Great to hear you enjoying the game.  I picked up the domestic version myself today, and already finished all fifty stages with medals -- a product of playing the import months and months on end that I know it like the back of my hand.  Believe me, it does takes lots and lots of practice to perfect the game; just look at any one of our progress posts throughout this thread.

They've done a pretty good job with the localization.  Most of the Japanese-spoken audio cues have been changed up to English, like in Chorus Men/Glee Club's "Together now!" and Bluebirds' "Peck your beak/Stretch out your neck!"  The changes are generally non-offensive, but some lack the quirky punch of the Japanese original.  (I really wished they didn't change the Chinese dialog cues in Discipline/Munchy Monk, for instance.)  Some of the cues ended up being just a tad too loud for their own good as well, sometimes regrettably overpowering the actual music track, like in Box Show/The Dazzles and Ribbit Ribbit Dance/Frog Hop. 

All eight of the vocal songs, which include their subsequent remixes, were re-dubbed.  Mine is a matter of opinion, but I thought the weakest one invariably turned out to be my favorite from the original, the Idol/Fan Club "Throbbing!" tracks.  The common consensus is that compared to the Japanese original by Eri~na, the lyrics here sound forced and the vocalist lacks enthusiasm.  "Love Ooh Ooh Paradise" lost some of its inherent energy too, since the song is now belted out by a solo vocalist, instead of the sextet performance of The Possible.  On the other hand, "Young Love Rock 'n' Roll" turned out great, and "Struck By Rain" is a really faithful rendition.

My only other complaint with the vocal tracks is that they've appeared to have gone through some compression during their remastering/re-recording.  They sound noticeably more muffled compared to the Japanese original's mastering, a stark difference when compared to the rest of the instrumental-only stage songs.  You'll hear this with a good pair of headphones hooked up.

Don't mind me; this is just me casting a critical eye on one of my most favorite games of all-time.  It's still absolutely terrific, and everyone who owns a DS owes it to themselves to pick it up.  Heaven is the sort of title the system was made for.

Just wanna say thank god for UNDUB patches...

Picked it up today and can't wait until I get home from work!  I'm kinda worried though, the original GBA game was mostly "push the A button ... NOW."  This one seems a little more... involved.

Just an update. I've gotten 2 perfects so far, on Built to Scale and Glee Club (surprising, given how much trouble I had with it) and have made it to Remix 3, which is giving me tons of trouble.

the gba game's charm was the simplicity of only having a few buttons. it also made for really tight gameplay, which is vital for a rhythm-action game. the ds version (got the jp release last summer) is just not precise enough with all the flickin and poking. was really disappointed to be honest. also the original one for the gba had this awesome drumming minigame, which could have a been a game on it's own really.

kinda felt the same when warioware moved to the ds and wii... inferior in all ways to the gba originals IMO

Gotta disagree there.  I'm a big advocate against gimmicky controls in my video games - especially for something as crucial as a rhythm music action title - and in no way do I feel Rhythm Heaven falls into the realm of gimmicky.  Once you come to grips with the touchscreen functionality, it all works flawlessly.  There's no way in hell I would've earned even half of the "Perfects" I'd gotten if the controls weren't as precise as they are.

I don't see the tapping/poking as much of a problem, but there's a very handy tip very early on in the game for flicking. (After you've gotten a "Perfect" on Built To Scale.)  On "The Secrets of Flicking", it states that you should do your flicks as if you're writing the tail end of a checkmark - the trick is getting that proper snap in your wrist.  That's the absolute best way to describe how to do a proper flick.

On the debate between the original GBA's buttons versus the DS version's stylus, I give the stylus the bigger props.  And I quote from one of my write-ups: "It really allows for extended variety in gameplay; unlike the limited mechanics of the original, Gold has you tapping, flicking, and sliding to the rhythm, and mixing it all up provides a far greater sense of interaction with the music.  I had quite a bit more fun with the sequel than the original."

I'll agree with you about the WarioWares.  But I've always felt that had partially to do with the development teams involved.  R&D1's greater involvement with the two original WarioWares and both Rhythm Tengoku titles certainly show over Intelligent Systems' Touched and Smooth Moves.

I picked up the final U.S. version, but haven't had time to check it out yet, and I'm not sure if I'll bother or not.  Since I've already played halfway through the Japanese version, I bought this mostly to vote with my dollars about what kinds of games I want to see localized.

Still really enjoying this game, but I must say...

Big Rock Finish is literally kicking my ass. I can't get it down...although my guitar playing is really good, says the ever so optimistic compliment as it proceeds to tell me to TRY AGAIN.

