The Idolm@ster & Live For You Importing FAQ

[Mononoke]

With the impending release of its sequel Live For You, there are folks out there (including me :sd: ) who would like to get a handle on what it takes to enjoy The Idolmaster.

Can you help fill in some of the unknowns in this list of questions? Or add some additional questions or answers? I'm hoping to end end up with a document that Johnny and our other heavy AoD gamers can use to get more people into the iMAS fold...

What hardware do I need for iMAS?
You need a Japanese or Asian Xbox 360 (the region should say NTSC-J). The Idolmaster and Live For You! are both region-locked, so they won't play on any other region 360 (we tried). Japan got the Arcade Pack on March 6 2008 for only Y27800, which is a good bet: it's HDMI capable and $100 cheaper than other Japanese 360 packs. Play-Asia has it (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-bq-49-en-70-2lld-4-6.html). The only downside about the Arcade Pack is that it does not come with a Hard Drive; the 256MB memory unit that's included will only be good for storing profiles and savegames for iMAS. The DLC is just too large, and you'll probably want it even if you don't plan to buy anything (see below for how this works). If this would be your first 360, you may want to compare the current cost of Arcade+NewHDD vs the Japanese Pro or Elite packs. Otherwise the Arcade pack is a good deal.

What about a modified Xbox 360?
None of the currently-known modifications address region issues, so modification will not help. You also probably will want to use iMAS on Xbox LIVE, so you wouldn't want to risk Microsoft banning your console for being modded (as they are wont to do).

Which console should I get, Japanese or Asian?
The Asian comes with a 220V power supply while the Japanese one comes with a 110V power supply. Choose whichever matches your native country's power configuration. US is 110V.

What things can I do on Xbox LIVE with the Idolmaster?
You can download new outfits and accessories for your idol, audition against other peoples' idols online, watch other idols' performances, and participate in online ranking tables. The online auditions and posting of scores require a Gold account. DLC, viewing performances, and viewing rankings can be done with Silver.

Do I need a Japanese LIVE account?
Your regular Live account will work fine for playing, regardless of region. The only thing you need a Japanese account for is any DLC you may want to get. Instructions on how to create one (it is free for Silver) are available online (http://www.destructoid.com/eternal-sonata-demo-hits-japanese-xbl-make-your-japanese-account-now--31512.phtml) . Note: When deciding what account to play your game under, keep in mind the Xbox Live DRM policies. You get one console and one account license; if your console ever dies, you'll only be able to access all your spiffy DLC with the account that downloaded it (namely the Japanese one).

How do I partake in the DLC?
You need an Xbox Live account with the home region set to Japan in order to access the DLC. There is a ton available, so this is a serious consideration once you've had the game a while. All of the iMAS DLC is in the form of "catalogs", which are large bundles that are free to download. When you want to buy something, you essentially get a license key to unlock it for use (since you already have the data downloaded once). It is worth downloading the catalogs regardless of your intent to buy; if you watch a video where other people used the DLC then you'll see it properly (even if you haven't bought the particular outfit yourself). To buy things you will need Japanese-region MS Points, which you get by buying point cards (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-es-49-en-70-2izc.html) online. You might be able to use a credit card to buy Japanese points or might not; people outside Japan have had varying degrees of luck doing so. Judging by how hard it is to remove a credit card from a US console, I wouldn't want to go through that with an import console though. Points cards are probably the safest bet.

How do the DLC outfits work?
It is per-costume, and thankfully not per girl. You unlock a costume pack and then all the girls in your group (whether there's 1, 2 or 3) will be wearing their version of what you bought.

What is the benefit of auditioning online versus offline?
The fun of beating real people :) . There are also a number of online auditions which can only be accessed if you are playing over Live.

Can you save snapshots of your idol in concert?
Yes, you can save 5 in iMAS and another 5 in L4U.

Can you save highres videos of your idol in concert?
Yes, you can save one in regular iMAS and another in L4U. It's sad that you can save just one each, but at least in L4U it's much easier to recreate old videos later. Your video isn't saved as a movie file, rather it's re-rendered by the game engine upon playback. It is not possible to change anything about the video (e.g. camera angles) once it has been saved. However in L4U (only!) you can go back and tweak your video as much as you like then just re-save it.

Do I need to know Japanese?
Some would be helpful for iMAS, to get the most out of the game. iMAS is mostly a simulation game with a music theme, rather than a music game itself. You could still have fun without knowing the language, but keep in mind that you will be spending a lot of time conversing with your idol. Live For You, on the other hand, is strictly a music and performance game, so you don't have to know Japanese for that one.

What versions of The Idolmaster are available?
There is a limited version (http://www.ncsxshop.com/cgi-bin/shop/9NF-00002.html?id=F48Dgra5), regular version (http://www.ncsxshop.com/cgi-bin/shop/9NF-00001.html?id=F48Dgra5), and now a Platinum Collection (http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/code-j/section-games/pid-1005066219/) version. The Platinum one is the best deal as it's a budget release for under $30 shipped. The limited one comes with an art booklet, a faceplate, a 2-hour music DVD, figures of all 11 girls, and a stage to stand them on. It was about Y27000 but is probably only available used now.

How is Live For You going to be different from The Idolmaster?
L4U focuses more on the dress-up and performance aspects of the game, plus a bemani-style game where you unlock outfits, accessories, songs, and achievements. It seems to focus more on arranging the concerts than managing your girls. In the first game the player was a producer for the idol's career, but in L4U the player is a lucky fan who gets to organize a concert. Now that L4U is out, it feels like a great companion piece to iMAS. You can do many things with the game engine / video production aspects that weren't available in the first game, and the rhythm game is similar to Taiko Drum Master. Having bought them both at the same time, I wouldn't want one without the other now.

What versions of Live For You are available?
There are three versions: limited (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-br-77-3-49-en-70-2ewh.html), limited + Miki figure (http://shop.765.jp/idolmaster/01/im40_00_00_10.html), and regular (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-br-49-en-70-2ewi.html) . The LE version comes with a DVD, book, and sparkly slipcover. It costs about Y9800. 765 Pro has this with an exclusive Miki figure for about 2-3 times that. The regular version (game only) is about Y7000. The first run of all versions of the game also came with a download card good for getting the first all-new song, Shiny Smile, for free. All came out on February 28, 2008.

Anything else?
Yep, lots of interesting CD, gameplay, and related info is later down in the thread.

Thanks for the help: DiGiKerot, hub, johnny, Kotaku (360 arcade news).

[DiGiKerot]

What things can you do on Xbox LIVE in the Idolmaster game?
Download new outfits and accessories, audition online.. other?

Watch other acts performances and view the online ranking tables.

It also opens up a loophole which allows much higher scores to be obtained.


What is needed to play on LIVE?
An account set to Japan for home region? But you only need that for the DLC, otherwise you can use your regular home region account to track achievements? (needs clarification)

Yeah, you only need a Japanese account for obtaining the DLC. Otherwise, you can play quite happily on any other regions account.


What is the benefit of auditioning online versus offline?

The fun of beating real people?

There are a number of online only auditions which can only be accessed if you are playing over live. One of these auditions, Make Dog, is pretty game breaking as it allows you to gain a fairly large number of fans right off the bat (though you really need to have cycled through the game once or twice to take advantage of it).


Can you save snapshots of your idol in concert?
Yes, but only 5?

5 in regular iMAS, but I'm pretty sure it's been confirmed as more in L4U.


Can you save highres videos of your idol in concert?

One in iMAS, I think L4U has been confirmed as allowing more (it should do, given it's pretty much the focus of the whole release...).


What versions of The Idolmaster are available?
There is a limited version, regular version, and now a Platinum Collection version. The Platinum one is the best deal as it's a budget release at Y3000. The limited one comes with a booklet, a faceplate, figures of all 10 girls, and a stage to stand them on. It was about Y21000 but is probably only available used now.

I think the LE of iMAS had a DVD as well, and it was figures of all 11 girls since it had both Ami and Mami.

[Citizen Klaus]

What hardware do I need for iMAS?
You need a Japanese or Asian Xbox 360 (the region should say NTSC-J). The Idolmaster is unfortunately region-locked and Live For You probably will be as well, so they won't play on any other region 360. The cost is about $400 new.


Gah!

And here I had just finished downloading all of the Idolmaster videos from XBL-Japan, wondering if I could actually run the game.

Bollocks.

[Johnny]

You seem to have a pretty good set of Q&A's there. To be honest, Digi will be able to answer more about actual iMAS content etc. After all, this is the guy who was named/referenced/discussed on 2Chan (or a similar Japanese site) as one of the very, very few non-Japanese owners of the game.

As for this sequel, to be perfectly honest I still don't really know myself whether it's a sequel, add-on, bonus pack or what. All I do know is that I'm all over the LE :D

[DiGiKerot]

You seem to have a pretty good set of Q&A's there. To be honest, Digi will be able to answer more about actual iMAS content etc. After all, this is the guy who was named/referenced/discussed on 2Chan (or a similar Japanese site) as one of the very, very few non-Japanese owners of the game.

I think it was more that I'd deprived them of their precious LE stock :sd:

Anyhow, I've not blown any cash on DLC items, so if you know anything about that, I'm sure it'll be appreciated.


As for this sequel, to be perfectly honest I still don't really know myself whether it's a sequel, add-on, bonus pack or what. All I do know is that I'm all over the LE :D

I think "fandisk" is probably closest. It focuses on the dress-up and performance aspects that are popular in the 360 game in Japan, plus a simple bemani-esque game in which you can unlock stuff.

[Mononoke]

Thanks for all the info and updates, DiGiKerot. That was a great help! I edited the root post to include your answers and gave you some props at the end.


(playing on Live) also opens up a loophole which allows much higher scores to be obtained.
Is this the Make Dog audition you referred to in one of your other answers? I think it might be since isn't your score the number of fans you earned?


Yeah, you only need a Japanese account for obtaining the DLC. Otherwise, you can play quite happily on any other regions account.
Great, that'll make it easy to keep things consistent. As someone who doesn't have an Xbox yet I have to ask: Can I have the same US Live account sitting on both a US and a Japanese 360 at the same time? Since I also want Rock Band (which is locked to the US region, argh) I'll need 2 360s, and I just wondered if I could use both accounts on both machines.

Do you need to have a Gold account for any of the iMAS features, or will Silver suffice?

About the iMAS DLC: When you download a new outfit (say the super-spiffy hakama), do you have to buy three in order to outfit a 3-idol group? (buy per girl rather than per outfit)


The fun of beating real people?

Indeed! So you actually are auditioning against other gamers' idols, rather than just posting scores online. Holy cow, with all the experienced folks out there I'm going to get creamed. But it'll probably still be a blast.

Good to know also about the online-only auditions. That's another great reason right there.


5 in regular iMAS, but I'm pretty sure it's been confirmed as more in L4U.

Do you know if there is a way to save off these pictures and videos so they can be opened outside the game? That way, regardless of in-game limits, you could amass a collection of your own just on your computer. What file format or codec do the saves use?


I think the LE of iMAS had a DVD as well, and it was figures of all 11 girls since it had both Ami and Mami.

You're right, both the twins were there, and there was a 110-minute "music DVD" also. Good catch.

[Mononoke]

According to This article on Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/352143/japan-gets-xbox-360-arcade-does-it-care) , the Xbox 360 Arcade Pack is coming out in Japan on March 6. What's great about that? It's only Y27800, which is going to make it by far the cheapest option for getting a Japanese 360. And it still comes with HDMI.

At only a week after L4U's release, it's perfect timing.

[Mononoke]

And here I had just finished downloading all of the Idolmaster videos from XBL-Japan, wondering if I could actually run the game.

Bollocks.

With the new 360 pack that was just announced on Kotaku yesterday, the price of admission just dropped drastically. It made my day in fact :sd: . You'll still have to buy a Japanese 360, but it's going to cost about $260-290 (depending on shipping and importer markup) rather than $400.

[DiGiKerot]

Is this the Make Dog audition you referred to in one of your other answers? I think it might be since isn't your score the number of fans you earned?

Yeah, that's the one. For reference, I've written about the issues with the 360 version of iMAS at length in this blog entry (http://www.beta-waffle.com/blog/?p=551), but since this I pretty much explain exactly how to break the top 10-20 on the online rankings there, I don't recommend reading it until you've cycled through a few times.

In any case, for your first play through the game, I'd recommend playing it properly - don't reset the console at any point, and don't go for the Make Dog audition. It's a far more entertaining game that way.


Do you need to have a Gold account for any of the iMAS features, or will Silver suffice?

You need Gold to play the auditions online and to register on the online boards. You can view the online boards and performance videos with just Silver.


About the iMAS DLC: When you download a new outfit (say the super-spiffy hakama), do you have to buy three in order to outfit a 3-idol group? (buy per girl rather than per outfit)

No, you buy the costume pack. All three girls in your group wear matching costumes (well, their themed version of the overall dress, plus the same accessories).


Indeed! So you actually are auditioning against other gamers' idols, rather than just posting scores online. Holy cow, with all the experienced folks out there I'm going to get creamed. But it'll probably still be a blast.

To be honest, I think there's a distinct tendency for the Japanese players to avoid entering auditions against other actual players. Not all of them - heck, I've even gotten text messages from Japanese players wondering why I've got a UK 360 account - but certainly quite a few do.


Do you know if there is a way to save off these pictures and videos so they can be opened outside the game? That way, regardless of in-game limits, you could amass a collection of your own just on your computer. What file format or codec do the saves use?

No way to grab them, I'm afraid, short of hooking your 360 up to a video capture device. The videos are regenerated using the game engine, as far as I remember.


You're right, both the twins were there, and there was a 110-minute "music DVD" also. Good catch.

I bought the thing (http://www.beta-waffle.com/blog/?p=359), so I'm less liable to forget :sd:

There was actually a bonus DVD which was shipped out from certain stores as well, but I didn't get that.

[DiGiKerot]

I notice that the old iMAS thread is still around. If anyone reading this is curious what the game is all about, I wrote a whole pile about the game flow (http://www.animeondvd.com/forum/showpost.php?pid/360714/) there (just ignore the "You'll be penalised if you (a) Don't pass an audition within 5 weeks of your last TV appearance" part - the removed that particular penalisation for the 360 version). Lots of other interesting game related chatter there, too.

[Mononoke]

For anyone interested in the iMAS music, I noticed that a re-release of the Master Box CD Sets (http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=COCX-34772) came out today! It looks like Master Box I and II both put together into a new package and called Master Box Encore. Encore contains all the tracks from the arcade and Xbox 360 versions of the game on 5 CDs, according to the description. Like the original two were, this one also appears to be LE. It's selling for about $71 while CDJapan has them in stock (print run size unknown).

Another interesting stroke of timing, since I was wondering about these boxes yesterday. I wonder if that's a sign...

[Mononoke]

You seem to have a pretty good set of Q&A's there. To be honest, Digi will be able to answer more about actual iMAS content etc. After all, this is the guy who was named/referenced/discussed on 2Chan (or a similar Japanese site) as one of the very, very few non-Japanese owners of the game.
Oh, that's right! I think that got mentioned in a previous iMAS thread from last year, didn't it. Digi's famous :) .

[DiGiKerot]

For anyone interested in the iMAS music, I noticed that a re-release of the Master Box CD Sets (http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=COCX-34772) came out today! It looks like Master Box I and II both put together into a new package and called Master Box Encore. Encore contains all the tracks from the arcade and Xbox 360 versions of the game on 5 CDs, according to the description. Like the original two were, this one also appears to be LE. It's selling for about $71 while CDJapan has them in stock (print run size unknown).

Whilst I have both the Master Boxes, I honestly recommend picking up some of the Masterwork and Masterpeice CDs instead. I mean, do you really need ten solo game-length versions of every song in the game? I'd recommend picking up some of the Masterpiece and Masterwork CDs for group versions of the game tracks and the extended remixes of other. Far more interesting to listen to.

I notice they are also releasing 8-bit remixes of the iMAS tracks in the next couple of months...

Oh, and there's a third Master Box out in April for the Live For You tracks. There's another box set for me to pick up...

[Mononoke]

For reference, I've written about the issues with the 360 version of iMAS at length in this blog entry (http://www.beta-waffle.com/blog/?p=551), but since this I pretty much explain exactly how to break the top 10-20 on the online rankings there, I don't recommend reading it until you've cycled through a few times.
Ah, excellent. *bookmarked* for future reference. I love learning about the mechanics behind games, so I'm looking forward to reading that. I'll take your advice and ignore it for the time being.

From what I remember from the previous thread, one 52-week playthrough takes maybe 6 hours to complete. If that's the case it doesn't sound like losing auditions or picking the wrong things to say would be a crusher, since if your girl turns out unhappy it's easy enough play again on the next cycle. Thanks for the advice about not resetting and avoiding Make Dog at first: I wouldn't have thought of the former (I keep going until game over), but might have stumbled into the latter accidentally.

No, you buy the costume pack. All three girls in your group wear matching costumes (well, their themed version of the overall dress, plus the same accessories).
Good to know. So each girl defaults to their theme version of a costume (by this I take it to mean color palette). After watching enough concert videos I've seen the the same girl wear the same basic dress design multiple times, except with different patterns (plaid, checker, plain) and in different colors. Are these things you can customize for any outfit, DLC or otherwise?


No way to grab them, I'm afraid, short of hooking your 360 up to a video capture device. The videos are regenerated using the game engine, as far as I remember.
Ouch, that hurts. Producing my own versions of those concerts I can't stop watching was one of the reasons I wanted to buy the game. I still want to, but maybe adjusted expectations will be in order.

I'm still curious about this side of things nevertheless, so here are some follow-up questions. Even if the video is recreated by the Xbox, the instructions on what to do have to be stored somewhere. Are they in a separate file or part of your savegame file? I'm wondering if you couldn't end up with just copying off your savegames instead of actual movie files...

