Pop 'n Music 2 Playstation - Dreamcast Changes FAQ February 25th 2000, Revision 0.9 Written By: Crono (crono@tows.org) otherwise known as Justin Strauss This document is the intellectual property of the author. It is intended to provide help, to fellow gamers, on a title that is both entertaining and difficult at various times. Please do not copy or distribute this file in any format (other web page, part of another FAQ, etc.) without consent of the author. If you have any new tips or info you want us to hear, drop an e-mail. And, just in case this comes up, Game Cave may not distribute this to those who purchase this title. Pop 'n Music 2 is a trademark of Konami Computer Entertainment, Inc. Copyright 1998-1999 by Konami Computer Entertainment, Inc. Copyright Konami Computer Entertainment Yokohama, Inc. All related names fall under the same applicable laws. All rights reserved. You can find the newest version of this FAQ only at the following sites. If you find it anywhere else, please let me know as soon as possible. It should not be posted anywhere else but at the following sites: Game FAQs Videogame Strategies http://www.gamefaqs.com/ http://vgstrategies.about.com/ Table of Contents: -------------------------------------- 0.0 Revision History 1.0 General Description 2.0 Options, Menus, Gameplay 3.0 Modes, Levels, Characters 4.0 Graphics, Sound, Cinemas 5.0 Framerate, Loading Time, Technical 6.0 Overall Summary 7.0 Contributions and Thank-You's 0.0 Revision History -------------------------------------- V0.8 - 02/23/00 - Initial Release! Expect typos or grammar problems from it. V0.9 - 02/25/00 - Added the Pop-kun Animations section. Many thanks to Reo-kun for reminding me about it! - Added the Initial Loading section. V1.0 - 02/27/00 - Coming Soon! - See below... Coming Soon: -specific character animations that are different -other changes that I left out (already know a few) -detailed analysis of sound difference 1.0 General Description -------------------------------------- The purpose of this FAQ is a simple one. This file will list any and all changes that were made between the Playstation and Dreamcast versions of this game. Think of it as a "list of differences." There are many things that are different about the two, ranging from easily noticeable graphic changes to minor technical memory-management changes. There are many reasons that they made "different" versions of the game for these two systems. The main reason, of course, is the "performance" of the systems themselves. The more powerful system (in this case, Dreamcast) usually tends to get the "better" of the features. However, there are little things that are missing from both games. I will do my best to list every one of them ^_^ And besides, you can never have a home- version of a game that is "identical" on both of the different systems. Also, please remember, I am NOT trying to insult either the Playstation or the Dreamcast. This FAQ is intended only for the purpose of informing the fans of the game. I personally love Pop 'n Music 2 more than almost any other game that exists. In fact, it is my obsession and love for this game that convinced me to write this in the first place. It's one of the best games I have ever played, and has brought me countless hours of joy. I personally own BOTH versions of it, for both systems, and I do not regret either purchase. This is simply a well-researched attempt at making a comparison, and knowing every little bit of info that I can about the game. In reality, if you are trying to decide "which version is better"... it goes like this: If you own a Dreamcast, buy the DC version of the game. If you own a Playstation, buy the PSX version of the game. I don't even need a "review" to tell you... that this game is an absolute must-own! However, if you own BOTH the Playstation and Dreamcast systems... and you're not sure of which version to buy... then of course you should get the Dreamcast one. It is the better version overall, and by far. 2.0 Options, Menus, Gameplay -------------------------------------- -Amount of Players. On the Playstation version, up to Two Players can play the game at the same time. Either person can control whichever buttons they want to, making the game much easier. On the Dreamcast version of the game, however, up to Four Players can play! The play style is the same as before, where any of the four people can play for whichever buttons they want. Therefore, this is a plus for the Dreamcast. -Options Menu Shortcut. The option for "Select: Normal/Shortcut" from the Playstation version is not present in the Dreamcast version. The reason for this, is that the Dreamcast version does not have any kind of loading time. The PSX version had this option put into it to reduce the long loading time between menus (which is caused by the PSX's lack of RAM). However, the shortcut is a mode in which all the level names are in English and simple to navigate through. Therefore, this is a plus for the Dreamcast (but with a slight plus for the Playstation). -Key Config. The button layout for the PSX controller is different than that for the DC controller. Both systems have their own Pop 'n Music Controller (sold separately). When using the standard controller, there is a default button setup for each system. The DC version also has a built-in default button setup for the DC Arcade Joystick (which is the best choice aside from the Pop 'n Controller itself). But then again, you can use any joystick or joypad you want to in either version. So this isn't a huge concern. -Memory Card. On the Playstation, you can use a Pop 'n Controller (special one) for both players, and can load your data from either memory card slot on the console. On the Dreamcast, the VMU plugs into the controller of one of the players. So, because of this, you can not use four Pop 'n Controllers on Dreamcast IF you want to also load your data (because one of the players' controllers must have a VMU slot, which the Pop 'n Controller does not). Therefore, this is a plus for the Playstation. 