaRappa" and "PaRappa the Rappa" is a rhythm video game for the The gameplay generally involves repeating the rhythms of raps from another character (one per level), by pressing any of eight buttons on the game controller. Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with The button sequences are displayed on a timeline at the top of the screen. Pressing a button plays a sample of PaRappa's voice corresponding to which button was pressed, regardless of whether the pressing of the button matches the appropriate rhythmic sequence or intended button selection. PaRappa can sometimes be heard to say "Oops!" if no sample is associated with the button at that moment^[100].

The game is scored for sequence and timing, and adhering closely to the given timeline results in a passing grade. Unlike many other music games, the player may obtain an even higher score and access a special "COOL" mode of play by improvisational "freestyling" (though the algorithm by which this is scored is often nebulous and the results virtually unpredictable)^[100]. Freestyle or Latin Freestyle, also called Latin Hip Hop in its early years is a form of Electronic music that is heavily influenced by Latin American In Mathematics, Computing, Linguistics and related subjects an algorithm is a sequence of finite instructions often used for Calculation The game's success resulted in the spinoff UmJammer Lammy (1999), which is based on guitar samples^[101], and eventually a proper sequel, PaRappa the Rapper 2^[102] (2002). is a rhythm Video game developed by NanaOn-Sha and published by Sony for the PlayStation Video game console. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles PaRappa the Rapper 2 is a PlayStation 2 rhythm video game and the sequel to PaRappa the Rapper.

NanaOn-Sha also produced another novel series of music games including Vib-Ribbon (1999), Mojib-Ribbon (2003), and Vib-Ripple (2004), however these games were only released in Japan (and, in the case of Vib-Ribbon, Europe)^{[103][104][105]}. Vib-Ribbon is a game for Sony PlayStation. Developed by Masaya Matsuura (the former leader of the Japanese "Hyper Pop Unit" Vib-Ripple is a video game for the PlayStation 2 created by Masaya Matsuura and his studio NanaOn-Sha. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The gameplay involved in Vib-Ribbon centered on the player's reactions to elements of the landscape which in turn resulted from the tone of the background music. The game came with a soundtrack, but players were additionally able to load their own music on CDs into the PS1 and an in-game algorithm would produce the resulting landscape based on waveform analysis^[103]. A waveform viewer is a Software tool for viewing the signal levels of either a digital or Analog circuit design This freedom of landscape was again extended to players in the rhythm-centric Vib-Ripple, as the game allowed players to import images of their own choosing to serve as the background. As in the case of the waveform algorithm in Vib-Ribbon, Vib-Ripple contains an algorithm which converts externally loaded pictures into corresponding levels^[104]. Mojib-Ribbon followed a similar concept as the Vib titles, but used text files to create kanji rap-based rhythm gameplay^[105]. are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with Hiragana (ひらがな 平仮名 Katakana

Q Entertainment

Main article: Q Entertainment

In the month following the dissolution of SEGA's United Game Artists division in 2003^[106], UGA's former lead designer, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, left SEGA along with several of his co-workers to form an independent game studio, Q Entertainment^[107], which continued producing music-based games, along with a handful of other titles. Q Entertainment creates produces and publishes in digital entertainment content across multiple game consoles PC broadband and mobile units is a multinational Video game Software and Hardware development company and a former Home computer is a Japanese computer and video game developer established in Ota Tokyo, Japan in 1988, originally known as Sega AM8. Tetsuya Mizuguchi ( Japanese: 水口哲也 Mizuguchi Tetsuya, born May 22, 1965 in Otaru, Hokkaidō, Japan)

The first step of Mizuguchi's newly-formed Q Entertainment was to develop the blockbuster Lumines (2004) for the PlayStation Portable^[108]. is a Video puzzle game based on sound and light patterns Created by game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi and his company Q Entertainment, it was first released The PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP) is a Handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Lumines is a puzzle game in which the goal is to arrange like-colored falling blocks into squares which will then disappear. Like Rez (a game Mizuguchi had previously designed^[109]), each stage in Lumines has a unique musical and visual theme. In Lumines blocks marked to be cleared do not disappear immediately. Instead, a bar called the timeline sweeps across the screen in time with the music and clears away the properly arranged blocks, producing a musical effect in sync with the background music each time this happens^[110]. Sequels to Lumines include Lumines Live! (2006) and Lumines II (2006)^[111][112]. Lumines Live! is a Puzzle game based on the original PlayStation Portable game for the Xbox 360. Lumines II is a sequel to the puzzle game Lumines. The game was released in November 2006 in Europe and North America, and in February