Does your saved movie disappear when you start a new career? (like your Live rank disappears when you play a new group online)

Can you go back and "tweak" your saved video later? (change the lighting, camera work, etc)


I bought the thing (http://www.beta-waffle.com/blog/?p=359), so I'm less liable to forget :sd:

Nice. Yes, very nice set. Hmm... Now that you've had it for about a year, what do you think of iMAS? Has it stood the test of time for you?

[Mononoke]

Whilst I have both the Master Boxes, I honestly recommend picking up some of the Masterwork and Masterpeice CDs instead. I mean, do you really need ten solo game-length versions of every song in the game?
I'm thinking that having the individual girls' versions of each song could end up being really useful. Maybe not so much as listening material, but definitely as reference material. I bet it's a good way to decide on an image for a particular girl (what songs does she sound best on?). But even better, using a waveform editor it would be possible to combine the tracks and hear what various group combos would sound like before you made them. You could then find the pairs and trios you like best for each song. If you can only save one video at a time, you gotta make it count right?


I'd recommend picking up some of the Masterpiece and Masterwork CDs for group versions of the game tracks and the extended remixes of other. Far more interesting to listen to.
Have your recommendations for which CDs to buy changed any from the previous thread? Now that the Master Artist CDs are out for each girl, that might be a choice for your favorite idol.

[DiGiKerot]

Good to know. So each girl defaults to their theme version of a costume (by this I take it to mean color palette). After watching enough concert videos I've seen the the same girl wear the same basic dress design multiple times, except with different patterns (plaid, checker, plain) and in different colors. Are these things you can customize for any outfit, DLC or otherwise?

Forgetting the special DLC costumes, there are three different regular costume designs for each girl (I forget what they call them exactly, but they fall into the Visual/Vocal/Dance pattern everything else in the game falls into). Each girls version of the costume looks different, but they will be colour coordinated with the rest of the group. For example, this picture (http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20080126/l4u20.htm) has the girls in Visual dress.

The different colour schemes you see are either unlocked via DLC or by the random weekly fanmail unlockable ingame.


Ouch, that hurts. Producing my own versions of those concerts I can't stop watching was one of the reasons I wanted to buy the game. I still want to, but maybe adjusted expectations will be in order.

One thing to note is that you don't get the camera and vocal part edit until you reach you get to Level 3 on your Producer Level, which, depending on performance, means two or three cycles through the game.


Does your saved movie disappear when you start a new career? (like your Live rank disappears when you play a new group online)

It stays until you tell the game to overwrite it with another.


Can you go back and "tweak" your saved video later? (change the lighting, camera work, etc)

Lighting and the like is determined by what TV show you are on and song is being performed rather the something you can tweak yourself. Camera work is set in stone once the videos been made (and, as I say, you can't edit that until you've been playing a while anyway).


Nice. Yes, very nice set. Hmm... Now that you've had it for about a year, what do you think of iMAS? Has it stood the test of time for you?

I've not had it on for a while (too many things demanding my time :sd: ), but it was probably my favourite game of last year. Just writing about it makes me want to have another play through (I still have two achievements to get, if nothing else!).

[DiGiKerot]

But even better, using a waveform editor it would be possible to combine the tracks and hear what various group combos would sound like before you made them. You could then find the pairs and trios you like best for each song. If you can only save one video at a time, you gotta make it count right?

I'd thought about the wave editor thing before, but you'll need to have more patience than I have - there are different levels of whitespace before each version of the track, and as such getting the timings to match up isn't trivial.

I hadn't noticed that the Encore set was half the price of buying the old boxes separately, so that might make it a bit more worthwhile.


Have your recommendations for which CDs to buy changed any from the previous thread? Now that the Master Artist CDs are out for each girl, that might be a choice for your favorite idol.


I've not heard the Master Artist CDs yet (honestly, I'd completely forgot they were releasing them), so I don't really have an opinion on them. I'll be picking up at least a few of them post haste, though. There are a lot of non-game and drama tracks on those by the looks of things, though.

As for other CDs to recommend, I still think Master Piece #4 is the best single CD for the Arcade tracks. There's no one CD out of the others for the 360 tracks at the moment, but I'd recommend at least getting Master Work 01 for the full length Go My Way!! (because it's great). If you can find a copy anywhere, Master Work 00 is good too, because it's full length version of Watashi wa Idol<3 is based on the game arrangement, rather than the rearranged version on one of the later CDs, and frankly sounds far better.

[Mononoke]

Just a quick bit of news before I head out. Famitsu has posted an interesting 11 minute excerpt from the L4U press conference Live For Press (http://www.famitsu.com/fwtv/?51213198) .

You get to see a little more of the L4U gameplay, a clip of the anime DVD included with the LE L4U, a snippet of the new song Valentine, and some interviews with the VAs. Ami/Mami, Chihaya, Miki, Ritsuko, and maybe two others who I've forgotten were there. Ritsuko's VA was cosplaying a little even. They also showed slides of their release schedule for CDs and DLC through march.

All in all a pretty informative piece, with a bit more info than we had before about L4U.

[Johnny]

I think "fandisk" is probably closest. It focuses on the dress-up and performance aspects that are popular in the 360 game in Japan, plus a simple bemani-esque game in which you can unlock stuff.

Can you still play it like the original though or is it made up of fanservice and mini-games?

[DiGiKerot]

I think "fandisk" is probably closest. It focuses on the dress-up and performance aspects that are popular in the 360 game in Japan, plus a simple bemani-esque game in which you can unlock stuff.

Can you still play it like the original though or is it made up of fanservice and mini-games?


Mostly dress up and fluff. I was looking through a list of the games achievements earlier, and it looks like the actual game part revolves around the bemani cheering game thing.

[Mononoke]

Can you still play it like the original though or is it made up of fanservice and mini-games?

From what I've read you play the role of a "selected fan" in L4U rather than a full-time producer. As the fan you won the chance to make the arrangements for a live concert. You can pick the girl(s), the outfits they wear, and talk to them for a short time beforehand. Then sit back and watch the show.

You can also do a "cheer mode", which is just like the regular mode except you play the bemani-like game during the concert (rather than passively watch). Looks like you get to cheer using taiko, tamborines, clapping, shouting, things like that. It looks a lot like Taiko Drum Master, actually.

There are conflicting reports about whether you can import your saves and clothes from iMAS into L4U. The last word I heard was "nope", but haven't found a definitive reference. If that's true.. DLC profits will keep going up.

[Johnny]

I think "fandisk" is probably closest. It focuses on the dress-up and performance aspects that are popular in the 360 game in Japan, plus a simple bemani-esque game in which you can unlock stuff.

Can you still play it like the original though or is it made up of fanservice and mini-games?


Mostly dress up and fluff. I was looking through a list of the games achievements earlier, and it looks like the actual game part revolves around the bemani cheering game thing.

I'll give it a miss then. Just an excuse to squeeze even more Yen out of fans.

[DiGiKerot]

I'll give it a miss then. Just an excuse to squeeze even more Yen out of fans.

I'm shocked and disturbed at your display of sensibility!

[Johnny]

I'll give it a miss then. Just an excuse to squeeze even more Yen out of fans.

I'm shocked and disturbed at your display of sensibility!

Heh :P I dunno, I love iMAS, but even though I bought relatively little DLC, (the school uniforms being one I couldn't resist :sd: ) it's far too overpriced for what you're getting and I don't really fancy a spin-off 'fan-disk' to be honest. Maybe when it's cheaper/I stop seeing sense/I get paid at the end of the month.

[Mononoke]

I love iMAS, but even though I bought relatively little DLC, (the school uniforms being one I couldn't resist :sd: )
What did you do for getting Japanese MS points to buy the DLC with?

[Johnny]

I love iMAS, but even though I bought relatively little DLC, (the school uniforms being one I couldn't resist :sd: )
What did you do for getting Japanese MS points to buy the DLC with?



Nothing special. I just added them to my Japanese account. Wasn't aware of them being region locked or anything.

[Mononoke]

Nothing special. I just added them to my Japanese account. Wasn't aware of them being region locked or anything.

So you were able to buy points in Europe, then just add them to your Japanese account?

I'd heard that points are region specific, and also that Live won't let you buy them with a different region credit card. So I can't buy Japanese points with my US credit card. I'd have to buy a Japanese point card from play-asia and then use the code to add points to my Japanese account. I hope I'm wrong on that.

Just trying to figure all this out in advance so I know what to order :) .

[hub]

Have your recommendations for which CDs to buy changed any from the previous thread? Now that the Master Artist CDs are out for each girl, that might be a choice for your favorite idol.


I've not heard the Master Artist CDs yet (honestly, I'd completely forgot they were releasing them), so I don't really have an opinion on them. I'll be picking up at least a few of them post haste, though. There are a lot of non-game and drama tracks on those by the looks of things, though.


I've been steadily picking up some of the new CDs, and I'd have to say that you're probably better off just getting either the Masterworks or Master Artist CDs, and just skip the Masterpiece CDs altogether (outside of Masterpiece 04, which as DiGiKerot already said, is excellent).

The reason for this is that (imo) the M@ster Versions of each song presented on the Masterpiece CDs aren't all that good. With the exception of "Mahou wo kakete" and "Agent yoru wo iku," the rest are just so-so (imagine my huge disappointment with the (group) M@ster Version of "9:02pm" and "Taiyou no jealousy"). However, if you're just looking for some of the in-game tracks as well, you can't go wrong w/ Masterpiece 04 (especially love the Haruka/Yayou version of "Here we go!!").

But moving on to the other CDs, if you go for all three of the Masterwork CDs, then you're basically getting M@ster Versions of all of the songs, though the group performances are much better this time around. Regarding the Master Artist CDs, I'd recommend getting them in the order of which girl you like to listen to the most. They're all pretty much a safe bet, however I didn't really like Miki, Iori, or Ami & Mami's CDs (disappointed by the first, and not all that fond of the second and third).

But in terms of the best original tracks, I'd say your best bet is Chihaya and Makoto (surprise surprise!). Chihaya's seiyuu really has a chance to show her stuff on the original tracks, while Makoto's songs are just...well...they're darn catchy. Regarding the game's music, the best tracks are probably the ones by Azusa, Chihaya, and Ritsuko. Azusa's versions of "Massugu" and "Omoide wo arigatou" are just awesome (her sweet voice really adds to the full-length songs), while I really liked Chihaya's version of "relations" (and her version of "Aoi tori" is just plain beautiful, though not really my thing). Ritsuko is just solid throughout.

However(!), if it's in terms of the "free talk"/drama tracks, then I'd have to give the nod to Yayoi (too cute!) and Makoto (Miki keeps bugging her about being a prince).

Here's how I'd rank them:
1. Chihaya (the best original tracks, great game tracks, average drama tacks)
2. Azusa (her original tracks almost sound like church music, but her game tracks are the best, and her drama track is alright).
3. Makoto (catchy original tracks, catchy game tracks, and a funny drama track: winner!)
4. Ritsuko (her original tracks are average, but her game tracks are solid, and her drama track is pretty entertaining).
5. Haruka (I enjoyed her original tracks more than anything else, though her solo of "Go My Way" isn't too shabby)
6. Yayoi (Cute original tracks, cute game tracks, and a mega-cute drama track...just cute!!)
7. Yukiho (Her game tracks are definitely sweet, but her original and drama tracks are only so-so)
8. Iori (Average all around)
9. Miki (coming from a Miki fan, I was disappointed)
10. Ami & Mami (did I mention that I don't like the twins?)

Also, I should note that some of the music on the CDs were already featured on past iM@S CDs, like Ritsuko's solo version of "Mahou wo kakete" (M@ster Version).

[Mononoke]

For anyone interested in the iMAS music, I noticed that a re-release of the Master Box CD Sets (http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=COCX-34772) came out today! It looks like Master Box I and II both put together into a new package and called Master Box Encore.
It also looks like this box is part of Play-Asia's Chinese New Year sale. Now selling at just over $50 shipped (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-8l-49-en-70-2ghv.html) . Probably better pick it up soon since it's already LE...

[Mononoke]

(a lot of useful stuff)
Thanks for all the great info, Digi. YesAsia shipped my copy of the game today, so I'll be good to go as soon as it arrives (and I get a JP console...). I'm really looking forward to playing this at last!

Say, about how much space would you say the iMAS savegames take up? The JP Arcade Pack I'm thinking of getting comes with a 256MB memory card instead of a HD. So I'm curious how long I might be able to hold out just swapping the memory card between consoles before it fills up and I have to start swapping the HD.

[Johnny]

Nothing special. I just added them to my Japanese account. Wasn't aware of them being region locked or anything.

So you were able to buy points in Europe, then just add them to your Japanese account?

I'd heard that points are region specific, and also that Live won't let you buy them with a different region credit card. So I can't buy Japanese points with my US credit card. I'd have to buy a Japanese point card from play-asia and then use the code to add points to my Japanese account. I hope I'm wrong on that.

Just trying to figure all this out in advance so I know what to order :) .

As far as I remember, I just bought the points on my UK account and used them that way. Sorry I can't be more detailed, I've actually forgotten :sd: But yeah, I don't think I had to do anything special to get the DLC. Aside from wading through the Japanese text to make sure I was buying the right thing :P

Decided to give Live For You a go as it comes out the day I get paid. Course, that means I'll have to go for the SE version :sd:

[DiGiKerot]

Nothing special. I just added them to my Japanese account. Wasn't aware of them being region locked or anything.

So you were able to buy points in Europe, then just add them to your Japanese account?

I'd heard that points are region specific, and also that Live won't let you buy them with a different region credit card. So I can't buy Japanese points with my US credit card. I'd have to buy a Japanese point card from play-asia and then use the code to add points to my Japanese account. I hope I'm wrong on that.

Just trying to figure all this out in advance so I know what to order :) .

As far as I remember, I just bought the points on my UK account and used them that way. Sorry I can't be more detailed, I've actually forgotten :sd: But yeah, I don't think I had to do anything special to get the DLC. Aside from wading through the Japanese text to make sure I was buying the right thing :P

I think you must have bought points against a Japanese account - you can't access the items (to purchase) via a UK account.

Also, pre-paid points are validated against servers local to the gamer tags region - therefore, you really do have to buy Japanese points cards if you want to go that way. To be honest, I think buying a stack of prepaid cards (say, a couple of those LE Live For You cards out next week) from Play Asia will end up being the easiest way to buy iMAS DLC - that's what I'm doing anyway.

[hub]

Say, about how much space would you say the iMAS savegames take up? The JP Arcade Pack I'm thinking of getting comes with a 256MB memory card instead of a HD. So I'm curious how long I might be able to hold out just swapping the memory card between consoles before it fills up and I have to start swapping the HD.

It depends really. If you don't plan on buying any of the d/l content, then 256MB should be enough (a saved game only takes up 5MB. However, most of the d/l content is 100MB+, so you're definitely going to want to get an HDD if you plan on going that route.

Also, I'm not sure if the game updates w/ the new costumes are mandatory or not.

[Mononoke]

I'd thought about the wave editor thing before, but you'll need to have more patience than I have - there are different levels of whitespace before each version of the track, and as such getting the timings to match up isn't trivial.
Interesting. I would've thought they'd have started with the same basic karaoke track and just had each singer record onto it, so that the start times would always be the same. But even if not, I think the Master Boxes could still be useful with the wave editor with just a little patience.. Things don't have to line up 100% if you're just curious what a particular vocal combo is going to sound like.

One thing I noticed about the Encore version is that they rearranged the tracks. Box 1 used to be 10 tracks per girl, then Box 2 was six tracks per girl. But with Encore you get all 16 tracks per girl in a row. The karaoke is still spread out over the different discs though.

PlayAsia's sale plus a coupon brought the cost of the Encore set down to $39.90 (cut in half a second time!). At that extra tempting price I couldn't say no anymore, so I picked up a copy. We'll see how well the wave idea works out when the set arrives.

Thanks for the other CD suggestions, Digi and hub; I'm keeping them for future reference since I'll probably be going for some later.

[Mononoke]

Decided to give Live For You a go as it comes out the day I get paid. Course, that means I'll have to go for the SE version :sd:
Woo! Just in case, PlayAsia has the best price on the L4U preorders that I've found: $49 for regular and $89 for LE.

[Mononoke]

Updated the root post to include links to the console, games, and other information. I think that pretty well covers all the original questions that were there except how saved videos are stored. Thanks for the help in putting that information together.

[hub]

[Deleted]

[Mononoke]

My copy of The Idolm@ster Platinum Collection arrived in the mail this afternoon! I'm excited and looking forward to finally playing iMAS. Still gotta wait until next month at least for the Japanese 360 to come though. D'oh! So close yet so far.

Verified that the Platinum version is still region-locked. Too bad. It almost booted before coming back with the little bad-region X. I actually thought for a minute they might have made it region free.

I like the platinum version's clear gray case. It looks nicer than the typical xbox green.

[Mononoke]

I noticed that there are three different iMAS gamerpic packs on the US Xbox Live. Has anyone picked any of them up? What pictures do they contain?

[hub]

I noticed that there are three different iMAS gamerpic packs on the US Xbox Live. Has anyone picked any of them up? What pictures do they contain?

I picked up the third picture pack w/ the in-game version of the girls. The first and second pack contain the SD versions of the girls (I think it's 5 girls in the first pack, and 5 girls in the second pack) as seen during the loading screens. I'd say just go for the third pack because it contains 12 gamer pics (all 10 girls, plus Mami and "awakened" Miki).

Oh, and I recently picked up Ace Combat 6. I definitely recommend this one if you're an AC fan, and especially if you happen to be an iM@S fan as well (*raiseshand*). Definitely looking forward to the Chihaya F-15 mod later this week. :grin:

Edit: Found a pretty cool video of the Su-33 "Miki" in action (lol): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgK0Gq25Eho

[Mononoke]

I picked up the third picture pack w/ the in-game version of the girls. The first and second pack contain the SD versions of the girls (I think it's 5 girls in the first pack, and 5 girls in the second pack) as seen during the loading screens.
Aha, I wondered if the pics that were in the "logo" were a sort of preview for the Smart set. Sounds like that's the one you got. It had the regular in-game-looking girls in the logo above the description.

