39. Beatmania GB (Konami, Game Boy, 1999)

Beatmania GB is the first portable iteration of Konami's DJ-themed rhythm arcade series.

The way I see it, a rhythm game lives or dies by two things:
- Its controls
- Its soundtrack

Beatmania GB doesn't disappoint in the soundtrack department, especially for a Game Boy game. There's a wide variety of styles here, from jazz to techno, to country. They even throw in some classical music and a couple songs from Konami games, which fondly reminds me of Taiko Drum Master on the Playstation 2.

Control-wise, you are just pressing buttons to the beat / melody of a song that is playing. Since this is Game Boy we're talking about, the 6 notes are assigned to left, up, right, B, A, and Start. Thankfully start is not used very often, as it is awkward to switch between it and the other buttons, not to mention the mushiness of the start button on most Game Boy models. The control setup is basic but works, I just wish the game had difficulty modes, because I'm only good enough to pass the easier songs. To its credit, the game does have a free mode where you can play any song you want, so at least I can give the more challenging stages a shot.

Visually it's pretty nice, there is a visualizer next to the play field that has some fun & cute graphics popping up, though I'm usually too focused on what's coming to notice them.

3/5, a basic rhythm game, but pretty fun for a Game Boy title.

(Apparently the sequel has Yellow Magic Orchestra's Rydeen in it, which rules).