Following the release of Lumines II, Q Entertainment released a PSP title called Every Extend Extra (2006)^[113]. Every Extend Extra is a Shoot 'em up video game by Q Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable (PSP Every Extend Extra is as an abstract action game in which power-ups dropped by enemies, named "quickens", increase the speed of both the player and the enemy, as well as the speed of that drive's music^[113]. Like Rez, the basic gameplay itself appears unrelated to the music, however the music reacts to the gameplay in such a way as to produce a concert effect^[113][114].

The same year Q Entertainment also created Gunpey^[115] (2006), a puzzle game for the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP based on the classic formula from Gunpei Yokoi's Wonderswan game^[116][117]. Gunpey and Gunpey DS are a pair of Puzzle games for the Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable handheld It bears Mizuguchi's signature design previously seen in games such as Lumines, where every skin has a different mood, different background music, and different specific sound effects^[115].

Q Entertainment's most recent release was a high-definition version of Rez entitled Rez HD (2008) for the Xbox 360 that additionally includes vibrational support for up to four controllers^[118]. Rez, developed under the codename K-Project, Project Eden, and Vibes, is a Rail shooter video The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. In interviews, Mizuguchi has suggested holding one, placing one on the back, and placing one's feet upon the other two^[119].

Sonic Team / United Game Artists / Sega AM9

Main article: Sonic Team

Sonic Team (formerly Sega AM8^[120]) is a division of Sega Corporation^[120], which from 2000-2003 absorbed and incorporated several smaller former Sega divisions^[106] following the transitional phase in which Sega dropped out of the console race to concentrate on software and game development^[106]. is a Japanese computer and video game developer established in Ota Tokyo, Japan in 1988, originally known as Sega AM8. is a Japanese computer and video game developer established in Ota Tokyo, Japan in 1988, originally known as Sega AM8. is a multinational Video game Software and Hardware development company and a former Home computer

Sonic Team produced only one music video game prior to merging with United Game Artists^[121]. This Sega Dreamcast game, entitled Samba de Amigo (1999), involved the use of a set of maraca peripherals which were shaken in one of three positions corresponding to on-screen cues and the rhythm of the soundtrack^[122]. The is Sega 's most recent Video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. Samba de Amigo is a rhythm game originally developed by Sonic Team and released in 1999 by Sega in arcades 2000 for the Dreamcast Maraca is also a genus of Tarantula. Maracas ( sometimes called rumba

Simultaneously another Sega division called Sega AM9, led by designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi^[109], produced its first and last music video game under the Sega AM9 name^[109][123]. Tetsuya Mizuguchi ( Japanese: 水口哲也 Mizuguchi Tetsuya, born May 22, 1965 in Otaru, Hokkaidō, Japan) Space Channel 5 (1999), another game for the Dreamcast, has the player control Ulala, a swingin' reporter for the titular broadcast network, Space Channel 5. For the Canadian television network see Space (TV channel is a music video game series developed by United Game Artists under the direction of The is Sega 's most recent Video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. Ulala defeats her enemies (which include aliens, robots, and nefarious humans) by mesmerizing them with her dancing and/or singing, then incapacitating them with her raygun. This article is about fictional weapons For other meanings see Raygun (disambiguation. The control scheme follows an eidetic format, with players repeating increasing sequences of button presses in time with the ever-present music^[123].