Courtesy of the Japanese iMAS Catalog 9 web site, there are previews for all three gamerpic packs (http://www.idolmaster.jp/marketplace/catalog09.html) (scroll down a bit). Once I found that, I realized that I should've thought to look in the catalog in the first place. Silly me. Out of the three, I agree, the in-game version pack looks the best. Will probably buy that one once I decide how I want to allocate the DLC licenses between accounts and consoles.

Never played any of the Ace Combat games, but I have seen pics of the iMAS planes that have been released for AC6 thanks to Kotaku. Silly as it sounds, that does make me somewhat interested in trying an AC game. I guess that kind of cross-marketing is part of the point. Who'd have thought that cute pop idols would be put on military aircraft.. Wow.

Does this mean you're going to call your Chihaya F-15 the Aoi Tori? I can see it now: someone fires a homing missle and we hear hub saying "This is NOT what I meant by Go My Way!!"

You know, it's got to be embarrasing for your opponent to get shot down by any of those effeminate-looking jets. :sd:

[Johnny]

Digi, did you pick up L4U? Any impressions?

[hub]

Does this mean you're going to call your Chihaya F-15 the Aoi Tori? I can see it now: someone fires a homing missle and we hear hub saying "This is NOT what I meant by Go My Way!!"


Lol, this is why I sometimes wish that the host of an online match was given the ability to somehow stream the music playing on their console to everyone else who was also playing. Psychological warfare and all that. :laugh:


You know, it's got to be embarrasing for your opponent to get shot down by any of those effeminate-looking jets. :sd:

Ah, but oh-so satisfying. Still, from what I hear it seems like everyone who plays online beelines straight for the two "uber" planes in the game (ie. the F22 and Su-47). I knew this would happen, but its nevertheless kind of disappointing.

Anyway, after reading the impressions over at the Gamefaqs message board, I finally just said "screw it" and ordered the limited edition version of the game. I should have it sometime during the first week of March (right before Spring break!), and so I'll post some impressions up here if Digi or anyone else is unable to.

I'll also try and get some pics up as well, though I don't have a digital camera atm (gave mine to my brother *sigh*).

[DiGiKerot]

Digi, did you pick up L4U? Any impressions?

It's presently in the mail. Unless it gets nabbed by Customs, I should have it in a day or so. General reaction seems to be that it's just glorified Taiko with iMAS characters dancing around, but I'm quite fine with that.

[DiGiKerot]

Anyway, after reading the impressions over at the Gamefaqs message board


Speaking of discussion on at Gamefaqs, I'm really not getting the hate of the B-mix of Relations, even if it does sound kind of like something that'd be used for BGM in Naruto.

[Mononoke]

General reaction seems to be that it's just glorified Taiko with iMAS characters dancing around, but I'm quite fine with that.
Sounds good to me too. After all, Taiko has gotten Mahou o Kakete and Go My Way, so I s'pose it's only fair that iMAS gets crossover the other way.

I hear that the Idol Drum Master mode is optional, too. So one of the other benefits of L4U seems to be the ability to watch concerts without worrying about stat boosts from the "right" costume or the girls messing up any. If so that would fill a big gap in the first game. Well, especially for those who got hooked by watching online videos of their performances.

Speaking of which, RIP Stage 6... :sigh:

[Mononoke]

Speaking of discussion on at Gamefaqs, I'm really not getting the hate of the B-mix of Relations, even if it does sound kind of like something that'd be used for BGM in Naruto.
Agreed. I never would've thought of Traditional Japanese as a style to remix Relations into, which is part of what makes it pretty neat. We're getting an even greater variety of styles in L4U which can help keep things fresh. I like it.

Relations-B also reminds me of the track Sakura from DDR Extreme. Good stuff there too, for similar reasons. Variety.. plus I really like the traditional Japanese instrument sound.

[DiGiKerot]

Probably bad news for Lamhirh - looking at Japanese Market Place, the Catalogue file for L4U is a whopping 598mb! Unfortunately, they make you download the whole thing (containing locked versions of all the DLC, at least presently in the catalogue) the first time you buy ANYTHING. I guess the file size is due to all the audio files.

On the plus side, you do only have to download it once. Those who may be considering purchasing the song remixes or the maid uniform may find it worthwhile to download it in advance (there's a free download for it in the Live For You category) to prevent delays in play at a later date.

[Mononoke]

Probably bad news for Lamhirh - looking at Japanese Market Place, the Catalogue file for L4U is a whopping 598mb! Unfortunately, they make you download the whole thing (containing locked versions of all the DLC, at least presently in the catalogue) the first time you buy ANYTHING.
D'oh, uh-oh, bad news for Lamhirh indeed. :( I guess that 256MB memory card that comes with the arcade pack is going to run out even faster than I feared. LOL, I didn't even get to buy it yet and it's already obsolete.

So it sounds like I have three choices then: either buy a different Japanese 360 (like the DMC4 bundle), buy an extra 360 hard drive, or try moving my existing hard drive back and forth between the US and JP consoles. I'm a bit shy on option 1 since I really want BoomBoom Rocket and some of the other XBLA games that come with the Arcade Pack, and don't care so much about DMC4. I'd have to think about that. Anybody try the moving the hard drive option?

Say, do each of the original iMAS catalogs work the same way, where you download the whole thing and then just buy pieces from it?

[DiGiKerot]

Say, do each of the original iMAS catalogs work the same way, where you download the whole thing and then just buy pieces from it?

I didn't really do the DLC thing with the original iMAS, but I'm pretty sure it was the same - only the files were much smaller.

As for the saving solution, the HDD swapping should work, with the added bonus of you being able to apply to gamer points for playing the game to your existing account.

[youth]

I got the LE on Saturday; ordered from an Ebay seller. It has the same rank feature where you can just watch other ppl's group. Just briefly tried it & there is less of a gaming element then the 1st which I never really got around to playing. This one seems much simpler too. Probably not worth the full game price unless you really like the idols.

The OVA is short, but fun & you get to see some upfront Miki service. Other extras on it include a full well done PV to one of the songs on the last char CD, a sampler PV of the remix songs, & a Live For You! event with the seiyuu.

Also comes with a book with storyboards & cast interview for the anime.

The game front
http://www.animerunner.net/image/idolmaster_liveforyou_le01.jpg

& back
http://www.animerunner.net/image/idolmaster_liveforyou_le02.jpg

Discs & the card.
http://www.animerunner.net/image/idolmaster_liveforyou_le03.jpg

[Johnny]

Thanks for the continued impressions guys. I think I'm gonna wait a while for this to come down in price before buying. Never thought I'd be saying that but would have much preferred a fully-fledged sequel than a bemani-esque spin-off.

[DiGiKerot]

Thanks for the continued impressions guys. I think I'm gonna wait a while for this to come down in price before buying. Never thought I'd be saying that but would have much preferred a fully-fledged sequel than a bemani-esque spin-off.

I'm not really sure there's much they can do in regards to a sequel - not because there aren't improvements to the gameplay to be made (how I wish they could kill Reset Abuse), but because there's absolutely nothing they can really do character wise now. You'd pretty much have to bring in a whole new cast for a new game, but they've already covered all of the idol group archetypes with the original game. They can't do anything which isn't a retread, and that would just result in all the existing fans bitching about how the new characters are lame.

Live For You is basically just pandering to what is by far the most popular part of the 360 game - the dress up and performance sections. Of course, this is largely because the original game is so broken in an online competitive sense...

[Mononoke]

I think I'm gonna wait a while for this to come down in price before buying.
Looks like Play-Asia still has Live For You for $49.90 (instead of $65 retail). Do you think it'd fall below that price even if you held off?

As an aside, we've officially made iM@S a "hot topic" (red folder) now. :notworthy:

[Johnny]

I think I'm gonna wait a while for this to come down in price before buying.
Looks like Play-Asia still has Live For You for $49.90 (instead of $65 retail). Do you think it'd fall below that price even if you held off?


It's got "Playasia weekly special" written all over it. It'll be sub-$30 by the end of the summer I reckon.

[Mononoke]

Yesterday was a pretty big day for unpacking -- many of the things I ordered for iMAS decided to come in all at the same time:

New receiver w/ HDMI switching for the Xboxes.
Switch & wireless access point for getting them online.
Idolm@ster Live For You (normal edition)
iMAS 3500 Point Card ver A

On a whim I tried L4U in my US 360, and found it to be indeed region-locked as well. That's what I expected, but still too bad. It goes on the shelf next to iMAS just for me to sigh at until the import 360 comes. :sd: In a way that's probably a good thing since I have three midterms in gradschool next week.

Unexpectedly, L4U regular arrived with the Shiny Smile download card also in the box! I thought that was an LE-only preorder bonus, so was quite pleased to find out differently.

[Mononoke]

It's got "Playasia weekly special" written all over it. It'll be sub-$30 by the end of the summer I reckon.
Good point. PA has been pushing it so hard, I'm sure they won't forget about it anytime soon.

[Mononoke]

Also comes with a book with storyboards & cast interview for the anime.
Thanks for the pics! That's the first time I've seen what the booklet looks like in person. Can we see some sample shots of what's in the program, too?

[hub]

Yesterday was a pretty big day for unpacking -- many of the things I ordered for iMAS decided to come in all at the same time:

New receiver w/ HDMI switching for the Xboxes.
Switch & wireless access point for getting them online.
Idolm@ster Live For You (normal edition)
iMAS 3500 Point Card ver A

On a whim I tried L4U in my US 360, and found it to be indeed region-locked as well. That's what I expected, but still too bad. It goes on the shelf next to iMAS just for me to sigh at until the import 360 comes. :sd: In a way that's probably a good thing since I have three midterms in gradschool next week.

Unexpectedly, L4U regular arrived with the Shiny Smile download card also in the box! I thought that was an LE-only preorder bonus, so was quite pleased to find out differently.

Yeah, after a week in the dark, my copy finally arrived today. I ordered the limited edition, and the packaging is decent: a shiny slip-cover, the booklet, the game itself, and the d/l card for "Shiny smile."

Thoughts? Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed. I mean, the booklet is basically split into two parts: one page dedicated to each idol (including a pic of the seiyuu), and then the rest of the booklet contains the storyboards for the anime. Also, I was expecting the d/l card to be shitajiki-size, not trading card size. :confused:

Oh well, more iM@S schwag is always a good thing I guess.

Edit: You know now that I think about it, it would've been a lot cooler if they had included the new single for "Shiny smile" instead of the booklet.

Edit 2: Okay, but does anyone else think that the audio in the game sounds hollow? Like it was being played through a tin can or something? Anyway, I was able to unlock every item after achieving a high score for 5-6 songs. Oh, and I've already unlocked a bunch of achievements as well (this game practically gives them away).

It's fun and all, but I definitely wouldn't trade in the original iM@S for L4Y!.

[youth]

Also comes with a book with storyboards & cast interview for the anime.
Thanks for the pics! That's the first time I've seen what the booklet looks like in person. Can we see some sample shots of what's in the program, too?

The front inside cover.
http://www.animerunner.net/image/idolmaster_liveforyou_bookextra1.jpg

The storyboards... Picture, action, & "dialoge."
http://www.animerunner.net/image/idolmaster_liveforyou_bookextra2.jpg

Seiyuu q&a.
http://www.animerunner.net/image/idolmaster_liveforyou_bookextra3.jpg

The back inside cover.
http://www.animerunner.net/image/idolmaster_liveforyou_bookextra4.jpg

I thought the anime DVD made the extra price of the LE almost worth it alone especially with the Miki fanservice. :grin:

[Mononoke]

At that extra tempting price I couldn't say no anymore, so I picked up a copy. We'll see how well the wave idea works out when the set arrives.
Looks like I ought to put in a CD report here, since I finally finished listening to the Master Box Encore recently. I'd been playing it on the way to work and back, so it ended up taking a while to finish all 5 CDs.

I liked it. It was a good way to get to know the songs themselves, and also a little bit about the girls based on their voices. Some, especially Makoto, are going to sound good only in a group (good to know beforehand...), while others sounded good solo on almost all of the songs.

Biggest surprise? Azusa Miura. She was almost never in any of the videos online, so I knew little about her beforehand. The first thing that struck me when I heard her voice was "Wait, they put Belldandy in iMAS?" I know it isn't Kikuko Inoue, but it sure sounds like her. Unexpected, yet works well. Pleasantly surprised by that one.

The plan to use the CDs to test out trios was pretty much obsoleted by Live For You. I may not need to use the Master Box for it after all thanks to the new release. That's a good thing though since it will be a lot less work! L4U = "Here, have our game engine, do as you please." :)

[Mononoke]

Edit 2: Okay, but does anyone else think that the audio in the game sounds hollow? Like it was being played through a tin can or something?
As far as I can tell from playing both for the majority of the weekend, Idolmaster and Live For You sound pretty similar audio wise. Neither sounds quite as good as the Master Box CDs, but other than that I haven't noticed much. Will keep an ear out, as it were.

The one thing I did notice with L4U is that they really pumped up the reverb on Chihaya's vocals for Omoide wo Arigatou. I'm not sure if it's everyone on that particular song or something special for her. Chihaya sounded great like her regular self on other songs though. Need more playtime to find out what happened and compare.

[DiGiKerot]

]
Edit 2: Okay, but does anyone else think that the audio in the game sounds hollow? Like it was being played through a tin can or something?


Hmm, I thought it sounded a little odd compared to iMAS when played through my TV speakers, but all sounds fine when I strapped on a decent pair of headphones.

[DiGiKerot]

Biggest surprise? Azusa Miura.

I really, really don't like Azusas character type. She's almost like a composite of everything I don't like in anime characters, and with every single line of her dialogue it feels like someone is is scraping their fingernails down the blackboard of my soul.

[Mononoke]

I didn't really do the DLC thing with the original iMAS, but I'm pretty sure it was the same - only the files were much smaller.

As for the saving solution, the HDD swapping should work, with the added bonus of you being able to apply to gamer points for playing the game to your existing account.
Yep, the original iMAS does work the same way I can confirm, you download each catalog wholesale and then you can buy from it if you please. You're right that they are a lot smaller than L4U's: the largest was about 230MB while the smallest was around 30MB. All the currently-available catalogs added up to 1.3GB.

It is helpful to download the catalogs even if you don't plan to buy anything, I also noticed. When you watch other people's videos from the ranking board, if they used DLC then it will show up properly if you have the catalog it came from. You don't have to have bought the outfit, just have its catalog. (without the catalog, the game engine seems to substitute a random outfit).

Good call on the HDD swapping. Works like a charm!

[Mononoke]

My Japanese 360 arrived this past Thursday evening, so at long last I've been able to play The Idolm@ster (and of course Live For You). Very excited!! :sdsmiley: It's been a good weekend.

I think I'm still waiting for it to sink in fully. It isn't often that I look forward to something so much. :sd:

[Mononoke]

I really, really don't like Azusas character type. She's almost like a composite of everything I don't like in anime characters, and with every single line of her dialogue it feels like someone is is scraping their fingernails down the blackboard of my soul.
LOL, wow, what a turn of phrase. :grin: So you don't like the soft-spoken motherly type who is terrible at directions?

After hearing Azusa on the CD I was curious to find out more about who she was, so I picked her as my first idol to manage. Songs thus far: Massugu, 9:02pm (she really liked both of those), and My Best Friend. 25 weeks left, only a couple thousand fans away from Rank D. Alas so far I've been doing mostly lessons and auditions (to learn them) rather than Promotions, so I still don't know that much about Azusa actually. At least I managed to win my first 1st place in an audition last night.

Observation: so far the CPU has been harder to beat in the online auditions than other people... Wasn't expecting that.

[Citizen Klaus]

Biggest surprise? Azusa Miura. She was almost never in any of the videos online, so I knew little about her beforehand. The first thing that struck me when I heard her voice was "Wait, they put Belldandy in iMAS?" I know it isn't Kikuko Inoue, but it sure sounds like her. Unexpected, yet works well. Pleasantly surprised by that one.

Makes sense. In the XBL videos, she looks like a Kikuko Inoue character.

It's that whole "oneesan" vibe.

Edit: Actually, now that I think about it, you know you're not destined for great things in life when you consider a girl four years younger than you to be "old".

[hub]

After hearing Azusa on the CD I was curious to find out more about who she was, so I picked her as my first idol to manage. Songs thus far: Massugu, 9:02pm (she really liked both of those), and My Best Friend. 25 weeks left, only a couple thousand fans away from Rank D. Alas so far I've been doing mostly lessons and auditions (to learn them) rather than Promotions, so I still don't know that much about Azusa actually. At least I managed to win my first 1st place in an audition last night.


The great thing about Azusa is that she is one of the very few, if not only, character in the game who actually does a good/great job of singing every song. She can do the silly ones like "Watashi wa idol<3," the mature ones like "9:02pm" (absolutely *love* her rendition of this one), and anything in-between. If you liked "Massugu" and "9:02pm," you'll probably going to really like her "Omoide wo arigatou" as well. :beat:


Observation: so far the CPU has been harder to beat in the online auditions than other people... Wasn't expecting that.


Eh, n00b speak at work (j/k). I felt the same way when I was first getting the hang of the game, but once you start your third or fourth game, then you'll quickly realize that the AI is pretty much broken, because it's so easy to beat. Outside of some of the special auditions (such as the ones in the Special 1 category), the computer doesn't really put up much of a fight. However when auditioning, a safe route to take when appealing to the judges is to go 4/3/2 (ie. appeal to the first judge 4 times, the second judge 3 times, and the third judge 2 times).