Yeah, Big Rock Finish is a tough one, because you need to be really quick with the stylus place-down and the flicking.  It's a little funny, too, because you'd think when the drummer ghost gives an enthusiastic "Thank you!" rather than the regular "Thank you", you'd get a better score.  But I've managed to both Medal and Perfect the stage by getting a number of the regular "Thank yous", so I think that's the only real criteria.  You certainly don't want to get the throat-clearing reaction of embarrassment, or else you'll forgo success.

Here's a nice article on how Rhythm Heaven illustrates Otaku Culture.

http://www.offworld.com/2009/04/how-to- … otaku.html

Reading that kinda reminded me of watching the "Akihabara Geeks" DVD Documentary.

Interesting...

http://japan.gamespot.com/ds/news/story … 473,00.htm

Rhythm Tengoku Gold Kokunai Ban Kaigai Ban Zen Vocal Shuu (Rhythm Tengoku Gold Domestic Edition Overseas Edition Complete Vocal Collection)

Japanese Ver.
01. Kakedashi Idol (Doki! Kouiu no ga Koi na no?) / Eri~na
02. Box Show (Koi no Rung Rung Paradise) / The Possible
03. Kero Kero Dance (Akarui Rock 'n' Roll) / Occhama
04. Karate Ka Cool (Rainy ~Ame ni Utarete~) / Canary Club
05. Staff Credit (That's Paradise) / Takeru
06. Box Show DX (Koi no Rung Rung Paradise) / The Possible
07. Urekko Idol (Doki! Kouiu no ga Koi na no?) / Eri~na
08. Karate Ka Heat (Rainy ~Ame ni Utarete~) / Canary Club
Overseas Ver. (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian)
9,14,19,24,29 - Kero Kero Dance (Akarui Rock 'n' Roll)
10,15,20,25,30 - Karate Ka Cool (Rainy ~Ame ni Utarete~)
11,16,21,26,31 - Staff Credit (That's Paradise)
12,17,22,27,32 - Box Show DX (Koi no Rung Rung Paradise)
13,18,23,28,33 - Urekko Idol (Doki! Kouiu no ga Koi na no?)
Bonus Track
34. Urekko Idol (Doki! Kouiu no ga Koi na no?) (2009.5.9 Shibuya 0-West Live Version) / Eri~na

Tsunku, I have one word for you: remaster!

First, that is some title. o_O  Secondly, this sounds like it could be a really nifty release.  I haven't heard any of the vocal renditions outside of the Japanese and English releases, but I do know I'm dying with curiosity to hear how Akarui Rock 'n' Roll turned out in German. ;) 

Yes.  Between the official OST release and the English game, they've sort of been bungling it in terms of the audio quality.  You'd think a music producer as prolific as Tsunku would want to assure his works sounding the best that they could.

Track lengths and, more importantly, artists have been revealed! http://www.jbook.co.jp/p/p.aspx/3788791/s

Ayaka Nagate appears to be the mystery woman behind the English Karate Man songs. Brad Holmes is credited with "Young Love Rock 'n' Roll," while Frankie Legree is responsible for "That's Paradise." Finally, the Fan Club and Dazzles songs were done by, and I apologize if I'm not romanizing it correctly, Lorea Ferris Dandoy. Here's the shocker: ALL of the vocalists appear to be based in Japan, including the ones that did the French, Spanish, German, and Italian vocals. Quite a few of the artists have even appeared in Konami's Bemani series.

Also, I find it hilarious that "Benjamin Franklin" did some of the German songs.

Just a heads-up, Amazon's carrying Rhythm Heaven for the terrifically rockbottom price of just $12.98 USD.  It's a Gold Box deal, though, so as of this post, you've only got two more hours to snag a copy.

Stupid Amazon and their blink-'em sales. Stupid job keeping me from seeing this post earlier. Stupid time. Hmph.

Oh well. I've two unopened Ouendan games here for when the rhythm urge strikes next. Anyone know if there's an Action Replay code to get the Agents in the second one?

Yes sir:

http://www.soundtrackcentral.com/forums … 027#p21027

'Grats on snagging the Ouendan games, too.  If you dug EBA, you're liable to love Ouendan.

Thanks for the heads up! I snagged another copy to give as a gift, not to mention to increase the game's sales. If VGChartz is to be believed, the game's sold 280,000 copies in the US. EBA sold 210,000 and we all know Nintendo wasn't happy with that. Then again, Rhythm Heaven was probably much cheaper to localize. In any case, RH for friend and Club Nintendo coins for me means everyone wins.

