Well, it's very reassuring that men, women, and men who dress up like women can all have fun with this game. ;-)

Plus, notice that all the players are wearing headphones while playing.

The official site has substantially more content now. Oh crap, the Perfect Campaigns are back.

A new trailer and footage of the demo version, too.  The demo shows off the tutorial, plus the entirety of the Manufacture and Chorus Men stages.

Japanese Family Trailer:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/37477.html

Demo footage:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=z93IKdEvIxc

Looking good so far.

I suggested the title "Rhythm Hell" for the GBA game, but the DS version makes the original look more like "Rhythm Purgatory." This is some hardcore stuff to be sure. Some of the minigames are surprisingly easy, even for someone as rhythmically challenged as I am, but others are nothing short of maddening. Pretty much anything that requires sliding the stylus feels needlessly difficult, just because the sliding motion doesn't always register. It also feels like there are fewer visual cues to let you know if your timing is too soon or too late, though it's possible I just haven't noticed them. Or, I just plain suck. All I know is that in hell, they force you to play Ping Pong.

The good news is that the music has been *terrific* so far and the minigames are still unbelievably charming.  Shooting, Idol, Love Call, and Remix 3 are my bona fide favorites at the moment, both for music and gameplay. My only real disappointment is that there haven't been any noticeable callbacks to the first game. There is, however, a psuedo-shout-out to another famous music game. I nearly had a heart attack when I reached stage 4-3 and saw the minigame name: Ouendan. Needless to say, it's not what you'd expect.

Still waiting up for my copy, but this seems to be the most common complaint I've heard from people so far.  They suggested doing small, flicking motions instead of full-on sliding.   

Really?  Folks have been saying there's a ton to be found.  How many levels have you completed so far?

The thing I've been wondering is if there's any unlockables to be had if you have the original GBA cart in the DS along with Gold.  Would make for a neat additional bonus for the fans. :)

I'm less than halfway through at the moment (the Love Lab game is seriously testing my timing, not to mention patience). There are a few obvious cameos, but some I'm not entirely sure about. I suppose the clapping monkeys could be related to those diabolical tap-dancing monkeys, and I think the DJ School might be related to the rap minigame, but I haven't noticed anything else yet. Then again, it's been a while since I've played the first game. I'll have to find my copy to try and see if it unlocks anything, though I wonder how that'd work for the US version?

UPS is on my official shit-list for the weekend, after delaying the delivery of my copy from Friday to this coming Wednesday. 

As such, I've been coping with my Rhythm-less weekend with the ROM on a PC, and boy, if flicking is hard in the actual game, you've gotta imagine how it is when you're using a mouse.  I made it as far as "Idol" before deciding to call it quits, but I've gotta say, even after failing these last four stages over and over and over again, it's still the most fun I've had with a video game this year.

I would suspect that they would simply disable the feature.  Like with the Phoenix Wright games; try putting in a GBA copy of Gyakuten Saiban with the U.S. DS version, and it still won't unlock all the cases straight away.

Well, UPS screwed up again..... but this time in my favor, since my copy of Gold came in today instead of Wednesday.  Seriously, what in the world is the use of tracking if it's this inaccurate?

I just beat Remix 3, and so far, I am in love, love, love with the game.  I refuse to go any further until I get a couple of the Perfect Campaigns and at least all gold medals up to now under my belt. I've been able to adapt fairly quickly to the sliding/flicking technique, even completing the Ping Pong campaign.  I've found that it's better not to keep the stylus on the screen in a ready stance before you slide/flick, but to tap at the last minute and THEN slide/flick.  Pressing down a little harder than usual on the screen tends to register the maneuver better too, though that just may be me since I'm using a screen protector.

As for references from the original game, I'm catching a boatload of character cameos at least, including Toran the trampoline boy on the result screens in Remix 2, the stealth rat, apparition, Rap Boys and the clapping monkeys in the Cameraman stage, and a trio of those adorable marching space bunnies in the moon in Remix 2.  I understand the Iai Samurai and Karate guy make appearances later as well, and of course it's the space dance guys playing Ping Pong.     

I suppose if I had any qualms with the game so far, it's that some of the levels feel ridiculously short, like Idol and Remix 2.  These barely clock in at a minute long, leaving one a bit shortchanged on gameplay.  And, this is less of a flaw than an observation, but many of the levels have some pretty tricky timing now.  No longer do songs rely on the rigid quarter notes from the original, instead mixing it up with plenty of thirds and rests.