But no love for Makoto, huh? Personally, I think that she's one of the more underrated girls in the game (alongside Chihaya); I think that the twins are *far* worse (note: I've produced every girl in the game at least 4 times now, w/ the exception of the twins, which stands at 1). But I think the most popular ones among fans are Ritsuko, Yukiho, Azusa, Haruka, Yayoi, and *maybe* Miki.

[Mononoke]

It's fun and all, but I definitely wouldn't trade in the original iM@S for L4Y!.
Agreed; it would be bad to separate the two. So far, I've found the games to complement each other so well that I wouldn't want to have either one without the other.

The Idolmaster gives you the in-depth story, management, emotional attachment, and immense sense of satisfaction in watching your idol mature as a performer. But it isn't really a music game at all, even the lessons part (fun as they may otherwise be). Live For You! gives you the music game and detailed control of the concerts, along with new remixes to play with. But of course you need to know about the girls first to get the most enjoyment out of it.

Both games together make for an enjoyable package, since every day you get the choice of working on an idol's career or just sitting back to watch some of those mesmerizing concert videos.

[Mononoke]

The great thing about Azusa is that she is one of the very few, if not only, character in the game who actually does a good/great job of singing every song.
Agreed, definitely. Hers was the second to last set of songs I happened to listen to from the Master Box, and the fact that every style of song sounded good if not outright fantastic with her voice made me take notice. Right away she went from an unknown for me to maybe second or third favorite girl. That was the unexpected surprise.

Azusa does sound her best on the mature tracks I thought, so my last two songs for her were "Aoi Tori" and "Omoide wo Arigatou". Loved 'em both, you're right. I thought she came pretty close to solo-Chihaya on Aoi Tori, which is saying something since that combo of track and idol has been my most-watched favorite of all of iMAS. Finishing up her career with Omoide seemed appropriate, since what better way to end than to say thanks for the memories.

As you might have guessed, I finished my first game of iMAS last night. Azusa ended as a Rank C idol, image level 8, with about 330K fans. Successful final concert, and I got a score of 44/100, though I'm not sure what that means. All in all I was sad that the time for disbanding had come at last. The game will let me try a duo now, so I'll probably start one today or tomorrow.

[Mononoke]

Eh, n00b speak at work (j/k). I felt the same way when I was first getting the hang of the game, but once you start your third or fourth game, then you'll quickly realize that the AI is pretty much broken, because it's so easy to beat.
LOL, yes, you can always tell the newbies right? :grin: I have gotten better at auditioning, but am still foiled by the CPU more than I'd like. Once I realized that the optimal solution was to get third place from every judge every round (best chance of maxing star count with minimum points), that helped a lot. Previously I'd 'waste' some appeals by trying to ensure a first place in some category or other. By the end of her run Azusa was getting audition 1sts - 3rds consistently which I was pretty happy with.

The biggest CPU-foils are now coming when I get 2nd to the CPU in a 1-winner audition (or 3rd in a 2-winner one). So close! It makes me wish they'd have just keeled over in the last round, since it's not like a one-time-use CPU character gets anything out of winning. It's more satisfying to lose those to a real person, since at least they got some benefit from beating out your girl. :sd:

I did get a good rivalry going with some unit called Spears (gasp) last night. It seems they were following my unit around for a while, always showing up in whatever audition I happened to start the clock for. We kept trading 1st and 2nd places back and forth for an hour or so, it was fun.

Randomness: I wonder why it is that very few people's gamertags show up when they join an audition..?

[hub]

Randomness: I wonder why it is that very few people's gamertags show up when they join an audition..?

Probably 'cause there aren't many people playing now. :confused: Don't forget that the game's over a year old now, and has been supplemented by something newer (ie. L4Y!). Also, most people don't like losing auditions for any reason, so your best bet is probably finding someone doing one of the national or special 3 auditions.

Still, I'm hoping that Bandai/Namco will finish the last 3 costumes for the first iM@S and finally get the whole thing finished. W/ any luck they'll then do another round of discount sales (there are 3 special costumes that I need, but don't want to pay 1000pts for).

[Mononoke]

But no love for Makoto, huh? Personally, I think that she's one of the more underrated girls in the game (alongside Chihaya)
Nah, no love for Makoto right now. Her boy-girlness has always bothered me and her bass voice goes with the least number of songs, maybe three out of the 16. I like tomboys in general but I think Makoto takes it too far. Sort of like if a bishie in a shoujo anime (good) put on a pink tutu and sang in falsetto (Bad).

I think Makoto would be pretty terrible by herself, but could be a fantastic part of a group. Her bass voice could help fill out the low end of the vocals, even on songs that don't work well solo. When balanced with some other girls, I think Makoto would be useful. I'd probably manage her in a trio.

Since you like Makoto more than I do, what are some things about her that I'm missing? Keep in mind that I don't know anything about her other than how she looks/her outfits and how she sings.

It's interesting that you'd mention Makoto (my least favorite) in the same sentence as Chihaya (my most favorite). It was Chihaya who kept my interest high enough for so long that I bought the console just for iMAS. I really like her vocals, and her elegant image (she looks nice in her dress with the cowl and lunar necklace) makes her fun to watch onstage. I have always wondered why she doesn't get vary many figures or swag compared to Ritsuko and Haruka. At least she got to star in the L4U bonus anime!

[Johnny]

But no love for Makoto, huh? Personally, I think that she's one of the more underrated girls in the game (alongside Chihaya)
Nah, no love for Makoto right now. Her boy-girlness has always bothered me and her bass voice goes with the least number of songs, maybe three out of the 16. I like tomboys in general but I think Makoto takes it too far. Sort of like if a bishie in a shoujo anime (good) put on a pink tutu and sang in falsetto (Bad).

I think Makoto would be pretty terrible by herself, but could be a fantastic part of a group. Her bass voice could help fill out the low end of the vocals, even on songs that don't work well solo. When balanced with some other girls, I think Makoto would be useful. I'd probably manage her in a trio.

Since you like Makoto more than I do, what are some things about her that I'm missing? Keep in mind that I don't know anything about her other than how she looks/her outfits and how she sings.

It's interesting that you'd mention Makoto (my least favorite) in the same sentence as Chihaya (my most favorite). It was Chihaya who kept my interest high enough for so long that I bought the console just for iMAS. I really like her vocals, and her elegant image (she looks nice in her dress with the cowl and lunar necklace) makes her fun to watch onstage. I have always wondered why she doesn't get vary many figures or swag compared to Ritsuko and Haruka. At least she got to star in the L4U bonus anime!

Hey, lay off the Makoto hate! :P She's my fav!
The tomboy aspect is the main reason, but I found her to be less of a cliche (in a game full of cliche anime archetypes) than the other girls in the game.

Granted, Miki is my favourite when it comes to looking cute and sexy, but Makoto looks great in some of the outfits.

Damn, all this iMAS talk has me leaning towards just buying L4U and not waiting on a price drop. Although I could always just go and replay the original...

[Mononoke]

Probably 'cause there aren't many people playing now. :confused: Don't forget that the game's over a year old now, and has been supplemented by something newer (ie. L4Y!).
Oh, no, that isn't what I meant. A lot of times I see units join in an audition while the timer is still going, who have producer names and unit names, but no gamertag. They don't say CPU like the auto-filled slots do when the timer runs out. So I'm thinking those are actual people.. but just no gamertags? There were three times when the tags actually showed up, but that was all (it seemed odd, so I counted). This was in National level auditions.

W/ any luck they'll then do another round of discount sales (there are 3 special costumes that I need, but don't want to pay 1000pts for).
Yeah, I'm curious to see what shows up in the next discount sale whenever it comes. I keep looking on 765.jp every couple of days to see the latest postings. Does the game itself tell you when a new catalog comes out, I wonder? I've got only 3500 points to work with, to split between both games, so I've got to be careful. I really want that hakama set though.

[Mononoke]

In a sort-of non-sequitur thought, does anyone happen to know what the 2003 copyright date on both Idolmaster games represents?

[Johnny]

In a sort-of non-sequitur thought, does anyone happen to know what the 2003 copyright date on both Idolmaster games represents?

I imagine that's when the game first hit Japanese arcades. IIRC it was a few years old when it came to the 360 originally.

[DiGiKerot]

I've got only 3500 points to work with, to split between both games, so I've got to be careful. I really want that hakama set though.

I wasted a whole points card buying all of the B remixes :sd:

It was worth it.

[Mononoke]

I was quite amused last night when I unlocked the Boxing Gloves item in iM@S. Part of the description read "These will help you take the first step [hajime no ippo -Lamhirh] toward being a top idol."

Clever nod to Fighting Spirit, albeit in an unusual place.

[Mononoke]

I imagine that's when the game first hit Japanese arcades. IIRC it was a few years old when it came to the 360 originally.
Ah, that would make sense. I wasn't entirely certain due to the long time difference (2003-2007). iMAS is a longer-lived franchise than I thought.

[hub]

I wasted a whole points card buying all of the B remixes :sd:

It was worth it.

Liar, be honest now. *No one* likes the remixes. ;)

[DiGiKerot]

I wasted a whole points card buying all of the B remixes :sd:

It was worth it.

Liar, be honest now. *No one* likes the remixes. ;)

Actually, I do like most of them. I mean, there's a few I hate - I really, really don't know what they were thinking with that A-mix of My Best Friend - but a few of them are really pretty good. I particularly like the A-mix of Aoi Tori, and the B-mix of Relations. I'm looking forward to the B-mix of My Best Friend (and the Famison CDs (http://www.5pb.jp/records/release/detail/detail.php?records_product_code=FVCG-1011)) too, as I love a good bit of chiptune goodness.

[hub]

Hey, lay off the Makoto hate! :P She's my fav!
The tomboy aspect is the main reason, but I found her to be less of a cliche (in a game full of cliche anime archetypes) than the other girls in the game.


Ah, Makoto. Actually, I didn't really like her at first either, but it was her M@ster Artist CD that sold me on her singing talents. In particular, the R&B-ish "Swallowtail Butterfly" is a really sweet song that basically cemented her as one of my top 3 idols.

Another nice thing about Makoto is that her seiyuu, Hiromi Hirata, has a pretty funny personality. She's made a guest apparent on アニメイトTV alongside series regulars Eriko Nakamura (Haruka), Asami Imai (Chihaya), and Yurika Ochiai (Yukiho). You can actually watch this one at youtube ( part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ucM5YliJkA), part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBixgexvixA)). Btw, Eriko and Asami are just a laugh riot together, as they've got some real chemistry going, while Yurika is suspiciously quiet (almost seems like they're ignoring her at times...).


Granted, Miki is my favourite when it comes to looking cute and sexy, but Makoto looks great in some of the outfits.


I just cannot get enough of her (Makoto's) cosmic & funny costume. It's just something about the cut-outs of her thighs. :blush: Also Makoto, like most tomboyish characters, has a pair of sweet legs (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c341/hub_00/01.jpg) (for some reason her leg's remind me of Rin's from Tenchu: Kurenai).


Damn, all this iMAS talk has me leaning towards just buying L4U and not waiting on a price drop. Although I could always just go and replay the original...

(Not so subliminal message) You MUST buy L4Y! by 3/26 in order to oogle the new song...you know you want to...

;)

[hub]

Oh, no, that isn't what I meant. A lot of times I see units join in an audition while the timer is still going, who have producer names and unit names, but no gamertag. They don't say CPU like the auto-filled slots do when the timer runs out. So I'm thinking those are actual people.. but just no gamertags? There were three times when the tags actually showed up, but that was all (it seemed odd, so I counted). This was in National level auditions.


Ah, those are just CPU producers as well. I'm not sure exactly why they do that, but you can tell if there's actually someone behind it if they have a gamertag above their producer name.

[Citizen Klaus]

(Not so subliminal message) You MUST buy L4Y! by 3/26 in order to oogle the new song...you know you want to...

;)

Is that the deadline for activating the XBL points card that comes with the game?

[Mononoke]

Liar, be honest now. *No one* likes the remixes. ;)
Nah, I think it's just that no one at a certain other message board likes the remixes. :confused:

I just unlocked all of the remix-As, and like them for the most part. I wish I could expunge My Best Friend-A, since there's no way grunge metal fits in Idolmaster (can't even hear the girls sing). But all the other remix-As I've liked. I need to listen to them more to pick a favorite.

Out of remix-Bs, I've only heard Relations-B so far, which I liked a good deal. I will probably buy it when I decide to start spending points. Still waiting to hear what the other B-versions sound like, and am optimistic.

Honestly I think the dislike some other people have is fueled mainly by unfamiliarity. They liked the original track enough that any changes to it would be viewed skeptically. Just like someone said that if Namco made new characters for an iMAS2, nobody'd like the new characters (no matter how good they might otherwise be). I expect the remixes will grow on the current complainers over time.

[Mononoke]

Ah, those are just CPU producers as well. I'm not sure exactly why they do that, but you can tell if there's actually someone behind it if they have a gamertag above their producer name.
Ohhhhh, d'oh, thanks for the confirmation. It all makes sense now. I bet Namco did it to fool people like me into thinking there were more people playing than there actually were. That explains why I saw the same Spears unit show up almost every audition I was in for about an hour in a row, even though it was the middle of the workday in Japan.

[Mononoke]

(Not so subliminal message) You MUST buy L4Y! by 3/26 in order to oogle the new song...you know you want to...

;)

Is that the deadline for activating the XBL points card that comes with the game?
It's the first day you can use the card to grab Shiny Smile. I'm guessing that hub is trying to get Johnny to participate in the first wave of oogling right when the song comes out :) . C'mon, johnny!

[hub]

Honestly I think the dislike some other people have is fueled mainly by unfamiliarity. They liked the original track enough that any changes to it would be viewed skeptically. Just like someone said that if Namco made new characters for an iMAS2, nobody'd like the new characters (no matter how good they might otherwise be). I expect the remixes will grow on the current complainers over time.

Ah, the Sakura Taisen syndrome, huh? Well, I think that the R&B remix A of "My First Stage" is pretty catchy (especially on hard), but either than that, I wasn't all that thrilled w/ them (putting it mildly). And to think that they're releasing an entire *album* dedicated to just the remixes...yargh.

[Citizen Klaus]

It's the first day you can use the card to grab Shiny Smile. I'm guessing that hub is trying to get Johnny to participate in the first wave of oogling right when the song comes out :) . C'mon, johnny!

Has NBGI published any end deadline to activate the card? I'd like to wait until at least my next billing period to pick up the game, if I can.

[hub]

Has NBGI published any end deadline to activate the card? I'd like to wait until at least my next billing period to pick up the game, if I can.

Not that I know of, though they may stop including the free d/l card after the initial batch of games run out. You should be fine though.

[Citizen Klaus]

Has NBGI published any end deadline to activate the card? I'd like to wait until at least my next billing period to pick up the game, if I can.

Not that I know of, though they may stop including the free d/l card after the initial batch of games run out. You should be fine though.

I'm gunning for the LE, so hopefully that won't be an issue.

[Mononoke]

Ah, the Sakura Taisen syndrome, huh? Well, I think that the R&B remix A of "My First Stage" is pretty catchy (especially on hard), but either than that, I wasn't all that thrilled w/ them (putting it mildly). And to think that they're releasing an entire *album* dedicated to just the remixes...yargh.
I heard "Aoi Tori"-B (solo Chihaya) today via a fan video. Wow, if you're gonna do rock in Idolmaster, now that is the way to do it. Finally they got it right. I like it.

As an aside, try turning all the vocals off for the remix-As (or Bs) when you play. It's like getting 16 or 26 completely new songs for Idol Drum Master mode, which extends the life of that part of the game. If you think of them as all new songs, that could be another way to appreciate the remixes. Then it's like playing the instrumental songs on Taiko or DDR.

[Citizen Klaus]

I heard "Aoi Tori"-B (solo Chihaya) today via a fan video. Wow, if you're gonna do rock in Idolmaster, now that is the way to do it. Finally they got it right. I like it.


Tracked down a video of the remix to see what you're getting at, and I think I can see it.

Didn't like the song at first, because it seemed too subdued. I kept thinking, "what this song really needs is a crisp, glassy single-coil solo". Sure enough, the bridge comes around and what do we get? :cool:

I agree -- nice remix.

[hub]

Just a heads up everyone, but the official iM@S home page (http://www.idolmaster.jp/marketplace/index.html) has been updated with the latest downloads for March. This month we get a goth rocker uniform (nice), and what looks like pajamas (cute).

Edit: Oh, and you can d/l a guitar to compliment the goth look. :notworthy:

[Mononoke]

Just a heads up everyone, but the official iM@S home page (http://www.idolmaster.jp/marketplace/index.html) has been updated with the latest downloads for March. This month we get a goth rocker uniform (nice), and what looks like pajamas (cute).
Sweet. Good catch, they must've just put it up today. The new stuff is just for Live For You though, as there isn't a new catalog for iMAS yet.

Here's what they have up there:

"Punkish Gothic" - the neat new black & red outfit. Hot Topic meets Haruhi.
"Good Sleep Pajama" - comfy and warm PJs.
"Brownie Monogram" +gift - new brown cute&girly outfit.
"Eternal Fish" +gift - flowery cool&sexy outfit.

"Punkish Seal" - new punk style cheek sticker.
"Punkish Brace" - the armband with buckles.
"Imitation Electric" (Guitar) - the pink guitar, probably goes on their back.
"Goodnight Slippers" - cute panda goodness.

Shiny Smile +gift - can only be downloaded using preorder card (no MS points, at least for now).
Idolmaster-B +gift
Omoide wo Arigatou-B +gift
Massugu-B +gift
Watashi wa Idol (heart)-B +gift
Go My Way!-B +gift
My Best Friend-B +gift

Idol Drama: Chihaya's Birthday +gift
Idol Drama: Prima Series - Yukiho
Idol Drama: Prima Series - Makoto

Gamerpics: Cosmic pack
Theme: Extended 01
Theme: Holiday 01

Says it's going to be 812MB large. The catalog isn't up on Xbox Live yet though, I just checked.