Well, it took them a while, but it looks like you called it: Rhythm Tengoku is officially headed for the Wii.  It's anyone's guess who's officially involved in its development at this point, but at the very least, let's hope they get Tsunku back for music.  Pray they have the good sense to utilize Motion Plus, too.

There's some gameplay video in their software lineup movie as well: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/conferenc … vHigh.html

Totally awesome sauce.  I'm still concerned about how they'll deal with the lag, however. Rhythm Tengoku Gold gave such little leeway when it came to timing. I can't even begin to imagine how frustrating RT Wii will be if they don't account for the lag.

Tsunku's already confirmed for the music, by the way. On Nintendo's site the screenshots are labeled, "Copyright 2010 Tsunku. Codeveloped by TNX."

I'm praying they have the good sense not to use any motion controls.  The timing in the DS game was insane.  I got about half-way through the Japanese version before giving up in frustration.  The GBA game was super fun because the difficulty was manageable.  The DS game, not so much.

Looks like my prayers were answered: http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/04/r … eaven-wii/

The timing was just as crucially precise in the GBA title as it was in the DS one.  I suspect the problem you had with the DS game (as it was with several people) was in its execution.

While I'm pleased that they're going to forgo the potential shortcomings of motion control all together (which in itself is validation that they're taking this seriously) I'm going to find it hard to go back to the simplicity of a buttons-only game.  As one of the few people who seemed to "get" the DS version, I'm going to miss the afforded variety; flicking, sliding, and tapping made for a far more enjoyable affair than the GBA's single-minded function.

It's kinda sad that this won't be a new WarioWare: Smooth Moves, but yeah, the GBA Tengoku was much better than the DS one. Hopefully this will provide a similar experience to the GBA game on the big screen.

The Wii game certainly looks and sounds very promising.

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chu7J1bSDfA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT5kOpBb-jU

Can't wait for the Wii version to hit.  Gonna call it now: along with Gyakuten Kenji 2, Tsunku's latest offering is gonna end up being a prime candidate for my VGM soundtrack of the year.

The new uppercut combo in "Karate Man" looks INSANE.  Also, all hail the return of Munchy Monk!

I had the opportunity to play some of the Japanese version of Minna no Rhythm Tengoku, and it's ridiculously fun as to be expected.  The notoriously strict timing is out in full force, but it feels just as precise as the previous games.  It does feel strange at first having to press both the "A" and "B" buttons, given the latter's positioning on the Wiimote.  I suspect I'll warm up to it, but I do wish the game gave the option to turn the Wiimote horizontally and use buttons 1 and 2 instead.

And those new Tsunku songs are so energetically upbeat and addicting.  Some of my favorite stages so far, if you don't mind being "spoiled":

Bird Flock
See Saw
Wrestler Interview (It'll be interesting how they manage to 'localize' this one.)
2nd Remix
Hole In One 2

U.S. version coming February 2012:

http://www.destructoid.com/rhythm-heave … 6849.phtml

Picked up Rhythm Heaven Fever the other day and got to Remix 2.  It's fun, but it's very hard, and the game does little to help you figure out what you're doing wrong.  You have to be very calm while playing this game or you will get frustrated quickly.  The controls are a little annoying because you have to use A & B which puts more stress on the tendons in your wrist than holding the controller sideways and using 1 & 2 would.  If you've never played an RH game before, it's worth trying, but if you're a vet, it's pretty much more of the same.  Considering this is is the third entry in the series, the format is starting to get a little stale.  Music is still great, so I heartily recommend the soundtrack.

I had a bit of a leg up on the game, since I played a bit of the Japanese version last year.  As such, I beat Remix 10 last night, but still have plenty of medals and Perfect Campaigns to earn.  Spoken as a self proclaimed vet, I've gotta say that the syncopation on a few of the songs are deceptively tricky.  I'm still having a hell of a time nailing Monkey Clock and Air Rally, for instance, two songs I was sure would be easy affairs.  Then there's Love Rap and Shrimp Shuffle, each with no less than FIVE different syncopation happening throughout.  Crazy, but I'm glad for the added challenge; it adds spice to the two button-only setup of the gameplay.

The English localization is impressive.  From songs to voices, it's head and shoulders above the DS title.  (I'm especially delighted with how the end credits theme turned out.)  And breaking away from the sound limitations set upon its two portable predecessors, Fever's musical fidelity is crisp and brighter sounding than ever.

I must have played that one 50 times before getting a barely passing grade, and I don't think I could repeat it.  In Remix 2, I keep getting screwed by the monkey with the tambourine since I pretty much completely miss his sections.