Of course, the music itself is awesome.  I know that music rips are already in the works, but I couldn't help but make a few recordings for myself.  I love the game select theme, Idol, and Remix 1 the best so far: 

Rhythm Tengoku Gold Recordings:
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/angie_liu … ld&.view=l

Well, I've finished all 50 minigames. I had to skip Ping Pong 2 and Remix 8 (which contains Ping Pong 2), but I've been practicing and think I finally have the right technique in mind to beat those properly. I have about 35 medals so far, which is 35 more than I thought I'd ever get, heh. Perfects are limited to a paltry 4, though there have been a few times when I finished other minigames perfectly, just not during a campaign. Seriously, I wish they'd ditch the campaign thing and just award you a perfect any time you get it.

Yeah, I take back what I said about the callbacks to the first game. I caught the space dance guys and the onions, but totally missed the ones during Cameraman until I read about them. There are also some really awesome ones later on.

I've found the opposite to be true for myself. If I keep the stylus on the screen, then I only have to worry about flicking the stylus up instead of having to worry about making contact with the screen as well. Then again, I've yet to medal on Ping Pong, so maybe I should try your way instead

The stages are short by design. That actually ties into my new problem with the game: too few stages. In all, there are only 24 unique minigames, which is actually one less than the first game had. The first half of the game is essentially training for the 16 repeat minigames later on, which are mostly double in length over the originals.

I know Asho is working on his, but there's a complete music rip floating around already:
http://www.tgfc.com/club/thread-5993518-1-1.html

The link to download is at the bottom of the first message.

Ah, that's good to hear.  Yeah, having more different games would've been great, but some of the stages are just begging for a bumped up difficulty and longer song lengths.  Are any of the repeat games remixes of their respective stages?

Dang, it looks like the download link is down. :(  Any chance of a re-upload anywhere?

Gah, I'm up to 39 medals and 6 perfects now, but I'm starting to hit a wall. There's nothing more maddening than hitting all of the notes perfectly only to mess up on the final one.

Yeah, as in the first game, all of the repeats have remixed music and different graphics. Some of the repeats also introduce new techniques to master, generally involving new timing. Ping Pong 2, for example, requires lightning-fast reflexes.

I just did a quick playthrough of the first game and did notice that the stages tended to feel longer. However, the grading was much more lenient than in Gold. I messed up a lot of times and still got a mediocre grade, whereas in Gold messing up only a few times results in a failing grade. There were so many times that I thought I had passed Remix 10, only to be told that I sucked and should die (paraphrasing, of course).

Parentheses cause trouble in most bulletin board software. You'll have to copy and paste the entire url into your address bar:
www.doujincore.com/Josh/Rhythm Tengoku GOLD GST (320CBR)/

Well, I got past Remix 6, thereby completing all the main games.  I've got four Perfects, and gold medals on everything except Love Lab, which is the one and only game I had to skip.  (Yes, Love Lab can go straight to hell.  HELL I SAY!)  That aside, the game could've ended right here, and I would be immensely satisfied.

I just completed the second variation of Idol, and it is indeed much more enjoyable.  It's a great remix, first of all, but the doubled length and new clap move just makes for a more satisfying stage.  Also, I was beside myself with laughter and delight when [spoiler?]..... all the monkeys began clapping after the song was over.  I made mine do the jump-up cheer, of course.  ^_^ 

And yeah, the grading's really strict this time, isn't it?  Seems most games allow three, maybe four mistakes before handing out a failed rating.  I haven't quite breezed through the games as quickly as I had with the original.

Ah, that was it, thanks!  Great rip, too; it'd be hard for Asho to top it, though looped renditions of a couple of songs, like the title and game select themes would be awesome.  (Too bad the in-game sound test fades out those songs so quickly, but some crafty editing should do the trick.  Think he'd need an editor?) :)

Man, the variation levels are TOUGH.  I thought I was fairly proficient at Ping Pong, but Ping Pong 2 is freaken absurd.  I had to skip Remix 8 myself, because of those damned-near impossible transitions from Ping Pong to the Dog-Ninja sections. 

Now I'm pulling my hair out from the the second Moai stage.

No mention of Ouendan, Angela? I'm shocked.

It took me about 30 minutes of trying, but I finally got a medal on Ping Pong 1. I don't even want to think about medaling on Ping Pong 2, much less perfecting it.