[hub]

Damn, 812 megs? At this rate I'm probably going to need to upgrade to a new HDD soon. :shifty: But yeah, I'm really looking forward to the goth rock and PJs. :blush: And finally, *finally* we get "Shiny smile"! :noodle:

[jecca-neko]

I mostly just watch Lamhirh play so far but I want to get into the games more.

As one who likes to dress in rocker chick kinda style, that goth outfit really tempts me. I wouldn't mind playing Live for You and having the girls I pick wear that. :grin: I am not a fan of pink though so while I like guitars, I wouldn't pick that one up. If the guitar were red or black or white or blue, that'd be a different story.

[Johnny]

This month we get a goth rocker uniform (nice)

Sold! :virgin:

[Citizen Klaus]

I am not a fan of pink though so while I like guitars, I wouldn't pick that one up. If the guitar were red or black or white or blue, that'd be a different story.

Agreed. And it had to be a pink, pop-punk Strat, of all things. :roll:

I think Chihaya, at least, merits the inclusion of a more serious-looking instrument.

[Mononoke]

I think Chihaya, at least, merits the inclusion of a more serious-looking instrument.
Yeah, I definitely agree there. Chihaya looks best in dark colors, which is probably why her outfits have less pink in them relative to other girls. If it were the first game, she'd balk at being asked to put on that pink guitar :) . :beat: Chihaya.

She just might get something more serious over time, according to the way the item descriptions are worded. This month we get the Punk Image set of items, and they make of point of saying that it's the first in the series of new "images" they'll be putting out for the girls.

[Citizen Klaus]

Chihaya looks best in dark colors, which is probably why her outfits have less pink in them relative to other girls. If it were the first game, she'd balk at being asked to put on that pink guitar :) . :beat: Chihaya.


Agreed. Personally, when I think "Chihaya" and "guitar", I keep seeing this (https://www.carvinguitars.com/catalog/guitars/index.php?model=dc400w). :cool:

[Mononoke]

Ah, Makoto. Actually, I didn't really like her at first either, but it was her M@ster Artist CD that sold me on her singing talents.
Sounds like Makoto is an acquired taste, then. I'll keep an open mind and see if she grows on me over time. We'll see how it goes, maybe once I've finished managing all 10 girls once through each.

I'm thinking of doing Yayoi/Ami as my first duo, since they could do the cute songs that I didn't produce with Azusa. I hope to start a duo today once the JP xbox is free (it's being used for Feeding Frenzy right now).

[Mononoke]

Japan is getting the Arcade Pack on March 6 2008 for only Y27800, which sounds like a good bet: it's HDMI capable and $100 cheaper than other Japanese 360 packs.
One interesting thing about the Arcade Pack is that I've found that the Arcade games it comes with will work on either the US or JP console. This is despite the Arcade disc being region-locked (yup, they did that). If you boot it in a US console, dismiss the region message, then go to My Games, all the new games will be there unlocked to full versions. They'll even play right off the DVD if you don't have them on your hard drive.

I just mention that so you don't have to worry about swapping your hard drive over to the JP console just to play the games it came with. If only other things were that easy :) .

[DiGiKerot]

Catalogue 2 is now available for download, so I presume we can all cash in our Shiny Smile cards now.

Unfortunately, my internet connection is presently searching for a new description of "slow", in order to adequately describe itself :sd:

[hub]

Catalogue 2 is now available for download, so I presume we can all cash in our Shiny Smile cards now.

Unfortunately, my internet connection is presently searching for a new description of "slow", in order to adequately describe itself :sd:

Ah, someone hates us non-JPN fans, because it STILL isn't working for me. :angry: And I can't register my new CC to buy some JPN MS points...not happy...

[DiGiKerot]

Ah, someone hates us non-JPN fans, because it STILL isn't working for me. :angry: And I can't register my new CC to buy some JPN MS points...not happy...

If it makes you feel any better, my card isn't resolving either, though I have managed to apply a 3500pt pre-paid card to my JP account today (so I can grab the other song remixes).

[Mononoke]

Ah, someone hates us non-JPN fans, because it STILL isn't working for me. :angry: And I can't register my new CC to buy some JPN MS points...not happy...
Shiny Smile isn't working for me either, despite the giant picture in the new catalog telling you to go use your card. Since it's only about 4am Japan time right now, it's possible there was some problem that occurred after only a few people redeemed their cards. I don't think the problem is account status, since my Live account is still in its one month Gold trial period and is having the problem. I wonder if the Live servers might be enforcing the "March 26th" date literally based on IP. In either case let's try again tonight or tomorrow morning.

For the Xbox Live Points, I'd suggest getting the Idolmaster 3500 Point Cards from Play-Asia. I've heard that most of the time American credit cards won't work on the Japanese live, so the prepaid cards are your best bet. I'm using point cards exclusively, and at least those redeem codes have always worked :) . As long as you get one of those $10 PA coupons, the prepaid card is actually cheaper (shipped) than buying with your credit card nowadays thanks to the exchange rate. Plus you get some spiffy iM@S swag to boot!

[DiGiKerot]

I wonder if the Live servers might be enforcing the "March 26th" date literally based on IP. In either case let's try again tonight or tomorrow morning.

The worrying thing is that they might be filtering things by IP period, which would suck.

[DiGiKerot]

Okay, I've been trying to make sense of a Japanese 2ch thread on the subject. The good news is that they can't actually redeem the card in Japan at the moment either. What is odd, however, is that Shiny Smile briefly appeared for download on Marketplace at 200points - I've seen a screencap of this - which probably explains why some people on the scoreboards have it already. I'm guessing that maybe MS have screwed up the rollout of that particular package.

So, yeah, trying again in a few hours and see what happens.

[hub]

Okay, I've been trying to make sense of a Japanese 2ch thread on the subject. The good news is that they can't actually redeem the card in Japan at the moment either. What is odd, however, is that Shiny Smile briefly appeared for download on Marketplace at 200points - I've seen a screencap of this - which probably explains why some people on the scoreboards have it already. I'm guessing that maybe MS have screwed up the rollout of that particular package.

So, yeah, trying again in a few hours and see what happens.

Ah, that makes a lot more sense then. Still, I *am* disappointed that I can't register my US credit card in order to buy anymore Japanese MS points, because I could for the first iM@S. =( You see, I was planning on buying one of the 20pt and 1000pt packages because the stuff I want from this round of D/L content only adds up to 2800pts, however now...I don't know.

Not sure if I want to spend $60 on MS points, or just use it to buy Dark Sector instead.

[Mononoke]

The worrying thing is that they might be filtering things by IP period, which would suck.
True, that would suck.

I'm thinking that isn't the case though, for if it were we'd probably not be able to get on Japanese Live in the first place. Thought about that after I posted.

[Mononoke]

Still, I *am* disappointed that I can't register my US credit card in order to buy anymore Japanese MS points, because I could for the first iM@S. =( You see, I was planning on buying one of the 20pt and 1000pt packages because the stuff I want from this round of D/L content only adds up to 2800pts, however now...I don't know.
You might be able to try a different credit card from a different bank. Just a thought if you have one available.

Speaking of downloads, I've been trying to decide how to allocate my points between the two games. Now that some of the iMAS outfits are starting to come to Live For You, I'd almost rather buy them in the second game since it's a lot easier to enjoy the outfits in concerts there. But I'm not sure. What are some of the other benefits of the 1000 point outfits in iMAS? Do they help your girl more significantly in stats or tension than the regular outfits?

[hub]

Speaking of downloads, I've been trying to decide how to allocate my points between the two games. Now that some of the iMAS outfits are starting to come to Live For You, I'd almost rather buy them in the second game since it's a lot easier to enjoy the outfits in concerts there. But I'm not sure. What are some of the other benefits of the 1000 point outfits in iMAS? Do they help your girl more significantly in stats or tension than the regular outfits?


Yeah, just like the regular outfits in the game, the D/L outfits in the first iM@S affect the girl's stats. Some of the costumes, like the buruma (PE uniform) and the "high school" uniform (not the sailor one) give you BIG boosts in your dance and visual stats, respectively (though it might be the other way around).

Honestly, I'd recommend just going for whatever ones you think look best. Though I'd highly recommend that you at least get the Kotori outfit: it looks great on everyone. :blush:

[hub]

The worrying thing is that they might be filtering things by IP period, which would suck.
True, that would suck.

I'm thinking that isn't the case though, for if it were we'd probably not be able to get on Japanese Live in the first place. Thought about that after I posted.


Yeah, I think that if it was a matter of our IP addresses, then we'd be unable to upload our vids to the game server's in the first place.

[DiGiKerot]

Do they help your girl more significantly in stats or tension than the regular outfits?


Bare in mind that there are differences in the stat modifiers for even the standard costumes vary between the different colours - there's something like three different grades, then for each of the grades there's different allocation spreads between the genres (say, for the Vocal costumes, some will be Vocal>Dance>Visual, whilst others will be Vocal>Visual>Dance, the third often being slightly negative).

I think most of the purchase costumes have the same overall stat boost as the regular costumes (which class varies, though it's mostly the top), but the point skew is way, way more extreme - bigger increase on the Primary stat, smaller increases on the second, more negative on the third.

-edit- Oh, whilst I remember, this site (http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~mirui/tool360/dlist.htm) is useful for checking the different costumes and accessories effects on your stats. I don't think it works properly in Firefox though, so open it in IE.

[Mononoke]

If it makes you feel any better, my card isn't resolving either, though I have managed to apply a 3500pt pre-paid card to my JP account today (so I can grab the other song remixes).
"� shiny smile" :neko:

I just checked and the download card is working now. Hooray! Their new dance is cute.

[hub]

If it makes you feel any better, my card isn't resolving either, though I have managed to apply a 3500pt pre-paid card to my JP account today (so I can grab the other song remixes).
"� shiny smile" :neko:

I just checked and the download card is working now. Hooray! Their new dance is cute.


Sweet indeed. Thanks for the heads up Lamhirh; just finished d/ling it myself. :notworthy: Now to do something about the MS points...

[Johnny]

I think I'm gonna wait a while for this to come down in price before buying.
Looks like Play-Asia still has Live For You for $49.90 (instead of $65 retail). Do you think it'd fall below that price even if you held off?


It's got "Playasia weekly special" written all over it. It'll be sub-$30 by the end of the summer I reckon.


Well, with the current Playasia Easter sale, this is just under $40 and I couldn't resist it at that price :)

[Citizen Klaus]

Well, with the current Playasia Easter sale, this is just under $40 and I couldn't resist it at that price :)

Thanks for the heads-up on the Easter sale, johnny. At $70 for the L4U LE, I couldn't resist, either.

Can't wait to see that DVD.

[Mononoke]

Thanks for the heads-up on the Easter sale, johnny. At $70 for the L4U LE, I couldn't resist, either.

Can't wait to see that DVD.
Sweet! Welcome to the iMAS fold. I wondered how long you and Johnny would be able to hold out :P .

Actually, thanks to the PA sale, the 3500 point cards are now less than retail price for just the points by themselves. You probably won't get a better deal than that if you're interested in any of the DLC. It tempts me to order another one or two cards even though I just bought more last week :sd: .

The iMAS version A is already sold out, but they still have version B as of right now.

[Citizen Klaus]

Actually, thanks to the PA sale, the 3500 point cards are now less than retail price for just the points by themselves. You probably won't get a better deal than that if you're interested in any of the DLC. It tempts me to order another one or two cards even though I just bought more last week :sd: .

Shame, then, that I'm on a bit of a budget. Didn't want to pick up anything more than the LE -- even the system will have to wait.

Fortunately, the DVD and my existing game backlog should be enough to tide me over until my budget opens wide enough for me to squeeze a JP Arcade through.

[jecca-neko]

Play Asia is officially out of stock of both types of Idolm@ster points cards. I guess I picked up one of the last ones today?

Lamhirh and I picked up some iM@s DLC yesterday with our points. All we've bought for L4U so far is the punk outfit, but we got some things for the original iM@s, including the nice hakama. :grin:

[Citizen Klaus]

but we got some things for the original iM@s, including the nice hakama. :grin:

Intriguing.

[Mononoke]

but we got some things for the original iM@s, including the nice hakama. :grin:

Intriguing.
IMO the Graduation Hakama is the single most gorgeous outfit they put in iMAS so far. We had to get it. Combined with the Taisho Ribbon, the outfit looks fantastic on all of the girls. If you want to check it out I'd suggest trying to find a video of it, as the hakama look a lot better in action than on the website/catalog. Definitely recommended.

[Mononoke]

I'm thinking of doing Yayoi/Ami as my first duo, since they could do the cute songs that I didn't produce with Azusa.
Ah, I did do the Yayoi/Ami duo as planned, for my second playthrough of Idolm@ster. Finished their run up today in fact. I had a lot of fun trying all kinds of different auditions with special rules just to get some experience with what's out there. Inadvertantly, doing so ended up getting the unit up to Rank A by the end, since some of the auditions I tried turned out to be the required ones for Ranks B and A.

Sadly I did not get the good ending though. I was too short on memories to pass the final concert. Argh. Serves me right for experimenting with the auditions so much with them I guess!

I did go up to Producer Level 4 after all was said and done. How did I end up skipping over level 3? If you do badly can you go down levels like your idols can?

[Citizen Klaus]

IMO the Graduation Hakama is the single most gorgeous outfit they put in iMAS so far.

Forgive my ignorance here, but is there some way to use custom soundtracks in IM@S? I've been struck with these sudden, delicious visions of being able to script the girls dancing to Yuko Sasaki's "Graduation".

[Mononoke]

-edit- Oh, whilst I remember, this site (http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~mirui/tool360/dlist.htm) is useful for checking the different costumes and accessories effects on your stats. I don't think it works properly in Firefox though, so open it in IE.
Thanks very much for that, Digi. That's just the kind of information I was hoping existed somewhere. It will be helpful in prioritizing the DLC when I can't decide just based on looks alone.

[Mononoke]

Forgive my ignorance here, but is there some way to use custom soundtracks in IM@S? I've been struck with these sudden, delicious visions of being able to script the girls dancing to Yuko Sasaki's "Graduation".
There isn't a provision for having the girls dance to custom songs in the game itself. I know the 360 advertises that you can insert your own soundtracks into games, but I'm not sure exactly how the console does that (haven't tried yet). Maybe the game has to support it?

I'm thinking you'd have to video capture a couple of dances and then edit together the Graduation video from those. The game songs are just 2 minutes long each which is why you'd need more than one most likely.

Now we just have to hope they release the hakama in L4U, since in that game you can turn off the subtitles on video playback (no more blurring them out!). L4U seems aimed directly at making these kinds of video projects as painless (and fun) as possible.

[Mononoke]

Honestly, I'd recommend just going for whatever ones you think look best. Though I'd highly recommend that you at least get the Kotori outfit: it looks great on everyone. :blush:
Agreed, I probably will be buying firstly based on what I'd like to see the idols dressed in. The stats bonuses could help break the tie if I liked two pieces about equally otherwise.

I started with the hakama/ribbon, some of the samurai gear, a Chihaya theme, and Chihaya's email address.

Also bought the Punk uniform in Live For You. Check out the video I saved with it and Aoi Tori-A. It's an iM@S Halloween :) .

Kotori's 765 Uniform, the sailor fuku, and China dress are near the top of the list for other special outfits. I'll probably limit myself to buying at most one of these a month, just to ration the points. Gotta wait until those other point cards get here.

[Mononoke]

Expanded the root post today with more detailed answers to each of the FAQs. Now that Live For You came out everything needed to be updated to include the new info.

[Johnny]

Live 4 You arrived today and I've been playing it quite a bit. the £20 I paid for it seems about right as, although there's a load of costumes to unlock and new remixes of the songs, it's really only a nice bit of fanservice for fans of the original.

A few things I've noticed:


Easy achievements!
Probably already been mentioned in this thread but what's up with costumes and accessories I bought in the original not transferring over? Namco are the kings of squeezing every last yen out of players with DLC! I dread to think what Soul Calibur IV and Tekken 6 are going to be like...
Can't remember back to buying stuff in iMAS, but I need to be logged in under my Japanese gamertag to buy stuff, right? Went to d/l one of the free costumes but got an error message.
Despite my bitching about DLC, I know I'm going to be spending thousands of MS Points buying some of the new costumes. New Winter School Uniform? Check. Maid? Check. Haven't really looked at the others but I reckon 10,000 Points easy :(
Got the scratch card for Shiny Smile but how do I d/l it? Are there still any problems with the servers or was that only the initial otaku rush to get it once it became available?
The actual gameplay is fun, but I don't like the fact that all the chanting etc drowns out the music and singing. Before each song there's a big list of things that can be turned on or off - I don't suppose there's a translation of these anywhere online?
The new girl that talks to you before and after each performance is hot! Make her a downloadable character! :sdsmiley:
The remixes are a bit hit or miss. Some work really well but others, although ambitious in completely changing the musical style from the original track, don't work all that well IMO. Still, nice to have them there :)


Oh, and in my rush during the Playasia sale, I got the regular edition instead of the LE. No biggie but what I am interested in is the LE with the Miki figure. Anyone know where I can get it? I'd be prepared to spend quite a lot if it hasn't gone OOP yet.

[DiGiKerot]

Can't remember back to buying stuff in iMAS, but I need to be logged in under my Japanese gamertag to buy stuff, right? Went to d/l one of the free costumes but got an error message.

You need to be logged onto a Japanese account. What was the error code you got?

As for Shiny Smile, go to the redeem code option on the front page of the Xbox Live Marketplace blade on the dashboard.


Oh, and in my rush during the Playasia sale, I got the regular edition instead of the LE. No biggie but what I am interested in is the LE with the Miki figure. Anyone know where I can get it? I'd be prepared to spend quite a lot if it hasn't gone OOP yet.