3.0 Modes, Levels, Characters -------------------------------------- -Download. The Pop 'n Music minigame that you download from the "Original" mode is slightly different in the two versions. The PSX one downloads to the Pocketstation and takes up 5 blocks. The DC one downloads to the Dreamcast VMU and takes up 56 blocks. Also, some miniscule features on the high-score or data part of each one seem to be different. I will research and list these later. Either way, though, they're nearly identical. 4.0 Graphics, Sound, Cinemas -------------------------------------- -Ending Cinema. In the Playstation version, the endings for the game modes are very "simplistic" compared to those on the Dreamcast. When you beat Excite mode on Playstation, you will get a roll of the Staff Credits on a black background. When you beat Party mode, you will get the same credit roll... but with Nakajima-san (the duck in the shape of the number Two) floating on the screen for a few seconds. The endings on the Dreamcast version are much more elaborate by far. When you beat Excite mode on there, you get the Staff Credits in a nicer setting. The screen setup in this ending is just like the screen setup in the arcade mode. It shows the player and opponent on the sides (in this case, the current set of characters) and in the middle, it shows the credits rolling (in the place where the pop-kuns usually are). The characters on the sides start with Mary and the King, and the two characters change every 20 seconds or so (after doing all their movements and taunts) and by the end of the credits... you will see every character in the game. However, any characters that you have not "faced" in the game yet will just be shadows and not have their name listed yet (therefore, this is a good way to keep track of which levels you've earned and which you still need to). If you beat the game on Party mode, you will get this same sort of ending... except that all the characters will be in their alternate costume colors. Therefore, this is a plus for the Dreamcast. -Character Graphics. In the Playstation version, there are far less frames of animation when compared to the Dreamcast's characters. Although the animations are similar overall, the characters have more types of taunts, attacks, and gestures in the Dreamcast version of the game. This is again because of the Dreamcast's higher RAM and memory usage. Overall, the characters move much more fluidly and smoother in the Dreamcast version. There are definately more frames of animation on Dreamcast, also because of the framerate (see below). I will research and list the specific gestures and additions later. Therefore, this is a plus for the Dreamcast. -Pop-kun Graphics. As with the characters, the pop-kuns (the colored discs that drop down in the middle) also have far less frames of animation on Playstation than they do on Dreamcast. On the Dreamcast version, you can notice little movements of eyeballs and mouths that appear on the pop-kuns (making them seem lifelike and cute). They move from left to right and in various ways. On the Playstation version of the game, however, these movements are not noticeable. There seem to be very slight movements on the Playstation version, but not very many. This is because of the Playstation's lack of RAM, as usual. Therefore, this is a plus for the Dreamcast. -Sound Quality? Although I have not researched this is detail yet, my first impressions of the Playstation sound quality seem to indicate that the sound effects are SOMETIMES more "drowned out" or less powerful/crisp on the Playstation. I will thoroughly research this, with better equipment, and do a better writeup on it. For now, let's say it's a plus for the Dreamcast. 5.0 Framerate, Loading Time, Technical -------------------------------------- -Loading Time. There is an abundance of loading time on the Playstation version. You must wait on a "now loading" screen on many occassions. There is loading time before you select your character and game mode, there is loading time before you select your stage, and there is loading time before the stage name and opponent are shown. It is only a short time for each load, but it does get very annoying when they all come so close together. The Playstation version must also do a "now loading" screen before you enter your initials at the end, and to return to the title screen. On the Dreamcast version of the game, there is NO loading time in any of these cases. The levels, selection screens, and all the rest flows togther smoothly and without interrupt. The only time you will see a "now loading" message on the Dreamcast is when