Anyway, I'm up to 40 medals and 7 perfects, so clearly my progress has slowed recently. I've got all of the first 30 stages medaled except for Remix 4; the timing of the Love Lab segments eludes me.

Oh, and it turns out that the game is getting an OST release of sorts: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/ylzj/topics.html
Unfortunately, it's mobile only. >_<

I just finished Remix 10, with 36 medals and 6 perfects.  The last few sets of songs are gonna be killer to gain accomplishments on.  Move aside, Love Lab, you've got company: Evening Moai Song. 

Heh, I forgot about that, but yeah, the title surprised me too. I thought it would've been niftier if they'd use the guys instead of the girls, though.  In either case.... playing on our expectations much, Nintendo?

I do still like the campaign system.  There's a keen sense of importance and urgency when they come up, making the feeling of accomplishment that much sweeter once you nail them.  Though I'll admit sometimes it's frustrating, since the ratio of games where you need to play perfectly anyway just to earn a medal is much higher - and yeah, you just wish it could've been a perfect campaign to begin with.

A shame, but I'm pleased as hell with the available rip.  I too have been listening to it nonstop, 'cept when I'm playing the game, of course.  I'm halfway inclined to call it the best VGM soundtrack of the year, just for the sheer variety in style and unbelievable number of catchy, enjoyable songs.  I like them all, but I'm particularly infatuated with Idol's "Heartbeat!" (both variations), Shooting, Bluebirds, Love Lab (love the music, hate the stage), Syncro, "Love's Rung Rung Paradise", Remix 1, Remix 3-5, Remix 6-7, Remix 10, Ribbit Ribbit Dance, Lifting Man/Boy, and the Game Select songs.  I particularly love the continuity pattern from the first game, too, where they used the staff credits theme (in this case, "That's Paradise") for the new Game Select 2 piece.

I'm wondering how Nintendo is going to be handling the localization of the Japanese-voiced tracks?  Will they be keeping the J-pop originals in, doing dubs, or replacing them with completely new tracks?  My bet is a dub, since I'd reckon bringing in all-new songs would require some pretty drastic changes to the rhythmic timing of the stages.

Have you seen this video, by the way?  I always get a kick seeing artists playing the games for which they've contributed to; remember 175R playing Melody on Ouendan?

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/37860.html

Ain't little Eri~na adorable?  ^_^

Couldn't help but throw together this fun little edit with "Game Select 1" and the "Cast" version:

Game Select 1 & Cast:
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/angie_liu … ld&.view=l

I was watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics again, and I just noticed that the drum segment felt like it was straight out of Rhythm Tengoku. Speaking of which, I must've found the Olympics inspirational because I broke through the wall and am now up to 50 medals and 21 perfects. It would've been 24 perfects, but on Karate Ie, Remix 7, and Ping Pong I messed up on the next-to-last notes. Needless to say, I wanted to hurt someone.

I wish the in-game jukebox had the option to turn sound effects on or off. Some of the songs lose a bit of their charm without the effects. Sometimes I'll listen to the Moai Song rip and do the "Ooo-ah" thing out loud to compensate.

I hate that middle girl for getting a high level on Chorusmen her first time. Seeing the artists play is neat, but I do miss the video of the development team undergoing rhythm training.

'Grats on acquiring all the medals!  I'm still shy of about three; Evening Moai, Ping Pong 2, and Remix 8 are total banes in my booty right now.  For perfects, I'm up to 17.

By the way, it's awesome that there's three separate save files now.  I've already started on a second file, since I feel like a bit of a cheater for using the "free pass" option on a few of the stages.  I wanna do a completely legit game this time around. :)

You too, eh?  I rather fancy "Kamo-ne! Hai!" in Idol myself.  Remix 1 in particular sounds rather bare without them and the Chorus Men shouts. 

We do have these lovely rips of the sound test available, but one of us should be bold enough to actually play through every game perfectly for a sound-effects/voice specific score.   Sounds like a project for me to consider, soon as I can get those three aforementioned booty-bane stages down pat.

Looks like Gold is coming up at 500,000 in sales.  Rock on:

http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/08/rhy … ven-g.html

And here's Eri~na and The Possible's Robin Okada playing their own songs respectively:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3bdI1nwM7Y

There's a track list out for the upcoming official soundtrack, which includes songs from both Rhythm Tengoku and Rhythm Tengoku Gold:

http://www.axive.jp/index.php/archives/1346

The bonus tracks are a bit disappointing, no? I was hoping all of the tracks would be  "Perfect Versions" with the sound effects.