It was only sold via the 765 online store, and was in tiny, tiny numbers. You'd have to auction for it if you want one.

[Johnny]

Can't remember back to buying stuff in iMAS, but I need to be logged in under my Japanese gamertag to buy stuff, right? Went to d/l one of the free costumes but got an error message.

You need to be logged onto a Japanese account. What was the error code you got?

As for Shiny Smile, go to the redeem code option on the front page of the Xbox Live Marketplace blade on the dashboard.

Got it sorted, signed in with my Japanese account.
Thanks for the info, I thought that's where it might be redeemed but wasn't sure.


It was only sold via the 765 online store, and was in tiny, tiny numbers. You'd have to auction for it if you want one.

Ah, that's what I was thinking the situation would be :( May still have a look.

[Mononoke]

Probably already been mentioned in this thread but what's up with costumes and accessories I bought in the original not transferring over? Namco are the kings of squeezing every last yen out of players with DLC! I dread to think what Soul Calibur IV and Tekken 6 are going to be like...
I'm actually not sure if this is a Namco decision or a Microsoft Licensing one: are two different retail-packaged games ever allowed to share data between each other? I haven't had an X360 long enough to know. Namco does seem to be addressing the issue though: tons of the old DLC is being released "free" as gifts that come along with the new DLC. For example, buy the white Prismatic Swan dress from the first catalog and get all 4 Valkyrie accessories with it.

Can't remember back to buying stuff in iMAS, but I need to be logged in under my Japanese gamertag to buy stuff, right?
Yep, gotta use your Japanese account.

Despite my bitching about DLC, I know I'm going to be spending thousands of MS Points buying some of the new costumes. New Winter School Uniform? Check. Maid? Check. Haven't really looked at the others but I reckon 10,000 Points easy :(
Agreed... I found myself buying more points cards than I thought thanks to L4U and iMAS together. I'm looking forward to catalog 3 coming up soon to see what's coming next!

Got the scratch card for Shiny Smile but how do I d/l it?
Go to the Marketplace tab and choose to Redeem Code. Once you enter the 25 characters it'll let you download Shiny Smile. The initial problems seem to have been resolved, as everyone I know of has been able to download it now.

The actual gameplay is fun, but I don't like the fact that all the chanting etc drowns out the music and singing. Before each song there's a big list of things that can be turned on or off - I don't suppose there's a translation of these anywhere online?
You can turn the chanting volume down or even off completely if you want. It's counted as a "sound effect" for the purposes of the game's options menu (from the title screen). I agree that it needs to be balanced a little better than its default, which is a mite overpowering.

By "list of things" I'm assuming you're talking about the lyric and camera customization right before the start of the songs. You're turning on and off the girls individual lines at that point.

The new girl that talks to you before and after each performance is hot! Make her a downloadable character! :sdsmiley:
Her name's Kotori. If you leave it on the title screen for a little while and let it go into attract mode (as if it were an arcade game), then you can see Kotori go a little nuts imagining her favorite idol, song, and stage.

Oh, and in my rush during the Playasia sale, I got the regular edition instead of the LE. No biggie but what I am interested in is the LE with the Miki figure. Anyone know where I can get it? I'd be prepared to spend quite a lot if it hasn't gone OOP yet.
The Miki doll version was limited to 3000 copies and only available from 765 shop. You'll only be able to auction it now, since they're sold out.

[Citizen Klaus]

Live 4 You arrived today and I've been playing it quite a bit.

Man, johnny, you must've gotten some kind of shipping. My copy's still nowhere in sight.

[youth]

Oh, and in my rush during the Playasia sale, I got the regular edition instead of the LE. No biggie but what I am interested in is the LE with the Miki figure. Anyone know where I can get it? I'd be prepared to spend quite a lot if it hasn't gone OOP yet.

There should be some Miki figures coming up in the near future. None will likely be as big as a doll, but IMO the likeness is better from what I've seen. In the meantime anyone clamoring for the Idolm@ster in physical form should get these trading figures from Alter. They are high quality & you can collect the whole cast by getting the two sets (10pcs/each). I got lucky with the 2nd set & got 3 Miki's.

http://www.animerunner.net/image/figure_idolmaster_tradingfullset.jpg

[Johnny]

Live 4 You arrived today and I've been playing it quite a bit.

Man, johnny, you must've gotten some kind of shipping. My copy's still nowhere in sight.

Just the regular airmail for me. Took 7 days to get to me.

[Johnny]

http://www.animerunner.net/image/figure_idolmaster_tradingfullset.jpg

Holy shit! WANT! Where did you order those from?

[Johnny]

I think you must have bought points against a Japanese account - you can't access the items (to purchase) via a UK account.

Also, pre-paid points are validated against servers local to the gamer tags region - therefore, you really do have to buy Japanese points cards if you want to go that way. To be honest, I think buying a stack of prepaid cards (say, a couple of those LE Live For You cards out next week) from Play Asia will end up being the easiest way to buy iMAS DLC - that's what I'm doing anyway.

I've forgotten what I did for the original iMAS - if I buy a JPN points card, it can be used with a Silver JPN account, right?
Also, is there anywhere online you can buy JPN MS Points that will email you the code or can PA do this?

[jecca-neko]

I've forgotten what I did for the original iMAS - if I buy a JPN points card, it can be used with a Silver JPN account, right?
Also, is there anywhere online you can buy JPN MS Points that will email you the code or can PA do this?

Yes, you can use a silver account to buy stuff. I don't know of anywhere that will email you the code, sadly. Play Asia ships you the physical card. I wish they wouldn't, just because they overcharge for the shipping price for something that weighs practically nothing.

[youth]

http://www.animerunner.net/image/figure_idolmaster_tradingfullset.jpg

Holy shit! WANT! Where did you order those from?

I preordered from Hobbysearch.
http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10063852
http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10056830

Unfortunately sold out so it's a toss up if & when they'll get more.

HLJ www.hlj.com has them as discountinued so they likely won't be restocked.

Those are my import figure sources, but there are other shops too. I'd ask in the figure news thread in General Anime. Otherwise the auction route may be your only option.

Googling "FA4 Idolmaster" shows some stores that claim to have stock, but I'm not familiar with any of them.

[Johnny]

One thing I haven't asked which I meant to - is it possible to 'complete' the game with a character(s) at all? Does finishing all the songs complete things for instance?

[Citizen Klaus]

Live 4 You arrived today and I've been playing it quite a bit.

Man, johnny, you must've gotten some kind of shipping. My copy's still nowhere in sight.

Just the regular airmail for me. Took 7 days to get to me.

Of all the luck. I also picked regular airmail and my copy's still AWOL.

[Mononoke]

One thing I haven't asked which I meant to - is it possible to 'complete' the game with a character(s) at all? Does finishing all the songs complete things for instance?
Live For You! doesn't keep track of individual-character statistics, beyond the achievement requirements. You get achievements for using each girl at least 5 times in any song -- one achievement per girl, including Mami and short-hair Miki for a total of 12. Each concert is self-contained as far as the story goes so there isn't an overarching quest to complete.

[Njr Scrawl]

What platform(s) can The Idol Master be bought for.

I'm cuted-up after watching dancing catgirls etc.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LvbFDOMXw5I&feature=related

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=p8OHVXsFPuo&feature=related

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LvbFDOMXw5I&feature=related

[ape2020]

Uh, didn't see the huge IdolM@ster thread did you? I going to merge this one to that one kay.

-ape2020

[Johnny]

What platform(s) can The Idol Master be bought for.

I'm cuted-up after watching dancing catgirls etc.


Xbox 360, Japan only, both games region locked. Or you can visit a Japanese arcade.

[Njr Scrawl]

(Thanks ape2020, the spelling threw my search!)

Can't afford this quarter after getting a PS3. Maybe there will be extra discs with the previously downloadable-only costumes when I can.

OK, so what's everyone's top 5 songs?

[jecca-neko]

(Thanks ape2020, the spelling threw my search!)

Can't afford this quarter after getting a PS3. Maybe there will be extra discs with the previously downloadable-only costumes when I can.


Everything's still up, so you can still get it. You'll just have to spend a ton of money to buy it all.

Original game only has 16 songs. Live for You so far has all of those, 2 remixes for each, plus a new song called Shiny Smile.

[Njr Scrawl]

Thanks. I've ordered the games, will get the 360 in June with birthday cash.

[Mononoke]

Thanks. I've ordered the games, will get the 360 in June with birthday cash.
I'm a little worried by the videos you posted that you may not be fully aware of what you're buying with Idolm@ster. All three were music vids done with iM@S footage, meaning none of those songs are in the game itself. It is very popular to make videos like that, which is a nice testament to Namco's gorgeous game engine. Definitely do a little reading on the game mechanics because they may not be what you think they are just based on watching those videos. There's a lot of info about what is in iM@S and LFY! in this thread.

I'm just hoping you aren't going in assuming that iMAS is a combination of Bust A Move and DDR, where you choreograph the idol girls' dance on the fly by pressing buttons to the rhythm of 80+ songs. Such a game would be pretty cool, but that's nevertheless a different game.

[Mononoke]

OK, so what's everyone's top 5 songs?
1. Aoi Tori
2. relations
3. Go My Way!!
4. Mahou wo Kakete
5. The Idolm@ster

Those are my top five songs, in a general sense (meaning without taking the singers into account). The neat thing, though, is that your particular idol girl(s) sing whatever song you choose, and some girls sound better on some songs than others. Not only that, you can choose what lines each girl sings. So the possibilities on what your song will end up actually sounding like are pretty big. Part of the fun of the game is working to create a mix that you like a lot with your group!

So far Aoi Tori (solo-Chihaya) is still my favorite combination out of everything I've tried thus far.

[Njr Scrawl]

Thanks for the advice, I'll hold off then until I've got more research done from here & elsewhere.

[Citizen Klaus]

OK, so what's everyone's top 5 songs?

1. Aoi Tori Remix B (with Chihaya singing, I like this song so much that the name will be engraved on the truss rod cover of the guitar I'm having built)

2. Mahou o Kakete Original (especially with AmiMami)

3. relations Original

4. Masugu Original

5. The Idolm@ster Remix A

[Njr Scrawl]

There are some L4U vids up on Yuotube. Like the drum majorettes costumes! :) Not those mikes on their heads though. :anger200:

[Mononoke]

Hey neat, my Idolm@ster-themed plane made the top 20 in Kotaku's latest contest to win Ace Combat 6 (http://kotaku.com/382427/pick-the-best-reader-plane)! It even got on the front page of the blog, well, before other posts pushed it down.

The final winner of the contest will be decided by reader comments (through tonight). The coin entry is winning by a landslide so I don't expect to win, but I thought I'd post here since you all might be amused by the plane. Heck, it even sounds like a plane thanks to the 360 part :) .

I was amazed that nobody else thought to make something iM@S for an AC6 contest.

[youth]

For Miki fans.

Two PVC figures of her have just been solicitated for preorder. I personally use Hobby Search www.1999.co.jp & HLJ www.hlj.com (they'll prolly list it next week), but there are other sources & being a Max Factory figure may get a domestic US release.

Two versions each with a different cool & sexy outfit, hair style, & accessories. The likeness is good from the sides. My preference is short hair Miki in blue/white, but the other one comes with nekomimi. :catgirl:

http://maxfactory.cms.drecom.jp/newproducts0809_01.html

http://maxfactory.cms.drecom.jp/newproducts0809_02.html

Looks like they forgot the "m."

[hub]

Just a heads up everyone, but a new free download has been put up on the JPN Marketplace for iM@S. You get a free Cool & Sexy outfit (tiger stripes), as well as the long awaited microphone (as seen in the official "Shiny Smile" PV).

Just d/l'ed it this morning, and it also started making "Shiny Smile" work on my main account (and not just my JPN one). Finally! ^_^

Fav. songs:
01) relations (Miki+Haruka+Chihaya)
02) Mahou wo kakete (Ritsuko)
03) My Best Friend (Ritsuko+Yukiho+Azusa)
04) The Idol M@ster (Miki+Haruka+Chihaya)
05) 9:02pm (Azusa)

[youth]

Finally got around to unlocking Shiny Smile & lovely song, but the dance seemed kinda stiff. I recall that the performances in the original songs were motion capture so they looked very fluid & natural. Does anyone have any idea if Shiny Smile is the same way or is the choreography all programmed within the game engine?

[hub]

Just another heads up everyone, but the preview for the 3rd catalog of DL content has been posted on the official website. This time we get a wedding dress(!) as well as a palette swap of the cheerleader outfit from the first iM@S. Most surprising of all though is that the next original song will be available. This time it's called "Do-Dai."

Looking forward to it. =)

[Johnny]

Just another heads up everyone, but the preview for the 3rd catalog of DL content has been posted on the official website. This time we get a wedding dress(!) as well as a palette swap of the cheerleader outfit from the first iM@S. Most surprising of all though is that the next original song will be available. This time it's called "Do-Dai."

Looking forward to it. =)

Another new song is great! I know Namco are the kings of DLC but new songs will really help with the replay value of the game. Was it ever announced before release how many song/items would be available for download?

Not sure if I'll bother with the wedding dress but the cheerleader outfit is a definite buy!

[Njr Scrawl]

Thanks. I've ordered the games, will get the 360 in June with birthday cash.
I'm a little worried by the videos you posted that you may not be fully aware of what you're buying with Idolm@ster. All three were music vids done with iM@S footage, meaning none of those songs are in the game itself. It is very popular to make videos like that, which is a nice testament to Namco's gorgeous game engine. Definitely do a little reading on the game mechanics because they may not be what you think they are just based on watching those videos. There's a lot of info about what is in iM@S and LFY! in this thread.

I'm just hoping you aren't going in assuming that iMAS is a combination of Bust A Move and DDR, where you choreograph the idol girls' dance on the fly by pressing buttons to the rhythm of 80+ songs. Such a game would be pretty cool, but that's nevertheless a different game.

Thanks for your concern. I've looked into iM@S & decided to go for it!

My research has shown that there is a playing guide/walkthrough, but of course written in Japanese. Do you know if it has been translated & if so is online anywhere. More for conversations with the girls than anything else. :neko:

[jecca-neko]

Most surprising of all though is that the next original song will be available. This time it's called "Do-Dai."

Gosh, Rock Band has me spoiled for songs. 160 MS points > 1200 MS points. :P

I hope they have sales for the L4U stuff eventually, like they did for the original iM@s.

[Citizen Klaus]

This time we get a wedding dress(!)

:bowsmiley:

[Njr Scrawl]

As its a Bandai game, how long before a Haruhi costume set & the song/dance? :)

[hub]

Well, don't forget that we get a new song AND a new dance to go along w/ it. ;)

[Mononoke]

1. Aoi Tori Remix B (with Chihaya singing, I like this song so much that the name will be engraved on the truss rod cover of the guitar I'm having built)
The "remix B" part included, or the name of the song by itself? :)

[Mononoke]

Just another heads up everyone, but the preview for the 3rd catalog of DL content has been posted on the official website. This time we get a wedding dress(!) as well as a palette swap of the cheerleader outfit from the first iM@S. Most surprising of all though is that the next original song will be available. This time it's called "Do-Dai."
Hah, now that Japanese guy who hand-painted a topless Ami on his 360 and subsequently dubbed it "my bride" can finally have his wish.

I hope they've made a separate dress for each girl like they did for the punk gothic outfit. That'd be pretty neat. I'm looking forward to checking out some leaderboard vids on Wednesday. I also wonder if this means we'll be getting one new song a month for 1200pts.

Sadly my live account has reverted to silver so I can't post anything at the moment.

[hub]

Sadly my live account has reverted to silver so I can't post anything at the moment.

Are you sure about that? My main account reverted back to a silver as well, however I've been able to upload vids and scores just fine. The thing to remember is this: after a performance is over, you'll receive a prompt asking you if you want to save/upload the vid, then a second prompt asking you if you want to save your data, and then a third prompt asking you if you want to overwrite your previous save (at least I *think* that's what it means).

So you can choose yes on the first prompt to upload your vid to Live, but no on the second prompt if you don't want to save the vid you just uploaded on your HDD (that way you won't overwrite whatever vid your currently have saved on your HDD).

[Citizen Klaus]

1. Aoi Tori Remix B (with Chihaya singing, I like this song so much that the name will be engraved on the truss rod cover of the guitar I'm having built)
The "remix B" part included, or the name of the song by itself? :)

Just "Aoi Tori". I specified a transparent blue finish with a thin black-burst edge, so I think the name is appropriate.

[hub]

Well, they've just added a free new vid for the song "Do-Dai" on Marketplace. The song is very...hyper/cute, but not nearly as catchy as "Shiny Smile," imo. Also, the dance looks pretty fun, but again, I preferred the one in SS more. From the looks of it though, the cheering part for this song just might be another one of those really fast ones that make your head (or at least my head) spin...@_@

Also, they showed off the new costumes as well. The revised cheerleader outfit is kind of "~meh" imo, but the wedding dress is just all love (can't believe I'm saying this considering the two idols that were featured in the vid). ^_^

Should be up for D/L within another couple of hours.

Edit: Almost forgot, but the new song reminds me of the single "Futari no Mojipottan" (try doing a search on Youtube).

[Njr Scrawl]

I have done a brief review of the Idolm@ster "Master Book" in the book/manga review forum

http://www.animeondvd.com/aodvb/showthread.php?t=81609

[Mononoke]

Well, they've just added a free new vid for the song "Do-Dai" on Marketplace. The song is very...hyper/cute, but not nearly as catchy as "Shiny Smile," imo. Also, the dance looks pretty fun, but again, I preferred the one in SS more.
Agreed - it's been a couple weeks now and I'm still not sure what I think of Do-dai. To be fair I've watched the video only a few times thus far, so maybe it'll grow on me over time as it becomes part of the canon. Not as instantly <3 as Shiny Smile, true true.