the special "ending" gets ready to start. But even then, it is only for about Two seconds. Therefore, this is a plus for the Dreamcast. -Initial Loading Time. On the Playstation version, when the game first boots up (after the PSX startup screens) there is a special screen with a "now loading" message. There is also a progress bar on this screen, because there is a long loading time at this point. This only happens once, to cache the primary graphics and game information to the system. This is because of the Playstation's lack of RAM (2 megs of memory, as opposed to the Dreamcast's 16 megs). Therefore, this is a plus for the Dreamcast. -Buffered Start. In the Playstation version, there is a short delay between the time that the title screen comes up, and the time that the intro music and stuff comes up (the Jamaican man). It is a very short delay, but still noticeable. This same "lag" appears when you are selecting a stage to play in aracde mode (or any other mode) on Playstation. When you switch left/right between opponent characters, there will be a delay in showing each person's picture. This makes it impossible to "zip" past people quickly and wastes a bit of time. You can turn the "shortcut" on to help this, but it makes the game less attractive in the menus. A similar "slow lag" of graphic appearance occurs when the pictures of you and your opponent appear at the start of a stage. Needless to say, none of these listed problems exist in the Dreamcast version. There's no lag of any sort in there. Therefore, this is a plus for the Dreamcast. -Framerate. In the Playstation, the framerate is a bit lower than that on the Dreamcast. The movement of the pop-kuns (the colored discs that drop down in the middle) is choppier on the Playstation. The movement of the pop-kuns is smoother and easier to track on the Dreamcast version. Though I'm unsure of the exact framerates, the Dreamcast definately has a framerate around Ten frames- per-second faster than the Playstation does for the pop-kuns. This is mainly an issue of "how nice it looks" and should not effect the gameplay (except in cases where there are tons of pop-kuns on screen, such as in the "Hyper" levels). Therefore, this is a plus for the Dreamcast. 6.0 Overall Summary -------------------------------------- -This section will be filled in once the FAQ is more detailed. It will do a side-by-side comparison of things for easier viewing. As of now, of course, read my intro section as for "which version you might wanna get." 7.0 Contributions and Thank-You's -------------------------------------- GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com) for hosting this FAQ, along with more great gaming info than most any site out there. Keep up the good work, man. Without GameFAQs... where would we all go for detailed game help? Sure, lotsa places have great code archives, and some TRY to keep all the best FAQs. But who succeeds? Only one, my friend ^_^ The wonderful patrons of my own message board, the OtherWorlds Shrine (www.tows.org) which is sometimes the only refuge for the true gamer. Along with my friend SineSwiper, we keep the shrine alive as a place for gamers to respectfully speak and get together while online. The friends that I have made there have meant the world to me, despite how my "real life" sometimes drags me offline for days at a time. Either way, here's to ya'll... and I won't mention any names (as there are too many of you to possibly remember them all now. And you'll kill me if I miss any, hehe). The select few of my real-life friends who love gaming almost as much as myself, and keep me inspired to keep on playing. Tacchi, you're as obsessed over games as me. We've been gaming for well near two decades. We're getting old, dude. And Crystal, well you can kick most of our sorry arses ^_^ Steffannee... you introduced me to Will in Rival Schools! Scott, you've been a pal through it all, despite how you suck at games ^_^ Kathryn, your love and understanding will always be cherished (yes, call me sappy). And Alex, you've been there since we were infants, when the NES was only a dream in the semi-near future. And of course, thanks go out to Lynn and Donna! You two are a few of the only people who love Pop 'n Music (and Bust a Move of course) as much as I do. Every time we meet is a cherished moment. And, speaking of music games, I owe a world of thanks to Malcolm. His friendship has meant a ton to me, and he's one of those few folks who plays and works hard at ALL the music game series just like I do (Beatmania, Dance Dance Revolution, Pop 'n Music, Bust a Move, and the countless other Bemani titles as well). Matt, you're the only true Gas-o, and a dear dear friend (I know, I use that phrase so often, but it's true!) And finally, Freddy-kun, you love H-anime more than any other Shorty I've ever known ^_^;; Konami, Sony, Sega, and all the great companies and people who made the game possible. Without them, we'd never have been introduced to this wonderous world, beautiful characters, and a style of gaming that changed our lives. These Bemani games, like Pop 'n Music, are perhaps my favorite genre out there right now. It gives those folks with a "rhythmical sense" a way to convey that sense through gaming. And besides, it beats having another cookie-cutter RPG or fighter to deal with. ~End of File~