Nice find on the tracklisting.  At the very least, we can confirm that nearly all the tracks from both games will be evident - though it's always bothered me that Remix 1 and Remix 2 from the original never had their own designated tracks.  (I know they're included in Remix 7, but it would be nice to have them in full-length form, the way they're intended.)  Also, I don't see mention of Rap Girls, unless it's under the track "Rap Machine"?

(EDIT: A closer inspection of the tracklist shows that Rap Girls is indeed there - right under the Perfect Version of Rap Men, in fact.  Survey says: I'm blind.)

I'm still hoping that the music will be remastered and uncompressed for CD.  And that they'll include full versions for all the vocals, especially for the original versions of "ドキッ！こういうのが恋なの？" and "Rung Rung Paradise."

I'm still looking into doing my own recording of Gold with the sound effects intact.  Now that I'm reasonably comfortable with all the songs, I think I'm confident enough to do it.  I'm still three perfects away from a complete game, though: Chorus Men 2, Remix 8, and Remix 10.

Rhythm Tengoku...Wii? Just a rumor for now, but the fact that the game broke a million in Japan makes it very likely.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3171905

WTF? Mixed reviews? I admit that I had a hard time adjusting to the controls at first, but once you get the hang of them the game's a joy to play.

I am a bit concerned if the Wii Music staff are indeed working on it. I really hope they don't make it a non-game, as the challenge of perfecting the stages is half the fun.

My sister gave me this for Xmas, so I finally have it.  It's hard.  Much harder than the first one.  But it's just as addicting.  I've made it to Stage 4-1 so far, but it's been a war of attrition.  I have exactly zero medals and zero perfects.  Most stages I just barely beat, and only after many, many attempts.  But I like it.

Nice.  Surprised it took you this long to get the game, actually - but then, I think we were all expecting the domestic version to come out by this year.

I'll be curious to know if you have to "skip" any stages.  I had to bypass Love Lab and Remix 8 myself; for the longest I simply could NOT get the timing down.

Yeah, I wasn't expecting it to be pushed back to Q209, and as it got delayed, I became increasingly concerned about what might happen to it during the localization process, so I decided I had better put it on the xmas list.

I almost had to do that for the lizard love stage, but I found out what I needed to do on NeoGAF, and I haven't had to so far.  Has anyone written an acutal FAQ for this game yet?  I noticed that GameFAQs has nothing.

I haven't come across any FAQs or guides, but Youtube's a good place to see how to nail the visual and audio timing of any given song. 

That, and you can always ask for help here. :)

I hadn't thought of that.  That's a good idea.

Much appreciated.  I haven't had time to play any since my last posting, but I hope to get back to it this week.

Thanks to one of the guys at NeoGAF for this little gem.  It's from the Hello! Project 2008 Miracle Sexy Dynamite concert, with Eri~na belting out a live (and lively!) performance of "ドキッ!  こういうのが恋なの？"  Too fun. ^_^

Boy, I sure wouldn't name a tour "Miracle Sexy Dynamite" when all the girls onstage are like 10 years old...

Well, they're a very small faction of the Hello! Project group.  A good bunch range from the older 18-25 age group.  From the looks of it, the kids were used as back-up dance performers specifically for "Doki!" (given the playful nature of the song), and Eri~na herself is dubbed as one of the youngest from all the groups.

Mickey Mouse Club dejavu...

Very off topic, but I wonder if the same thing that happens to American singers (start off early in such dance groups only to become tabloid fodder later) happens to any Japanese teens too.  Cute on stage at 10 and then are making a mess of their lives by 20.

Seriously.  It's stuff like this that makes me question my love of all things Japanese.

For those who want a peek at the U.S. localization, a short demo is now available on the Nintendo Channel.  Seems pretty perfunctory, though hearing some of the grunts in English takes away a bit of the charm. :-)

So, I decided to pick this up today and can I just state how much I hate "Glee Club." Sure, it's only the second game, which makes me feel like this game is going to give me trouble in the end, but it's so addicting. Stage 1 was pretty, with the whole do-re-mi thing, but it definitely through a curve ball when it went dark. I thought it was OVER! So, yeah, it's an addictive game, but I can see myself spending many hours trying to perfect it.

EDIT: So yeah, I've "Superbed" the first four stages and OK'ed the first Remix, but man, Rhythm Rally (the ping pong one) is insane!