One thing that amuses me about Shiny Smile is that I keep expecting to see a thunderbolt crash down from the sky after the "Pika Pika" phrase. ;)

[Mononoke]

[QUOTE=Mononoke;1299412]Just "Aoi Tori". I specified a transparent blue finish with a thin black-burst edge, so I think the name is appropriate.
Sounds nice! Definitely want to see pics when it's finished.

[Mononoke]

By the way, I realized that the free gifts you can get with L4Y Catalog 3 haven't been posted yet. They are:

Buy Crash Denim (blue cool&sexy, 500pts), get the 4 Samurai pieces.
Buy Shiny Milky Way (cosmic&funny, 500pts), get the Dangerous Boots, Iron Mask, Skull Belt, and Choco-Headdress.
Buy Do-Dai (song, 1200pts) and get Silver Panther cool&sexy.
Buy Idol Drama Haruka's Birthday (500pts), get Fairytale Maid (original, each girl in her own color) and Maid Headdress.
Buy Idol Drama 765 Pro Masterpiece Theater (500pts), get the Wonder Momo and Queen of Race outfits.

The idol drama tempts me because I've never seen one of them yet, and it'd be a less expensive way to get the spiffy Maid outfit... So far I've held off on this catalog. All my time has been taken up by Rock Band, so I've not done much with iM@S lately. But then again, the only thing that can take me away from a music-related game is another music game.

[Citizen Klaus]

Just "Aoi Tori". I specified a transparent blue finish with a thin black-burst edge, so I think the name is appropriate.
Sounds nice! Definitely want to see pics when it's finished.

Mid-to-late June. It's torturous, I tell you.

[Mononoke]

Thanks for your concern. I've looked into iM@S & decided to go for it!
Great! Let us know when the console arrives and you get up and running. I'm hoping that there might be another catalog for original Idolmaster sometime this summer, which would be a cool way to celebrate.

My research has shown that there is a playing guide/walkthrough, but of course written in Japanese. Do you know if it has been translated & if so is online anywhere.
As far as I know there is very little information about Idolmaster available in English, translated or otherwise. There is an FAQ at GameFAQs that covers gameplay basics and DigiKerot has written a couple blog entries about game mechanics -- and I think that represents the entire collection.

Almost seems to be screaming for a large dedicated website to explore the ins and outs of the game mechanics.

[Njr Scrawl]

Thanks Mononoke. Its my birthday soon so I'll hopefully be getting the 360 then.

I've bought the 1st Masterworks CD from CDJ - Go My Way! is my current wakeup tune!

BTW is it true your idol texts you if you don't "contact" her at regular intervals?

[Johnny]

BTW is it true your idol texts you if you don't "contact" her at regular intervals?

IIRC, this is what happened with the arcade version but it's not in the console versions.

[jecca-neko]

BTW is it true your idol texts you if you don't "contact" her at regular intervals?

IIRC, this is what happened with the arcade version but it's not in the console versions.

Anyone know what having an idol's cell number do? Lamhirh/Mononoke bought Chihaya's cell number and neither of us have used her yet so we haven't seen if she keeps contacting you or what.

[Citizen Klaus]

Just "Aoi Tori". I specified a transparent blue finish with a thin black-burst edge, so I think the name is appropriate.
Sounds nice! Definitely want to see pics when it's finished.

Pics (http://www.animeondvd.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1349770&postcount=100).

Turned out even better than I'd hoped. At least as much as that walnut DC400 I linked to earlier, Aoi Tori looks like something Chihaya might be seen with.

[jecca-neko]

Thought you guys might be interested in this...

There's PSP versions of iM@S coming. Each game will have only 3 playable girls. There will be:

Missing Moon
- Chihaya
- Azusa
- Ritsuko

Perfect Sun
- Haruka
- Yayoi
- Makoto

Wondering Star
- Yukiho
- Iori
- Ami/Mami

If you heard this and are wondering where Miki went... apparently she jumped ship! She's an idol working for a rival idol company. Each game has a different idol rival. Miki is the rival for Missing Moon, but there are 2 new rivals for the other games. There's a girl named Hibiki in Perfect Sun and a girl named Takane in Wondering Star.

More info and a pic of the new girls (+ Miki) here (http://pedolicious.livejournal.com/151554.html).

[Citizen Klaus]

Thought you guys might be interested in this...

There's PSP versions of iM@S coming. Each game will have only 3 playable girls. There will be:

Missing Moon
- Chihaya
- Azusa
- Ritsuko

Perfect Sun
- Haruka
- Yayoi
- Makoto

Wondering Star
- Yukiho
- Iori
- Ami/Mami

If you heard this and are wondering where Miki went... apparently she jumped ship! She's an idol working for a rival idol company. Each game has a different idol rival. Miki is the rival for Missing Moon, but there are 2 new rivals for the other games. There's a girl named Hibiki in Perfect Sun and a girl named Takane in Wondering Star.

More info and a pic of the new girls (+ Miki) here (http://pedolicious.livejournal.com/151554.html).


Since my favorite girls are Chihaya, Makoto, and Amimami, I guess this means I'll have to get all three...

PSP games are region-free, right?

[DiGiKerot]

Since my favorite girls are Chihaya, Makoto, and Amimami, I guess this means I'll have to get all three...

PSP games are region-free, right?

Yup.

We've been talking a little about the game in the General News thread already (it was easier than finding the old iM@S thread). There's a few things you need to bare in mind about this new game, such as the fact that you can't manage units in the game, and the fact that some of the mini-games are reverting to the more Japanese-dependant Arcade versions. You'll also have to deal with interactions with your rival idol and management group, and the scheduling system is more complicated, so it's all going to be rather more language-intensive.

[jecca-neko]

Some of the DLC for the original game is now marked down. The stuff I refer to as "outfits" are just some of the alternate color cool and sexy, etc outfits. I'm not pointing out the stuff you can earn in game that's just rare but you have the option to buy it. Just the DLC only stuff I'm pointing out.

From Catalog 1... (http://www.idolmaster.jp/marketplace/catalog01.html#item02)

3 outfits - 500 points -> 250 points
6 accessories (Valkyrie stuff and a few other things) - 200 points -> 100 points

From Catalog 2... (http://www.idolmaster.jp/marketplace/catalog02.html)

Winter school outfit - 1000 points -> 500 points
3 outfits - 500 points -> 250 points
6 accessories (Horse stuff and a few other things) - 200 points -> 100 points

From Catalog 4... (http://www.idolmaster.jp/marketplace/catalog04.html#item05)

3 drama scenes - 500 points -> 300 points

From Catalog 7... (http://www.idolmaster.jp/marketplace/catalog07.html)

Summer school outfit - 1000 points -> 500 points
2 accessories (loose socks and pool inner tube) - 250 points -> 100 points

From Catalog 8... (http://www.idolmaster.jp/marketplace/catalog08.html)

Chinese dress - 1000 points -> 500 points
1 accessory (fan) - 250 points -> 100 points

I'm glad we hadn't really bought much for the original iM@S since we got it. Everything we got isn't on sale, so we didn't really lose out on anything. Will probably pick some of this up.

[Johnny]

With the PSP iMAS games coming later this year, and the fact that I've been listening to the Miki Master Artist album, I've decided to jump back into iMAS and L4U. Had a look at the L4U DLC and have been downloading the free stuff, which I assume is older content like hats etc which has been reduced but noticed there are at least 2 new songs (at 1200 MS Points) and was wondering if anyone (Digi) had downloaded them and what they're like.

Also, I have 540 points on my Japanese account, is there a list anywhere which translates the list of content?

[DiGiKerot]

With the PSP iMAS games coming later this year, and the fact that I've been listening to the Miki Master Artist album, I've decided to jump back into iMAS and L4U. Had a look at the L4U DLC and have been downloading the free stuff, which I assume is older content like hats etc which has been reduced but noticed there are at least 2 new songs (at 1200 MS Points) and was wondering if anyone (Digi) had downloaded them and what they're like.


I've not been following this stuff particularly closely recently (too busy getting excited for the PSP release, though I've been buying selected CDs). I downloaded the first of two songs, Do-dai (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe-M3B-Y2MA), but it's so-so at best. There should be another three or so songs, though - My Song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2cfuLLaoQ4) and i (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXdUEZ9pnQc) - neither of which I'm particularly a fan of - plus I think there's another track, FuruFuru Future, out today.

[youth]

No private sales or trading on this forum, that includes points or DLC codes.

-ape2020

[Njr Scrawl]

Just a FYI that Playasia have the PSP games posted for pre-order.

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-9f-49-en-15-idolmaster-70-33m9.html
http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-9f-77-5-49-en-15-idolmaster-70-33m8.html
http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-9f-77-7-49-en-15-idolmaster-70-33ma.html

Has anyone pre-ordered these already?

[Johnny]

Just a FYI that Playasia have the PSP games posted for pre-order.

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-9f-49-en-15-idolmaster-70-33m9.html
http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-9f-77-5-49-en-15-idolmaster-70-33m8.html
http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-9f-77-7-49-en-15-idolmaster-70-33ma.html

Has anyone pre-ordered these already?

Haven't preordered yet but the release date has been pushed back by 3 weeks. FWIW, I'll be getting Perfect Sun (Makoto!) first and the other two later.

[Johnny]

Thread revival! Due to the fact that iM@S PSP comes out in one week, I thought I'd get a bit of hype going :)

I know me and Digi will be buying but is anyone else? Any iM@S newbies who didn't play either of the 360 games taking advantage of the region free PSP?

Anyway, Dengeki have a great iDOLM@STER SP section up which can be found here (http://dol.dengeki.com/sp/idolmaster/news01.html) and today they put up a load of videos which can be found here (http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/138/138798/). Enjoy! :)

[Kinomoto_Shinji]

To pre-order or not. I've been wanting this game for awhile, but I'm not sure which version to get. Pre-ordering from Amazon makes the cost only 4000 yen (w/free shipping) for me.

[Njr Scrawl]

Is there any order in which to play the games?

[Johnny]

Is there any order in which to play the games?

Nope, the PSP versions are all the same only feature different girls and it in turn is the same (more or less, IIRC it's more like the arcade version in terms of the idols schedule) as the original 360 version.

Live For You is a different sort of game (no schedule or management, more of a rhythm action game) and is probably the best place to start if you want to get familiar with the songs and girls.

[Johnny]

To pre-order or not. I've been wanting this game for awhile, but I'm not sure which version to get. Pre-ordering from Amazon makes the cost only 4000 yen (w/free shipping) for me.

It really comes down to which girl(s) appeal most to you. FWIW, the vast majority of the videos I've seen online of the game have been taken from Perfect Sun, which is the version I want first. (Makoto! ^_^)
Wandering Star will be the second one I buy and it features 4 girls, Missing Moon is last on my list as it's the 3 idols that appeal least to me. I'll still be buying it though :P

In terms of preordering, I'd put one in to be safe. The game was delayed for 3 weeks because Namco Bandai wanted to have enough stock for launch. Given the fact that the PSP is, and has been, on a run of form in terms of sales in Japan, expect the game in all its versions to sell very well and probably sell out.

[DiGiKerot]

Missing Moon is last on my list as it's the 3 idols that appeal least to me. I'll still be buying it though :P


Missing Moon has Miki as your adversary, though, and your opponent characters are apparently unlockable as manageables.

Certainly, whilst I've got a pre-order in for all three games (despite the killer exchange rate), I'll be starting with Missing Moon personally. Whilst I'm not much of an Azusa fan, meganekko Ritsuko is probably my favourite character in the games, and Chihaya generally has the strongest vocal performances of the cast. For those with no prior iM@S experience or character attachments, I think Missing Moon is probably the best place to start for anyone who isn't a Rie Kugimiya fan (who would be better served by getting Wandering Star for Iori).

[Johnny]

Missing Moon is last on my list as it's the 3 idols that appeal least to me. I'll still be buying it though :P


Missing Moon has Miki as your adversary, though, and your opponent characters are apparently unlockable as manageables.


Ah, I didn't know that. It would be the case too, as Miki is at least equal to Makoto in my book so I need to unlock her :)

Also, dare I raide the question, do you think you'll buy any DLC? Now that the PSP has its own PS Store access, I imagine it will be very easy and very expensive to get stuff. Given how much I spent on iM@S and L4U on the 360 (dammit, I'm never going to resist the school uniforms :sweat:) I imagine I'll be buying quite a lot of stuff :P

[DiGiKerot]

Also, dare I raide the question, do you think you'll buy any DLC?

It's hard to say. It depends entirely on how much I play it, and whilst I buy a crap-ton of them, my record with actually getting around to playing PSP games isn't really all that great. I'm also kind of concerned that I might be approaching saturation point when it comes to iM@S, and as a result I'll find it a little hard to get back into...

[Johnny]

Latest Famitsu has news of a new game from D3, Dream Club, which appears to be an iMAS clone. Thought this would interest fellow iMAS fans. Apparently it's 70% complete, a 360 exclusive and due for a summer release. Some of those girls look very much like their iMAS counterparts :P

Scans here: http://videogamerx.gamedonga.co.kr/zbxe/1100656#1

Roll on summer! ^_^

[superdry]

The blonde girl with the twintails in Dream Club reminds me of the main female character from Koharu Biyori.

Since it's published by D3, hopefully the US branch takes a chance and brings out here in the US. But, that might be wishful thinking. =)

[something]

Some of those girls look very much like their iMAS counterparts :P
Holy shit, they didn't even try to hide it, did they? :sd:

[Johnny]

Some of those girls look very much like their iMAS counterparts :P
Holy shit, they didn't even try to hide it, did they? :sd:

This pic (http://allgamesbeta.net/2009/02/18/dream-club-xbox-360/) makes it look even worse! :sd:

[DiGiKerot]

Latest Famitsu has news of a new game from D3, Dream Club, which appears to be an iMAS clone. Thought this would interest fellow iMAS fans. Apparently it's 70% complete, a 360 exclusive and due for a summer release. Some of those girls look very much like their iMAS counterparts :P

Scans here: http://videogamerx.gamedonga.co.kr/zbxe/1100656#1

Roll on summer! ^_^

The text describes it as a renai game, so rather than managing the bar or whatever, you appear to be managing your own time in order to raise money through part time jobs in order to woo the hostesses at a hostess bar - think of it as a more complex version of the dating subgame in Yakuza (alas, not Yakuza 2s bar management mini-game, which I thought it might be initially).

That said, yeah, even beyond the character designs, the whole visual style of things like the HUD, the screen layout, text boxes and menus are all very much in the style of iM@S. I guess I'll give it a shot - the visuals are nice at least - but I'm not really expecting a whole lot out of it as a game.

[geotrio]

Question about iM@S for the PSP. Will it play on a US PSP or would I have to import a Japanese PSP to play the game?

[superdry]

Question about iM@S for the PSP. Will it play on a US PSP or would I have to import a Japanese PSP to play the game?

All PSP games are region free so you'll have no problems playing imports on your US PSP. But, the Idolmaster games are pretty text heavy (besides the 2nd xbox 360 version which is more of a rhythm game from what I've read)...so one might be stumbling and bumbling through the game without sufficient knowledge of Japanese unless one follows a decent walkthrough.

[Johnny]

And so it begins! Japanese PS Store was updated earlier today and, shock, it has iMAS PSP DLC on day one! :P

► Idolmaster SP (PSP)
○ Mail Addresses (x9) (¥100 each)
○ Songs (x24) (¥150 each)
○ Extend Clothes (x1) (¥1000 each)
○ Cute & Girly Clothes (x1) (¥500 each)
○ Head Accessories (x1) (¥200 each)
○ Body Accessories (x1) (¥200 each)
○ Hand Accessories (x1) (¥200 each)
○ Leg Accessories (x1) (¥200 each)

24 songs already! Extend Clothes! Gonna need a couple of those 5000 Yen PSN cards I reckon ;)

EDIT: Official site updated with pics of the stuff here (http://namco-ch.net/idolmaster_sp/765shop/index.php#cos). Was hoping the extend clothes would be the school uniform but I guess I'll have to wait :P

[Johnny]

Just got my copy of Perfect Sun today. Asian version comes with a very useful English manual and also a download code for the school uniform which I wasn't expecting! :bigsmile:

[DiGiKerot]

Just got my copy of Perfect Sun today. Asian version comes with a very useful English manual and also a download code for the school uniform which I wasn't expecting! :bigsmile:

My copies of the three games turned up today as well. They're the Japanese versions, so not English manual (dang, that does sound useful!), but I did at least get three complete sets of alternate covers.

Alas, now I'm stuck with trying to decide if I want to install firmware 5.05 over my hacked PSP so I can play it tonight, or if I just want to wait, or if I should just head out and buy a PSP-3000 to play it on instead:sd:

[Johnny]

Just got my copy of Perfect Sun today. Asian version comes with a very useful English manual and also a download code for the school uniform which I wasn't expecting! :bigsmile:

My copies of the three games turned up today as well. They're the Japanese versions, so not English manual (dang, that does sound useful!), but I did at least get three complete sets of alternate covers.

I can take pics of the manual of you want? Yeah, the alternative covers are pretty cool. Think I'll just keep them with all my other iMAS stuff though rather than, y'know, actually use them :P

[DiGiKerot]

Just got my copy of Perfect Sun today. Asian version comes with a very useful English manual and also a download code for the school uniform which I wasn't expecting! :bigsmile:

My copies of the three games turned up today as well. They're the Japanese versions, so not English manual (dang, that does sound useful!), but I did at least get three complete sets of alternate covers.

I can take pics of the manual of you want? Yeah, the alternative covers are pretty cool. Think I'll just keep them with all my other iMAS stuff though rather than, y'know, actually use them :P

I'd be interested in seeing that if you get the chance.

I've got no idea what I've going to be doing with those alternate covers. I guess I'll just put them somewhere and promptly forget all about them...