In 2000, the Sega AM9 division was renamed United Game Artists and became a semi-autonomous subsidiary^[109]. Under this new name, the division's next title was Rez^[114] (2001), a unique synaesthetic rail shooter for Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, destined to became a cult favorite^[124]. Rez, developed under the codename K-Project, Project Eden, and Vibes, is a Rail shooter video Synesthesia (also spelled synæsthesia or synaesthesia, plural synesthesiae or synaesthesiae)—from the Ancient Greek (syn meaning "with" A shoot-'em-up (also known as shmup) is a Video game genre of Shooter game in which the player controls a vehicle or character and fights large The is Sega 's most recent Video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. In Rez, the player flies through a psychedelic, abstract landscape while a Techno or Breakbeat track plays. Techno is a form of Electronic dance music (EDM that emerged in Detroit, Michigan, USA during the mid to late 1980s Breakbeat (sometimes breakbeats or breaks) is a term used to describe a collection of sub- genres of Electronic music, usually characterized Whenever the player locks on to an enemy, shoots, or uses a special ability, there is both a musical and a visual effect which occurs in time with the playing track. The controller's vibrating motors pulse in time with the beat, and the game also featured support for a Rez-specific accessory called the Rez Trance Vibrator which similarly vibrated in correspondence with the music created^[114][125]. Rez, developed under the codename K-Project, Project Eden, and Vibes, is a Rail shooter video The sensory experiences offered by the game (visual, auditory, and tactile) are all closely interwoven, and the unique audio/visual experience earned Rez many excellent reviews, although sales were lackluster^[126][127]. Renewed interest in the title as well as its cult status have prompted Mizuguchi to release an updated high-definition version entitled Rez HD (2008), although this version has been released by his new development company, Q Entertainment^[118]. Rez, developed under the codename K-Project, Project Eden, and Vibes, is a Rail shooter video Q Entertainment creates produces and publishes in digital entertainment content across multiple game consoles PC broadband and mobile units

The last title developed by UGA before it's absorption into Sonic Team was Space Channel 5: Part 2 (2002), a direct sequel to Space Channel 5^[128]. Space Channel 5: Part 2 dropped the FMV backgrounds from Part 1 and instead featured a more dynamic presentation. It also added instrument-based sequences in which the main character played the guitar or drums^[129]. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells It was generally hailed as a major improvement over its precursor, yet it failed to capture the same commercial success^[130].

In 2003, UGA was absorbed by Sonic Team^[106] as a result of which former UGA lead designer, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, and several other left to form Q Entertainment^[107]. Tetsuya Mizuguchi ( Japanese: 水口哲也 Mizuguchi Tetsuya, born May 22, 1965 in Otaru, Hokkaidō, Japan) Since the merger of UGA and Sonic Team, Sonic Team has not produced any strict music video games^[131], although members of the former UGA staff (now under the Sonic Team name) have included musical mini-games in their 2004 release, Feel the Magic: XY/XX^[132]. Feel the Magic XY/XX, known in Japan as and in Europe and Australia as Project Rub is a Minigame Video

Other Developers

• Amuse World - EZ2DJ series (1999) for arcade. EZ2DJ is a series of Music video games created by the South Korean company Amuseworld.
• Aspyr Media - First-time developer with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock porting it to the PC and Macintosh computers
• Doogi Doogi Co. Aspyr Media Inc (əsˈpaɪər is an Austin Texas based company that specializes in Porting Windows games to the Mac OS platform See also Software portability In Computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated Macintosh, commonly nicknamed Mac is a Brand name which covers several lines of Personal computers designed developed and marketed by Apple Inc A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. Ltd. - Doogi doogi for arcade
• Devecka company - MTV Drumscape (1997) for arcade
• Indies Zero - Electroplankton (2005) for Nintendo DS
• Maxis Software - SimTunes (1996) for PC
• Neversoft - First-time developer with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii video game consoles
• Nifflas - Pteranadon for PC
• Nintendo R&D1 - Rhythm Tengoku (2006) for Game Boy Advance
• Nintendo R&D2 - Daigasso! Band Brothers (2004) for Nintendo DS
• Noise Factory - Ontamarama (2007) for Nintendo DS
• Pentavision - DJMAX (2004) for PC and DJ Max Portable (2006) and DJ Max Portable 2 (2007) for Playstation Portable
• Pyramid / Japan Studios - Patapon (2007) for PlayStation Portable
• Roxor - In the Groove, In the Groove 2
• SEDIC - Otocky (1987) for Famicom Disk System
• Ubisoft - Rayman Raving Rabbids (2006) for Wii and its sequel - Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (2007) for Wii; portions of which are rhythm-oriented
• Unreal Voodoo - Frets on Fire
• Virtual Music - Quest for Fame (2001), Born To Rock, and Welcome To West Feedback (bundled with the Virtual Guitar)

See also

• Video game music
• Audio game

References

"MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published

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