Rhythm Tengoku!

For touch only games/apps I find holding the DS sideward most comfortable, so I welcome this. The only issue I see with this is that it turns the two speakers practically monaural.

I'm definitely getting it.

Gave the original "Rhythm Tengoku" a spin this weekend after viewing several of the remixes up on youtube.  Of course I like it, being a fan of the Taiko no Tatsujin series and pretty much any cute/quirky rhythm game.  The pure sense of style and humor make the game that much more fun to play.  I can't believe it took me until now to find out about the game.

1up's got a few more news tidbits on Gold.  Over 50 minigames, remix stages are back (yes!), and guitar lessons appear to replace the drum lessons from the first game:

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168646

Angela wrote:

If there's one exciting bit to come out of Nintendo's press conference, it's that Rhythm Tengoku Gold is coming over here, renamed to simply Rhythm Heaven.  Release date to be announced, so I'm still on target for the import release at month's end.

I'm most likely getting both versions, just because I've done so with most of the previous Wario Wares. Besides, Rhythm Tengoku Gold is shockingly cheap at only $35.99 at YesAsia.

I wonder, though, just how much localization the game is going to go through.  Remember Wario Ware Twisted?

I don't remember anything objectionable in the original Rhythm Tengoku (certainly not as many instances of "baba" as Wario Ware had), so I imagine they'll just translate and re-record the vocal songs.

The official site just went live, though there's not much info yet: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/ylzj/index.html

Over 50 minigames, remix stages are back (yes!), and guitar lessons appear to replace the drum lessons from the first game:

I just hope that all of the minigames are unique this time. The last game was advertised as having 40 minigames, but the last 15 of those were just rehashes of other minigames.

Angela wrote:

Commercials featuring gameplay videos are up:

http://touch-ds.jp/mediagallery/st95_b.html

CM3's space shooting, in particular, looks awesome.

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.

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

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.

Last edited by shdwrlm3 (Jul 30 '08, 22:49)

Angela wrote:

My only real disappointment is that there haven't been any noticeable callbacks to the first game.

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

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?

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 … mp;.view=l

Last edited by Angela (Aug 4 '08, 22:58)

shdwrlm3 wrote:

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.

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?

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.

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

Last edited by Angela (Aug 5 '08, 11:00)

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.

shdwrlm wrote:

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 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.

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)/

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?) :)

Last edited by Angela (Aug 12 '08, 13:44)

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

Angela wrote:

I thought I was fairly proficient at Ping Pong, but Ping Pong 2 is freaken absurd.

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. >_<