[Njr Scrawl]

Just got my copy of Perfect Sun today. Asian version comes with a very useful English manual and also a download code for the school uniform which I wasn't expecting! :bigsmile:

My copies of the three games turned up today as well. They're the Japanese versions, so not English manual (dang, that does sound useful!), but I did at least get three complete sets of alternate covers.

I can take pics of the manual of you want? Yeah, the alternative covers are pretty cool. Think I'll just keep them with all my other iMAS stuff though rather than, y'know, actually use them :P

Yes please! If you d/l the uniforms, I'd be interested to see what they look like. 360 had both summer & winter versions IIRC.

[superdry]

I, too, was excited about the d/l costume after I picked up my copy of Wandering Star, but let down since you need an Asian PSN account to download it. Oh well....

[Johnny]

I, too, was excited about the d/l costume after I picked up my copy of Wandering Star, but let down since you need an Asian PSN account to download it. Oh well....

Assuming you have the Asian version, you'll need an Asian PS3 or PSP account to download anything. Just incase you don't know, setup of an Asian account is all in English so it's easy to do...

[Johnny]

Just got my copy of Perfect Sun today. Asian version comes with a very useful English manual and also a download code for the school uniform which I wasn't expecting! :bigsmile:

My copies of the three games turned up today as well. They're the Japanese versions, so not English manual (dang, that does sound useful!), but I did at least get three complete sets of alternate covers.

I can take pics of the manual of you want? Yeah, the alternative covers are pretty cool. Think I'll just keep them with all my other iMAS stuff though rather than, y'know, actually use them :P

Yes please! If you d/l the uniforms, I'd be interested to see what they look like. 360 had both summer & winter versions IIRC.

Haven't got a pic of the school uniform but all the DLC for the game can be seen here (http://namco-ch.net/idolmaster_sp/765shop/index.php#acce).

[Johnny]

I'd be interested in seeing that if you get the chance.


Here you go :)

Page 1 (http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/9764/dsc00281k.jpg)
Page 2 (http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/9508/dsc00282l.jpg)
Page 3 (http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/6034/dsc00283d.jpg)
Page 4 (http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/723/dsc00284l.jpg)

Apologies for the crappy quality, my SD card is currently full of Virtual Console games so had to use my mobile phone camera instead of my digital camera :P

[Johnny]

The second batch of iMAS SP DLC has been announced and there's pics and info on Dengeki (http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/142/142449/). If I'm reading it right, it's due for release on the 11th March.

I really like that costume that's featured so will likely download it as I got the school uniform for free :)

[Njr Scrawl]

Got all 3 games. Each came packaged with a complete set of alternate double sided covers, each side having a different one of the girls (apart from the twins together). The cover "shots" are taken from a poster of all together in 1 group, including the new one. Asusa, Maya & Chihaya each have their own cover side. :)

[boogiecat]

Actually i've got also those preorder exclusive additional slip up covers but i've given it to someone else already..

BTW there's also Idolm@ster Twins(which is just a bundle of the previous two Xbox 360 games):

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-br-49-en-70-37h3.html

[youth]

Here's your chance to see one of the Idolm@ster girls in person in the US. Anime Central the big midwest anime con held right by Chicago just announced that they have Chiaki Takahashi as a guest. Besides being a leading VA in a few shows like Kimi ga Nozomu Eien & School Days, she would be best known here as the voice behind the lovely Azusa Miura. :shy:

Just mentioning this because this my local con & the guest list has been lackluster for me until this pleasantly surprising announcement. Never expected to be able to see any of the IMAS girls live let alone one of my favorites besides Miki.

[boogiecat]

Here's your chance to see one of the Idolm@ster girls in person in the US. Anime Central the big midwest anime con held right by Chicago just announced that they have Chiaki Takahashi as a guest. Besides being a leading VA in a few shows like Kimi ga Nozomu Eien & School Days, she would be best known here as the voice behind the lovely Azusa Miura. :shy:

Just mentioning this because this my local con & the guest list has been lackluster for me until this pleasantly surprising announcement. Never expected to be able to see any of the IMAS girls live let alone one of my favorites besides Miki.

Wow that's great news at least to American IM@S Fans out there...Her voice was actually great!!

[Njr Scrawl]

Luckeee! I love Azusa & would love to meet her seiyuu. (Azusa is the nicest IM girl & IMO most marriageable of them all! Best for singing in a duet or trio though.

[Citizen Klaus]

Azusa is the nicest IM girl & IMO most marriageable of them all!

Apostasy! It has to be Chihaya.

Azusa's all, "'Sup going to IM@S University for my MRS. DEGREE." :P

[Draneor]

Apostasy! It has to be Chihaya.

Haruka is my favorite, followed by Iori, Miki, and lastly Azusa.

[something]

Apostasy! It has to be Chihaya.
Haruka is my favorite, followed by Iori, Miki, and lastly Azusa.
Haruka and Yayoi > All! Partial to Iori and Yukiho too, though. And Ritsuko. And... okay I love them all. Although I only know them through Xenoglossia, the OVA, fanart, and Niconico videos.

[Consignia]

Does anyone know how you get to produce the rivals in the SP series? I've complete Wandering Star story mode with Iori, but Takane doesn't seem to have been unlocked in either Story or Free Produce mode.

[Njr Scrawl]

Apostasy! It has to be Chihaya.
Haruka is my favorite, followed by Iori, Miki, and lastly Azusa.
Haruka and Yayoi > All! Partial to Iori and Yukiho too, though. And Ritsuko. And... okay I love them all. Although I only know them through Xenoglossia, the OVA, fanart, and Niconico videos.

Iori's aprés-shower rant scene, followed by realisation of her.. state.. & resulting scream in Xenoglossia is forever etched in my mind! :blush:

IM@s game Iori is cuter, but still a little madam. And she sings sweetly :)

Asuza in the game is so made-for-me, I can't help but love her most. Chihaya is awesomeness & Makoto rocks. But Asuza is the girl-next-door. :catgirl:

[Johnny]

Does anyone know how you get to produce the rivals in the SP series? I've complete Wandering Star story mode with Iori, but Takane doesn't seem to have been unlocked in either Story or Free Produce mode.

Was it ever confirmed that you could produce them? I haven't paid much attention to the game in terms of news/DLC since its release but last time I checked there was still a question mark over whether you could take control of them. I'm sure Digi will be able to confirm though.

[DiGiKerot]

Does anyone know how you get to produce the rivals in the SP series? I've complete Wandering Star story mode with Iori, but Takane doesn't seem to have been unlocked in either Story or Free Produce mode.

I'm not sure you can use them outside of Office mode, unfortunately.

[youth]

Azusa singing a short clip of "Go My Way" with a lucky fan (not me :rolleyes:) at Anime Central '09.

HD version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6BHKRwPDpc&fmt=22
Replace 22 with 18 for a high quality lower resolution version.

Her autograph. I kinda felt sorry for her since her autograph session had only a few ppl whereas the table next to her with Vic Mignola was packed.

http://animerunner.net/image/acen09_chiaki_takahashi_autograph.jpg

[boogiecat]

Azusa singing a short clip of "Go My Way" with a lucky fan (not me :rolleyes:) at Anime Central '09.

HD version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6BHKRwPDpc&fmt=22
Replace 22 with 18 for a high quality lower resolution version.

Her autograph. I kinda felt sorry for her since her autograph session had only a few ppl whereas the table next to her with Vic Mignola was packed.

http://animerunner.net/image/acen09_chiaki_takahashi_autograph.jpg

WOW THAT'S GREAT!!

[youth]

I'm sure you'll like this then.

She's a lovely young lady.

"Will you marry me?"
http://animerunner.net/image/acen09_chiaki_takahashi_azusa_figure1.jpg
http://animerunner.net/image/acen09_chiaki_takahashi_azusa_figure.jpg

[Citizen Klaus]

I'm sure you'll like this then.

She's a lovely young lady.

"Will you marry me?"
http://animerunner.net/image/acen09_chiaki_takahashi_azusa_figure1.jpg
http://animerunner.net/image/acen09_chiaki_takahashi_azusa_figure.jpg

Nice. Asuza². :cool:

[boogiecat]

GOOD NEWS:

http://www.idolmaster.jp/blog/2009/05/project-ims-2nd-vision.html

YEAH ANOTHER IDOLM@STER GAME!!

[Johnny]

GOOD NEWS:

http://www.idolmaster.jp/blog/2009/05/project-ims-2nd-vision.html

YEAH ANOTHER IDOLM@STER GAME!!

And apparently in development for PSP only.

[DiGiKerot]

GOOD NEWS:

http://www.idolmaster.jp/blog/2009/05/project-ims-2nd-vision.html

YEAH ANOTHER IDOLM@STER GAME!!

And apparently in development for PSP only.

Really? Where's the news on that from?

-edit- Not to sound snappy - I'm sure curious about it. From what I gather from that news story, they are presently in the initial stages of planning the actual sequel to the original iM@S game, but are unlikely to have anything to show until the games fifth anniversary event next summer.

They are also announcing the "Next Game Project" a week on Sunday - it seems unclear as to whether this is the sequel to iM@S mentioned previously in the story, or an unrelated game. One Japanese online store has listed the contents of an upcoming issue of a Japanese magazine as containing a story about "iDOLM@STER DS", so it could well be that.

If the next iM@S game is coming for PSP only, I'd kind of be interested in seeing where that news came from, as honestly, even with arcades world-wide going down the crapper, I'd find it surprising if they didn't go to the arcades with it first.

[Johnny]

GOOD NEWS:

http://www.idolmaster.jp/blog/2009/05/project-ims-2nd-vision.html

YEAH ANOTHER IDOLM@STER GAME!!

And apparently in development for PSP only.

Really? Where's the news on that from?

-edit- Not to sound snappy - I'm sure curious about it. From what I gather from that news story, they are presently in the initial stages of planning the actual sequel to the original iM@S game, but are unlikely to have anything to show until the games fifth anniversary event next summer.

They are also announcing the "Next Game Project" a week on Sunday - it seems unclear as to whether this is the sequel to iM@S mentioned previously in the story, or an unrelated game. One Japanese online store has listed the contents of an upcoming issue of a Japanese magazine as containing a story about "iDOLM@STER DS", so it could well be that.

If the next iM@S game is coming for PSP only, I'd kind of be interested in seeing where that news came from, as honestly, even with arcades world-wide going down the crapper, I'd find it surprising if they didn't go to the arcades with it first.

I can't remember where I read it, but I'm pretty sure the link was on GAF. I definitely think (not just because of how good Namco are at milking franchises) that an iMAS DS will appear at some point and will be similar to Live 4 You with a lot of touch screen oriented mini-games.

[Consignia]

While I do like the PSP game, a lot, I would like a version which allows for more than one idol to be managed to be region-free. My main problem is that most of the songs are designed to be sung and danced by 3 girls, and it seems like that may not be possible on the portable platforms. So hopefully there is going to a future version on the PS3, but that's just my wish.

[Johnny]

While I do like the PSP game, a lot, I would like a version which allows for more than one idol to be managed to be region-free. My main problem is that most of the songs are designed to be sung and danced by 3 girls, and it seems like that may not be possible on the portable platforms. So hopefully there is going to a future version on the PS3, but that's just my wish.

If there is another home console version (which there inevitably will be) then it's almost certain it will appear on both 360 and PS3. Probably with exclusive DLC for each console :sweat:

[DiGiKerot]

I can't remember where I read it, but I'm pretty sure the link was on GAF. I definitely think (not just because of how good Namco are at milking franchises) that an iMAS DS will appear at some point and will be similar to Live 4 You with a lot of touch screen oriented mini-games.

Hmmm, sounds needle-in-haystacky - was this recent news? The only post I can see in recent days was about the rumoured DS game (which I'm now assuming is going to be the game announced next week - I had previously figured it may have been a PS3 version, particularly given that they're hinting at the SP rivals joining 765-pro).

A new PSP game would kind of suck, if only because the high likelyhood of PSP games going download-only would make it rather more a pain to get access to.

[Johnny]

I can't remember where I read it, but I'm pretty sure the link was on GAF. I definitely think (not just because of how good Namco are at milking franchises) that an iMAS DS will appear at some point and will be similar to Live 4 You with a lot of touch screen oriented mini-games.

Hmmm, sounds needle-in-haystacky - was this recent news? The only post I can see in recent days was about the rumoured DS game (which I'm now assuming is going to be the game announced next week - I had previously figured it may have been a PS3 version, particularly given that they're hinting at the SP rivals joining 765-pro).

A new PSP game would kind of suck, if only because the high likelyhood of PSP games going download-only would make it rather more a pain to get access to.

I know, sorry I can't be more specific but if I come across it again I'll be sure to post it in here :)

I agree with you about a new game being on PSP being negative - not that there's anything wrong with it on the portable but I much prefer it in HD. Which reminds me, I shamefully haven't really touched the PSP version since getting it so maybe I'll settle into a bit of that later tonight. After all, gotta get warmed up for Dream Club in August! :P Would I be right in assuming it also has your attention? :sweat:

[boogiecat]

Yeah i see.Thanks..

[Johnny]

New iMAS announced in this weeks Famitsu:

[NDS]Idolm@ster Dearly Stars
- new characters: Eri Mizutani、Ai Hidaka Ryo Akizuki
- 50% done

Scans here (http://img103.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=95107_viploader1030652_122_664lo.jpg&loc=loc664#), here (http://img23.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=95111_viploader1030654_122_813lo.jpg ) and here (http://img127.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=95100_viploader1030650_122_1182lo.jp g).

[DiGiKerot]

New iMAS announced in this weeks Famitsu:

[NDS]Idolm@ster Dearly Stars
- new characters: Eri Mizutani、Ai Hidaka Ryo Akizuki
- 50% done

Scans here (http://img103.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=95107_viploader1030652_122_664lo.jpg&loc=loc664#), here (http://img23.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=95111_viploader1030654_122_813lo.jpg ) and here (http://img127.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=95100_viploader1030650_122_1182lo.jp g).

I need to have a better look through later, but to summarise the important information...

You are working for a new production company, 876Pro (BanNam Production), which means three new girls. The other characters do appear throughout the story mode, though.

Ryo Akizuki is Ritsukos cousin.

There's mention of using the DSi Camera for scanning QR Codes, which means that, alas, this game is probably going to be a region locked DSi title. It'll be kind of curious to see if they use any of the additional oomph of the DSi to try some actual 3D, or if everything is just going to be static images.

[Johnny]

There's mention of using the DSi Camera for scanning QR Codes, which means that, alas, this game is probably going to be a region locked DSi title. It'll be kind of curious to see if they use any of the additional oomph of the DSi to try some actual 3D, or if everything is just going to be static images.

I hope not, but if it is then I'll be getting a Japanese DSi. Isn't it though that, until the DSi completely takes the place of the DS Lite, games will work on both systems, but you'll obviously need the DSi to take advantage of the unique features?
I certainly hope so, because if not, then I'm going to be buying at least 2 DSi's to get round the region coding.

[boogiecat]

New iMAS announced in this weeks Famitsu:

[NDS]Idolm@ster Dearly Stars
- new characters: Eri Mizutani、Ai Hidaka Ryo Akizuki
- 50% done

Scans here (http://img103.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=95107_viploader1030652_122_664lo.jpg&loc=loc664#), here (http://img23.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=95111_viploader1030654_122_813lo.jpg ) and here (http://img127.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=95100_viploader1030650_122_1182lo.jp g).

Wow this is great news,i think there are two more Idolmaster games for the DS besides Dearly Stars..

[DiGiKerot]

They've just got done with the official announcement of the game, which was streaming live over NicoNicoDouga. Unfortunately, the feed was way over-subscribed, meaning that non-paying plebeians like myself were getting kicked from it constantly, meaning that I don't really have a whole lot to say about it. It was something of an exercise in frustration:sweat:

A shame, because they started it off with a short promo video for the game, of which I missed all but the end of - I can confirm that they aren't trying to do anything silly like trying to render the idols in 3D on DS hardware, using 2D images with animated lip-flaps during the dialogue sequences like most genre games. They also seem to be focusing on calling this an "adventure game" rather than a "Simulation", so I'm presuming that it's a more linear affair with some of the usual iM@S trappings, rather than an actual management game like the others. Probably wise given the hardware limitations - from the magazine article (which seems to go into more detail about things), it sounds like the auditions (which most of traditional iM@S focuses on) are events used to close off the end of the stories "episodes" rather than commonplace events.

-edit-
Oh, seeing the promo video, I see what strikes this as being different from the other iM@S games - it's played from the PoV of the idol, rather than the Producer. That's kind of interesting...
-end edit-

They also sang the new song from the game, "Hello" - I didn't catch all of it, but it seems like it's pretty catchy at least.

Also, they did actually introduce the actresses for the new characters, something which is missing from the magazine articles. Ai is Tomatsu Haruka (Nagi from Kannagi, Misao from Asura Cryin'). Eri is Hanazawa Kana (Zange from Kannagi). Ryo is Sanpei Yuko (Elliot from My-ZHiME S.ifr - a lot of her other prominant roles are as young male characters. I wonder if she'll be a little tomboyish...).

I did at least catch the live performance of THE iDOLM@STER, which was about as shakey as iM@S live performances usually are.

[boogiecat]

I think they're trying different this time in this new Idolmaster DS game which is great..I wonder if there would be other Idolmaster DS games after this one??

The new Idolmaster 2 game is also announced but that one will be revealed soon(still under development),i think this one's a Playstation 3 game this time i hope)..

[DiGiKerot]

I think they're trying different this time in this new Idolmaster DS game which is great..I wonder if there would be other Idolmaster DS games after this one??

The new Idolmaster 2 game is also announced but that one will be revealed soon(still under development),i think this one's a Playstation 3 game this time i hope)..

I'm not really sure you'll be seeing anything "soon" - their own website said not to expect much news other than the fact that it's un development until the show they'll be holding at this time next year...